It was night again. The absence of the sun proved that, and just like earlier with the caravan and going through with quests given by random clients, Hyōen had met an old member of the Rune Knights named Marwin. Walking around Era with practically no specific goal other than the places where you could buy a good toast or meat, you would meet many different people among the population. From strange merchants to cabbage farmers, and even knights passing by once in a while. Era was the capital of the Magic Council, so authorized figures could be seen once or twice during your walk. Although it was unintentional, Hyōen had stepped into this respectful, old man, and the second that the slightest sound of displease escaped the Rune Knight’s mouth, people around him triggered fiercely. It was as if such a respected person was implanted within their hearts, and the pain that he felt became the pain that they felt, and the joy that he felt became their joy as well. Interrupting, one of them complained: “Look where you’re walking, boy! That’s the Rune Knight there..!” Surprised by the uproars, Hyōen found himself cornered and oddly placed, and feeling that the world was closing him inside a coffin, the elder male greeted rather nicely to him. “D-Don’t mind the others… I can feel magic emanating from you,” the elder spoke. That surprised him even more, because magic wasn’t so easily detected… unless if he was some kind of mage himself.

It turned out that his hair spoke for itself, but Hyōen never caught that. Instead, he listened to the old Rune Knight’s request; having found a proper mage, the male asked him to do a kind of investigation for him. He had gotten rumours of zombies plotting in the middle of the streets at night times, and even though not everyone had noticed that phenomenon, it surely worried the town and its inhabitants. Therefore, he wanted the Fire Mage to confirm the rumours himself and then report back to the Rune Knight, hopefully before any anomalies would happen. Clenching the report on his hand, the Fire Mage began his search for the zombies that were mentioned; if he could confirm the enmity, then that would probably save Era a lot of troubles in the future. The forest that he entered, though, proved itself thicker than those around his home; it made the mission more difficult than usual due to many factors. One, the zombies that were mentioned in the rumours could ambush him pretty easily in the shrubbery, due to their grey-green skin - or so, that was what Hyōen was convinced about. Two, he had to hurry up if he wanted to nullify the danger. Trees upon bushes and random shafts around wouldn’t make it easier, but… it sure did remind him of Worth Woodsea in some degree, save the density. However, he couldn’t yet smell the strong scent of rotten meat… if the zombies really were a mere rumour, then there was nothing to worry about in the long run.

It had been half an hour. The shrubbery was beginning to wipe off on Hyōen’s skin and clothes, causing brown and green markings to appear on him. He was growing impatient, and the sun was about to reach the horizon to signal another evening. Maybe he was searching in vain… no signs spotted up yet. What he heard was only talks from the city nearby and- wait, he was far away from Era’s crowded streets. Who on earth would make such buzz out in the wild? He knew for sure that given the density of the forest, it would suit very badly for conferences and concerts, so when he put 2 and 2 together, his mind triggered. It was time to leave the ground and reach for the treetops, because he could hear the sources of the voices approach as he kept walking. Upon climbing up on a tree, he took a look and realized that with all the good-looking, flourishing trees in the woods, it was still difficult to get a wide view over the area. He then began to climb his way across the leaves towards the sources, hoping that what he would find would be either the zombies talking - a thing that sounded ridiculous in his head - or someone else that had any knowledge of it. It was worth investigating, no matter what.

He suddenly stopped on bowed low as he went silent. A few dozens of meters away, he could see an opening that sufficed for a long view; over at the opening, a large statue was seen. It resembled a man wielding a large scythe, and the statue was forged in cobber. Around it, several cultists with masks looking like broken skulls bowed and praised the statue, but something else caught his attention. Upon spotting the earth before the very statue, he could see the ground crack open as a sinister wave of magic erupted, revealing the returning of several undead creatures such as humans, dogs and even birds. Terrified, he quickly realized this meaning; the rumours could be true. He then quickly made his way out of the place, hoping that none of them spotted his presence during the ceremony. He had to warn the Rune Knight now, because things seemed to be going very well with the life-and-death-contradicting people.

Upon returning to the gates, Hyōen greeted with: “They’re true…” For the old knight, Hyōen appeared behind him with the sun setting in the background, causing his contour to shine ever so brightly. He held the report in his hand and handed it over to the knight, continuing: “I… I found some weird statue in the middle of the forest. To the west. People worshipped it in some way, and the ground cracked up with dead bodies when they finished.” The knight quickly grabbed the report from Hyōen’s hand and read it. After that, his face changed as he gave the Fire Mage the payment for his troubles…

WC: 1008/1000