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The Ghost Town
By Matri
What a cosy little ghost town. And I don't mean your regular, abandoned,
nobody at home ghost town. I mean your high-flying, spirits and spectres
everywhere Ghost Town, literally. A nice family consisting of a skeleton,
a zombie with a half-melted head, and a pile of "something", brought
this to my notice. That, and the sign outside that read "Ghost Town.
Population 0." What a sense of humour. I've seen prettier places, but
then again, I've seen worse. I'm just glad they haven't seen me.
Yet.
I'm still not sure how I got to this land, but after almost 2
centuries (apparently time here is irrelevant, but some still keep track)
here, I have yet to find my way home. I have already attained the
highest stature and respect that can be given to any mortal in this
world, and can proudly bear the title of Avatar.
My thoughts were interrupted by my straying too close to the town
square, which has a well in the centre. While this may be no cause for
concern, this well happens to be home of a particularly
nasty water weird who takes it into its mind to recruit more people into
the town. I should know. I have wandered in here before.
This time, I was more than prepared for it. The last 80 years allowed me
to hone my weapon skills to a point exceeded only by dedicated warriors
and the Vampires. The water weird was dispatched quickly, but I had no
desire to remain here. I was here to explore further into the town,
and I don't intend to let something this trivial attract more attention,
and trouble. The invisibility spell was sufficient, but I stayed in the
shadows, just as an extra precaution.
There are those who can see through even the most powerful invisibility
spells.
This town is new to me. It emerged several years ago, as did some of the
other places, like the Hellspires, after the last of the Gods fell.
According to the loremasters, this town was destroyed as a result of a
necromancer, who dabbled too much in the arcane arts. Those few who
ventured in, never found him, and even fewer returned. Those who survived
say that main roads in this town are protected by some force, which
nullifies even the old magic. It takes divine intervention to escape this
place.
As I was wandering through, I noticed something unusual. Tracks. Not that
some of the more physical spooks here don't leave tracks, but they
shamble along and don't leave any clear tracks. They don't match those of
the other adventurers who wandered in. These tracks were, different, heading
north. And they were spaced far apart, as if running. I followed them
north as far as I could, before I lost them in a grove, covered in mist.
Tracking them in here would be harder, but not impossible.
It was a few hours later that I stumbled onto the cave. It was a dead
end, but the faint hint of ancient magic that was absent was present
here. I could return! But my task was not finished.
I left the cave and almost fell into a hole dug into the ground. The
current occupant was a dragon with a rather bad attitude, so I taught it
some manners. Needless to say, it didn't approve.
Later, while travelling a garden path, I found another hole in the ground.
The same tracks I had been following were more pronounced here. My quarry
was in this hole.
I continued onwards.
I encountered the necromancer, and slayed him, hoping it would break the
spell over the town and allow the souls to rest. But as I returned, the
town was unchanged. Something else was keeping
them here. I ventured down a road leading to a grand house I guessed was
the former Mayor's manor.
Inside, gore coated the walls. It was all I could do to keep my lunch
from coming back out. An undead Paladin charged me as I checked one of
the rooms on the ground floor. While I had no
doubt that his soul was pure, the body attacking me reeked of evil. As I
felled it, I can feel his thanks,
his soul now released. And I can also feel hate, and anger directed
towards me. This was unusual. I have never made any enemies, and I was
sure that none of the other adventurers present now are even aware of my
presence.
Then I remembered the necromancer I slayed previously. He seemed a
coward, unsure of even himself. He could not possibly have caused the
inhabitants of this town to die this unholy death.
Before the day is over I would find the cause. The upper floor of this
house was yet to be explored. The walls of the first floor were in the
same condition as those on the ground floor. But a strange portal
was set in the far eastern wall. As I approached it, a Greater Demon
attacked me. It was dispatched
easily enough, but it got me thinking. What was a creature of the
netherworld doing here? All portals
have been sealed, and those which were still open were under constant
surveillance.
It turns out this portal was only an intricately carved door,
opening into a study which was
surprisingly well kept. There were two other doors, one leading north,
the other south. The only
occupant looked as if he needed a rest. A REALLY long rest. So I, ahem,
'relieved' him of his duty.
The key he carried was of no use to me, as was the disgusting humanskin
robe he wore. However,
the rod and gem he was carrying was of considerable interest, and while
the rod was not as powerful
as my whip, it would interest others. The gem, I kept. I will unlock its
secrets later.
The door to the north led to a room containing a succubus. I was
fortunate I was not
detected, and managed to make my way back to the study, after checking
around for anything
valuable, which there wasn’t. The southern door may contain something of
interest.
Upon entering, I was attacked by a lich. He posed a greater
challenge than the other undead
creatures here, but was no match for my weapon skills. As he fell, I
recognised him from the descriptions. This is the necromancer responsible
for the spirits wandering the town. The equipment
he carries I kept, for they may be of use. The magic I sense emanating
from them could benefit a mage
or cleric, and they require all the help they can get, being the weakest
in the frontline, relying mostly on their spells.
The lich is no more, but still the evil persists. There is
nothing more I can do for now. I
recalled myself back to the safety of my Clan hall. There I found my
leader, an enchanting Vampiress by the name of Magyana. Her powers far
exceed mine, despite my higher stature. Therefore it was
with great respect that I greeted her. Her fresh wounds tell of a recent
hunt, and seeing that she is still here, was a success.
I began treating her wounds as best as I could. Night was drawing
near when I finished, and she thanked me for the cure. The healing was
tiring, and so I gave a low bow before resting for the
night. She returned the gesture before heading out for another hunt. The
other members of the clan will return soon, and I will need all the
strength I can get to treat their wounds, so I made myself
comfortable, and, coiling my whip, dozed off.
AUTHOR'S NOTE : Parts of this may be inaccurate, as I am writing all of
this from memory, and my memory is not photographic, so forgive me for any
mistakes. While events are not recent,
all events were recent at the time of writing. I just kept it to
proof-read.
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