The Withered
This was not the right path.
This was not the right fucking path.
The blood that pools beneath your feet proved as much although the directions you were given said–
Wait, what did it say again? Your map is gone and you’re alone. Your breath runs hot against the cold wind, quick and panicked. Where did everyone go? They should be here.
You shouldn’t be here at all.
Before you stands…something. Unmistakingly human. Undeniably not. It rises slowly over the corpse it has gnarled into a shape so sickening, even the blood exiting your veins curdling at the sight. Its teeth begin grinding together into an eerie smile-like gesture, pupils vibrating back and forth as it focuses on your chest. At your heartbeat beneath your ribs. Your sternum. Between your lungs encased by veins, nerves, muscle and fat. You dare not move. No length of training could prepare you for this. They didn’t tell you it would be this way.
The stench of blood and raw meat overwhelms your senses, and the cold is beginning to settle deep within your bones and through. This forest, its pines whispering silently through the breeze as night falls, casting ever long shadows across the thick blankets of snow. The sun no longer graced the land and instead left this barren forest an open invitation to those that roamed the dark. But no songs were heard. Not even the wolves rejoiced. They had been long dead.
The creature raises its head, and you close your eyes. Whatever happens at least let it be over quick. No one is coming to save you.
–
Whatever life you had lived previously is gone now as you stand before the queen and her council. Powerful individuals; grand mages, generals, scholars. Both young and old, they’ve lived through what seems like three times your lifespan, been places you could never imagine, have seen the darkness that lies beyond the mortal realm and have been brought back from it unscathed. Their eyes pierce into your own as you bend your head toward the ground in appeasement. As your sword lies bare on the ground in front of you, so does your soul. Naked but Worthy. Your treacherous path has led you here to this moment. Through the battlefields of the East, the burning villages, the underground trade. You’ve fought your own brethren, crazed out of their minds from starvation, disease. And yet…you’ve survived. You’ve studied hard and fought harder through clenched teeth and broken bones and bloodied, battered, and bruised fists fighting for any reason to stay alive. You have to stay alive. You must. This is just the beginning.
Others who’ve fought the same battles kneel next to you; their eyes fixed on their future. Each one crafted individually by their Gods, all still being carefully molded into beautiful gifts. Each path wildly different but all leading to the same place. Your judgment begins now. Each of your stories are about to change dramatically as you’ve finally realized where you belong.
Welcome the Wither hunters. May your Gods bless your journey and grant you the courage, wisdom, and health to overcome all obstacles. May your feast be plentiful and your bed warm. And may the night be gentle in these uncertain times.
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