“What was that?” Kieran asked, panting. “How did you —”
“The protective wards.” Rah’Na pointed to the arch with her spear. “Once they were restored, the specter could not remain. Come, let us sit.”
Kieran followed her to the makeshift awning and slumped into one of the simple wooden chairs. “What exactly is a ‘Pale Watcher’?”
“A problem you will have to deal with sooner rather than later,” Rah’Na replied, settling gracefully into her own chair. “The Pale Watchers are one part of the invasion's army, made up entirely of undead. To make things simple, think of it this way: nine gods send their Chosen Contenders to deal with the invasion. The invasion has nine commanders, each with their own army. And each army is, conceptually, antithesis to one Contender.”
Rah’Na looked at him intently.
“The Pale Watchers are yours, Kieran. It is likely that your combat with Broken Tusk drew their attention, and they tried to remove you from the conflict as early as possible.”
“But… didn’t you call that thing a specter?” he asked. “And what was the other creature — the one that twisted the specter into a different form?”
“Every undead member of the invasion’s army is a Pale Watcher. Specters are the rank and file, with increasingly powerful undead creatures above them,” Rah’Na explained. “Whatever creature was bending the specter to its will, it was just a Pale Watcher of a higher rank.”
Kieran fell silent, letting Rah’Na’s explanation sink in fully. The warning sensation he had felt while he watched the specter transform was still pulsing in his gut.
He would never give in to fear, of course. But the idea of monsters designed specifically to target him was… unsettling.
He gripped the hilt of his shortsword. “And now that the wards are restored, we are safe from them?”
“So long as the wards remain, no creature with ill intentions, monster or otherwise, will be able to enter,” Rah’Na confirmed. “Gir’Amal’s final gift to me. A spark of defiance to hold strong against all odds.”
“The Pale Watchers, then.” Kieran kept his voice perfectly measured. “Are only the highest ranks capable of exerting their will like that? Or are they all capable of twisting creatures into… whatever the specter turned into?”
“You seem to be taking that fight remarkably well. Most people who witness the Pale Watchers at work are broken by the horror,” Rah’Na countered, narrowing her eyes at Kieran.
Kieran gave her a slight smile. “Everything can be overcome, so long as you understand how. The horror of it is irrelevant. I am curious as to their methods.”
“Fair enough. If anything, it’s a good sign that you don’t break easily.” Rah’Na held his gaze for one more moment, then nodded “I have a book around here somewhere, detailing the Pale Watchers and their history in previous invasions. I’ll find it for you.”
“Thank you. But before anything…” Kieran sorted rapidly through a list of questions before settling on the most fundamental. “What’s next? How do I strike back against the Pale Watchers, or even the invasion in general?”
While he was confident that he could fight his way through the monsters, trying to kill every single one was a fool’s errand. In order to bring the conflict to a close, he would need a plan. And a solid one at that.
“All in due time, Kieran. First, I believe I owe you a map.” Pushing herself up off her chair, Rah’Na turned towards the building they were sitting by. “Then, it might be prudent for you to see the Vault Door.”
“Vault Door?” Kieran echoed as the old wolf vanished into the building. “As in, Eon’s Vault? Care to tell me what this vault is?”
“When we’re there, yes,” Rah’Na shouted back from inside.
Kieran let out a soft sigh. While he was almost perfectly in control of his emotions, and usually opted to completely smother them, impatience was something he still struggled with.
After a while, he could hear Rah’Na rummaging around inside the building. It sounded as if she was flipping through books and sorting through stacks of paper for a good few minutes before she returned, closing the door behind her.
“Here. A map of the continent, created only a few years before this invasion.” Rah’Na placed a folded piece of parchment onto the table in front of Kieran. “And a book on the Pale Watchers, penned during my time as Contender.”
She held in her hand a tome Kieran could only describe as ancient. He took it gingerly, worried that the binding might crumble away at his touch. It was deceptively simple: a thick book, wrapped in simple brown leather, with no distinguishable markings.
“I would’ve thought a tome of such important knowledge would be marked with a little more dignity,” Kieran commented as he gently opened the book.
“And that is exactly why it wasn’t.” Rah’Na grinned, crossing her arms. “Such an unassuming tome would be ignored among the rest of them, when our enemies raid our libraries and vaults. A simple yet effective strategy.
Kieran nodded. “I can’t deny that, if it has survived for… however long it did.”
Stuffing the tome in his pack, Kieran turned to look at the map. But before he had a chance to start studying it, a screen popped up in front of him.




QuestThe story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Remove Monster Blockade
Reward: 500 essence
Survivors seek the safety of Eon’s Peak, but a group of monsters are lying in wait along the King’s Promenade to intercept them. Remove this threat swiftly, Contender.




Kieran dismissed the screen with another light sigh, choking down his frustration at being interrupted again.
Every damn time I get close to learning something new…
He shook his head firmly. Frustration was another emotion that he could not afford to give way to. Not with innocent lives at stake.
And not with the possibility of more monsters to kill.
“It seems that the Vault will have to wait,” Kieran announced, rising from his seat. “There are survivors on the way, but monsters are trying to intercept them on the King’s Promenade.”
Rah’Na’s expression turned hopeful at the mention of survivors. Kieran could swear he even saw the old wolf’s tail wag for a few seconds. But when she spoke, her voice was calm.
“Hopefully the first of many survivors we will welcome here. Come, Kieran. I will show you the path.”
—
Kieran left his pack with Rah’Na while he headed out on his own. They agreed that it would be better for her to stay behind. She could make sure the protective wards were guarded and the settlement ready to receive survivors.
Even moving downhill and without his backpack, it turned out that hiking just wasn’t for Kieran. He could find his footing perfectly during combat. But past the first ten minutes of a hike, he found himself fighting against his own limbs.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to go far. The King’s Promenade connected directly to the settlement surrounding Eon’s Vault, from the opposite side. Much like the Queen’s Promenade, this one was littered with pieces of furniture. The only difference was that, on the King’s Promenade, tall poles were set up to create cloth awnings above the seating areas.
He immediately spotted the monsters he was hunting. They were set up at the far end of the promenade, where it met the regular path. Even at that distance, Kieran could see the makeshift wooden barricade the monsters had constructed. It was obvious to anyone with working eyes. He couldn’t help wondering if the survivors would even have tried to approach, if he hadn’t been sent to deal with it.
Discarding the hypothetical scenario, Kieran crept forward along the edges of the promenade, using the awnings for cover. He counted five monsters by the barricade: two goblins, two gnolls, and a boar-man. The beasts seemed entirely focused on the path down the mountain, none of them bothering to look behind. Still, Kieran took his time to weave between the cloth covers, planning as he went.
A quick sneak attack would be enough for the goblins, followed by a precise use of his skills to deal with the gnolls. Then he would only have to deal with the boar-man. After his encounter with Broken Tusk, Kieran found himself a little worried about that encounter. He reminded himself firmly that Broken Tusk stood out above the rank and file, at least according to Rah’Na. This boar-man shouldn’t be too difficult.
As he drew closer, Kieran took more and more time to move between the awnings. While his prey was as oblivious as ever, his training dictated that he must be absolutely certain the coast was clear before he proceeded.
He paused about one hundred feet away from the enemy. Peeking out from behind cover, he went over the plan again in his head as he noted enemy positions. The two goblins were sitting by the barricade itself. The two gnolls and the boar-man were a bit further away, hiding behind the cliff face which narrowed the promenade down to a path.
Kieran drew Last Breath and gripped it tightly. Then, focusing on Form of Death, he envisioned himself moving to the goblins.
This was the longest distance he had covered with the ability so far. He could feel the stream of energy in his body grow thin when he crossed the fifty-foot mark.
So, energy consumption grows exponentially with distance.
That was good to know.
As soon as he hit the ground, Kieran swung Last Breath at the throat of one goblin. Blood splattered across the barricade before the other even realized what was happening.
The second goblin only had time to lock eyes with Kieran before Last Breath swung again, slicing open the monster’s throat without effort.
Kieran readjusted swiftly and turned towards the remaining enemies. His advantage was waning fast, but he still had time for one more attack.
He decided to take a risk.
Just as his foes were drawing their weapons, Kieran extended his hand towards the nearer gnoll and focused on Chilling Touch. He gasped as the wave of cold spread throughout his body, nearly draining his current pool of energy.
A spectral hand grabbed the gnoll by the head, turning it into an ice statue in seconds.
“Who the ‘ells are you!” the boar-man squealed, holding his great sword in both hands.
Kieran didn’t respond. Carefully rationing his remaining energy, he called on Death’s Arm while flourishing Last Breath. The ice forming along the dagger’s blade left a cold trail as it cut through the air. The show of expertise seemed to make the two remaining monsters pause for a moment, but it wasn’t enough to scare them off.
Letting out a series of angry yips, the remaining gnoll poised its two daggers and leapt towards Kieran, aiming to end the combat as quickly as it started.
Predictable as ever, Kieran thought as he stepped to the side, out of danger and into position to counter.
Kieran waited a moment for the gnoll to land, then raised his blade up above his shoulder and brought it down in a wide, downward arc. His opponent, still recovering from the leap, had no time to react.
Last Breath’s frosty blade cut into the small of the gnoll’s back, a clean cut which severed the thing’s spine.
Turning towards the final enemy, Kieran saw hesitation in the boar-man's eyes.
That was all he needed.
Dismissing Death’s Arm, he used his last few ounces of energy to raise Last Breath into a throwing position and fling his arm forward. Shards of ice scattered as Last Breath flew, releasing the silvery song of its flight into the cold air.
A dull thunk proclaimed Kieran’s swift victory. His enemy’s body hitting the floor served only as an echo.
“Huh…” he said aloud to the empty mountainside. “I’m a lot more lethal than I thought.”
He pushed the thought aside as he cleaned and sheathed his dagger, weary and chilled to the bone.
Every fight was to be taken seriously. Every mistake could lead to death.




Quest Complete
Reward: 500 essence




When he dismissed the screen, a realization struck Kieran.
At long last, he was alone, with minimally damaged bodies. He had his dagger. Not perfect, but it would do. And he wasn’t in any sort of rush. In fact, the use of his skills had drained him to the point that he probably shouldn’t try to make his way back up the mountainside. Not just yet.
A grim smile spread across his face.
He dragged the bodies of his enemies away from the promenade, just out of view of the path leading up to it. He left behind the frozen gnoll, but the others were now laid out side by side: two goblins, a gnoll, and a boar-man.
Four corpses. Three different kinds of creature. All waiting for his expertise.
This time, the sigh that escaped Kieran’s lips was one of utter satisfaction.
“Finally.”