From the Depths

From the depths they come, writhing and creeping in shadows, tainting all they touch. Like a black mist they scour the land looking for hosts. Once preyed upon good men turn dark, their will replaced by that of an unknown entity. Death without dying. A different definition of a walking corpse. This phenomenon has become a pandemic in the land of Arrs. No one knows where they came from nor how to stop the takeover. A once bright land is now desolate. Adults and children shut themselves within their homes at night with their lights blazing, hoping to keep the mist away.

I am Taya. The people who know me, say I'm a spunky little tomboy. But what can I do? I grew up climbing trees, not playing with dolls! At the ripe age of eighteen, I should have been filled with hopes of the future. Finally leaving the orphanage from which I grew up I was excited to start anew. I had planned to track down my sister from whom I was separated the past eight years. Then they came. Who would have thought that my new beginning would turn into a horrible ending. The end of Arrs. I don't know what is going on in the rest of the world but the kingdom of Arrs has reached a standstill. How can we maintain our peaceful lives when those around us are turning into something else?

I am a hunter of the tainted. I had planned to be a bard and earn a living while searching for Tali. But I've abandoned my flute and replaced it with a sword. I cut my brown, waist-length hair to just above my shoulders. My once sparkly hazel eyes, slightly dimmed. The blacksmith was one of the first to fall so I raided his residence for weapons. Sounds immoral but he won't miss them. Besides I do much worse things.

Six months after the start of the pandemic, with no end in sight, what was left of the royal family established guilds to hunt the tainted. The pay is meager but no commerce but that which is absolutely necessary is taking place anyways. Rations are available once a day and dorms were setup to house the hunters. The army takes care of security during the day and us hunters are active at night. The curfew for the citizens starts mid-afternoon and during the days when it is overcast no one is to leave their house.

In the beginning with our war against the tainted, many lives were lost. Neither the army nor the newly established hunters knew how to battle the tainted. They seemed to have no weakness. Many of the first hunters were mercenaries so it wasn't a lack of skill or tact. The abilities of the tainted far exceeded our own and they had no need for weapons. If they didn't kill with their bare hands then they strangled their opponents with their mist. It was only after multiple losses and group hunts that we came to realize that their weakness was the host body. Despite their powers they cannot bring a dead body back to life. Once the host dies the entity within dies with it. It was both an unfortunate and fortunate discovery. We figured out how to beat them but the cost was human life. Perhaps it's a mercy to the tainted who had killed their families. Even if they were to regain their consciousness they had already destroyed what mattered to them.

With this new found knowledge it became mandatory for all soldiers and hunters to work with at least one partner at all times. One person would need to distract the tainted while the other ends its life. Normally this was enough since the tainted never travelled in groups. But like any species, there are always those who stand apart from the rest. These individuals had skills that far exceeded the rest. The difference was their use of the mist. They didn't just use it as an extension of their limbs, they used it like it was an extension of their minds. It's properties seem similar to the sorcery of old which had long disappeared. It takes a group of at least five people or the presence of a sword master to deal with these mutant tainted.

I am a regular hunter. I'm not particularly good with a sword but I'm fast and nimble, the perfect distraction if you will. The man I've been partnering with is an amazing swordsman. I don't know his name and he always wears a hooded cloak so I don't know what he looks like. As far as I'm concerned it doesn't really matter since his skills are better than what I could have ever hoped for in a partner. I can say that he's tall with broad shoulders. He must be fairly muscular, since he slices through the enemy with ease. The funny things is, he makes such a grotesque action seem elegant. I asked him why he chose to partner up with me, and he said it was because I'm fast and mind my own business. I guess ambiguity is important enough to him for him to remain my partner. It's a little weird but I have no complaints. With all that has happened, who doesn't have a story? I'd rather have a competent partner than a friendly one. Conversation won't kill the enemy. That's all that matters.