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[h1][color=gold][b]Tera Valenci[/b][/color][/h1]
(( [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wxu_WxO3suI]Mood Music[/url] ))
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It was cold. Cold and wet. The trail that was once known for its beautiful vistas can refreshing mountain breeze had been replaced with a bleak, foggy trail of mud and rain. There were no vibrant colors that the trail was known for, only the black and gray that the weather brought along. Rain fell heavily on the roof of the carriage, every bump in the road elicited a loud wooden groan. The splattering mud had hidden the regal features of the carriage, it was simply a rocking wooden box with a yellow lamplight shining from the windows.

Tera lay on the small bed at the back of the carriage, she was sound asleep despite the loud thudding of the rain. A huntress sat opposite to her, one hand on the pommel of her sword while the other held open a curtain to watch outside. The eleven other hunters and huntresses were forced to brave the elements. Their metal and leather boots were being sucked at by the six inch deep mud while their chain and plate armor rattled from their sluggish movements. The huntsmen had all pulled their cloaks up, but it was clear they were soaked through and through.

One of the horses pulling the carriage whinnied and complained, but the coachman did his work to keep the horses moving. The carriage jerked again, rougher this time, and caused a loud slam that could be heard throughout the retinue. A crack rang out and the carriage tipped to one side. Tera gasped awake as she rolled to the wall. The huntress braced herself before looking to the princess, [color=white][i]"My lady, are you hurt?"[/i][/color]

Tera took a moment to collect herself as rain water leaked through the cracks around the door to the carriage. She nodded, [color=gold][b]"No... What happened?"[/b][/color]

The huntress looked around, [color=white][i]"Seems one of the wheels was lost..."[/i][/color]

A heavy knock on the door could be heard, [color=white][i]"Princess! Tallia! Are you two alright in there?"[/i][/color]

The huntress knocked back on the door, [color=white][i]"We're fine! The princess is simply collecting herself!"[/i][/color]

Tera rubbed her eyes and straightened out her clothing. She was wearing travel leathers, not the usual corset and dress combination she'd be expected to wear. Tera brushed some hair from her face and made sure her amulet was still fastened around her neck. She let out a relieved sigh and looked back to Tallia, [color=gold][b]"What do we do now?"[/b][/color]

The huntress put on her cloak and smiled to the princess, [color=white][i]"Until we can fix the carriage, I suppose we make camp."[/i][/color]

Tera nodded and watched as Tallia opened the carriage door, luckily the huntress' body blocked the rain from getting inside. [color=white][i]"Wait here."[/i][/color]

The huntress pulled herself from the carriage and closed the door behind her. Tera could hear the huntsmen talking with one another. Eventually, the voices began to fade as they moved out further from the carriage and the rain continued to drown out the rest of the noise. Tera fiddled with a small trinket for only a few minutes before getting antsy. Putting on her own cloak, she climbed out. It was a torrential downpour outside, even the winds had picked up. Tera's cloak had immediately clung to one side of her, she felt the water had already seeped through the fabric. She looked left and saw a gaggle of four huntsmen, then right to see another three with Tallia. They were studying something.

Tera walked over to them, prompting Tallia to look over to her and frown, [color=white][i]"I told you to stay inside."[/i][/color]

The princess shrugged, [color=gold][b]"I was getting bored. What's going on?"[/b][/color]

Tallia looked grim, [color=white][i]"It... It wasn't a rock that dislodged the carriage's wheel..."[/i][/color]

Another hunter, knelt over a lump in the mud, looked over his shoulder to Tallia and the princess, [color=white][i]"This isn't something a princess should lay eyes on. Go back to the carriage, your highness."[/i][/color]

That only piqued Tera's curiosity even more. She leaned left to look past Tallia and studied the lump closer. At first, it was just a pile of mud. But as she studied it, the shape became even clearer. A body, a human body. Tera put her hand over her mouth to stop a yelp. The second huntsman stood and stepped closer to Tallia, [color=white][i]"He's been dead for days... I'm surprised nobody else has come across the body yet..."[/i][/color]

Tallia looked over to Tera and sighed when she noticed the princess staring pale faced at the corpse. The weight of the carriage had severed one of the decrepit legs from the body as the wheel passed over. No point shielding the princess from it now. Tera couldn't help but look at the body, she had never seen such a gruesome sight in her life. Tallia stood closer to the princess, [color=white][i]"These woods have been haunted since the fall of Castle Bloodrose. Fel creatures roam these parts and bodies aren't uncommon. But you have the best huntsmen in the kingdom guarding you, your highness. We'll be fine. I assure you."[/i][/color]

Tera nodded slowly, unable to take her eyes off the corpse. Even in the heavy rain, the smell was very distinct. Upon hearing Tallia's words, Tera had wished she never left the capital. A sense of dread had crawled up her spine. But then she reminded herself why she came out here, there was a certain plant that grew within Castle Bloodrose alone that could counteract the symptoms of her father's sickness. Saving her father's life, the king's life, required bravery in these parts. Tera touched her amulet resting at the crest of her breast plate. Then the rain stopped.

It wasn't a subtle transition of rain slowing to an end. It just stopped, all of it, as though a blanket of calm had just fallen over the land. There was the noise of the storm in one moment, and then there was silence. The huntsmen all drew their weapons, an old instinct from years of experience. Something like this isn't natural. The gray fog became more prevalent. Tallia gripped the princess by the shoulder, causing Tera to jump in fright. The huntress put a finger to her lips in a 'quiet down' gesture. [color=white][i]"Stay close to me, princess. There are witches nearby. Your sword?"[/i][/color]

Tera immediately felt the weight of her ornate short sword hanging from her belt. She had never taken it off after reaching the forest. She nodded to Tallia and slid the blade from its scabbard. She heard the other huntsmen calling out to one another as they formed a protective circle around Tera. As she watched them move, she picked out a faint silhouette in the fog. Another human, limping- no... Shambling. She couldn't make out if it was a man or a woman, but it was missing an arm. Tera pointed to it, [color=gold][b]"Look. Over there."[/b][/color]

Tallia spotted the person and clenched her blade tight when she heard the throaty groan come from the shambling individual. Shortly after spotting the person, another silhouette emerged from the gray, then another. Each of them looked just as mutilated as the first. Before long, there were eight shambling individuals walking in a horde and getting closer. One of the huntsmen, Dale, quickly drew and arrow and nocked it to his bow, [color=white][i]"Undead! The dead walk!"[/i][/color]

He loosed his arrow, piercing the head of a shambler and sending it to the ground. Three huntsmen formed a defensive shield wall to hold back the small undead horde. Tera watched in horror as some of Dale's arrows pierced into the decaying skin of another shambler and didn't even break the undead's pace. She felt Tallia to her right take her by the wrist. [color=white][i]"Get back to the carriage and lock the door!"[/i][/color] she commanded from the defensive line.

Then Tera realized, it wasn't Tallia who was holding her wrist. She looked down and screamed as the body the carriage had run over was now alive. It groaned and gurgled as it grabbed at her ankle as well. She wrenched her wrist free and tried to step back but slipped in the mud, dropping her short sword. Two of the huntsmen noticed and came to help her. Tera kicked at its head to keep it back, she could have sworn she felt its weak neck snap under the barrage of kicks, but it still pressed on. One of the huntsmen hacked at the undead while the other pulled Tera a good distance away. She got to her feet and quickly moved to pick her shortsword up from the muddy trail. Looking over to the rest of the huntsmen, they had dispatched the shamblers with ease. Some were cleaning their blades while others made sure they stayed dead.

Tallia quickly ran over Tera, [color=white][i]"Your highness! Are you hurt? Did it bite you?"[/i][/color] she searched the princess for injuries while she asked.

Tera nodded, shaking violently, [color=gold][b]"I- I'm fine..."[/b][/color]

Dale, the archer, kept watching the fog, he always had the keenest eye out of everybody in the party. He saw movement in the fog, but it wasn't another shambler. The silhouette was broken, like the fog had been disrupted by something. He nocked another arrow and raised the bow a bit, [color=white][i]"Eyes front! Movement in the fog!"[/i][/color]

The rest of the party formed up and remained silent. Tera heard a whisper in the back of her mind, [color=steelblue][b]"Run..."[/b][/color]

Tera looked around and saw nobody except for the two huntsmen covering their rear. But the whisper sounded as though it came from somebody right next to her, not the ten paces away that they were. Tera looked to Tallia, [color=gold][b]"We should run."[/b][/color]

Tallia didn't look to the princess, she just shook her head, [color=white][i]"What? What do you mean run?"[/i][/color]

[color=gold][b]"I mean we should abandon the carriage and run. I don't like this... The sooner we get to Seren's Folly, the better."[/b][/color]

[color=white][i]"That's another day's journey away. In this mud, we'd be worn out just a few miles down. At least with the carriage we can alternate and rest."[/i][/color]

[center](( [url=https://youtu.be/J4JnSqo_uek?t=73]Mood Music[/url] ))[/center]

It seemed Tallia was going to say more, but something captured her attention. Tera immediately followed Tallia's gaze and saw what had stopped Tallia's words. A line was being carved in the mud along with two heavy foot prints slowly walking toward the group. The footfalls made loud thuds as it send mud splashing in every direction, but the one causing them was invisible. It didn't take long before the invisible form began to take shape. At first, it was a pair of heavy plated boot, followed by legs and eventually a torso. The line being carved in the mud was the result of a spectral, glowing blue sword being dragged behind. A torn black cape blew in the now non-existent wind, defying gravity and waving slowly in whichever direction it wanted. The plated gauntlets holding the sword came into view, then the pauldrons. Eventually, the entirety of the spectral entity was revealed. Underneath the black hood, was a ghostly helmet with featureless face underneath.

Dale loosed his arrow, it simply passed right through the heavy plate armor. Dale quickly drew another arrow and fired it, only for the same result. The ghost never quickened or slowed its pace. It was purposeful and fear inspiring. One of the huntsmen broke rank and charged, yelling a warcry as he quickly got into sword range with the knight. He swung his blade, and just like the arrows, it passed right through the body of the knight. In response, the specter grabbed the huntsman by the throat and lifted him into the air without any difficulty, all while continuing its slow advanced toward the party. The huntsman was being choked by the clawed gauntlet, blood seeping down the now physical plate armor. Then it raised its sword and cut the man clean in half like a hot knife through butter. His legs fell to the mud and the knight simply held onto the dead huntsman by the throat, dragging him in the earth. It eventually dropped the disemboweled corpse when four more huntsmen charged.

The first hunter ran straight through the knight as though it wasn't even there. A ghostly soul could be seen being ripped from his body, bound by black tendrils coming from the knight's back. The soul screamed as it was totally absorbed by the black knight. The second huntsman to reach the knight swung his sword, the knight saw it fit to actually parry the blow. A loud clang of metal on metal could be heard before a second strike was parried. This time, the black knights blade cut the huntsman's sword in two. The knight grabbed hold of the huntsman's face and crushed him with its clawed gauntlet. The third huntsman dodged the knight's swing and went for a strike to the gut. Much like the other attacks, the sword passed on through. This time however, there was no blade as it exited out the back of the knight. It was as if the blade of the sword had simply dissolved into dust. The black knight grabbed the man and threw him onto his back, never stopping its slow advance toward the princess. Before the huntsman could get on his feet, the knight's foot became material and stomped heavily on the man's chest, caving in his rib cage and crushing the man. The fourth, having witnessed his predecessors be killed so easily, panicked and dropped his sword. He screamed and ran off into the fog. His screaming eventually faded.

The huntsmen quickly began to break formation and ran further down the road away from the Black Knight. Tallia took Tera's hand and pulled her along. Tera looked over her shoulder and saw the knight walking at the same pace it always had. The huntsman at the back slipped in the mud and began to scream for help. The knight swung his blade down and ended him then and there. The next in line for the knight's unstoppable rampage had his soul torn from his body like the first. Tera could hear the horrifying screams of the soul echo through the woods as it merged with the knight's body. Dale turned and loosed an arrow, hoping one of his arrows would do something. The same result, and his stopping to shoot made him next in line. The knight raised its sword and swung at him. Dale brought his arm up in a feeble attempt to protect himself from the slash. The blade sliced straight through his arm and in the nerve between his neck and shoulder. He crumpled underneath the knight.

Adrenaline had taken the surviving hunters as they sprinted past Tera and Tallia. [color=gold][b]"Tallia! Let go! I'm slowing you down!"[/b][/color]

Tallia shook her head, [color=white][i]"Nonsense! I've protected you since you were a baby! I'm not about to abandon you! Get in front of me!"[/i][/color] She forced Tera to move in in front so Tallia would be in between the princess and the Black Knight.

The huntress looked over her shoulder to the knight. They were getting away! When she looked forward, she saw the ghostly image of the knight begin to walk out of the fog in front of them. Tera and Tallia slid to a halt, the huntress quickly putting Tera behind her again. [color=white][i]"Tera... Run."[/i][/color]

[color=steelblue][b]"Listen to her..."[/b][/color]

[color=gold][b]"What?! No! If you aren't abandoning me, then I'm not about to abandon you!"[/b][/color]

[color=steelblue][b]"Don't be a fool..."[/b][/color]

[color=white][i]"I'll distract this son of a bitch! Run and don't stop! I'll find you at Seren's Folly."[/i][/color] Tera didn't move, [color=white][i]"Go. GO!"[/i][/color]

[color=steelblue][b]"Go..."[/b][/color]

Tera finally came to her senses and ran off into the fog. She didn't know which way led to Seren's Folly, but it didn't matter right now. All that mattered was survival. Tallia grinned as the princess ran away. She stared the knight in the eye sockets of its helm, [color=white][i]"It's just you and me."[/i][/color]

Tallia muttered something under her breath. Make up began to melt off of the huntress' face, revealing witch marks of Arcadia. A far away kingdom where witches lived among the rest as equals. The witch marks began to glow a faint blue with Tallia's eyes doing the same shortly after. The knight raised its blade and swung down at Tallia. The blow was parried, Tallia's sword held. The clash echoed throughout the woods. The knight simply tilted its head and studied the crossing blades. Tallia's sword was glowing blue, much like the knight's own blade. The black knight took its blade from the clash and swung again, Tallia parried that strike as well. Tallia took the initiative and swung for a gap in the knight's leg armor. It passed through the knight, but Tallia had a feeling that'd happen. Using the knight's incorporeal form, she was able to bring her blade up for a defense without being caught on the body of the knight. She blocked another strike. The knight allowed Tallia's blade to pass through the sword and its body, opting to instead bash her in the face with the pommel of its sword. She staggered back.

The knight lunged its blade out and impaled Tallia through the shoulder. She gasped as the glow of her witch marks began to fade. Tallia tried to grab the blade and pull it free, but her hands passed through it. An evil laughter rung out through the air, it didn't come from the knight. [color=cyan][i]"Hmm~ Aren't you a curious one~"[/i][/color]

Tallia clenched her teeth and tried to free herself from the blade pinning her in the mud. The maniacal voice continued, [color=cyan][i]"Arcadian! I never thought I'd have the pleasure of encountering another one of your kind in these parts. Life works in mysterious ways... Funny thing, that... Life. Such a foolish concept."[/i][/color]

Tallia looked to the knight, [color=white][i]"What are you?"[/i][/color]

The knight didn't move. [color=cyan][i]"What am I? Certainly not the one wielding my blade. I am something more... Something that transcends your world and has power across all forms of existence- Oh, you're dying! No... Not yet... You interest me, I'm sure you interest my knight too... I have use for you yet..."[/i][/color]

A ghostly energy pulsed across the saber piercing Tallia's shoulder. She immediately relaxed and breathed easy. Her eyes fogging over into a slate gray. She muttered, [color=white][i]"What does my master demand?"[/i][/color]

[color=cyan][i]"Master?"[/i][/color] the invisible voice laughed heartily, [color=cyan][i]"How amusing. But please, none of that."[/i][/color]

[color=white][i]"What do I call you then?"[/i][/color]

The voice began to deepen and rumble the physical world, trees began to shake and the mud jiggled. [color=cyan][i]"I am Charon. I am [b]Death[/b]."[/i][/color]
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