The Curse
" ...We should ask villagers, Zet. This is not good-"
Zet rised his arm to grip Norhen's sleeve, pulling it strongly. He looked like dead. Dark circles under his eyes and pale skin, his black hair all wet from the sweat.. The sickness was getting worse and worse. And he was sweating horribly, it looked like some kind of aggressive infection. Norhen clenched teeth, seeing his friend like this was hearthbreaking.
" N-no.. It will- It will get better!-.. it's just a cold-"
Zet couldn't even finish. His throat was burning in flames of that curse. He leaned to the other side of his bunk. Waterfalls of pure blood fell through his throat right in the bowl. Whimpering, and crying as the blood poured out, it finally stopped and he lied his head on the soft pillow again. Unspeakable pain was filling him every second. Norhen couldn't watch it anymore.
" We need some kind of mage, or warlock or just simple doctor! You will die like this! Do you understand? Now, wait here, I will get some help!"
He stood up quickly, grabbing his longsword with him.
"No-Norhen- please..."
Zet tried to stop Norhen, but, it was too late. He put it in his sword case and left the room, leaving few stair noises behind him until he exited the house itself. Zet was curling in pain, trying not to yell and scream but he couldn't stop that. This truly wasn't good. Memories of these bloodthristy wolves that almost ripped his hearth out and gave him this infectious mark of curse, were scaring him. Fear was filling his body, walking hand in hand with the pain. His dark blue eyes were shaking in sides.
"-C-Cirn..jee..."
He let out a word, but flames in his throat kicked in again, forcing him to lean to the other side of his bunk again and throw up his own blood.
"F-fuck.."
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Norhen was running around the centre of the village. Searching for someone with healing powers and knowledge. It was late at night, but since it was festival of the full moon, everyone were outside. It was strangely alive, it was known that wolves and other Cemetary Hill creatures come out at night and mostly on full moon, this time, the gates were guared by enough soldiers and the night was calm. It looked beutiful. These lights and decorations, even fireflies in the air. Norhen was confused and stressed when running through these thick crowds. Most of the people were already drunk and he couldn't find anyone. Not even Cirnjee. She must've been searching for help somewhere else.
"No, no, no, no, no! Where's someone not drunk?!"
Norhen bumbed into someone behind him. It was an old man, walking in the crowd.
"O-oh! I am so sorry! I am so sorry! Please! Excuse that!"
Old man smiled kindly and hand tossed.
"It's alright, young Hocke!"
He answered. Norhen's sences freezed. It was his secret surname. His family name, the great genus and the rulers of the Kingdom of Ellyria. He just stood there still, watching the old man slowly disappear in the crowd again. No one except himself knew this. But sudden imagine of Zet's sick and pale face, woke him up. He was lost in thoughts.. what should he do now? He must find a cure.
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"ARGHH!"
Zet was yelling in agony of pain. He was off his bunk and was now crawling across the room, leaving a trail of blood behind him. He was certainly losing big amounts of blood. The room was dark, the only two lights were one lantern on his night table and the full moon's moonlight shining throught the window. The more white moonlight filled the room, the worse his curse got. He was slowly giving up, it was too much already-but, something pricked his tongue when he clenched his teeth. Something very, very sharp. He put his finger in the edge of his mouth and that pricked pain again, this time, his finger was bleeding. His eyes widen. His teeth were sharp daggers now. He didn't notice before, even his nails were long and more like claws.
"..- Oh- no.. It- It can't be!"
He started putting bandages around his torso off. Revealing that horrible wound, scar, that the claws of that wolf demon left on him. He knew, it was going to happen, he knew he is going to become one of them. Another soldier of Nepthit's army of chaos and doom. It was too bright in the room, Zet looked out of the window. Moon was shining directly at him. It sealed his faith. He could feel it. The pain started again, this time, it was much bigger. He couldn't help it, there, within the scar, massive growth started the magic curse that finally spread across his body. Bones were cracking, as the body was transforming into terrifying abomination. He kneeled down, gripping his hair. This yelling was quickly changing into an animal like growling, gasping for air, it hurt. So badly. As the curse almost finished taking control over him, the lantern on his table, he knocked over the source of light and started fire. His horrofying and painful transformation was but complete. Where Zet used to lay curled up, now was standing a creature on it's fours, big wolf with fur black as dark as his own curse. It's eyes were bright blue.. it was getting used to this sudden awake, so it just stood there, growling and trembling, until, it started to be hungry. The house was on fire. People outside started screaming.
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"Fire! FIRE! Trio's house is on fire!"
"W-what?!"
Norhen stopped and turned around, the heat, yes. He saw the house burning. And again, images of Zet being there and dying in flames. His face went twisted in fear, he fastly shaked his head and ran through the crowd.
"Get of my way! Get of my way folks!"
He arrived at the house, few people were already trying to extinguish the fire. Norhen and some other men grabbed pails with water and joined. The fire was too strong, it took over other houses nearby and grew. While the creature that used to be Zet suddenly jumped out of the upper window and landed before the burning house.
"..-!"
Everyone freezed. Zet was watching every single human that was there. Norhen gulped, thinking; what was this monster doing in the hou- The creature licked around it's mouth and with it's wild crave, it attacked. Loud screams of panic filled the village. Norhen realized.
"You! You sneaked into the village right into our house, didn't you?! Smell of fresh blood, Zet's blood lured you here! You started the fire and killed him! You will PAY! YOU HEAR ME?!"
Wolf growled as Norhen attacked, it was like fighting a little mouse. He threw the dead body of a villager away and gripped Norhen's sword in his jaws, breaking it in half.
"W-what the!"
Zet then grabbed Norhen and tossed him like a simple stick, away. Norhen hit a burning wall. The big dark creature then slowly walked to lying paladin, with empty stomach and crave, it was going to tear Norhen in pieces but..
".. S-STOP!"
Someone yelled behind the beast. It turned around to see Cirnjee.. Norhen's eyes widen even more.
"C-Cirnjee! R-run!-"
She took few steps back. It was clearly Zet's next prey. He thrusted at her, trapping her on the ground beneath him. The fear in her smaragd green eyes and trembling body, it was his own crush that he's going to kill.. She couldn't say anything, just praying to survive or see the morning light. Now, when Zet wasn't paying attention to Norhen. He reached in his pockets. And pulled out a silver dagger.
"Come here, you dirty scum of Nepthin.."
Zet turned head around but in that moment, Norhen was already piercing that silver weapon in Zet's body. It burned him, screeching and running around in pain of the pure silver dagger gave Norhen and Cirnjee enough time to find the silver lassosthat local hunter of supernatural beasts gave them. Norhen grabbed it and prepared for an attack. Cirnjee had her fire staff with her. Counting.
"On.. one... two.. three..TOSS IT!"
"YEA!"
He tossed the silver lasso and trapped wolf's body within the loop. It burned around neck, it tried attacking Norhen again but Cirnjee fastly created a fire barried in front of him. Norhen put the end of the lasso he was gripping, around a metal pillar that held all lights. Then, he tossed another silver lasso, trapping Zet even more, put the end of it around another metalic pillar. Cirnjee again, created a fire barrier.
"We got him trapped!!"
Norhen yelled out. Cirnjee nodded and put out some kind of magic scroll out of her bag. Casting an ice spell with her staff.
"With all the power I now have, I beg you Gods of Winter! Seal this monstrum into an ice prison and never let it out!"
"Are you sure that ice won't melt?!"
Northen asked and glanced over to furious Zet.
"Of course not, this is pure magic.. not an ice trick."
Suddenly, with big thunder, storm clouds hid the moon and first rain drops fell on the ground. Norhen rised eyebrows.
"Cirnjee? You wanted an ice prison, not a rain storm.."
She pouted.
"Doesn't matter now! Keep him trapped!.. I heard that Nepthit's wolf soldiers gain massive power only when it's full moon. The clouds.."
Norhen looked up and stared at the sky that was now dark. Not a sinlge star and the moon was fully hidden. Steam rising from the burning village cooling down, created a thick layer above the village. Cirnjee stood there, watching if something will happen. Norhen was prepared to dodge or run. But as some time passed by, and the steam and fog were getting thinner. The wolf was distinctly smaller, on human size level, until these silver lassos were too big and the shadow fell on the wet ground.
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"D-do you!"
Cirnjee dropped her staff and ran to the person that was lying on the ground instead of the beast.
"Cirnjee! Get back! It's-"
There was silence.
"Zet..."
Cirnjee kneeled down, tears falling down her cheeks and her wet rusty hair covering her anxious face. She was holding Zet's head in her hands. He was alive, breathing.. but sleeping deeply. The scar from wolf claws on his chest that he kept in secret, everyone saw that now..
"..w-why.. *sob* why didn't you- *sob* tell us sooner?!"
Cirnjee was getting through her whimpering and sobbing. Norhen fell on his knees too.. hugging Cirnjee and Zet together..
"Cirnjee.. we need to tell villagers, that it's okay now.."
She nodded.. but, something stopped her in sudden.
"B-but.. what about Zet? If we tell them he was that thing- they will kill him and they will deport us from ever going in here!-"
Norhen smiled calmly.
"Let's tell them the truth. We mustn't lie, Cirnjee.. We will help them with reapair and after we'll be done, we will leave the Felbridge and continue to Stormshard Mountains, Okay?"
"O-okay.."
