Cristofer rose to his feet, his body pale and a bright greenish vapor pouring out of his eyes, his voice lost among inhuman groans.
"What… what the fuck…" Ebony managed to say as she brought her hand to her mouth to cover her nose.
Cristofer's body lunged at his companions, Lucian stopped him with a kick that sent him flying away from the girls.
On the ground, the boy began to writhe until he stood up again and attacked the group once more, his body seeming to have no will other than to devour his friends.
But the moment Lucian grabbed the wooden staff at his waist, ready to invoke his sword and decapitate his companion, an intense cold flooded the area.
{{Frost Magic: Whisper of the Dead Man}}
In an instant, everyone heard a faint sound in their ear, a breath, a greeting, and when it ended the world seemed to freeze for a moment, after which Cristofer's body appeared completely frozen, stiff like a statue.
"Well well well, you really know how to have fun, miss," said Richard, the ghost rider, as he approached from the forest they had left behind.
He rode a spectral horse made of pale blue mist, seeming to have a will of its own as it resisted its rider's commands with neighs and sudden movements.
"I-is that a ghost rider?" Veronica asked, pale with fear as her breath became visible in the intense cold of the air.
"Yes… that one there is our ally, so don't worry… we're safe… at least we are," Ebony said as she looked at Cristofer's frozen body, stopped just inches from reaching them.
"…I guess now we should run before the cult finds us…" Lucian said, relaxing his posture for a moment as he watched his companion.
Even Veronica, who hadn't spent much time by his side, felt sorrow over the loss of a life.
"Oh, stop making those faces already, you can still save him!" the ghost rider shouted as he tried to rein in his horse.
"What are you talking about?" Ebony asked, trying to keep her composure, since in the end she felt guilty for being unable to save a life despite being a Healer.
"The necrophage I had employed as part of my men wasn't high-level, so in its claws it carried the zombie curse, one of the simplest to reverse," the rider explained as he stroked his graying beard.
"Of course, only during the first night, when the individual's soul hasn't yet corrupted. The cure is simple, you just need the tears of a banshee and a bit of black cat's tear." As he finished his explanation, Richard pointed toward the forest that was their destination.
"The village… there must be some potion shop that sells cat tears…" Ebony said, then looked at Lucian, who returned her gaze.
"Are you crazy? That's impossible to pull off, it's kilometers to the village, and we only have, like, twelve hours at most," Veronica snapped, trying to ignore the fear she felt from Richard's presence.
"If we don't try, we'll die like dogs anyway… we have to try… hey old man, do you know where there's a banshee besides the one I already killed?" the blonde asked seriously, adjusting the massive shield on her back.
"There are many. The closest one is gone thanks to you, so it'll take us a while to reach the next one, but that means I won't be able to accompany your husband. If he goes to the village, he'll go alone, and I can't guarantee it'll be an easy path," the rider clarified politely.
"That's fine, I can handle it… you go for the banshee, I'll go alone to the village," said the green-haired elf as he tied back his long hair.
"You can't…" Veronica interrupted. "The Village of the Black Sun won't let you pass unless you have a trade pact, so if someone has to go… it's me…" The cat-woman swallowed hard, trying to steady her breathing.
"Someone has to guard him. My magic is strong enough to contain him, but it also leaves him defenseless against other undead that hate their own kind when their soul is still uncorrupted," Richard said as he cracked his neck.
Ebony tried to calm herself, her heartbeat racing from the situation. Everything had happened so fast she had no time to waste feeling bad about her useless ability.
"Okay… listen… Lucian, you're going for the banshee, Richard will give you the location… Meanwhile, Veronica and Richard will go to the village for the cat tear… And I'll stay here to guard the body," said the small blonde to the group towering over her.
"You're insane, you little runt…" Veronica said when she saw the seriousness in Ebony's eyes "You're just a Healer, you won't stand a chance against any monster that comes near, you could die, or worse… they could eat your soul…"
At that moment, Ebony remembered the beginning of this life, of this journey, when she arrived in the divine territory of the cat, where she had defended her life and was then devoured by that mocking god. Unable to help herself, she showed a brief smile.
"I've got some experience with both, trust me! Go!" Ebony said with a confident smile and a determined look.
Seeing that expression, the others could do nothing but obey. Richard gave Lucian instructions to reach an abandoned house where a banshee dwelled.
After that, Veronica climbed onto Richard's ghostly horse. It seemed kinder to her than to its own rider, but she still felt fear from the icy presence of her companion, who was now in front of her controlling the horse.
The three looked at each other for a moment, and with a slight nod, affirming they would each do their part, they began their mission.
Veronica clung to the rider's waist as she rode behind him as a guest, which seemed to please Richard.
Lucian began to run, reinforcing his body with magic to speed up, and along the way a faint smile formed on his face. That girl who had changed his life just a few days ago had grown a lot.
Ebony, for her part, stayed behind guarding Cristofer, her giant shield in hand, ready to defend him from any danger.
"(This is bullshit… all of this is the damn cat's fault, how could he give me such a broken trait!)" the girl thought, eyeing the forest, wary of the slightest breeze.
Amid her guilt and frustration, she tried to keep her composure, but from the forest by the river, from those trees they had left behind, skeleton soldiers began to emerge, eager to attack the new undead.
"Shit… well, it couldn't get any worse," Ebony said, trying to calm herself as she prepared to defend Cristofer.
But at that moment, the ice imprisoning the young undead began to slowly crack with every passing second.
"…Fucking old man… strong magic my ass!"