Night settled over Greyhawk quietly, without warning. It wasn't a gradual dimming of the sky—it felt more like someone had blown out a candle. One moment the streets were lively with late merchants and wandering adventurers, and the next, silence crept through the alleys like a slow-moving tide.
Elias noticed the shift instantly.
He was sitting on the rooftop of the inn again, legs crossed, watching lanterns flicker across the town. The breeze carried the usual mixture of sounds—footsteps, laughter, clattering dishes—but then… everything softened, muffled, as if pushed behind a wall of fog.
He opened his eyes fully.
Something was wrong.
His shadow, resting quietly beneath him, curled and twitched, sensing danger long before he did. It stretched outward, thin tendrils brushing across the rooftop as if searching for the source.
Elias stood, lowering his breathing, letting instinct take control. The streets looked normal from above, but the air—dense, heavy—pressed against his skin.
He scanned the town entrance. Guards paced slowly along the walls, torches held high. A woman carried baskets inside her shop. A stray dog sniffed near the well.
Everything looked the same.
Everything felt wrong.
A faint ringing pulsed through the distance, like a sound from deep underwater. Elias leaned slightly forward, eyes narrowing.
Fog began rolling in from the fields.
Not normal fog.
Thick. Gray. Heavy. Pouring over the town walls like a slow flood.
Elias jumped from the roof, landing silently in an alley. His boots hit stone without a sound. His shadow followed, stretched thin and alert.
He hurried through the streets.
Greyhawk's residents noticed the fog only when it was too late.
"Where is this coming from?"
"It wasn't cloudy!"
"Close the gates!"
A guard yelled the order, but before the gates could shut, something struck the wooden frame from outside. Not a crash—just a dull, heavy thud that made the entire gate shiver.
A second thud.
A third.
The guard captain's face paled. "Archers! Ready!"
Elias moved closer, keeping to the shadows. He saw silhouettes forming inside the fog—long, twisted shapes, dragging limbs across the dirt. Slow at first. Then faster.
A roar tore through the night.
Torches flickered.
The fog peeled back as something massive stepped into view.
A corrupted elk, its antlers blackened and warped like jagged blades. Its eyes glowed a sickly gold. Behind it, smaller beasts crawled forward—foxlike creatures, wolves, even twisted birds hopping unnaturally across the ground.
The guard captain raised his hand to signal an attack—
But the elk charged first.
It slammed into the gate with such force the wood cracked inward, sending splinters flying. Guards stumbled back. The captain raised his shield, bracing for impact.
The elk reared, ready to strike again.
A figure sprinted into view from the opposite street—Arin.
He was breathless, sword already drawn.
"Elias!" Arin snapped into position beside him. "What is happening?"
"The corruption moved."
"No kidding!"
Guards scrambled to reinforce the gate, but the elk slammed it again, leaving a large dent. Smaller beasts crawled through openings in the wood, snarling.
One leaped toward a guard. Arin intercepted, slicing its jaw.
Elias stepped forward, dagger drawn. His shadow elongated, brushing the ground like a hunting animal.
The elk charged again.
The gate burst inward.
Wood shattered across the ground.
The beast roared, shaking lanterns overhead. Dozens of corrupted creatures poured into the town.
Guards yelled. Citizens screamed. Chaos erupted instantly.
Arin braced himself. "We're fighting, right?"
"Yes."
"Good."
The elk lunged.
Elias dashed aside, sliding beneath its antlers. His dagger caught the underside of its neck, leaving a deep cut. The beast staggered but didn't fall. Another corrupted wolf leaped at him. Elias shifted, letting his shadow catch the wolf midair and hurl it to the ground.
Arin spun, slicing through two foxlike beasts as they rushed him. His movements were efficient—no wasted motion, no fear in his steps.
"You attract trouble," Arin muttered between strikes.
"I didn't bring this."
"Then the universe has terrible taste."
A corrupted boar barreled toward Arin. Elias flicked his wrist. His shadow erupted from the ground, anchoring the boar's legs. Arin finished it with a clean downward strike.
The elk roared again.
Elias advanced, eyes narrowing, studying its movements. The beast scraped the ground with a twisted hoof, readying another charge.
But before it lunged, the fog behind it shifted.
Something else was coming.
A large silhouette, taller than the elk, moved slowly, deliberately, dripping with corruption. Its footsteps sank deep into the earth.
The elk stopped growling.
It lowered its head—as if submitting.
Elias's breath tightened.
A new creature emerged: a massive bear, much larger than the one they saw before. Its fur was matted with tar-like substance, and its eyes burned with unnatural intelligence. Its ribs protruded at unnatural angles, as if trying to break through its skin.
Arin cursed under his breath. "That's not Rank B anymore…"
"No."
Several guards panicked and ran.
The corrupted bear stepped onto the stone path, sniffing the air.
It smelled something.
It smelled him.
Arin noticed the bear turning its head toward Elias. "It's looking at you."
"I know."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
The bear's chest expanded as a guttural growl vibrated through its body. It stepped over fallen beasts, ignoring guards and citizens.
It was coming for Elias alone.
Arin stepped between them. "Over my dead body."
"That's unnecessary."
"Too bad," Arin said, voice shaking slightly. "You're not dying here."
The bear lunged.
Arin moved first, slashing at its arm. The blade scraped across corrupted bone. The bear swatted him aside like a rag doll. Arin hit the ground hard, rolling, but managed to rise again with a grimace.
Elias dashed forward, cutting across the bear's exposed flank. His shadow surged beneath him, coiling around the creature's legs.
This time, the corruption fought back.
The tar-like substance pulsed, pushing against the shadow as if resisting its grip.
Elias felt tension echo up his spine—his shadow strained, trembling.
The bear roared and tore free, flinging black residue through the air.
The world tilted.
For an instant, Elias saw silver patterns flicker around the bear—thin runic shapes, incomplete, broken.
Another fragment.
Another echo of the Law.
His vision blurred. His heartbeat sputtered.
The bear raised a massive paw and slammed it down.
Elias barely rolled aside. The impact shattered the stone beneath him.
Arin sprinted toward him. "Elias!"
"I'm fine."
"You're not fine!"
The bear lunged again.
Elias met its charge head-on. He darted right, slicing across its ribs, then ducked under a sweeping paw. His shadow lashed upward, wrapping around the bear's thick neck, choking, pulling.
The corruption strained, resisting, grinding against Elias's mana.
He clenched his teeth. His head throbbed.
The bear lifted him with surprising speed, throwing him backward. Elias hit the cobblestone and slid across the dirt.
Arin ran to him. "Get up—come on—get up—!"
Elias pushed himself to his feet.
The bear roared triumphantly.
Fog thickened again—almost reacting to Elias's struggle, as if feeding the beast strength. As if answering to whatever fragment of Law was buried inside the corruption.
The creature lowered its stance.
One last charge.
Arin stood shakily between them. "I said you're not dying here."
"Move," Elias ordered.
"No."
"Arin."
Arin gripped his sword harder. "If you die, then what the hell was the point of yesterday?"
Elias's chest tightened.
Not fear.
Something else.
Something dangerous.
Something that made his shadow shiver.
The bear charged.
Arin did not move.
And in that moment—too fast to think, too bright to ignore—Elias's shadow exploded from the ground, surging upward like a black spear.
It struck the bear in the throat.
Corruption sizzled.
The beast roared, stumbling. Elias sprinted forward, jumped, and drove his dagger deep into the creature's exposed neck. His shadow wrapped around the handle, amplifying the force.
The bear convulsed violently.
Then fell.
Silence washed over Greyhawk.
The fog thinned.
Creatures retreated—those still alive scurried back through the gate, fleeing into the night as if a signal had been cut.
Arin exhaled shakily and let himself fall to the ground, laughing breathlessly. "I don't know what that was," he said, "but remind me never to get on your bad side."
Elias didn't answer.
His shadow trembled beneath him.
Not from hunger.
Not from triumph.
From fear.
Elias pressed a hand to his chest. His heartbeat was too fast. His thoughts too scattered. The fragment had reacted again. The corruption had moved with purpose.
And the bear had come straight for him.
Arin looked at him seriously. "You knew something was calling to you out there, didn't you?"
Elias didn't respond.
Arin continued, voice steady now. "Then until we figure it out… you're not facing this alone."
Elias's eyes lowered.
Alone.
The word should have felt comfortable. Familiar. Safe.
Now, for the first time in years, it felt wrong.
He didn't answer Arin. But he didn't walk away from him either.
The two boys stood in the fading fog.
And somewhere deep in the eastern woods…
Something ancient stirred.
Watching.
Waiting.
Awakening.
:)