Wraith

Prologue

900 years ago, Edinburgh Scotland.

"Hey, Hrofgan."

"What is it now, Wolfgar?" Hrofgan asked walking towards a group of armored warriors clad in chainmail armor and carrying swords and longaxes. He was using a staff with a crucifix embedded into the top as a cane.

" We have heard word of a wraith somewhere in that mountain," Wolfgar said pointing to a nearby mountain in the distance with his sword. The look on his face was serious with a slight hint of fear in his eyes.

"Very well, we head for that mountain...Be on your guard, this is no phantom," Hrofgan said in a serious tone of voice. They made their way up the mountain until they found a bandit hideout. It was strangely quiet.

"There is something strange about this place. I sense something of an inhuman nature is within," said Hrofgan with a slight stammer in his voice. Wolfgar walked up to the cave-like entrance. An eerie wind softly blew forth from the entrance.

"We should not have come here," one of the warriors said in a frightened voice.

"Stand fast, wraiths can sense fear," Wolfgar said. They entered the cave with clear hesitation. They slowly made their way through the cave. The lifeless corpses of bandits littered the ground without a drop of blood spilled on the ground. They eventually found themselves at the end of the hideout. Golden coins and precious gems along with other valuable treasures scoured the floor and in the center stood the leader of the bandits, the top of head had been removed leaving only the terrified expression as seen by his mouth which stood open in horror.

"It has been here recently," Wolfgar said walking along the various treasures until he was standing in front of the bandit leader's corpse. As he went to examine the corpse he was interrupted by the sound of metal tearing through flesh. Wolfgar quickly got up as everyone turned in the direction of the sound. One of the warriors walked out from the darkness behind them. He then looked up at his companions in complete disbelief as a thin red line slowly divided him straight down the middle. He fell to the floor with a thud and split in two.

"What the...," one of the warriors began to utter as he looked down to find a solid black hand with long, icy fingers tipped with long dark claws. The warrior fell to the ground as he choked on his own blood. One by one the other warriors fell to the ground, their corpses sprawled across the floor. Hrofgan sensed something was behind him, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He spun around and pointed his sword at the figure behind him. The figure wore a dark cloak under a breastplate. The figure also adorned a hod that cascaded its face in shadowy darkness.

"I got you now, monster," he said holding his sword up to the figures head. His confidence quickly turned to fear as the figure began to utter a raspy and demonic laugh. The figure laughed harder and harder until its laughter had abruptly stop.

"You think you know what it means to be a monster?" it asked in a much more softer tone.

"You have no idea."

Hrofgan stood in horror and disbelief as the figure drove its boney hand through his chest and ripped it out. Hrofgan fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Hrofgan ... No," Wolfgar shouted. The figure let out more demonic laughter. It then slowly turned it head to face him.

"You're next," the figure uttered. The figure glided its long fingers across Hrofgan's sword until it reached the hilt. With a flick of the figure's wrist his sword flew from his hands. Hrofgan backed away from the creature until he felt the stone wall at his back. The creature looked down at him with piercing blue lights where its eyes should be.

"Your soul is mine," the creature uttered as it slowly reached out a clawed hand towards the old warrior. Hrofgan quickly began to search frantically for something to fight the creature with. He searched and searched but found nothing until he heard a metallic clang. He looked down and saw that his silver cross had fallen out of his satchel. Hrofgan picked up the holy relic as fast as he could. The creature hissed in disgust as the old warrior held the cross to its face.

"Begone from this place and never return," Hrofgan shouted as he regained his footing and slowly advanced the foe that stood before him.

"You and your insolent family will never escape us, your souls are DAMNED," The creature shouted in anger. The torches around the room darkened rendering the room a shadowy chasm. Once the torches became bright with flame once more Hrofgan looked around him very cautiously but the creature was no where to be found. He buried his fallen comrades and left the cave and never return and for the rest of his life he pondered what the wraith had said to him before it vanished. The centuries went by as each of Hrofgan's descendants lived their lives without incident.