The ride back to Eldenreach was long.
Gabriel took the lead with Tess a few strides behind. The horses weren't reaching their top speed due to the uneven terrain of the North and the dense fog spread out.
But Tess didn't care about the journey.
Her smile hadn't left her face since departing the village.
We actually saved a village. We didn't just destroy the nest, we saved a whole village.
We have two horses, a horse could easily be sold for a gold coin, two if I find the right person.
And Hanitz is paying us!
Her smile grew.
That healing potion would have given us ten!
Her hands tightened against the reins.
She shook her head, trying to spurn the thought. She didn't want to dampen her spirits.
The remnants of the storm were still in the air, rain was pelting down at a ferocious rate, and the wind felt like the two were riding through the breath of a frost dragon.
The ground was still solid, but softening from the rain.
Gabriel had his robe wrapped tight around him, trying to keep the cold at bay, the hood covering everything above his eyebrows.
They had been travelling nonstop for six hours.
And had another six hours ahead.
The only sounds that could be heard were the pattering of the water hitting the hard ground, followed by the rhythmic clop of the horses hooves.
Gabriel's thoughts were focused elsewhere. The events that happened at Blackhaven didn't make sense.
Why did four lesser vampires go to Eldenreach? Everything written about them says they are territorial, they wouldn't have left the nest unless it was attacked.
The adventures turning up there weren't an attack. It was dinner.
The nest itself was above a temple that just happened to have information written about The Eighth Divine One.
And then there's this book
He felt the book safely stored inside his robe.
Only I felt the power coming from this book.
Why didn't Tess feel it? And why haven't I felt anything from it since?
Gabriel was pulled from his thoughts by a shift in the air.
He raised his hand, signalling for Tess to stop.
"What's wro-"
Gabriel looked over his shoulder sharply, raising his finger to his lips.
The rain got heavier.
The pair got down from the horses slowly.
Tess stepped forward, "What is it?" she whispered.
"Close your eyes, feel the wind as it hits your face," he replied, still facing forward.
She didn't question, just closed her eyes, feeling the wind against her face.
Everything around her became distant; she was only focusing on the wind against her face.
It hit.
First, a slight tingle on the end of her nose began travelling across her face.
Then spreading throughout her body.
The tingle turned into a buzzing sensation, like stepping in front of a fire after being out in the snow.
The hairs on her arms began standing up.
She opened her eyes, turning to Gabriel, "Magic?"
He nodded.
A colder shiver ran down her spine, making her whole body shake for a brief moment.
"It feels- I don't know how magic is supposed to feel," she shook her head.
"It feels evil." The former Paladin finished whilst unsheathing his sword.
The pair began moving forward, the buzzing air intensified.
The grass in front of them was covered in thick fog, they could only see two steps ahead.
A sweet scent made its way to Gabriel's nose, followed almost immediately by the smell of rotten meat. A familiar scent.
Gabriel continued forward, slowing his pace slightly.
The fog clung low to the ground, curling around their boots as if trying to pull them in. Each step made the buzzing in the air grow sharper, more focused, like invisible needles dancing across their skin.
Another gust of wind carried the smell again.
Sweet.
Then rot.
Tess covered her mouth instinctively. "Creator, what is that?"
Gabriel didn't answer.
He pushed through the fog until a shape came into view.
A dark silhouette half-swallowed by wet grass.
The horses behind them began to stir, kicking their front legs in the air, ready to bolt.
The dark shadow became clearer.
Tess took a deep breath.
Gabriel stepped in front of her, raising a hand for her to stay back as he approached the corpse.
The fog cleared enough.
It was a young man, his tunic had been ripped open, the fabric stiffened by dried blood. Jagged symbols carved into his skin across his chest, the cuts deep, deliberate and without hesitation. Forming sigils, Gabriel didn't immediately recognise.
Gabriel's eyes moved towards his face. Two hollow pits stared into the sky, his eyes were gone entirely, and the flesh around them had blackened and scorched. Traces of ash around the edges. Thin streaks of dried blood traced from the ruined sockets down to his jaw, where the skin had begun to turn a sickly grey.
A raindrop hit his cheek, making a hissing noise faintly barely audible.
Tess gagged, stumbling back a step.
Gabriel leaned closer, ignoring the rotting smell that was burning the back of his throat.
The sweet scent was coming from the man's open mouth.
He pushed the jaw open slightly.
The tongue was gone.
It was just like the Elven girl by the goat's path.
Same stench.
Same burns.
Same ritual precision.
Gabriel's fingers subtly gripped the hilt of his sword tighter.
"He works at the tavern in Eldenreach."
"Who would do something like this?" Tess whispered, her voice cracking.
"I don't know bu- "
Gabriel's eyes caught a faint shadow floating amongst the fog.
His irises began glowing.
He took off, sprinting at full speed towards the dark silhouette.
Reaching for the hilt of his other sword.
Tess halted her tears. She snatched down at her blade and followed.
Gabriel's boots tore through the wet grass, both swords drawn.
The silhouette just lingered.
He closed the distance in seconds, features were now beginning to form on the shadow.
And then it vanished. As if the fog had swallowed it whole.
The former Paladin skidded to a halt, his blades raised in a defensive stance.
A woman's laugh drifted through the air. Soft and playful, causing the glow in his eyes to intensify.
The laughter spread, coming from every direction.
Tess froze behind him, watching the rear.
The fog began thinning, peeling away. The buzzing in the air faded with it, leaving only the sound of rain striking the grass.
The pair looked around, searching in every direction.
The voice broke through one more time. "The Demon Who Saved Blackhaven. Ha, ha, ha."