In a dark world beyond the perception of mortals, a crimson sea rested peacefully unaffected by the wretched scene encompassing its shores. On its shores hundreds of bodies laid unmoving with an expression of terror forever frozen on their earthly faces. Some of this bodies belonged to children, others belonged to the elderly and the rest belonged to the people that fell between these age groups. The most unnerving thing about these bodies was the fact that none of them possessed fatal injuries that could have caused their demise.
In the middle of this scene, a floating figure could be discerned. The figure seemed to be staring downward at a dead body bearing similar features as the figure. The floating figure was bear footed and wore black habit.
The figure seemed to be a boy around sixteen years of age and possessing a height of 1.78 meters.The boy possessed short black hairs and a pair of black eyes that seemed capable to pierce the very soul. The contrast between the boy's unnatural pale skin and the black habit seemed to deepen the boy's presence. The boy's figure flickered occasionally as if trying to contain something.
The most exceptional detail of the boy was the long dagger wielded on his right hand.The long dagger emanated a sense of otherworldly that even the dark world could not suppress. The dagger was emerald in color as if it was entirely carved out of jade. It was about 40 centimeters long with a pommel that was shaped to resemble a crying human skull. The grip was narrow and thus the dagger could only be held by one hand. The guard was shaped to resemble eerie maw of a hideous beast, which seemed capable of sucking away one's very soul. The presence instilled by the dagger was bizarre as it seemed to be stuck in the cycle of reality and illusory.
Suddenly, the silence that permeated the shore was disturbed by the sound of two sets of footsteps. The first set belonged to a girl about twelve years old who walked towards the floating figure with an impassive look even with the multitude of corpses laying on her path. The girl wore a black robe with crimson embroidery that seemed ill-suited for her small stature. She possessed black hair and a pair of black eyes that seemed to hide bondless wisdom.The second set of footsteps belonged to a doll that stood about 0.75 meter tall which was half of the girl's height and wearing maiden clothes. The doll with an elegance that only the living should possess as it followed behind the girl like a loyal companion.
The girl stopped in front the floating boy and shifted her gaze to study the corpse that possessed similar features as the floating boy. The doll came to a halt behind the girl and took a stance of a servant.
After studying the corpse for some time, the girl shifted her gaze towards the floating boy. "I take it that the ritual was a success."
The boy nodded. "Yes, Greater Priestess Puppetmaster."
"Your asterbrand?" Greater Priestess Puppetmaster's gaze became inquisitive.
Klaus shrugged. "Soulrend."
Greater Priestess Puppetmaster's expression turned serious. "The Temple of Evil has a mission for you in the mortal plane."
Klaus bowed his head as he awaited the details of his mission.
"Little Klaus, how many divine relics do you think are out there?"Klaus raised his head and stared at Greater Priestess Puppetmaster in confusion, he seemed to not have expected such a question. After gathering his thoughts, he answered. "One."
Greater Priestess Puppetmaster shook her head. "It's three. Few know of such a fact and even less know about the whereabouts of these three divine relics."
Klaus wore a shocked expression.
Greater Priestess Puppetmaster ignored his expresssion and continued. "SoulBreaker was once wielded by The Spirit before they met their demise at the hands of the divine gods. StarFall was once wielded by The Radiance before they met their doom at the hands of The Evil. DreadCurse was once wielded by The Horror before they met their end by a mysterious hand."
A sigh was heard from Greater Priestess Puppetmaster. "SoulBreaker is currently in your possession, StarFall is under the custody of the Temple of Order and the whereabouts of DreadCurse are unknown."
"Unknown?" Klaus wore an inquisitive look.
Greater Priestess Puppetmaster nodded. "Before The Horror perished, they hid DreadCurse for reasons that still elude most of us. We have reasonable evidences to believe that DreadCurse lays somewhere in the mortal plane.The Temple of Evil has collected a enough information to get you started."
Greater Priestess Puppetmaster's gaze grew piercing. "This is your chance Monk Soulrend to prove to the Temple of Evil that you are a worthy inheritor of SoulBreaker, do you accept your mission?"
A hint of resolve flashed through Klaus's eyes as he gazed into Greater Priestess Puppetmaster's piercing eyes. "Yes I do."
*******
"Did you just say an alehouse?" Duncan turned to look at Bella. At least he tried to appear as if he was looking at her.
"You are doing the creepy-eye thing again." He heard Bella complain.
"You can't blame me for being surprised." He retorted.
Bella grumbled. "There is really nothing to be surprised about. It was either we visited the alehouse or we took a trip to the brothel."
Duncan's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets at the mention of the brothel.
This woman would probably be the end of me.
A sound of laughter reached his ears. "If you could only see your face, the expression is priceless."
"I see that you are enjoying this." He grumbled with displeasure.
"Who wouldn't dear Danny?"
A sigh escaped his lips.
Why did I let her tag along, my life may not be going well but I could at least spare myself from this bag of misery.
"What are we going to look for anyway after we are inside?" Duncan's face turned serious.
"I don't know."
"Say what now?" His voice carrying a hint of disbelief.
"I don't know dummy. But no need to worry, we will probably know the answer when we see–I see it."
A thought flashed in his mind.
I am screwed.