Shadows of Vengeance - Part 2

The wind howled through the crumbling stone walls of the ruins, carrying whispers of forgotten voices. Aric, Raelyn, and Verin stood at the edge of the ancient structure, their breath visible in the cold night air. Their fire had burned low, offering only faint warmth against the creeping chill. But warmth was the least of their concerns.

“We’re not alone,” Verin muttered, eyes locked on the broken archways ahead. His grip tightened on his rune-carved staff, the sigils faintly pulsing with arcane energy.

Raelyn exhaled slowly, reaching for the silver pendant around her neck. “I feel it too. Something unnatural lingers here.”

Aric rested a hand on the hilt of his greatsword. His gaze was sharp, scanning the ruins with the wariness of a seasoned fighter. “If it’s an ambush, I say we spring it on our terms.”

Verin shot him a glance. “And if we’re walking into something we can’t handle?”

The warrior smirked. “Then we handle it anyway.”

Raelyn rolled her eyes but offered a small smile. “Let’s not be reckless.” She stepped forward, murmuring a quiet prayer to Elara as soft, golden light radiated from her pendant, pushing back the thick shadows.

The ruins of Black Hollow had once been a watchtower for an ancient kingdom, now long fallen into obscurity. The stone walls were cracked, vines weaving through their broken foundations. Statues of forgotten knights stood in crumbling silence, their faces weathered and lost to time.

As they ventured inside, the silence was oppressive. The only sound was their careful footsteps against damp stone. Then, the ground beneath Verin trembled.

“Move!” he shouted, diving aside as the floor collapsed beneath him. Dust and debris exploded into the air as the stones gave way, revealing a dark chasm below.

Raelyn and Aric barely had time to react before a guttural growl echoed from the depths. A pair of glowing, crimson eyes flickered to life in the darkness below.

Then came the scraping of claws against stone.

Aric drew his sword in a fluid motion. “That’s not just some old ruin settling.”

Raelyn pulled Verin back to his feet. “What is it?”

The mage’s hands trembled slightly as he dusted himself off. “Something bound to this place. Something... waiting.”

The shadows coalesced at the edges of the chasm, shifting and writhing like a living thing. Then, with a low snarl, a massive form rose from the darkness.

A wraithborn beast.

Its body was a grotesque fusion of spectral mist and rotting flesh, its elongated limbs tipped with jagged claws. Hollow eye sockets burned with an unholy glow as it let out a bone-chilling screech.

Then, it attacked.

Aric was the first to move, swinging his greatsword in a brutal arc. The blade struck true, cutting through the beast’s misty flesh, but instead of falling, the creature merely recoiled, its form shifting and twisting around the wound.

“It’s regenerating!” Raelyn shouted. She raised her hands, channeling divine energy into a burst of radiant light. The wraithborn hissed, recoiling from the holy magic.

Verin’s eyes narrowed. “Then we don’t give it time to heal.”

He raised his staff, chanting in an ancient tongue. A surge of blue fire erupted from his fingertips, slamming into the creature’s chest. The spectral beast shrieked, writhing as the flames consumed its essence.

Aric seized the opening, driving his sword deep into its core. The creature let out one final, ear-piercing wail before its form dissipated into the air like smoke.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Aric let out a breath, rolling his shoulders. “Well. That was fun.”

Verin shot him a glare. “Remind me to never take you anywhere cursed again.”

Raelyn exhaled, lowering her hands. “That was no ordinary spirit. Something is keeping the dead tethered to this place.”

The cleric stepped forward, scanning the runes etched into the nearby stone pillars. Symbols of warding, long since broken. A place meant to contain something.

Aric wiped his blade on his cloak. “Vaelmar’s handiwork?”

Verin shook his head. “No. This is older. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s been using this place for something.”

Raelyn turned, her expression grim. “Then we need to find out what.”

The three of them pressed on, deeper into the ruins. The battle had only been a taste of what was to come.

And as the wind howled through the broken halls of Black Hollow, a distant laugh echoed from the darkness.

Vaelmar was watching.

And their true trial had only just begun.

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Links To All Parts of the Series

• Shadows of Vengeance Part 1
• Shadows of Vengeance Part 2
• Shadows of Vengeance Part 3
• Shadows of Vengeance Part 4