The Curse of Tartarus

After their little talk, Fumihito and Erlana finally decided to get back to town now that the sun had fallen. The walk back was uneventful as the two stuck side by side and he found that he enjoyed being close to Erlana. Even if the air was colder than before and it seemed like whatever form of possible bustle the town might have had was silent, it still felt like it was just Erlana and him walking through everything.

Just the two of them.

A small twitch curled at his lips before that rotten smell crossed his nostrils.

It must have shown because Erlana raised a brow as the two approached the gates of the town once again.

“Are you okay? You look like you’re angry at something. I…I don’t smell, right?” She even raised her hand and raised a small worried brow before he dismissed her concern.

“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just that rotten smell from before. It feels like it’s gotten worse now. It’s weird because the further we got away, the less there was of it. Now? It feels like it’s spread everywhere,” he huffed before looking back toward the hill right where Erlana’s special spot was.

Maybe he was making a fuss over nothing, huh? He shook his head before looking back at Erlana and shrugging his shoulders.

“There’s nothing we can do about it. We’ll leave tomorrow morning now that we have what we need for Scrimgeour. He’s probably been complaining to himself. I think. Do the dead complain just standing around?”

She simply stared back at him with a rather deadpan look.

“How would I know that? I’m not the necromancer, Fumihito. Besides, undead vary in type. I don’t know a lot, but it usually can…”

As soon as they stepped through the front gates, a loud CRACK rang out. Fumihito froze on the spot as the rotten smell grew heavier. That smell wafted around his nose for the entire day, but it never compared to what it was now. It felt like he had been thrown into a dumpster filled to the brim with rotten meat and sullen clothing, His nose crinkled and his head whipped right back around to the gate.

Right where an ethereal wisp was plastered across the front of the entrance as if struggling to get through. It looked vaguely humanoid in shape, composed of nothing but clumps of purple mist that seemed to flicker in and out of existence. The shape mashed itself against the front gate, an invisible screen of energy shuddering beneath the weight of one single frame.

It looked like it was reaching out.

Instinctively, for whatever reason, he reached out as a subtle twitch of that same magical energy coursed through his veins. Before he could even touch the barrier, Erlana reached out and snagged his hand and shook him awake from his stupor.

“Fumihito, get back!”

He snapped back to attention before looking at the single mass that seemed to form a screaming figure. A shapeless man clawing at the air and screeching an inhuman sound. It was only then that he could see it. See past the creature. How the entire town seemingly shimmered beneath a thin transparent wall that surrounded the entire town from the base and above.

And there, past the creature, he could see them.

A heavy mass of the same clumps of purple mist bounded across the earth and into the barrier. Various shapes from men and women down to the likes of children slamming against the transparent shimmering field over and over again. His eyes widened at the sight of them alone as their bodies were given shape. Unnatural and humanoid shapes, long spindly limbs, and claws that raked and slashed at the walls.

Nothing but a rotten smell filled his nostrils before his eyes widened.

They were screeching and howling.

But he could hear…

“F-Fumihito, get back! We need to get further into town now,” Erlana was already dragging him away as her eyes widened at the sight of such creatures. One of them growing in size briefly, at least twice his own, and hammering at the front gates with a faceless visage. It stared at him, practically pounding its fists into the barrier over and over before Erlana managed to pull him back and drag him away.

And the two of them were running fast just as the screams began to grow louder and louder. It was agonizing to both of their ears and he did his best to keep up with Erlana as the mass of foreign creatures clambered atop the town’s ethereal barrier. All of them formed a solid mass of sound that continued to barrel down into the people below.

And through it all, Fumihito could hear something ringing in his ears. His mind shuddered beneath the voices that screamed at him.

He collapsed to his knees and clutched his skull, shouting as Erlana froze.

“Fumihito? W-Wait…”

A single shape ran outside in his vision. Someone rushed over and began to pull the shocked woman away. She struggled for a few brief moments before Fumihito reached over, panting softly as the voices bore down upon his eardrums. As if their screams were in his mind.

And Erlana looked so scared…

A single pulse of violet energy sunk into the ground beneath his hands. Something shook the ground beneath his feet. His eyes felt colder and his skin felt sunken, like his flesh weighed him down. He tried to rise to his feet before a single shape tackled him to the floor. Fumihito’s skull met the ground and his eyes rolled up into the back of his head. An inky black covered his vision before the sound became nothing.

“...”

He could see a river. A long river of souls stretched from the beginning of time to the end of it. There, right before him, were billions upon billions of people crying out for something. They reached out for salvation and yet all he could do was watch. Fumihito grasped at the air, molding it, and looked at the shapes that were given form.

Nothing but a pair of wings spreading out and soaring.

He looked ahead and saw a hooded figure, about thrice his size, standing across him from the river. A dazzling pair of glowing eyes peered forth beneath their hood. A pair of skeletal hands were grasped onto a single wooden branch gently stirring the river waters as if guiding the wild and untamed current forward.

The two of them met.

Fumihito saw Death.

And whatever Death was stared back.

“...You still can’t hear them, can you?”

It sounded like a mass of voices given shape. From children to men and women and even the elderly. All their voices came together to form a single one. He was confused as he stared at the river of souls crying out. The river of people that reached for him, clawing at the shore and his feet.

“H-Hear what?”

Their bodies were dragged from the river as they lunged for him. His body was pushed to the ground as they piled onto him. Despite the numerous faceless shapes that hissed and clawed at his body, all he could see was the hooded figure staring at him blankly above. Their face was inches from his as a rotten smell mucked his tongue and nostrils.

“...Hear their…”

“....hito! Fumihito! He’s waking up!”

He awoke to a startled gasp and felt a pair of soft hands cupping his face. The moment he tried to open his eyes was the moment Fumihito felt a sudden headache come down upon his skull like a hammer. If anything, it felt more akin to a club battering his bone to fragments. Even trying to open his eyes felt like an entire task!

“E-Easy, Fumihito, please. Take it slow and keep your eyes closed. Slow breaths, okay?”

His head was killing him and it felt like his body was brittle. Compared to how he was a little tired yesterday, it almost seemed like his entire body would snap under the slightest movement. His arms trembled, his legs struggled to move, and even his breath felt heavier as he took a slow and heavy breath before exhaling.

He managed to finally open his eyes and found Erlana’s body seated right over him, her hands hovering over his body, and her vermillion eyes set upon him in worry. It took everything he could to not wince the moment he even tried to will his body to move.

“Slow down, Fumihito… You’ve exhausted yourself. After last night, I think…”

Last night? What did she…

And then the memories came barreling back into the forefront of his mind. He could remember the hundreds and hundreds of voices that seemed to scream and cry like howler monkeys. Like a chorus of agony and pain that they wanted to share with the world. How their bodies relentlessly smashed into the barrier without a care for their bodies. Although, with how they looked, it didn’t seem very likely that they had bodies from what he remembered.

There was also a dream.

Was it even a dream? It felt so real. It felt like he was there and he knew why, but…

How come he couldn’t remember it?

“Last night, r-right. I remember the… things. They swarmed the entire place. W-Were they trying to kill everybody or was it something else?”

Erlana hummed softly and planted her hands back onto her lap. From the bags under her eyes and how her hands trembled, he could already tell that she didn’t get a night’s sleep in. Was it because she had seen them last night or was it because he was hurt?

“Those were spirits. I think that the curse the villagers spoke of for so long was about those things and how they tried to get through. I’ve studied so many subjects regarding spirits, but I’ve never once seen something like that…”

He huffed and slowly pushed himself back to a seat. When he finally began to notice where he was, he finally saw that he was in a bed. In a rather quaint little room that had seen better days from what the tattered curtains and the mess of clothes scattered about could tell him. Did someone disgusting live here or was it just a pig?

A hand grazed his scalp and a subtle ache crossed his skull. A concussion? Was that happening again?

“Gah, damn it. Erlana, where are we now? I remember last night. Bits and pieces. We were running, they screamed, and I saw someone grab you but… Wait. Are you okay?”

How could he have forgotten the large shape that rushed through the streets and started dragging her out of nowhere? Erlana didn’t seem too bothered by the question before her eyes widened and she quickly raised her hands to her face.

“No, nothing like that! Thank you though, really, but it wasn’t like that. What happened was that…”

SLAM!

Fumihito nearly rolled out of bed on the spot if it wasn’t for the sudden exhaustion that crept up across his body and tore his limbs to a tired and aching mess. He practically slumped on the spot as Erlana’s body shivered and straightened. The door to the room had been kicked wide open and right behind Erlana was the largest man he had seen in his entire life. A wall of muscle coupled with a heavy beard that went down to his chest, the man looked like something out of a novel from what he could see.

He even had a scar around his brow like one of those warriors you’d see drawn up in a manga!

“Hm… The boy awake?”

Erlana looked nervous as her body shook and he watched the large man stomp over toward the pair. Whatever fears and trauma he had received from last night seemed to pale in comparison to the man who looked like he could tear him in two with his bare hands. He nearly tried to crawl away before the large man fetched something from behind his back.

Fumihito gulped.

And the man suddenly drew forth a single loaf of bread before gently placing it into his trembling hands. He blankly stared at the small loaf and the stern expression on the man’s face. One part of him wanted to throw it back out of fear, but another part was worried that would just make this man squash him on the spot.

He raised the bread to his lips and took a small bite before swallowing. The large man’s stern expression eased and a small smile crossed their face as they tapped their index fingers together, as if he were confessing to a crush.

“Ah, did you enjoy it? My father used to say I was close to reaching his level when he was alive…”

Erlana stared at his dumbfounded expression before she coughed into the palm of her hand and interrupted the large man. He seemed to get the message before crossing his arms over one another and giving her the chance to explain.

“Right, sorry about that. He’s a little excitable from what I can tell, but this is the man who dragged me out of there. His name’s Viggo and he’s one of the residents of the town, a baker. He came outside to help us once they saw you fall,” she looked back at Viggo, the large man, and offered him a small nod.

“Thank you again, Viggo. We appreciate your assistance.”

The large man simply smiled before looking back at him. He coughed into his hand and raised his bread into the air, bowing his head respectfully.

“Yes, t-thank you. I don’t know what we would’ve done after I fell…”

Viggo simply slammed a hand into his back and nearly knocked the poor young man off the bed. They grinned at him before planting their hands on their hips.

“It’s no problem, friend. My father raised me to do right by someone else when I can. That’s the way a baker simply handles things. Although, the two of you should’ve listened to some of the townspeople. The spirits aren’t so kind to strangers here.”

And then came the discussion of spirits. It was so calm when Erlana and him were outside. Yes, people were wary and seemed paranoid, but at least they weren’t violent. What he saw last night was like something out of a nightmare. Mad creatures trying to break through and murder people was not what he expected, much less hoped to see in this world. The worst of it all was that they kept screaming things.

So many things, but he could hardly remember a single line worth.

“Spirits? Is that the town curse? A bunch of mad spirits trying to kill everybody?”

What else could it be? There was nothing that proved otherwise that those things didn’t want to murder people. Their shapes, their bodies, and their general smell were something out of a landfill of corpses. Scrimgeour was undead, but he seemed so normal compared to those things he had seen.

Viggo simply sighed and that soft look across his face was wiped away by the same stern expression from before.

“Well, you’d be half right. That’s the town curse, yep. It’s plagued us for quite a while now and as you might guess, it’s why people aren’t looking so well. However, the spirits aren’t trying to kill us,” he looked uncertain as he rested a hand against his chin and narrowed his eyes.

“They try to drive us insane. Even before we had the great barrier placed here, they only spent their days outside of someone’s house. Nothing but screeches. To us, it sounds like screeching, but to a specific person? They hear something. Something we don’t know since nobody’s ever talked about it…”

But even Erlana was as perplexed as he was judging by the next question she asked.

“A barrier was placed here? I don’t get it. If these rogue spirits have gone mad, wouldn’t it make more sense to call a holy priest here? Surely they could solve this…”

“We did, but it didn’t work.”

The words died on Erlana’s lips and she spotted the way her shoulders sagged. A holy priest? Was that some kind of special role or was it exactly as it sounded like? The confusion on his face must have been obvious because Erlana turned around to address the mention of such a figure.

“Holy priests tend to be those who’ve studied under the God of Justice. In a way, they’re responsible for handling the messes of the undead and those who haven’t been cleansed. They’re the best when it comes to any type of mad spirit, but I’ve never heard of a situation where they never managed to overcome it.”

Viggo simply shook his head and dragged a chair over toward the two, taking a heavy seat himself and planting a hand onto his thigh. He looked haunted by the memory as his fingers sunk into his knee.

“We thought so too. They did an entire ritual and supposedly laid the spirits to rest, but the next night was just twice as bad as the last. They tried several more times and each time was even more horrifying than the last. From what they told us at the time, these spirits weren’t able to be laid to rest because they were not mad or corrupt. They’re just… spirits. A spirit is much harder to do away with compared to something that lingers because of a grudge. If it’s here, then it means it’s here of its volition.”

A choice?

He couldn’t even believe this talk. That horror he had seen last night, an entire build-up of what felt like rotten meat and negativity, was the result of choice? This entire situation was at least ten times worse than the last town. Sure, he ended up bringing back someone from the dead by accident, but it wasn’t like Scrimgeour had come about trying to rip his face off or screech a horrifying and unknown sound into his face.

And that all of this was the result of a choice?

“So, there’s nothing people can do? What about leaving?”

Erlana asked the question before he could phrase it, but the look on Viggo’s face wasn’t very heartwarming, to say the least. The large man simply sighed and rolled his eyes over to the side, almost as if he were ashamed.

“We… They tried. However, wherever someone goes, they follow. The worst bit of news is that it only ever goes after residents. If someone splintered themselves off from the town, one of those things would follow. Not to mention this is home for some people, but it’s become harder. Every night’s the same,” Viggo shook his head before the man rose to his feet and wiped his pants down.

“I’m sorry for troubling the two of you, but take what time you need. I understand it’s a lot, but I do think you should take the advice given to you. Get as far away from this town as possible. Maybe if we’re lucky, this entire curse will be done with. Hopefully, before we all go mad.”

The man rose to his feet and closed the door on his way out, leaving Erlana and him on their own. He wasn’t able to thank the man for the deed he had done, but he certainly wished he had. Last night was a horror show. No, it wasn’t even just that. It was a living nightmare. An entire town subjected to this was forced to confront nothing but terror each night. How could he blame anybody for acting the way they did?

Erlana could have been hurt and he had done something last night. His body hurt and he still didn’t know why.

“I just wish I knew why I collapsed.”

Erlana coughed quietly into her hand before looking back toward the closed door, checking to make sure it was still closed and not left open. Once the coast was clear, she turned back around and looked at him with worry.

“You used magic again. Well, you were close to it. Whatever you were going to do was massive because I could feel you drawing energy from the area. You were taking in ambient mana and using it for something. I don’t know what, but it probably overloaded your mind just like the voices did.”

She crossed her arms over one another and pressed a hand to her chin.

“This town really isn't like how I remembered it. Tartarus has been suffering for a long time. I guess I just thought the world wouldn’t grow so horrible either when I was younger,” she took a deep breath before rising to her feet and walking to a corner of the room. The mage plucked her bag once again and slung it around her shoulders before looking back at him.

“We can leave once you’re better. The exhaustion and magical energy that overloaded hurt you for a bit, but it won’t hold you back for long. Scrimgeour should be on the outskirts… I’m guessing the field will stop him from coming in.”

He took a deep breath and sighed. Another town left to its own devices. It wasn’t like they could do anything about it. Erlana’s magic probably couldn’t handle something like this and Scrimgeour was just a regular undead. Unless the man could try and use diplomacy, then he didn’t have much faith.

Some places just couldn’t be saved…

He clenched his fists and shook his head. No, he wouldn’t let that cloud his mind. This was different.

“Maybe a real necromancer could try and stop the curse. It’s probably going to take this place a long time to heal, but the sooner we leave, the… Erlana?”

And only then did he notice the almost wide-eyed look on her face. Compared to the klutz of a woman who went around messing up spells and getting flustered, she looked like someone who had just struck gold. She marched over to him and grabbed his hands fiercely within a firm grip. His face went hot and she looked bright.

“Fumihito, you’re a genius.”

He raised his brow.

“What?”

She looked positively smug.

“We’re going to hone your skills and take care of this town’s problem. You’ve needed practice, right?”

And he immediately disliked where this was going.

“Erlana, no…”

“That’s just it, Fumihito! We’re going to use your powers to get rid of this curse at long last, so what do you say?”

He did what any sane man would do and promptly pried his hands free and buried himself beneath the covers of the bed.

Erlana was not pleased, to say the least.