"When one is not enough, and two does not suffice
Three is too little,
and four does not satisfy –
For the blue moon, five
shall be the sacrifice
The blood will flow,
the bones will dry
The flesh shall wither,
and the dead shall rise”
- Dark Poems of the Gibbet Hill
“The legend of the
Gibbet Hill is that every time there is a blue moon, the dead rise from their
graves,” Aya speaks calmly, reading the dark poetry from an old book. “I can
smell a foul stench of magic in this place, an air of death and decay”
“That much is obvious
– this is a grave after all.” Knarok walks towards the foothill, a footpath
before him leading to the top of the hill. A great tree can be seen atop, accompanying the blue moon.
“The stench does not
stain the air if remain buried and untouched, only exposed corpses tainted with
magic can smell this foul,” defended Aya, “any wizard would know desecrated
graves just by the smell.”
Aya closed the book in
one hand, on the other she held up her wand and casted a ray of light forward
to light the path. The sky is dark with clouds and shadows of whatever is
blotting the sun out. Day or night seemed irrelevant in this land.
From the back, sound
of half stumbling steps drew close to them, it is Covetous Shen.
“You know… legend also
says that there is a gem inside there that is empowering the risen dead in the
hill,” said Shen, his voice old and scared, “if the gem is removed, I believe
the ritual ca be undone forever.”
“It does mention
something alike in this ancient book,” said Aya, recalling what she read, “the Gem
of Ysair – the gem of the dead.”
“Shen, you said you
wanted the gem, what for?” Knarok continued to walk on, with Aya and Shen
following at the back.
“I have reasons to
believe that the gem was actually a corrupted Star Gem that can be restored!
And I intend to do so.”
“You wish to restore a
corrupted gem? Is that possible?” Knarok continues to pace.
“Yes, yes, it is very
possible! Although, it would require a little magic, which is why I hired the
wizard!”
“Yet you do not trust
me to defend you against the dead of this hill?” Aya asked.
“Well, you know,
everybody has a specialty. A warrior for his skills in combat and you for your
knowledge in the arcane. After all, I am just a gem crafter.”
The barbarian smiled a
little, knowing that there is fighting ahead.
“Ready yourselves, I
hear footsteps ahead.”
Shen hurried forward
to stay between the two more capable fighters, Aya remained at the back with a
wand in her right hand and a crossbow on the left; Knarok retrieve two axes
from his back harness.
Within the next
minute, the footsteps took shape under the rays of light. Skeleton after
skeleton walked forward, armed with an assorted range of weapon, their decayed
flesh left the bones with traces of flayed skins, missing organs and tattered
clothes. Those missing a weapon simply picked up bones and limbs to compensate.
“By the count, a
hundred, at least,” Aya kept a keen lookout, “they awoke to our life essence,
more will rise as we press forward.”
“Understood,” Knarok tightens
his grip and lets out a roar, the edges of the axe in his hands glowed yellow
in color as he charge into the horde. The horde hears the roar and respond in
kind, shouting impossible voices from their empty throats as they, too, charge
towards him.
The light provided enough
to show where the barbarian can strike a lethal blow. With each swing, the axe
cleaved into the fragile bones and shattered them with ease. Aya held her wand
at the ready, casting bolts of arcane energy as she follows Knarok’s push
towards the hilltop. As they begin to ascend to the hill, corpses from the
shallow graves begin to rise from the flanks.
“Zombies!” Shen warned
the wizard as she turns to her right and fired a fiery bolt that immediately
turned the walking corpse into crisp. Arming her crossbow, she cast another
spell on the weapon and released a fiery volley on the enemies.
As Knarok pushes on,
the horde starts to thicken as the number increases drastically. The dead
started to close in from all directions as they reach midway of the hill.
“Get down!” He
shouted. Immediately, the command was heeded as the barbaric might of the axe
swings overhead both Aya and Shen. Knarok held onto the chains that bound the
axes and swung them both as he spins around. The momentum created by the weight
of the axe brought forth a devastating blows that smashed apart the dead around
him. At last, the path is clear.
Not for long though,
the newly risen zombies closes in without hesitation. The party make a dash
towards the hilltop for what little opening the clearing gave. As the zombies
are about to enter attacking range, Aya charged her wand with another spell and
a wave of force pushed back the walking corpses and created another opening for
them.
“Hurry,” Aya cast a
frozen nova behind her, an arc of ice wall barring the way for any advancing
zombies, “the ice won’t last long!”
Knarok leaps forward
without hesitation, scattering the horde yet again, this time, there is enough
distance to swing his axe without causing harm to his allies. With all his might
he swung the axes and made a path for the two.
All the while,
Covetous Shen was protected by the wizard, but now he sees an opening – a clear
path towards a circle of sacrifice, five corpses hung from poles set at five
corners of the circle, that is where the Gem of Ysair is likely to be!
“The Circle! There!”
Shen scream across to Knarok as his swing halted, he sprinted his way towards
the circle and…
“Watch out!” Aya shouted.
The gem crafter has
reach the circle, right in the center of the maw of the circle of teeth that surrounds
him. It’s too late – or is it? Aya let out a shout of magic word, within a split-second,
she dashed into the maw where Shen is, and in the next split second, flashed
her way out. A trail of light followed her path. The maw shut over the ritual
circle right after that, the teeth interlocking perfectly into a semicircular dome.
Shen remains safe – for now.
“I’ve got it!”
Covetous Shen reveal the gem in his hand, his face full of excitement.
While still curious as
to how he is so excited in the face of the impending danger, Aya rose to her
feet and began to cast another shock wave, pushing the tide back once again,
allowing Knarok to regroup with them. They have reached the top of the hill.
“We’re surrounded,” said
Knarok as he cleaved the heads of three zombies, “I thought you said that the
gem is the key?”
“Yes, it is, well at
least it’s supposed to be.”
“You mean you’re not
sure?”
“Yes I am… I mean no…
I mean…”
“Still your mind, gem
crafter,” Aya turn to Shen and took the gem off his hands. She casted another
shock wave and turned to the barbarian.
“Put it in your axe,”
she tossed the gem, “then break this ritual circle.”
Knarok had no time to
question her, he quickly inserted the gem into one of the sockets in his weapon
and struck it to the ground. The axe glowed a light of violet and blue,
emitting waves of arcane energy, the feeling on the grip became much heavier
and it felt… different.
“Now destroy the
circle!” Aya’s voice is drowned out by the death horde’s screams. It felt as
though he almost did not hear what she said. As he turns back, with the axe in
his hand, he raised it as swung it down with all his might.
“No – !” Aya felt
blood running down her chest, the cut from the axe that caused the bleeding.
There was so little time to think against a swing so fast. Why?
“What in the name of –
?” Aya fell to the ground, the wound won’t stop bleeding.
At a distance, she
heard a laughter, the dead has stop advancing, but it sound like a darker evil
has been ushered in to claim her.
“Fool girl, you think
I would allow my ritual circle to be destroyed by my own gem?” The voice boomed
and approaches nearer to her.
“Ysair!”
“I go by that name –
once. No more. Now, I am the Corpse Lord of this hill.” The voice took shape –
a ghostly skeletal figure that is the size of a giant. “You have disturbed my
slumber, wizard, this is my paradise, now you shall be a part of it!”
Knarok stood still by
the side of the giant ghostly skeleton, with eyes glowing with the same light
as his axe. He is possessed!
It’s too late now,
Knarok’s shadow slowly looms overhead as she lay immobilized. The axe is raised,
ready to fall right at her torso, to cleave into her heart.
“I see!” A voice spoke
out, echoed from a distance, one awfully familiar to Aya, “you corrupted the Star
Gem to contain your soul, and the ritual would allow you to use the gem to raise
the dead in this land!”
Covetous Shen walks
out from the shadow, there was a different air about his voice – something’s
different.
“Shen!” The ghost
yelled with his foul voice.
The mind-controlled
barbarian jumped, leaping towards the old gem crafter. The force of the bulky
body and the weight of all his armaments caused the dust to fly as he landed, leaving
a crater where Shen is.
But
Shen is unharmed!
“I have come for you,
Ysair,” Shen held the grip of both the axes, his strength, surprisingly,
rivaled that of Knarok, “your soul, is mine!”
“You can’t take me! As
long as I have this savage’s body, I cannot be taken by you!”
“Oh you have
misunderstood, this man is precisely the reason why I can claim you this day!”
All of a sudden, the
barbarian’s body seized up, there is a violent shiver and shaking.
“What is happening?”
Ysair yelled out he fell to his knee as though weighed down by a heavy boulder,
forcing his ghostly form to its knees and hands to the ground.
“The barbarians are no
ordinary humans, Ysair,” Shen released his grip from the axes, Knarok remained
shaking but still, “their ancients watch over them and give them strength when
they call upon them, in this case, you have just invoked their wrath.”
Shen took out his gem
tools and started to work on removing the gem, “right now, they resist you even
from within that man. I was counting on it.”
“You gave your word,
Shen! This gem is mine!”
“I have said many
things in the past, Ysair, but trust me, this is for your sake.”
With a final strike of
the hammer, the gem is finally removed from the axe. As the gem fell to the
ground, Ysair’s soul returned to the gem with an agonizing scream, the magic
that bound the dead to his command shattered, leaving the corpses and skeletons
around them limp, falling apart one by one. Knarok fell to his knees, exhausted
from the struggle.
“Well done, warrior!
We got what we came here for! The dead shall trouble us no more!” Said Shen as
he picks up the gem from the ground.
“Who… are you?” Knarok
asked, though not without heavy breaths.
“A tale for another
time,” the old man wrapped the gem with a piece of leather, “now go aid the
wizard, she still lives!”
Knarok immediately
rose to his feet and walked towards Aya, the wound across her torso is slowly
healing with the aid of the arcane powers.
“My apologies, lady,”
Knarok held her up in his hands and lay her on a slab of flat rock.
“No, it is I who
should apologize, I was too confident, and it almost became the death of me.”
“Peace, my lady, all
is well.” said the barbarian as he pour healing concoctions around the wound.
“None of you are at
fault,” Covetous Shen walked over, packing the gem into his bag, “after all, no
one would have known that this is no ordinary gem.”
“Whoever plants this
gem into a weapon and wields it, is bound to the soul that resides within it.
Whoever plants this gem into a body, the soul takes over. Even today, as you
have resisted Ysair’s soul, that is no easy work.”
Knarok turns to him, “tell
me, just who are you?”
“Oh, I am just a
simple gem crafter. Nobody, nobody at all,” his voice changed.
“You held my axe upon
impact of my leap, you stood unharmed from the impact and you clearly knew what
wanted to take and how to take it,” the barbarian looked straight at him, “who
are you?”
“Ah, like I said, a tale
for another time.”
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