Young Writers Society

Chapter 25: The Wraith

Paula's tunnel goes on for a long way, deeper and deeper into the ground beneath Valarheim. There's no indication of depth, though they're going quite a few meters down its slope. Hilda could almost believe that they're going around in circles because the entire thing looks absolutely the same – featureless, gray stone floors and walls illuminated by the frequent glowing spheres of blue light, set about simple, cross-shaped brass candlesticks.

Paula seems certain of their destination, however, maintaining a steady pace as her steps echo through the passage. That being said, Hilda can see in her eyes, staring aimlessly into the dark path ahead, that she is still a bit conflicted about going against Eliza's will. In truth, Hilda isn't too sure herself but she'd rather go along than let Paula off on her own – plus, it's a good opportunity for her to get some answers.

With that in mind, she figures she ought to break the tense silence that fills this hall and try to get her friend's mind focused.

"Hey, wouldn't it be faster to use one of your portals?" Hilda asks.

Paula turns to face her, slightly startled as her mind's brought out of her own little world. "Y-yes, it would. But I'm not good enough to transport someone else with me and, moreover, the flow of Prana is distorted down there. It takes about ten minutes to get back to normal."

"Distorted how?"

"You'll see. But, in short, a dark portal spell uses Prana and the dark elemental to bend space and time and create a passage to a nearby-ish location. Distortions in the flow can hinder the spell, however, and—" Paula starts to explain but is soon interrupted by Hilda waving her hands around, distraught.

"Aah, no, that's too complicated for me. Forget I asked," she groans.

"Fair enough." Paula laughs. "But we'll be reaching the bottom soon – after that, we'll go find the Wraith."

"Hmhmm... Speaking of, how are we gonna do that? I reckon they aren't found by Scouts or folks outside your crew would know about them," Hilda asks, raising her eyebrows with curiosity.

"Indeed, they aren't." Paula nods. "Let me ask, do you remember how the Sight glyph works?"

Hilda answers almost immediately, that spell being pretty much second nature to her now. "Combs the flow of Prana around an area for anything that doesn't belong – undead and Valnr, yeah?"

"Their Prana doesn't belong because it is incompatible with our world's, yes. A Wraith is a far more extreme case: their Prana isn't just incompatible but outright hostile," Paula answers, her voice shifting to a very serious tone.

"Hostile?" Hilda asks, feeling a wee bit of worry crawling up the base of her neck.

Paula stops in her tracks, rubbing the bridge of her nose as if thinking of a way to describe color to a blind person. "It's... hard to explain. If, to the flow of Prana, a regular Valnr is like pollution on a river, a Wraith is like fire on skin; their Prana is harmful, cutting and bruising the flow just by being there. Those who are especially sensitive can feel that anomaly's bite."

"And that's you, Eliza and those three weirdos?"

"Lady Eliza." Paula wags her finger at Hilda. "But, yes, that's us. We've a higher sensibility than most and, thus, if a Wraith even starts crossing into our world – anywhere – we feel the hurting Prana. When that happens, we set out and intercept the fiend ASAP."

"Ah, so your group always gets to the things first and that's why nobody runs into them?" Hilda slowly nods in agreement, feeling some semblance of relief that she's not going to bump into one of the things when on patrol.

"We try; Wraiths need to be eliminated quickly, lest they become a problem. On the very rare occasions that regular Scions bump into one before Lord Julius or Lady Eliza arrives, they are sworn to secrecy," Paula explains before once more beckoning Hilda down the dark passage.

"'Become a problem', how? And I still don't see the reason to hide all this." Hilda skips on closer to Paula, eyes fixated on her face like that of a curious child, eager to hear the next part of a tale. She also wants a clear line of sight of her lips to see if she'll pucker them – best to make sure that Paula's being wholly up-front.

"In truth, I don't know; I shouldn't even be able to find one but I've studied the others and our spells long enough to figure out how. Normally, this knowledge is only for accepted hunters," Paula says, every square centimeter of her face exuding honesty. Tension and annoyance at being kept in the dark, too, but also honesty. "As for the secrets, suffice to say that our group is secretive by nature. Only those perceived as both trustworthy and competent are allowed to learn about this; that usually means experienced High Scions and above. But this is a story for when we've more time."

That's not the answer Hilda was hoping for but she isn't too surprised at it. This group of hunters probably doesn't want random folks to pry into them or, worse, hinder their mission. Taking into account the fact that they can apparently reach the Wraiths wherever they are emerging, this is probably a nonissue for anyone outside this crew.

That being said, the thought that Paula trusts her enough to share these secrets sends a surge of warmth throughout Hilda. Whatever drowsiness she was starting to feel from the late hours vanishes and her heart’s pounding beat sounds a call to arms. With an determined glimmer in her eyes, Hilda’s energized and set on helping her friend succeed with this.

"Alright, I can wait until we come back with a win." Hilda answers with a confident smile. "Last question: there's no way in hell Wally's letting us out without permission right now. How are we going to get to the Wraith you're sensing?"

"I'll show you – just up ahead," Paula says, pointing deeper into the tunnel.

It's finally stopping its descent, turning to a right angle as a small iron door appears from the darkness ahead. At least it seems like a door, though it has no doorknob, keyhole or any defining marks – it's more like a slab of metal.

Paula approaches it and, like the wall up in the storage area, pours some dark elemental over it. Blue ripples travel across the surface door, turning it transparent and, finally, fading it out of existence. Paula waves Hilda to come in and both girls step through, the door materializing behind them as soon as they pass.

On the other side lies an area completely different from the dusty tunnel they just passed by, which is good as Hilda was getting worried that Paula had to live in a place like that.

A large open chamber stands before them, dozens of rooms lying about the edges of the wall. It is very much like Valarheim, specifically the living quarters: same wooden structure, same carpets, armors, furnishings and tapestries, same corridors leading out to many bedrooms... only colder in tone and feel. Like someone painted a picture using only black and gray. Granted, this is underground so Hilda knows she shouldn't expect luminosity. The best she gets is the faint glow of elemental orbs and a faint fireplace.

One thing does stand out amidst it all, though: a large, dark blue prism crystal floating front and center in the chamber.

Its color aside, Hilda is immediately reminded of something else: "Is... this a Gate Crystal?"

"Not exactly. This one is called a Flowing Crystal," Paula says.

Hilda can't see what she means at first glance, the only difference it has is the color of its glow. Stepping closer, however, some more details stand out: unlike the regular Gate Crystals, this one isn't carved to a smooth, symmetrical shape. Rather, half of it is unevenly polished, set with dozens of odd wavy and spiral-like indentations; the other half looks as though it just came out of the earth, jagged and crusty to the extreme. The dark blue light within swirls slowly and randomly, like it's asleep.

"Today's been unusually busy. Two Wraiths have already emerged in the past half an hour, forcing both Lady Eliza and Lord Julius to the field," Paula muses, breaking Hilda's bewitched stare at the crystal. "And I just felt a third one inbound – it'll be in our world soon. The rules say I ought to simply wait until someone returns to sort it out but..."

Hilda can guess the end of the phrase with a quick glance at her friend's clenched jaw. "But you're done sitting on your hands."

"Hm. Waiting could give the Wraith time to do whatever it does; plus, I confess that I've contemplated doing this for a while." Paula answers with a firm nod, turning a gaze like steel towards the floating crystal. "However, Julius, Josette and Amit are always available to hunt any that emerges – and, if not them, my lady is. Though I'd be lying if I said I am certain about this, a chance to prove my worth has finally shown itself. I will not turn from it."

Hilda takes a step forward and firmly clutches Paula's shoulder. "And I'm here to make sure you come back with a big win. So, what now?"

"Now, you put these on while I ready the crystal to give us passage." Saying that, Paula waves her hands and brings forth a standard set of Alterium armor for Hilda to don. As she does as told, Paula inches closer to the Flowing Crystal and closes her eyes.

Nothing happens at first, she makes no move to cast any sort of spell like Wally would when opening a portal. However, the sleepy blue light starts becoming more agitated, swirling faster, and the crystal as a whole trembles ever-so-slightly.

"A Prime Gate Crystal is connected to all regular ones; to open a passage, you visualize which one you want to go to. A Flowing Crystal, as the name implies, is connected to the flow itself, so you visualize a point in it," Paula says, concentrating, as the crystal trembles even more. "The problem is that doing so is like trying to pinpoint a drop of water in a river. So, the only way is to focus on the Wraith's anomaly. When you do..."

At that moment, a tear runs across the crystal from top to bottom and splits it in half. The swirling blue light within, now free, grows and expands until it becomes something akin to a mass of white nothingness. It floats firm like a piece of glass but wholly blank – like reality simply decided it didn't care to fill in this spot.

There's a flash of light and, when Hilda opens her eyes, the white glass has been filled with what looks like the painting of a lush forest... were it held under the sun and had its colors melt off into undulating shapes.

"... Is this safe?" she asks Paula, looking on with worry, like she's just opened a passage to the underworld and is telling her to go through.

"It only looks weird because the passageway isn't as rock-solid as between Gate Crystals. Just think of it as walking through a waterfall, instead of a window." Paula gives her a reassuring smile and goes in first, vanishing the second she lays her hand on the image.

Hilda looks on with concern, biting her inner lip; she holds her breath, closes her eyes and simply lunges forward, expecting to feel turned inside out or something to that effect. Thankfully, the most she feels is a small tingling across her body and a sudden increase in temperature and humidity caressing her skin. The chirping and murmuring sounds, and the soft smell of petrichor that fills her nose, signal Hilda that she's arrived at her destination.

Opening her eyes, a vast jungle stretches in all directions – different than any vegetation she's seen in her life. Trees stand tall and wide, their massive trunks rising high above the ground and looking as though they could withstand the weight of a mountain without breaking a sweat. Hilda can't even see most of the night sky as it stands hidden behind an impassable canopy of branches, leaves and flowers; at most, there are a few twinkling streaks of moonlight piercing through small gaps in the foliage.

"Where are we?" Hilda wonders aloud, not to Paula in particular.

"I've no idea but this is about where I felt the anomaly in the flow," Paula answers anyway, kneeling on the ground and covering her eyes with her right hand. A ripple of dark light encircles her, several lines erupting and shooting off into the distance. A few seconds later, she stands back up. "Hm, it's really not too far. Over there."

Paula climbs atop a nearby moss-covered boulder, beckoning Hilda over as she points into the distance. Hilda squints her eyes, trying to see amid the darkened vegetation. Nothing seemingly stands out, though; just a mess of green, brown and black colors, wrapping around one another like the work of a deranged painter.

As her eyes adjust to the poor lighting, however, something begins taking shape further ahead: tucked away in the dense brush, a construction stands camouflaged. Rough wooden logs, sunk deep into the earth and covered with mud and foliage mark out a small fort – about the size of one the Corps' outposts.

Hilda and Paula start closing in, slowly to keep the noise to a minimum as the place seems definitely populated. Booming voices and laughter cut across the silence of the forest while the scent of cooked meat starts becoming more and more apparent; smoke rises from within, likely a pyre to illuminate the place. All in all, this seems like a common fort but that semblance starts fading with each meter they close in.

There is a smell of cooked meat, yes, but it is soon tainted by the familiar, putridly sweet scent of rotting flesh – Revenants are patrolling around the area, whose growls and grunts mix with the sounds of the nearby people in what Hilda would assume to be the soundtrack of a particularly twisted corner of Hell.

More worrying still, smoke isn't all that's rising from within the area: small streaks of swerving dark wisps fly up into the sky, drawing sinister contours before passing through the tree canopy. Hilda's only experience with dark spells thus far has mostly come from watching Paula – despite humans' natural fear of darkness, she's never felt anything of the sort all these months. Watching Paula work her spells is like staring off into a moonless sky: clear and serene.

That does not apply to whatever is going on in there, though; just from watching these wisps, Hilda feels ill at ease. Rather than tranquility, the dark energies at work here waft violence and hostility – in contrast to Paula's, each of these feel like staring into a pitch black abyss. It's easy for Hilda to see how something like this being around could hurt the flow of Prana.

Conjuring a Sight glyph, however, shows nothing too out of the ordinary – aside from ten Revenants, there aren't even any Valnr around. The white blanket of the flow stretches out normally, marred only by some ever-so-subtle ripples, like lightly boiling water, across its surface. Were she not up close, feeling what's going on in person, she'd probably assume there was no problem.

"The Wraith isn't here yet – lucky. From what I've heard, that's not too common; the Necromancers must be still finishing its ritual," Paula whispers, noting her puzzled look. "I suggest we take the Revenants as quietly as we can and move in to the people at the fort... You've no problem with fighting other humans, right?"

Hilda can see why she'd ask that question – ever since joining the Corps, her only opponents have been Valnr and undead. It's not too farfetched to assume that Novitiates could be somewhat queasy with the thought of killing fellow humans. Said Novitiates would probably not be from the Northern Reaches, however.

Those who've spent their lives in the frozen wastes all grow to despise Necromancers with every fiber of their being. These men and women flock to the Valnr-infested central region of the Northern Reaches to ally themselves and learn their magic; they "train" on the populace before being sent out across the Paling and into the world. Between infiltrating towns to kidnap and sacrifice innocents and summoning monstrosities from the Valnr plane of existence, they are responsible for countless deaths.

"Necros aren't any different from their Valnr bosses. I'm not losing any sleep over this." Hilda spits.

Paula sees the venom in her eyes and knows she needn't ask any more. With a firm nod, she points eastward. "Very well; I'll take the east side, you go west. Once the Revenants are dead, we'll converge in the north and head in together."

"Quick and quiet." Hilda confirms with a thumbs' up. "Let's go."

Upon those words, both girls run off in their respective directions. The people at the fort don't seem to have posted lookouts – likely confident that their summoned undead could handle anything that got close. All the better for Hilda, as she can zip around without fear of anyone spotting the electricity of her Haste spell flashing against the area's gloom.

Five Revenants stand on her side, the ground, covered in stones, sticks and fallen leaves making some not insignificant ruffles under her feet. Thankfully, the noise from the fort minimizes the effect. Now it's only a matter of minimizing the risk of any of them shrieking and alerting the others.

With that in mind, she finds a spot where she can see all five clearly; better yet, they're not moving. So, Hilda draws her sword, widens it for some extra stopping power and aims its tip towards the undead. The best way to make sure none of them get a chance to do anything is just to kill them all in one go.

Focusing her mind, the picture is clear – all of them, dead together. The blade obeys, shooting off towards her prey. It skewers the first Revenant through its skull, not even giving it time to react before its scalp is lopped off. The bone does not stop Hilda's weapon in the slightest, carrying on to the next target. Her blade extends across the area, curving, turning and twisting like a hungry beast under the cover of the darkened jungle. Silent and deadly, it hunts down the remaining Revenants with no more than a pained gurgle leaving their corroded lips before they fade to dust.

That's that problem taken care of and the people inside the fort seem none the wiser still. So, Hilda rushes over to the arranged rendezvous at the northern wall. Paula arrives at the same time, fading into existence as one of her portals opens up on the muddy ground.

"All clear there?" Hilda asks with Paula nodding in confirmation. "What happens now?"

"We—" she moves to answer but is interrupted when a shockwave of wind bursts across the area. The wisps of the dark elemental that were rising from within have multiplied by five, now swerving around a faint pillar of black light. It shoots out from within the fort, piercing the above canopy and turning its leaves and branches into charred husks. Hilda feels the air around this entire region burning as it enters her lungs, assaulting her eyes like needles.

"It's almost here...!" Paula lets out a faint gasp, pulling herself together for the challenge that's manifesting within. "Let's look inside and move in. If we can stop the ritual outright, the Wraith will die in transit."

Inching quietly across the brush, the two girls make their way to the fort wall proper. The place's sturdily built due to the thick trees around but there are still plenty of seams between the logs. Taking a look, the situation inside is as they expected: a group of about forty men and women sit around a large, bonfire reveling with drinks and meat. They're all armored in leather and fur and armed with crude swords and axes – not that those would avail them against Scions.

More importantly, deeper inside the fort, is the actual problem: five necromancers, garbed in the Valnr's traditional featureless black cloak and hood. Their hands raised above their heads, pouring energy into a spell at their feet; a large purple-colored circle covered in unknown markings. Some look like constellations, others like alphabet-based scripture, only lengthened and mangled into nigh-unrecognizable form. One unique marking on the spell clearly showcases what it is for: a gilded portcullis drawn front and center in what looks like blood.

"There they are..." Hilda whispers, eyes fixated on the mages. "How are we doing this?"

"We'll run them down and try to end this in a surprise attack. It's simpler that way." Paula takes her halberd firmly in hand and gathers a mass of dark elemental on the other. "Go in first – I'll follow via a portal."

"Alright; I'll take the left guy and, then, the one above him. Here I go...!"

Hilda's heard plenty about Necromancers over her life – well-trained mages who decided working for the Valnr was a better deal than courts or colleges around the world. Considering she's no idea how strong these guys' spells could be, or how their own spellcasting system actually works, it makes sense to not give them any chance. At least they're focused on their spell, eyes, body and mind wholly committed towards the opening portal. Good.

Hilda takes a couple of steps back, sword in hand humming with the gathered lightning elemental on its edge. Remembering Owen's maneuver back in Melville Island, she figures it'll suit this situation nicely; with a wave of her hand, a small streak of crackling electricity appears and freezes in midair. Hilda conjures another and another, jumping across each other and making her way up high – just enough to rise above the fort's wall.

The way's now clear and her target's in sight; one last platform, this one set vertically above her. Hilda leaps up and sinks her feet into it, the electricity gathering at her soles in preparation for the proverbial lightning to fall. And that it does: Hilda surges forward to her targets, a loud thunder booming as she rips across the fort.

Everyone's heard that but it's far too late for them. By the time the Necromancers' eyes turn to see what the noise was, Hilda's already dropping towards them blade-first... and her target can't even defend himself. Her sword cuts the surprised mage like a piece of parchment, cleaving his chest in half.

Paula comes in at the same time, emerging from the darkness of her portal behind the Necromancer farthest to the right. Her attack is silent and unnoticed to the last second as everyone's focused on Hilda. That is, until she sinks the axe blade of her halberd into the unsuspecting villain's neck. Blood spurts atop their summoning circle as she lifts his limp body and slams it into the ground before moving to another target.

Hilda's done the same, readying a new spell for a trial run: one circle, a half-moon drawn within. Elemental Cutter. She throws her hand upwards, sending a person-sized crescent moon of electricity spinning towards her foe. The Necromancers have regained their bearings, however.

Walls of solid fire and stone erupt from the ground, stopping Hilda and Paula's attacks dead in their tracks. The third one moves on the opening, bringing forth his hands and blasting them with a storm of electricity. His spell crashes and fizzles against their Shields, though the force knocks them back. The girls jam their hands into the earth, stopping their drift right about the middle of the alarmed fort.

"Psh... Guess we're doing this the hard way now," Hilda grumbles as she gets back on her feet.

"At least, judging from that spell, they're nothing we can't handle," Paula adds, watching as the common warriors scramble.

Yelling in panic as their mirth was cut short by this attack, all men and women stomp across the earth like a swarm. One by one, they surround the two Scions, looking on with both anger and confusion as to what's going on. Hilda doesn't understand their language but can tell from their tone that they're asking questions. The warriors get louder and louder, demanding answers that will never come.

One of them, seemingly losing his patience, raises his axe with a loud roar and charges after Hilda. She's not interested in wasting time with them, though. As the warrior swings, Hilda takes a step forward and grabs his hand in midair. It's a pretty burly man but his strong arms may well be made of gravel face a Scion and they're easily tossed aside. Hilda's counterattack comes in the form of a roundhouse kick to the nose, sending her would-be foe flying across the dirt. The warriors' angry yelling fades to give way to baffled clamoring – that ought to have made it clear they're not dealing with regular folks.

"You folks better back off right now." Hilda waves her hand, shooing them away.

"If you value your lives, you'll do as she says." Paula nods, pointing her halberd towards the three surviving Necromancers. "We're only here for them."

The Necromancers themselves don't appear to be doing too well; the one who blasted them away with that lightning spell seems more in control but not so for the other two. One is crouched over one the corpse of Hilda's victim, while the other is fidgeting like mad, his eyes shifting back and forth under his hood.

"You're looking a bit scared there, Necro. Doesn't feel too nice, huh?" Hilda taunts him, remembering all the horrors his kind's instilled in her people.

"Wh-what are Scions doing here...? They said this area was far from any bases...!" The panicky Necromancer tries his best to whisper to his comrades, though the fear in his boyish voice is easily heard.

"Calm down, damn it." The leader grabs him by the collar and commands, his own deep voice carrying a note of distress. "We'll just have to handle it now..."

"How are we supposed to calm down?! They killed Boris and Negema!" The crouching Necromancer, a woman, wails before turning towards Hilda and Paula in anger. "You killed our brothers, you whores!"

A rush of electricity fizzles about Hilda as her eyes contort into an enraged glare. "Excuse me? Did you just cuss at us for killing your friend, freak? Well, I can reunite you in a hurry!"

"Wait!" the scared Necromancer cries out, gesturing madly for her to stop. "M-My family's very rich! Let us go and y-you'll be very well paid!"

"And let you free to spread the Valnr's influence? You must be joking," Paula answers, contempt born upon every syllable.

"To say nothing of the fact that I'd rather gouge out my eyes than cut some slack for Necros!" Hilda resumes her stance, readying herself for another attack.

The surrounding warriors once more grow restless, reforming their ranks to try to close off Hilda and Paula's paths. Slowly they approach, looking at the Scions like they're dangerous beasts. Hilda grows further annoyed with their lack of understanding of who they're trying to face. They may not understand what they said but even dogs know not to stick their noses where it hurts.

"You wanna end up as your friend there?" Hilda growls, gesturing at the wounded warrior crumpled upon the muddied soil. Seems that her previous attack has broken a few things – he can't even bring himself up from the pool of blood around his head. Some of the warriors do seem ill at ease, taking sideway glances at their battered friend and back to the swirling elements wafting around Hilda and Paula. A couple even start backing away but most still hold their ground – in fear but they keep at it.

"These are proud members of the 'Zorros de Valdivia' revolutionaries and this is one of their bases. They will not leave it without a fight – it'd ruin their reputation," the Necromancer leader speaks.

Paula scoffs at his attitude. "What do you care? You're only using them to further for agenda."

"We use each other, such as our Master taught us. They contacted us to secure the help of our undead soldiers for a raid in a large imperialist town nearby," the leader firmly answers back. "If I remember, the Corps does not intervene with political movements, right? Are you entitled to being here?"

"It's stopped being a 'political movement' when you got here!" Hilda snaps with another surge of electricity. "And you know what? I'm done talking! Let's get these guys out of the way, Paula!"

"Aye, aye!"

Hilda and Paula turn their backs to each other, conjuring a Wave glyph upon their fingers. The revolutionaries even try to react in a mad rush but, with a flicker of the girls' hands, a large surge of electricity and darkness engulfs the area. A surge of electricity and dark blue streams spread in all directions, bashing everyone nearby straight into the fort's wooden walls. As the spell fades, only pain-filled groans are left in place of their crackling sounds – they're hurt but still alive.

As Hilda and Paula turn their sights to the Necromancers, the panicky boy and sorrowful woman stand frozen with fear but the leader's taken action. From his crossed hands, orbs of blackened energy emerge and shine forth with an eerie light.

"There's one thing you should know, then: you made a mistake. The ritual still needs a few minutes to conclude but by killing my comrades you've unleashed their Prana. Much as I'd rather not do this, you force my hand," he says.

Waves of white energy materialize in the air above the camp, pouring forth from the bodies of the dead Necromancers. They head straight towards the leader's fists, circling around the black orbs in increasingly bigger quantities.

Oh, no, you don't...! Paula and Hilda think in unison and rush him down to try and stop whatever he's planning. The other two Necromancers look at their stalwart leader and move to defend him, waving their hands around and conjuring a barrage of fireballs and jagged stones.

Hilda and Paula dodge back and forth against the spell, as speedy and precise as a Scion's. It's not enough to pierce their Shields but the constant need to reposition stunts their progress – by the time they're reaching the summon circle in the ground, time's run out.

The Necromancer leader spreads the gathered energies atop the spell, covering it in glowing white sparks. The circle erupts in a surge of darkness as the portcullis drawn at its center opens in the form of a gaping maw. The faint pillar thickens into a torrent of black, empty energies.

Hilda and Paula try to run through it to reach the Necromancers but find themselves slamming against and being tossed backwards by an impassable mass of corruption. The mere touch of it leaves Hilda feeling cold as though she decided to take a nude stroll in the tundra during a blizzard. Paula's felt it, too, gripping the shoulder which grazed against the spell like she's afraid it'll fall off.

The evil energies coalesce on the ground, twisting as a loud, ghostly wail echoes from within – a tormented cry like that of a dying beast. Just listening to it feels like a shower of jagged daggers running through the heart. The dark elementals start settling down, oozing into the ground like rotted paste, and leaving in their wake, hobbling atop the summon circle, a human-esque being.

"Human-esque" may be too kind a denomination for this creature, though. Standing at over three meters tall, it displays what was a well-muscled frame, now misshapen and hunched over after massive rot. Its pale white skin is tarred by hundreds of scabs, gashes and putrefied flesh providing a gruesome view of the creature's insides.

Its arms are long and gangly like that of a monkey, though jutting pitch black bones have erupted across the hands and forearms, giving them the look of spiked maces. While the legs themselves stand bent under the creature's girth, each one of the still looks as bulky as the trunks of the trees around the fort.

What would be the head is unrecognizable, having collapsed upon itself a long time ago. There is only a gaping hole left behind where the face used to stand, filled with a white flame that flitters around streaks of black light swirling in a whirlpool. Hilda's never seen anything like this – it's terrifying but not just due to its form. This creature horrifies her because the world around it seems to scream in pain at its presence; her own body feels like it is being torn at the seams.

Paula looks on at it and her iron spirit seems to have been daunted as well. Her eyes are bulged in terror and Hilda can even see her jaw chattering as she fails to keep it clenched. They came here committed to fight this monstrosity and while Hilda doesn't know what's in Paula's mind, now that it's arrived, every ounce of her soul is screaming one thing only:

You've both made a huge mistake.