Greggan

Mist wraiths are spectors created by arcane magic that have ripped the souls of their victims from this life and trapped them into the mists of the arcane storm. Violent and powerful beings made of arcane, they can not hold a physical form outside the mists. Their physical forms are often twisted humanoids carrying weapons made of lightning and arcane often swords and hammers. Impervious to arcane and lightning magics these make formidable foes to have to battle and a repercussion of using the arcane storm curse. First recorded after it was used to cleanse a Black Phoenix nest in the area that is now known as the dusty desert. The pit that once held the eggs and lava was now covered in a thick mist. Many of the old phoenix nests had been overtaken by the mist and its wraiths, from the misty isles to the goblin islands off the cost of Aerios.

The mist had grown over the centuries to where it covered almost half of the mountain. The wraiths ruled the mountain and almost nothing dared to enter the mist. The crater that was once La'Valle had begun to gain patches of the mist spreading throughout the old city. The rats den remained clean of the stuff, the fog began about midway up the city road and as ominous as it felt to Greggan but to the brave soldiers making their way to the mist filled streets it was just fog from the cold ocean behind the city.

Greggan began to feel the joy leave his body and a dark feeling of anger pressed down on him like a stone. His knees shook from fear uncontrollably, Devros pulled him along unbothered by Greggan busy with the road ahead. There were no walls or pillars left, just bits of the old roads and pathways, just black scorched stone and mud steaming and warm. No bones just mud and melted rock, some areas had low green lights releasing green smoke into the thickening fog. Breathing became harder the deeper they went into it, the pace slowed as the men too began to feel the weight of this mist. The line came to a hault as it reached a crumbled street that led to the castle La'Velle, Greggan couldn't see why they had stopped since Devros and himself were behind the horses closer to the tail of the line. Since they were on foot they fell back so Greggan could keep up and with Devros's size the slower pace was welcome to him as well, the fog had really begun to bare down on the hulk of a man. " stay close to me lad, if anything happens you just stay with me." He placed his sword hand on the handle if his large falchion sword. The pumice was a silver knob with bear claw signit engraved into it, the handle was leather wrapped and worn, the brown fading and worn thin. Greggan could feel the fear and anger like a tremor coming from all around them, piss treekled slowly down his leg as he saw a purple and green figure stepped from the mist into view. Its purple skin glowed underneath its jade green armor, its eyes were a black abyss and stood out against all else. A high pitched scream filled the mist as the wraith came closer. The men began to pull their weapons in response as screams at the head of the line began to ring out, " we are surrounded!" A soldier yelled before his screamed filled the air as well. More of the purple figures came to view along the mist all with weapons in hand. Great scimitars and spears, axes and hammers met the armors of the knights and made short work of the flesh inside. Devros was a great warrior but not a fool, his mother would tell him stories of the wraiths and blackfire phoenixes and knew the fight was hopeless and the city now belonged to them. He grabbed the boy and began to run back down the road before two wraiths met him at the mists edge. They screamed an agonizing scream that rattled Greggan and Devros down to their very souls, the wraiths were armed with jade axes thats glowing metal looked almost liquid as the power surged through out. Devros released Greggan and unsheathed his sword in an attempt to protect them both, wraiths were exceptionally strong and hard to kill, and there were two in front of his clutching their weapons preparing to kill him and the child. The left wraith swung his axe at Devros; surprising for his size he was quick and side stepped the strike and launched one of his own causing the wraith to have to jump further back exposing the right wraith to have to block the blunt of the attack causing his axe to shoot sparks and its handle to show small cracks that webbed down the base of the axe handle. Devros began to gain hope again, the fear began to subside and the weight of the mist had begun to feel less smothering. He swung his sword again this time destroying the axe causing it to shatter like glass. The skull like face of the wraith showed no emotion but its purple energy became hotter and more angry, it let out an awful scream as the other wraith began to run at Devros axe held high prepared to crash down on its foe. Devros dodged and swung his sword to land a blow to the should of the wraith knocking off balance, its armor was much stronger than any knights and managed to deflect the swords blade but not without consequence. The shoulder piece shattered and left its purple flesh exposed. Greggan almost felt hopeful about his surviving this as his newfound bodyguard battled the wraiths successfully until he saw the dim purple light of more wraiths coming out of the mist. They were carrying swords and axes dripping wet with the blood of the men they had just slaughtered. Devros saw them in his peripheral vision and decided it was time get away, he had managed to put the gate to his back with the wraiths in front of him now weaponless, " run to me boy now!" With his free hand he reached for Greggan and swung with his sword as the wraiths in front, " come now boy or ill have to leave you!" Greggan summoned all his courage and took off in a mad mans sprint to Devros's hand. The wraiths closed in on the battle below quickly, and the two unarmed wraiths took their attention to the unarmed child. Devros was able to sever the head shattering one of the wraiths but the other manage to get by him and headed straight for the frightened boy. Greggan could see the wraith coming with its arms outstretched to grab the child by his neck and remove his head. Greggan screamed as the wraiths howling filled his head and the heat from its purple flesh began to get more intense the close it came to him until it felt as though Greggan had been covered in hot coals. He screamed a blood curdling scream, this was it how we was going to die. Seconds felt like forever as he awaited the ending of his life and the release of this hellish fire that had gotten its hands on him.

Death never came. Greggan opened his eyes to see the purple skin of his assailant begin to lose it color, turning to a dull stone grey. Greggan pulled away breaking the statue of the wraith, Greggan felt stronger than before like he had just sucked the strength from the wraith itself. He reached Devros and climbed on his back, he wanted to understand what he saw but didn't have time to really think about it. When the wraith touched the boy it began to wail as its power began to pour into the boy, it even tried to let go but its power still drained and left it a statue.

They exited the mist and entered the rats den, the screams of the men they left behind filled the air again. The wraiths stood at the mist watching as the boy who took the power of their comrade escaped them.