Above them was a gray, https://casinojackpotraider.co.uk/mobile-app/ featureless sky. On the right hand is a half-burnt forest. Most likely the fire spread from the village they passed a day ago. Burnt landscapes haunted them for several days, as soon as they turned off the highway onto the old road. On the right, deserted fields gave way to small cemeteries or ruins of crypts. Despite the fact that the road led up to the hills, where it should have been windy, the fire that burned the forest did not touch the right side of the road. Maybe because the road was wide, because before it was a highway, and a new one has now been built to bypass these places.
The air was heavy and damp. The humidity made it feel like it was drizzling, but it didn’t rain. Droplets of water seemed to hang in the air, creating a natural barrier for travelers. The slippery road made it difficult to move forward with clay remaining on the shoes, weighing them down.
— I should have stolen the horses – said the Robber.
The crusader silently continued to walk forward, even if this dialogue was repeated for the fifth or sixth time.
— We still have three days to go to the City, and on horses we would have been there yesterday, but no horse theft – this is not a matter worthy of the war of Light. But kneading clay all the way is noble.
The pause after the words was too long. The Crusader realized that his traveler was waiting for an answer, in confirmation, when he turned to look at the Robber, he saw that he was waiting, looking at him.
— We don’t have money for horses – he snapped briefly.
— I’d steal them, dumbass. Unlike you, I am not bound by my oath to the “Great Light.” – answered the Robber, not paying attention to the Crusader’s tone.
— Starting the campaign against defilement with sin is not the best idea. We also need to save money so that in the City we don’t sleep in the gutter.
The Crusader’s voice was like metal, precise and cold. The restraint and patience of the warriors of Light distinguished them from other orders. Another constant attribute was a torch that hung on a leather belt. The handle was made of yew, and on top of the cloth headband was a crown of thorns. On the hilt there were prayers to the “Great Light”, carved as befits the Crusader himself. Looking from the torch to the Crusader’s armor, the Rogue noted that they looked too well-groomed and clean compared to his clothes. This saint may clean the metal plates every stop, but the last time they stopped was a day ago, and they still shine. There was even more clay on the Robber’s boots, which is why he walked behind the knight a couple of steps behind.
When was the last time they stopped? A day ago, exactly. Crossing the Snake Bridge at night, so they didn’t sleep, and so the Robber is brutally hungry.
— Maybe we can make a stop? We still have a long way to go, and we haven’t eaten or slept since crossing the bridge.
— The night is not yet soon. We’d better wait until dusk to stop, otherwise we’ll lose our rhythm.
— With the rhythm? We don’t have a forced march. We just need to get to the City, and I don’t want to disappear halfway.
— We’ll be there soon. If we stop at night, then tomorrow afternoon we will already be in the city, and if we stop now, we will have to wait until the morning, since we obviously both want to get some sleep.
— We won’t be in the City tomorrow afternoon. I saw the map, we still have at least three more days to go.
— I know how to take shortcuts. – the Crusader answered briefly, in an unconditional tone.
The Robber no longer wanted to argue, and he didn’t have the strength. He fell silent and continued walking forward.
The road slowly climbed up, twisting and turning. Burnt trees and stumps were left behind, replaced by a dense coniferous forest. But despite the aroma of fresh pine needles, another smell was felt, so familiar to our travelers, the smell of death. The Robber had a heavy feeling in his soul. There were no crypts and graves on the right side for a long time; they were surrounded by forest on both sides. They walked further and further along the road, and the feeling of something irreversible grew stronger. The gaze fell again on the Crusader. He still walked confidently, firmly stepping on the ground, but it was noticeable that a certain tension gripped him too. He did not let go of his hand from the torch on his belt, and barely audibly whispered. "Praying" – thought the Robber, – "that means he feels something is wrong."After passing another bend in the road, other sounds began to be heard. Screams, drunken laughter, moans.
The robber already knew what was there. The fishing he used to do produced certain sounds and smells. In the bakery – the firewood was crackling in the oven and there was a smell of bread. When visiting a weaver, you can hear the rhythmic sounds of the shuttle and smell the wool. The cries of traders and the pleas of women, the smell of blood and pain – that’s what he always felt on the highway.
Out of habit, when he met his colleagues on the main road, he did not change his walking pace and continued walking. However, his comrade began to run, hearing the sounds of reprisals, and in a few moments he was already near the wasteland where the forest ended. The robber thought to stop him by shouting at his back, but did not do anything.
A typical picture of a robber attack opened before the Crusader. A covered cart stood in front of him, swaying slightly. From the screams coming from her, he understood what was happening there. Three bandits were sitting by the cart, sorting through things. One was busy with the horses, removing the harness, and not far from him another was searching the dead monk. He slowly began to approach the trio, who had already noticed him.
One of them stood up, clutching a short sword in his hand, and walking a couple of steps towards him, shouted:
— You should get out of here, you boar crap. You, there will be too many of us.
But the Crusader ignored the insult and continued to advance. His sword remained in its sheath.
— Apparently you don’t understand.
The bandit with a sharp jerk ended up near the Crusader, but his swing was too long. A steel glove grabbed the bandit’s hand, and the second one hit him in the face. The bandits heard the bridge of their comrade’s nose break. While the attacker covered his nose with his free hand, the Crusader leaned his weight on the hand with the sword and pointed the tip straight into the belly. A push, and the bandit’s body was pierced through by his own sword.
However, the two remaining quickly came to their senses and decided to take advantage of their numerical advantage, surrounding the Crusader on the sides. The crusader pushed the bandit who walked around him to the right, the body of the first. After hesitating, the bandits watched as the Crusader took out his sword. The right bandit fell as a body collapsed on him. The Crusader raised his greatsword, diverting the attention of the bandit to the left. And as soon as he averted his gaze, with a slight movement the Crusader deprived him of his head. The right enemy still could not get out from under the body. The Crusader’s sword pierced them both.
The other two lost their heads from such a surprise, which of course played into the hands of the knight. Dodging the cutting blow of the bandit’s short sword, the two-handed sword imperceptibly slashed his stomach, giving free rein to his insides. The second attacker was still running towards the Crusader, making a swing, but the Crusader managed to bring his two-handed sword forward. The blade stopped the attacker.
Suddenly, a shot rang out and something very heavy fell behind the Crusader. He turned around sharply and saw the body of the sixth bandit with a mutilated face from a bullet. The Robber stood about twenty meters from him, putting a musket in a holster on his chest.
— Thank you. – the Crusader said dryly.
The robber approached the cart, where the sixth bandit got out. In the cart, among a pile of rags and things, a woman was huddled in the corner. She covered her nakedness with a torn dress, trying to squeeze into the corner as much as possible.
— Don’t be afraid, we killed those who attacked you. You are safe. – said the Robber, as softly as possible. He knew that his voice, drunk and smoked, did not inspire confidence.
— You’re heading to the City? We can accompany you as we are heading there too. – The Crusader was already standing next to the Robber. He also changed his voice. The Bandit smirked as the Crusader sounded like a court servant.
The woman relaxed and began to look more friendly. She said:
— Turn away I need to get dressed.
Although she seemed to have begun to trust the travelers, her voice still trembled. The Rogue and Crusader turned around. How strange it is that she recovered so quickly from the rape? The robber knew the women they attacked on the highway. These were ordinary peasant women, or court ladies. They all took it hard. One day she stabbed herself to death in front of him, after one bandit from his squad abused her. And this one is somehow suspiciously calm.
He decided to check what she was doing behind their backs, and for good reason. Instead of a woman, there was something standing behind him that looked like a yaga. As soon as the Robber saw her, she immediately rushed at the Crusader, knocking him down. They both didn’t have time to react. Yaga fell on the knight and sank her teeth into the body not covered with steel plates. The crusader kicked the creature, pushing it away from him. The robber was ready to stab him with a knife when the yaga grabbed him with her legs in flight.
The tongue, slippery and cold, wrapped itself around the Robber’s hand, and he cried out in pain. He’s never felt this way. Darkness entered through his hand. Like the waves of a raging sea, attacks of endless pain overturned on him. The yaga’s tongue burned her hand, and her claws on her feet dug into her body more and more.
But the Crusader, who had already drawn his sword, lunged, cutting the air with his tip. But where the blade should have passed, and the head of the yaga should have been, there was emptiness. The robber began to convulse, and foam began to come out of his mouth. The Crusader, making sure that the yaga had completely disappeared, leaned his whole body on the Robber with one hand, and with the other hand he took off the glove from his hand. He saw how the skin on the Robber’s hand turned black, leaving a pattern. Unfinished circle, with five blades stuck in.
"Great Light, mark of the damned" – thought the Crusader. – “We need to get to the City as soon as possible».
Taking the Robber in his arms, the Crusader carried him to the horses, which the robbers still managed to unharness. Having placed the body of his comrade on one of the two horses, he saddled the second.
"The main thing is to catch it in time before the curse gains strength».
The road here was much narrower than the highway. There was no secret to it, and either local residents or those who saw old maps knew about its existence. The Crusader belonged precisely to the second. Trees rushed by one after another. The Robber’s body swayed rhythmically to the rhythm of the horse. She walks around to keep an eye on him so that he doesn’t fall off his horse and break something. It was impossible to go into a full gallop in order to bring the Robber safely, but the tree branches that bent much lower than on the road were also in the way.
A strange feeling gripped the Crusader again. He noticed that it got dark too quickly; they couldn’t ride for that long. After the meeting with the bandits, maybe two hours passed, and when they met them it was not yet noon.
"The night is coming too fast.»
Blackness swallowed them up. Everywhere the Crusader began to hear whispers and rustles. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that some shadows were chasing him, surrounding him to the right and left.
"It can’t be night, you can’t see the sky from above, you can’t see the stars».
There was darkness everywhere. Dense, oppressive darkness that hid everything at arm’s length. Branches began to hit the crusader in the face – they moved off the path. I had to maneuver between the trees without slowing down. The shadows were chasing them.
Suddenly he heard the clanking of claws on steel, felt that someone had hit him on the leg, but along with this sound a horse neighed. The claws that hit the armor ripped open the horse’s belly. The mare gave way and collapsed on her front paws at speed. The crusader flew out of the saddle and was dragged along the ground forward a couple of meters. The second mare got scared out of surprise and, slowing down, threw the Robber to the ground.
A whisper pierced the consciousness of the Crusader, who, having recovered from his fall, began to stand up. He didn’t notice how the robber’s horse galloped off somewhere into the darkness, he didn’t notice the body of his mare. He hobbled towards the robber’s body. Having felt the pulse and making sure that he was alive, the Crusader tried to take the body on his shoulder. But the whisper sucked all the strength out of the Crusader. My legs gave way and my arms felt like they were made of cotton. He became a Robber on the ground, where, according to his feelings, the City should be located.
The shadows slowly approached, and the whispers intensified, and began to sound louder, turning into wheezing. The crusader stopped and decided to take the fight. Drawing his sword, he waited for an attack from the darkness.
It’s a miracle that he managed to see the barely moving shadows in front of him and react to the quick attack. The arm-like paw fell to the ground after the sword hit. There were no more whispers, only squeals were heard.
Shadows rushed around, surrounding the travelers on all sides. They went wild, trying to strike from all sides. The Crusader’s sword repelled attacks more and more slowly, and a couple of claw strikes had already cut his leather armor. There was no strength left when the Crusader remembered the scroll of “Furious Accusation”. Taking advantage of the delay of the shadows, he lowered his sword and groped for the bag on his belt. The scroll was lying there. He quickly pulled it out, breaking the seal at the same time. The scroll opened in front of him, the text facing towards the shadows. The Warrior of Light remembers all prayers by heart. The Crusader began to read a prayer to the Great Light, and the scroll began to emit a glow. The louder the Crusader read, the brighter the glow became.
The light corroded the darkness. After finishing the prayer, a wave of light erupted from the scroll. The prayer gave strength to the war and he immediately threw the paper, grabbed the Robber’s body and ran.
Overcoming the pain, he kept accelerating. The light that held back the shadows went out, but ahead he saw enlightenment. There was still a little left, just a couple of steps, when the blow of the claws tore the muscles on the right leg.
Having stumbled, the Crusader did not fall. He pushed off with his left naked body, directing his body forward, and this was enough to escape from the darkness. The Robber and the Crusader fell on the grass. Following his instincts, the Crusader turned around, drawing his sword to fight off the creature that struck him in the leg. But behind him he saw only the forest and the path that led from it. There was no darkness around. The red sun setting over the horizon gave everything a pink tint. Breathing was heavy and ragged. The crusader could not come to his senses, holding the sword in front of him, in the direction of the forest.
— We got out – someone wheezed from the side. The Crusader turned around. The robber lay looking at the sunset and breathing heavily. There was still death in his eyes, but he woke up. "Good sign"- the tension began to subside from the Crusader.
He slowly rose to one knee and turned in the direction of the Robber’s gaze. The City spread out before him.
— It was necessary to steal the horses after all – said the Crusader.
There are no dungeons yet, but I decided to introduce the heroes first. Of course, there are comics that introduce us to the backstory of the characters, but not all of them, and I decided to tell in my own way about those who descend into the darkest dungeon.