Day 6

  The sun had long since disappeared, and the mist hung heavily over Hallowglen, its oppressive weight seeping into every corner of the village. Kalenor paced the walls, his mind restless. The promise of help from Ignisaros lingered in his thoughts, but doubts gnawed at him. Would they survive the night? Could the villagers endure another assault?

  “Alert me immediately if anything appears,” Kalenor instructed the guards. “I need to recover some strength.”

  He returned to his room at the inn, laying down his blade and shield. Sleep eluded him, his mind racing with endless scenarios of what could come. Just as his eyes began to close, there was a frantic knock on his door.

  “Scalesworn! The figure it’s back!” a voice called urgently.

  Kalenor bolted upright, grabbing his equipment without hesitation. When he opened the door, a hunter stood there, his face pale with fear. “It brought something with it this time,” the hunter said, his voice trembling.

  Kalenor followed the hunter to the northern wall, his heart pounding with anticipation. As he reached the top of the wall, his sharp amber eyes locked onto the figure in the mist. It was unmistakable the ocean-blue gown, the single horn of twisted wood emerging from its head. But now, there was something else.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  A monstrous serpent-like creature slithered behind the figure, its crystalline body warped and jagged. The sound of its movement was sickening, like glass grinding against stone, and each shift of its massive form sent tremors through the ground. Trees cracked and fell as the beast carved a destructive path toward the village.

  The figure remained still, its presence as ominous as ever, while the creature closed the distance between them and the wall.

  “What in Morbitral’s name is that?” Kalenor muttered.

  “It’s a Crystalspine!” shouted the carpenter from below. “A guardian of the Cragthorn Caverns, twisted by the plague!”

  Kalenor’s grip on his sword tightened. The Crystalspine, once a legendary beast of majesty and power, was now a grotesque abomination, its crystalline scales corrupted and pulsing with decay. He turned to the hunters and warriors lining the wall.

  “Ready your arrows and swords!” Kalenor commanded. “Hold the line!”

  The Crystalspine surged forward, its body crashing through the forest with relentless speed. Kalenor braced himself, raising his shield as he began casting a reinforcement spell. The mist around the shield thickened, hardening into a protective barrier. His heart raced as the serpent drew closer, the ground trembling beneath its weight.

  Then, just as the beast reached the edge of the clearing, the air was filled with a deafening roar. A massive wall of flame erupted between the village and the advancing creatures, halting the Crystalspine in its tracks. The intense heat forced the serpent to recoil, hissing furiously, while the shadowy figure retreated slightly into the mist.

  Kalenor stared at the inferno, his chest heaving as relief washed over him. He knew what this meant. The Cleansing Flame had arrived. Cheers erupted from the warriors and hunters on the wall as the village’s defenders felt hope rekindle.

  Kalenor let out a long, steady breath, the weight on his shoulders easing slightly. “The village is safe,” he murmured. For the first time since his arrival, he believed it.

  But deep down, he knew the battle was far from over.