The ancient land instantly sensed the approach of the intruders.
The hunt for them began at once. And from all directions at the same time.
They were walking between rows of abandoned houses where no life remained. Snow covered the surrounding land.
Night hung above them.
"I can feel a terrible power approaching," he heard the All-Seeing's thoughts transmitted to him. "Prepare yourself."
But it was impossible to truly prepare for this.
Powerful energy blasts hurled both of them many feet to the side.
The Cursed shook his head, driving away the twilight darkness into which his mind had begun to sink, and saw that he and the All-Seeing were being held high above the snow-covered ground.
A large stranger with a white, cruel face, wearing a black hat with black feathers and a black leather outfit, was holding him in place with magic. From a distance, he raised his hand, and the Cursed hung in the air, trapped by his power.
The All-Seeing was held by a stranger with long white hair that constantly moved, as if alive, like living creatures. A cruel smile with sharp teeth was frozen on her white face. She wore a short white lace dress.
They were terrifying creatures, possessing overwhelming power.
There was also a third one, hiding in the shadows. His form kept slipping from the Cursed's perception. He could only make out a large bald head and a mass of gigantic tentacles. His role was unclear. But most likely, he was a third force covering the other two.
The Cursed drew his sword and struck several times. The blows did not reach their target. The stranger in the hat was too far away. The Cursed pulled out his dagger and threw it at his opponent. The dagger pierced the nobleman's shoulder up to the hilt. His body twitched and then returned to its original position. The nobleman in the black hat burst into mad laughter. Then he drew his arm back and thrust it forward.
A powerful force threw the Cursed backward. He smashed through the roof of an abandoned house and fell inside. He broke through two floors of decaying wooden planks and ended up lying on an old bed. Centuries-old dust rose around him.
"We should go and kill him," he heard the voice of the terrifying stranger.
"Leave it. No one survives a blow like that," replied the nobleman's muffled voice.
After some time, the Cursed felt all three forces disappear. And with them, the All-Seeing.
"Where are you?" he sent a mental question into the darkness.
But he received no answer.
The Cursed stepped outside.
A winter night landscape.
He moved on. Toward where, by his sense, the All-Seeing had been dragged away.
Beyond the rows of old houses, ancient ruins of strange structures appeared. For a while, he kept walking forward. Only bursts of cold winter wind were his harsh companions.
Then he felt life ignite among the ruins. Terrible and unnatural. Something that would be more accurately called existence.
From behind the ruins, dark silhouettes with horrific outlines emerged. Numerous yellow eyes lit up in the darkness. They were watching him. They had surrounded him.
With every step he took, they drew closer and closer.
The Cursed used his vampiric sight and managed to repel their attacks. When the first creatures leapt at him from all sides, they landed already with their bellies torn open. But it did not stop the rest. With relentless fatal persistence, they kept launching their terrible leaps, trying to reach him and devour him.
A pile of corpses formed around the Cursed. By that time, he realized that most of the abilities of the slain monsters did not affect them, as if they were under some other, far more dreadful kind of magic. Their deadly leaps were increasingly reaching their mark. He began to take wounds that bled, and the scent of blood attracted more and more new horrific creatures. The situation was taking a bad turn.
A wild blast of magic sliced through the darkness. It scattered all the creatures around the Cursed. Many of them were left lying twisted in pain, half-stunned.
From the darkness, into the center of the ancient ruins where the deadly battle was unfolding, a carriage burst in, drawn by a team of four black horses. It stopped beside the Cursed. The door swung open, and a very tall woman stepped out of the carriage. She stood no less than seven feet tall, towering over the Cursed like an enchanted tower.
She had an unnaturally long face, white shoulder-length hair, large teeth capable of biting off human limbs, and eyes burning with white fire. She was dressed in a black leather outfit tightly fitting her muscular body.
"I can sense it… I can sense your intentions..." she said in a deep, powerful voice. She bent down and pressed the side of her face against the Cursed's. He felt her scent — sweet, cloying. Her large, sharp teeth were so close that, if she wished, she could bite through his neck and drink his blood or simply tear it off.
"Not like them, not like them... You intend to go far, very far. Exactly where we need you to go."