While some might had an intense fear of the undead, for Seta those beings were nothing more than unnatural monstrosities that defiled the sacred cycle of life. She might not have been superstitious, but to say that she held an intense dislike for those fallen beings was an understatement. Perhaps it was for that reason that when a request came in involving an investigation into a rumor that deep within the woods outside Era a large number of zombies were sighted, that the young woman was more than willing to aid the Rune Knights in their investigation. It was rather fortunate that the task was simply to investigate rather than deal with the issue, in the end she wasn't sure if her Battle Ox had the means of dealing with a threat like that when it came in such a large quantity. No, instead Seta would have to rely on stealth and subterfuge. Fortunately for her Mokuba was safe within the inn she had hired a room for them, and with the boy vast asleep it was an excellent opportunity for her to get to work.

And to work she went, with the report of the Rune Knights in hand she started to traverse the woods in an attempt to confirm the rumors about the zombies their existence. At first it seemed that they were exactly that, just a rumor because as she traveled through the forest, the only company she had being the light of the moon that shone down from above, it appeared that there was not a single trail suggesting the existence of zombies or their like, and that by itself was somewhat reassuring. In the end, the lack of an undead presence would mean there wouldn't have to be any conflicts for the Rune Knights to get involved into, and a life saved was always a positive thing.

However, it appeared lady luck wasn't going to smile on her today. Shortly after midnight had arrived and she was about to finish her scouting within the forest she heard something peculiar. Eerie whispers were carried among the wind, and quickly seeking shelter behind a large tree she started to sneak into the direction the sound had come from. Back then, if she had known the true nature of those whispers she would have likely gone straight out of the forest, but at the same time... Her little brother was now a guest of Era, and if those zombies attacked the town it could be possible he was going to be in danger, so it would be necessary for her to investigate the whereabouts of those rumored undead. Slowly she sneaked closer, and closer all the way till she arrived at a large clearing, and yet what awaited her would be something straight out of a horror movie. Hooded figures were gathering among an altar and a gigantic statue of a deity she had never seen before, at least it clearly didn't seem to be Illumin. But the truly worrisome thing was what they were doing...

WC: 508

Upon the altar was the body of a young woman, clad in some sort of dress, and while she was flailing lightly against the bindings that put her in place, she seemed to have too little strength to break free. The hooded figures started chanting, the one at the center who she assumed to be their leader raising a dagger into the air, and it was at that moment Seta understood what was happening... They were conducting a unholy ritual, the taboo of raising the dead, and that woman was a sacrifice... Most would likely have said that in a time like this they would have rushed into the scene to save the poor maiden who was being sacrificed, but then again those people didn't see the legions of zombies and skeletons that were sulking around the altar, or the hooded people who likely possessed magic of their own. Even if saving the maiden was a thing a hero would do, it was suicidal and she was neither a hero or suicidal. Gritting her teeth as she heard the woman scream as the dagger was plunged into her body, the sacrifice caused the statue to emit an eerie hue as even more undead rose from their graves and in that moment Seta knew she had to warn the people of Era before it was too late.

Stealthily making her way out of the area she ran through the forest, taking her best to clear the bone-chilling scream of the poor lady. There was no way she could have saved her, even with the Battle Ox his help. She simply wasn't strong enough for that. Nonetheless, at least she could ensure the poor maiden's sacrifice wouldn't be for nothing.

Despite the fact she had ran for what felt like hours, she found herself arriving at the gates of Era where the veteran knight awaited her return. "The rumors are true... cultists were sacrificing a woman at an altar belonging to a deity I never seen before. The moment they killed her legions of undead rose in response to the spilled blood. At this point their numbers are enough to overwhelm a small squad, but if they are left to their own it will be just a matter of time before their numbers swell to the size of an army, and you can bet they will head for Era then..."

The knight frowned at the news, thanking her for the report and asking to remain silent about the news, and while in return she received a bag of jewels for the work the man was surprised when she stated that should he need help with dealing with the threat, that she would be willing to contribute to the defense of Era. She had to avenge the sacrifice of that poor lady she couldn't save that day.

But for the time being she was tired, and so her next course of action was to return to the inn where she and Mokuba had been staying at...

WC: 503
Total WC: 1011/1000