A dark haze settled over the valley as the masked figure stood, firm and planted, on one of the towers surrounding the town. He knew where it was, the gem. Such a gem contained the energy that the town used to keep the evil spirits of the forest away. He had seen the destruction. Without the gem on its normal resting place, the spirits became restless. Night after night they came, hidden by the darkened horizon. They would tear down homes, burn fields, and they only stopped when the sun rose. He huffed out a sigh against the bitter winds that were pressing against him, bringing his black scarf to cover his nose.
He shouldn't be doing this, he tried to warn himself. He didn't care though. Afterall, they deserved it didn't they?
The town expected him to retrieve the gem and return it to its pedestal, saving the town from the spirits. They praised him for his volunteer action, but it was all just a planned out scheme by the neighboring stronghold. They had accepted him, taken him in after this town had banished him. If not for his supposed "kind action", they most likely wouldn't have let him in.
It would not be hard for him to retrieve the gem - it was quite simple actually - but no one had to know that. If they knew, they would not have let him be the one to retrieve it, and then his plans with the neighboring town would not go through. He jumped off the edge of the tower, rolling once he hit the ground to soften his fall. Stealthily he ran through the woods, dodging any of the lights emerging from the trees around him as the spirits awoke. A few minutes of running and he slid his blade from his sheath, using it to aid him in climbing up a nearby tree.
Perching himself up in the tree near his destination, he waited, peering through the thick foliage of the the oak.
He may have dosed off slightly, but he knew he hadn't missed it. The spirit, that was. The neighboring town had only been able to get the gem this far, before the spirits had attacked him. It is safe to say the retriever was no longer with them. Another half an hour passed before the growling begun. Now well into night, the chattering of the bugs in the trees might have hidden it. However, his trained ears were able to pick it up.
He peered once more down at the hole beneath the oak across from him. Slowly, the creature emerged. One foot, then the other. He crawled out, the misty colors around him squeezing their way out of the crevices of the tree.
The time was perfect. The masked figure prepared to strike, slowly sliding his blade out of his sheath once more to take out the beast. Swiftly, without a sound, he dove down upon the beast, taking his life in seconds. As the body crumpled beside him and faded as his remains were sent who-knows-where, the figure stood. Slowly falling to his knees, he sifted his fingers through the dirt beneath the tree, claiming his prize.
He stood once more, the powerful gem in his hands, happy that he had fulfilled his job, but deep down he felt the worry and fear that plagued him ever since he accepted his task. The village he had once inhabited was about to fall.
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