Revenant

"A blaze in the torch does not enlighten all, just the path that one needs to tread."

As those words emerged from nothingness and resonated in his mind , Arsec's eyes opened, and he found himself soaring through an otherworldly landscape, the sensation of flight both exhilarating and disorienting. Below him stretched an endless expanse of shimmering blue light, dotted with celestial bodies that floated in a sea of cosmic energy. His vision was drawn to a towering structure that stood out amidst the ethereal glow. From a bird's eye view, he could see the intricate design of the building, its spires reaching towards the heavens, crowned with glowing orbs that pulsed rhythmically.

As he descended, the details of the mysterious edifice became clearer. The walls were adorned with intricate carvings and symbols that seemed to shift and change as he watched. Large stained glass windows, each depicting scenes of celestial events and mythical creatures, captured his attention. The colors of the glass were vibrant, casting a kaleidoscope of hues onto the surrounding landscape. His curiosity piqued, Arsec's vision was drawn closer to these windows, eager to glimpse what lay within.

Peering through one of the many stained glass windows, he finally saw the interior of the building. Rows upon rows of ancient tomes filled the massive space, each one glowing with a faint, otherworldly light. The shelves stretched infinitely in all directions, forming a labyrinth of knowledge and mystery. This grand library, gleaming with cosmic blue energy, seemed to hum with power, its very presence exuding a sense of timeless wisdom. Beside it, a pristine waterfall cascaded down in slow motion, its waters shimmering with an ethereal light, adding to the surreal and awe-inspiring scene.

Abruptly, Arsec awoke from his vision, gasping for breath. The first thing he saw was the stoat-masked girl staring at him from an uncomfortably close distance.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed as he moved back against the cave's rocks and hit his head in the process.

Her eyes, a piercing shade of blue behind the mask, studied him intently. Arsec's gaze took in her human appearance—smooth, pale skin that contrasted sharply with her thin and malnourished frame, all behind rugged pelts and leather strangely knit together. Despite her fragile appearance, her black hair looked healthy and unruly, cascading around her masked face like a wild mane, and her movements and animalistic mannerisms were not wasted.

He blinked, trying to gather his thoughts as the remnants of the vision faded away. The girl's presence, so close and unexpected, left him momentarily speechless. He could sense a depth of mystery in her gaze, as if she held secrets that he was only beginning to unravel.

She sniffed the air around him as she yet again drew closer. Arsec sought his spear, but it was well beyond his present range. Her breath echoed beneath the mask until she shook and wrinkled her mask's nose.

"Disgusting," she said in a raspy but delicate voice.

Arsec was taken aback, confusion and indignation mingling in his mind, "Eh? What?"

He tried to sit up, but his body still ached from the fight.

Before he could utter a coherent response, the masked girl closed the gap between them and grabbed his arm, her fingers curling around the glowing trinket. Her eyes narrowed as she studied it, her expression a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

"Why... why do you have a gift from the Ancient Ones on you?" she demanded, her voice low and intense.

"Uh?" Arsec said, "Ancient Ones?"

"You are not one of their children or followers. Why do you have this?" she repeated, showing him his arm wrapped in the rodent's trinket.

Arsec's mind raced, trying to make sense of her words. The trinket had always been a mystery to him he felt comfortable enough to leave for another time, but now it was thrust unto him without warning.

"I don't know," he admitted, his voice barely a whisper as he moved to a side to avoid the girl. "It was given to me by a dying rodent in the fields..."

The girl's gaze bore into him, unyielding and demanding answers he did not have. The girl leaned in closer yet again, her mask almost touching his nose this time.

"Given? What about taken?" she hissed suspiciously, her eyes narrowing.

Arsec could feel her breath on his face, her words cutting deeper than any wound. The intensity of her gaze made him uneasy, as if she were probing the depths of his soul for hidden truths.

"Blasted Winds, get off me already!" Arsec yelled, pretending to use only a bit push to get her to back away. 

Yet what he thought was just a little shove turned out to be a full-blown catapult for the masked girl. She soared across the cave like a human cannonball and crash-landed on the stone floor with a thud, skidding a few extra inches for good measure.

Arsec jumped in surprise, but before he could apologize, the girl popped back up and shook herself off like a wet dog. She then sauntered back over and plopped down a few feet away, as if nothing had happened.

"A-are you ok?" Arsec finally asked, nervous, "It wasn't my intention."

"You are disgusting," she said as she sulked.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he said frustrated. He lifted his arm and smelled his armpit just to confirm there was nothing new. Besides the ashen smell he carried from fighting near the fire, he smelled the same way as he always had, "We both soaked under the rain and the fire moments ago, we smell the same!"

The masked girl glared at him, her eyes gleaming with a strange intensity. "I couldn't care less about your putrid goblinesque scent, human" she snapped. "It's your soul that reeks."

Her words hung in the air for a moment.

"Who's putrid again?" Mesui's voice cut through the tense atmosphere. She had suddenly appeared from outside, followed by the rodent pups, who clung to her with fearful eyes.

She had suddenly appeared from outside, followed by the rodent pups, who clung to her with fearful eyes.

The girl, startled, pushed back against the same stone wall Arsec had been lying on. In her sudden panic, she realized she had been sitting right next to him and leaped further away, her eyes wide with apprehension. She looked around, clearly feeling cornered by the by the two friends.

"Did she try to hurt you?" Mesui said, reaching for her short sword.

Arsec scratched his head, "Eh, no, not exactly."

"Hm..." Mesui said, "She was very much asleep when I went to check for other survivors, she looks like she hasn't eaten in months, is she really okay?"

"Save your breath, goblin! I had my share of rhino meat earlier!" the girl yelled.

Both Arsec and Mesui stared at each other before shrugging. 

"Something tells me that body of hers is supposed to be deceiving," Arsec said, before eyeing the three rodent pups clinging to her back, "You've been busy..."

Mesui grunted, "Well since you darted away from our little camp during the rain and got us into a fight with... whatever the hell she is... I had to go get our things before the rain and the wind blasted them away. It's been only a few hours... I bet the sun is coming up anytime, but it's hard to tell with this storm raging on."

"Mhm, mhm," Arsec said, comprehensively, before grabbing his bag of supplies and reaching for some wet bread and munching it, "and these rodentmen here, what do you make of them?"

"Are you serious?" Mesui said, sitting down and relaxing, the three pups snuggling and cuddling next to her, "Look at those eyes, how could I leave you and them knowing that girl can somehow transform into the monster we fought—" 

"I am no monster! I am a—"

"Whatever you are!" Mesui interrupted back. "Your other you is monstrous and savage... you would've eaten these little ones, wouldn't you?"

"Never! I was..." The masked girl growled in her delicate and hoarse voice, but as she saw Arsec looking at her as well, she relented, crossed her arms, and turned around. 

"She did point to the cave when she collapsed, and she directly mentioned these cubs," Arsec said, "I don't think she was trying to lay claim to a future meal." 

Mesui took a deep breath, "Anyway, I could not leave them behind, not after what they witnessed... what they experienced."

Arsec saw his friend pet them and feed them with food she had probably gathered from the den. 

"So, princess, this means that you—"

"I know now that these rodentmen did not kidnap my father," she said gently, "so no, I do not resent them, I... relate to these pups in a way."

Arsec smiled and relaxed, sitting next to her.

"It is Voidmaw who's responsible for all this madness... all this destruction..." she said in a serious tone.

"Void-maw?" the masked girl echoed.

Arsec and Mesui looked at her as the girl turned to them again, this time curious and in a more docile gesture, as if the monster's name made her forget her previous animosity. 

"A big monster with a single, black-filled eye and rotten purple skin, it has long arms and a mouth that can turn you to shreds if it ever catches you," Arsec described.

The girl shook her head in repulsion, "That thing! I hate it, it is more disgusting than you, human!"

"Uh... well glad to know..." Arsec said, offended.

Mesui leaned in, "You've seen it?"

The girl relaxed further, sitting right in front of them, "I have... same as you, I fought his twisted version of the wilderkin before fighting you, they've been growing in number, plaguing these mountains..."

"Wilderkin?" Arsec asked.

"It's another way to describe the rodentmen, well, that's what the soothsayer says at least, them and all other beasts who 'were touched by the taint of ancient gods'."

"Ancient Ones," corrected the masked girl, raising her hands in praise, "they blessed the wilderness with their essence, to mimic and to defend itself from the taint of upper gods!"

Mesui looked at her puzzled, "Yeah, that's what the soothsayer said too... but you... you are not wilderkin,  are you?"

The girl shook her head, as if that fact pained her deeply, "I... I am a servant... a summoned vengeful spirit... a revenant, agh..."

She touched her head in pain.

"Are you hurt?" Arsec said, reaching with his hand.

The masked girl hit the hand away and growled, "Don't! Don't touch me, tainted one! Disgusting! Utterly disgusting!"

Arsec sat again, chagrinned.

"While I would love to know what's between you two," Mesui intervened, turning to the masked girl, "I assume that you are after the same thing as us, you're after that monster Voidmaw, aren't you?"

The masked girl collected herself and pointed at the trinket on Arsec's hand.

"That thing summoned me," she said, "the gift from my masters, granted only to wilderkin which have proven themselves to the Ancient Ones, they grant these champions with the chance of protection from a servant like me. When they call, I must answer, lest I suffer my masters' wrath!"

Arsec looked at the trinket, glowing continuously, connecting the dots in his head.

"So his last words were a prayer..." Arsec uttered.

"Arsec?" Mesui said, "Why do you have such a thing on you? I mean the girl here seems very upset that you have it... Don't tell me..."

"You killed the champion!" the girl accused, "I felt your strength and power, you faced me head-on while transformed! If you could match me in strength, you could've squashed one of them easily!" she yelled, pointing at the cubs.

"I did not kill a rodentman and I did not steal anything, okay?" He answered, "I was coming back from the crater where I fell, I found this big and hulking rodent with a tribal staff on him, dying from bruises and broken bones, I suspected something had happened to him. I saw the fire in the steppes in the hills ahead and the goblins fighting the mutated rodents. That rodent saw me and tied the trinket to me!"

Mesui remembered a hulking rodent at the fire, facing her father, "Chief Gargag?"

The pups jumped at the mention of the name, looking at her puzzled. Mesui was aghast as her mind resolved everything.

"Was he your..." Mesui said, before hugging her new friends with renewed strength, "dammit, how much have you suffered?!"

"Who's... Gargag?" Arsec asked.

"That's the rodent chieftain that met my father due to our... little adventure with the rhinos."

"That was the rodent chieftain?" Arsec said, impressed.

"The Ancient Ones' champion!" the masked girl exclaimed.

Arsec turned to her, "Do you see now? It was all a coincidence! This Gargag tied the trinket to my arm and seemed to enchant it before he died."

The masked girl looked away, thinking things thoroughly, before nodding, "I can see that you mean no harm to the wilderkin by the way you've treated the cubs and the champion, I'll settle for that, as to why he gave you the trinket without being too scared to die in the spot..."

"Winds blast you," Arsec said angrily, "Why is it a problem that I came to have the trinket?"

"You reek, damn you! You reek of danger!"

"The only one reeking of danger is you and that stoat monster version of yourself!"

"Ha! Come at me and I'll show you, tainted one!" the masked girl stood up, her hands glowing in strange blue sigils that were not present there before.

"My name. Is. Arsec!" the young man stated firmly, standing up and clinching his fists. 

"Ok, ok, all right, settle down! Settle dow—I SAID SETTLE DOWN, dammit!" Mesui ordered as she stopped Arsec from walking forward.

The two looked at the goblin princess, then at the three cubs who puzzlingly observed the exchange. For a moment, both the masked girl and the red-cloaked boy seemed to understand each other and decided to sit down again out of respect for the poor things.

"Seriously, we don't have so much time!" Mesui began, frustrated, "You, girl!"

"Girl? Girl?! I'm a servant of—"

"Whatever, yes, you, look, all of us here want the same thing, we want to avenge all the dead, all the wounded, and the afflicted by the works of Voidmaw, I bet my human friend here wants to smash its face to the ground for good, and you wish to rip it to shreds..."

Arsec shrugged, "I guess..."

The masked girl suddenly trembled with excitement at the thought, surprising the other two, "Ooh~when I get my claws on him..."

"...And I want to rescue my people and bring them home. Good! Great! It's settled, we'll join forces from now on and kill that bastard so that everyone can be happy. Agreed?"

The masked girl thought it for another moment, looked at Arsec suspiciously one last time to his detriment, and then nodded, "Seems acceptable..."

"Great... now... we need to find out where in all the blasting winds Voidmaw's going, I tried to speak to the cubs, but they clearly understand rodent and ONLY rodent, do you think you can help?"

The masked girl approached the cubs, who proceeded to hide behind Mesui.

"Without scaring them would be nice," Mesui grunted.

"Ugh," the masked girl uttered, annoyed. She remained still, closing her eyes. Her mask suddenly glowed in a dusty, icy blue, illuminating the cave.

"Ghien shabg unde fuj og vaargu", she uttered.

"You speak their language?" Arsec asked, surprised.

"Shut up," Mesui said, Look, it works!"

The cubs came out of Mesui's back and cautiously approached the masked girl.

"Vaargu?" One of them said.

 "Sig, Vaargu," the masked girl echoed, gesturing one big eye on her forehead. 

The cubs looked at each other and began speaking, interacting with the black-haired girl for a brief moment while Arsec and Mesui waited. Then the mask's light wore off, and she shushed the cubs back to Mesui's side.

"So?" Mesui said, unsure, "Did it work?"

"Indeed," the masked girl said, nodding, "they say the monster took the path towards the ritual shrine, where their shaman used to perform sacrificial rites with animals to grant protection to the families, they assure us that there's nothing else on that path but the ancient shrine... that... Voidmaw... must have a plan with your kin, goblin, if it intends to desecrate my masters' sanctuary."

Arsec went for his spear and his bag, "I think it is clear where our next stop is."

Mesui sighed, "Yes, whatever Voidmaw's planning, it does not end well for my father and my people, and it doesn't sit well with these lands either, seeing how he's corrupted a lot of rodentmen."

They grabbed their things, and Arsec noticed how the cubs still clung to Mesui. 

"You sure you want to take them?" he asked.

"There's nothing here for them, why would I let them alone with all these corpses littering the camp?" She argued, "Besides, look at them, isn't their fur fluffy and their big eyes cute? Just... Just look at them, you want them to be your cushion for life!"

"All right, suit yourself," he said, waving his hand, he then looked at the readied masked girl awaiting at the cave's entrance.

He approached her as he fastened his bag of supplies and arranged his tunic and cape.

"You have a name?" he asked.

The masked girl twitched a bit at his question, annoyed.

"Look, if we're working together, don't you think we should use names? Mine is Arsec."

"I heard you the first time, Stinky..." she said, giggling.

Now it was Arsec twitching at her response, but he collected himself.

"I'll let that slide, the fact remains that we're working together now, come on... what should I call you?"

"Call me whatever you like, I don't have a name, nor will I ever have one, I'm a mere servant of the Ancient Ones, a revenant to do their bidding." She raised her arms in praise, "Once we're done, my mind will shatter, and I shall slumber once more until I am summoned to come again!"

Arsec's heart sank a bit as he heard her words. Although he wanted to know more about what she meant by that, she was right—there were other pressing matters at hand.

He sighed, "Fine, you'll go by Stoat, given you transform into a big one and you have a mask in their image. Please be kind enough to answer to this name for now."

He walked out of the cave and toward the den's burned exit, followed by Mesui and the cubs as she smiled at the masked girl before going ahead.

The masked girl, now called Stoat, remained still for a moment as if Arsec naming her had struck a deep, dormant memory within her.

"Stoat... name..."

Stoat shook her head, her determination unshaken as she ran to join Arsec and Mesui. Together, they left the rodentmen's burrow, pressing forward along a narrow, winding path that led them up toward a mountain with a foreboding four-dented peak.

The rain, now a relentless downpour, hammered down with renewed fury, as lightning shattered the sky above them. The clouds, dark and ominous, seemed to conspire against them, thickening and swirling into an even more oppressive shroud. Mesui, feeling the wind whip around her, could barely keep her footing. The confined, treacherous path had turned into a torrent, but a grim smile spread across her face. It was as if the storm itself was guiding them, pushing them forward with an almost prophetic force.

Arsec gripped his spear tightly, the memory of previous battles—his fierce duel with Stoat, the harrowing encounter with Voidmaw, and the brutal skirmish with the mutated rodentmen—flashing through his mind like lightning across the stormy sky, which seemed to represent his mindscape at the moment. A nameless dread coiled around him like icy fingers, draining his resolve. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and whispered a desperate prayer for strength, his silent plea echoing through the tempest as he knew he would have to fight again. Suddenly, lightning cracked violently once more, its blinding light slicing through the darkness. But this time, it was accompanied by a deep, resonant laughter that merged with menacing growls and a roaring challenge, growing louder and closer with each passing moment.