The cold autumnal air sweeps through the dense forest floor, sending dead leaves tumbling across the ground. Each footstep crunches as I crush branches under my boots. The full moon beams overhead, blessing my eyes with much needed light in this dingy realm. This region in particular is known to house specters amongst undead creatures, but for some strange reason, I haven’t seen any of them at all tonight. I rouse my mana stores from deep within my veins, drawing a luminous silver light within the palm of my hands. The light washes over the darkness, a faint glimmer of color returning to the fallen leaves. Distant groans echo in the dark, yet I can’t see anything nearby. My heart shudders as something snaps behind me. I turn my back to find a zombie stumbling towards me, its arms flailing mere inches away from my body. I flash my light into the creature’s face, the silver light reflecting back off the zombie’s eyes, leaving the husk in a daze. I dash through the forest, breaking nearly every rule the Guild Master Hilgard told me.
“Don’t make too much noise while you’re in the Forest of Screams, Ivan” he said. “Zombies are more attracted to sound than anything else.”
As I spring over a fallen log, I find a specter floating its way through the forest. Shrill screams spread through the thick foliage, fog grasping at my ankles like phantom hands. A cold sweat running along my neck as my light retreats closer to me. A flash of lightheadedness creeps over me for a sec, nothing short of sheer adrenaline keeping my legs moving as blood rushes through my veins. Another zombie shambles towards me from the right side, forcing a pivot left towards even thicker foliage. A branch swats my left arm, thorns lodging their way into my skin. I duck under another branch, each step taking a little more out of me than the last. Each second, the cut on my arm tugs at the back of my mind, drawing me back to Hilgard’s lecture.
“Try your best not to cut yourself,” Hilgard bellowed from the counter, “Zombies have a phenomenal sense of smell. They can track fresh blood for over three hundred feet. Running also isn’t your best option when you find one. Sure, you’ll get away in the short term, but it’ll draw more of them to you in the long run.”
So far, every move I’ve made has been a mistake according to Hilgard, but despite my ragged breaths, there is a sense of solus around this place. It’s rather strange, a place of death and decay bringing a mortal peace. The light in my left-hand winks out as my blood soaks into my shirt. Despite my left hand winking out, my right hand shines a lot brighter than before. My lungs burn with each breath I take, my legs wobbling like a newborn faun. A rustling in the leaves shocks me into action, spurring me to thrust my palm toward the noise. A zombie emerges from the thickets, the monster’s groaning sounding like its choking. A second wind rushes through my system as a breeze scatters the leaves across the forest, each step carrying the weight of brick slabs. The moon’s light breaks through the forest in the center of a small clearing in the woods.
“Quick, this way!” a voice shouts from the clearing.
My muscles scream in agony as I emerge into the clearing. A small altar rests in the center, all the trees on the edge of the forest bending downwards as if bowing to the monument. The monument itself nothing more than a woman draped in expensive robes and ribbons carved into stone, but a melancholic aura emanates from the monument. Despite the growls all around me, I walk to the statue, each heartbeat hammering in my chest as my fingertips brush the stone figure. A crimson-haired woman flashes into view wearing the exact same robes as the monument. The woman meets my gaze, her eyebrows raised a little before she plunges into my chest. Liquid fire burns my veins and my head throbs just like my arm.
“Ah, so this is what it’s like to be in a man’s body. I always wondered how different you men lived out your lives,” the goddess whispers.
However, the voice doesn’t originate from anywhere around me. Instead, this voice echoes within the walls of my skull much like my own thoughts. I shift my gaze from the monument, several zombies emerge from the trees, each one shambling towards me at a rather rapid pace for husks. I shine my silver light into one zombie’s face as I run by, but two more emerge from behind the previous zombie. My blood freezes as the undead stumble towards me, closing the gap between us and reaching a distressing closeness. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring any weapons or armor on this run.
“I need you alive, boy. I can’t believe I called you a man earlier,” the goddess huffs. “Fine, I’ll do it myself.”
Searing pain courses through my left arm once more as my palm opens, conjuring a bright crimson blade within my left hand. The burning spreads throughout my body as each limb moves without any commands. I leap into the sky, twirling in a circle as my sword cleaves through the air. By the time I register the events unfolding, nothing but bleeding, headless stumps remain. My heart flutters as I land a perfect somersault with zero effort and the burning fades away.
“How did you pull off such incredible maneuvers? I’ve never been so limber in my life.”
“Well, kid, I’m a warrior goddess like my brothers and sisters. I should be able to handle three zombies with ease, even in your body,” the goddess says.
I sprint through the darkness, my silver light melding with crimson light emanating from the crimson blade. My head churns as this divine being pokes and prods at my memories. With each memory she touches, dilapidating pain strikes like lightning bolts in my head.
“Hey goddess, if you intend on using me as a host, I’d appreciate it if you respect my privacy enough to keep us upright.”
“So, you do have a spine. Good. You’ll be a suitable vessel, and you’re already blessed by one of my sisters,” the goddess says.
This blessing feels more like a curse.
“What is all this about being a vessel? What do you want from me?”
The woman says nothing at all. Instead, she rummages through my thoughts even more as I stumble upon yet another monument of hers. This time, there are zombies surrounding the monument, almost as if they are worshipping the stone figure. Warmth floods my body once more as I slaughter the undead husks with relative ease. In fact, with every zombie slain, my body grows lighter, faster, stronger. The wound on my arm doesn’t even register anymore, any remaining pain comparable to a mere scrape, the flow of sword strikes singing to me like a sweet melody. Within minutes, all of the zombies are inanimate corpses. I sprint to the monument, cutting off the flow of magic to my right hand and grasping the effigy.
The goddess appears before me once more, her body taking on a more corporeal shape. She rests her fingers on my face, each one setting me aflame. The goddess takes another look deep into my eyes, a vicious grin spreading wide across her face. She dives into me once more, her presence less invasive than before.
“There is only one more monument left within this forest, my chosen disciple. Once you claim its power, you will be rewarded with everything you could ever ask for,” the goddess says.
I dart through the dense foliage, cutting anything standing in my way into pieces. I could never fight like this before tonight. I was always tossed around in mock battles held by the guild because my defensive magic left me on my back foot. However, with this new power, I could fight back against anyone and everyone who would dare harm me.
“Did this desire for revenge motivate you to come find me mortal? It certainly seems like you knew about the legends of a powerful goddess trapped within this region. Did you even know who I am?” the goddess whispers.
“To be honest, yes. I knew of your existence, though your name and exact abilities have been lost to time itself.”
The goddess falls silent once more, almost as if she’s hiding something. The clearing housing the final monument comes into view. My legs, as if sensing the impending victory and relief, give out and I collapse to the ground. My head smashes into a giant log, a warm river gushing from my forehead. The crimson blade launches out of my hands, falling a few feet away. I lift myself with my arms, mustering enough leg strength to stand once more. I conjure another ball of silver light, revealing a zombie right in front of me. The monster grappling me with its arms as it leans forward, mouth spread wide. I manage to grab hold of the zombie’s neck, forcing the monster back enough to get its horrid breath out of my face.
“The rotten corpse smells awful! You really should kill it soon. Use your silver magic to burn it or something,” the goddess says.
“Look, I’m doing my best here. My magic is all-defense based!”
“MAKE A BUBBLE AROUND YOU! OR MAKE A SHIELD AND BASH ITS BRAINS OUT!”
The magic in my palms brightens, but my attention slips from the zombie for a second too long. When I look down, the zombie’s teeth are sunk deep into my arm, blood rushing from the wound. I scream out in pain as I slam my fresh shield into the undead monster’s forehead. The zombie flies a foot back into a tree, its teeth ripped clean out of my arm. Warmth floods the wound as blood leaks from my wound. I smash the zombie’s skull against the tree, killing the creature.
“You may be done for, kid. I don’t think you can recover enough blood in time to save yourself,” the goddess says.
I retrieve the blood-red sword once more, wielding both sword and shield for the first time in my life. My head spins as the final monument comes into view. At least a dozen zombies stand between me and the monument, all of them shambling towards me. I slice through the first one with relative ease, a nugget of adrenaline bribing my muscles to work. The next three emerge at once, battering my shield with their weight. I push them back with what little strength my arms retain and carve their heads clean off with the crimson blade. My head burns as I speed to the final monument, slicing off arms and limbs to get there. As I lay my hands on the stone surface, the goddess emerges from my body, taking her physical form for presumably the first time in centuries. I collapse to the ground, blood still leaking from my arm and head. The goddess stares at me, waving one of her hands towards me. My body levitates into the air, and she smiles once more, placing her fingers on my lips.
“Thank you for breaking my seals, Ivan. I promised I’d give you anything your heart desired, so I’ll give you the revenge you seek. You’ll have to put a lot of trust in me.”
Upon those words, my body goes limp in her arms. An inferno rushes into my head, and my muscles turn to jelly. The goddess presses one finger onto my forehead, inscribing a rune onto my flesh.
“Ivan, this inscription will burn the toxins from your veins, but this mark also binds you as my acolyte. My mortal name was Penelope, but legends call me Tamara. We shall take revenge together!”
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