Rise of the Nightmare Crestmaster

Aldrich stared at where the banshee was just a moment ago in disbelief. He had a hard time understanding what happened.

Everything happened too fast it seems that this woman saved him. Aldrich felt the tension leave him and fell on his knees, breathing hard. This body was truly useless.

"Are you alright?" The priestess quickly came running over to him and knelt beside him as she asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Aldrich said as he weighted his options, he did just get saved by her but she was still untrustworthy and yet he was in no shape to flee nor fight.

"Ah, there's no need to fear me, that wasn't supposed to happen, I guess you were just unlucky Aldrich."

Aldrich suddenly felt his blood run cold, he didn't tell her his name, was he famous or something without knowing it?

However, the priestess suddenly surprised him by quickly shutting her mouth with both hands, looking extremely embarrassed.

"Ah, I wasn't supposed to say that… can you forget it?" She asked him, if not for the blindfold he imagined she would be starting at him intensely.

"Oh, thank you for saving me, but what was that thing? What happened here exactly?" Aldrich decided to focus on the present issue since it was clear that the priestess had an eccentric personality.

"Hmm" the priestess look like she was deep in thought, "well, that was a Banshee, and she wanted to use this chance to end the danger in it's fate by killing you now."

"Fate?" Aldrich tasted the word finding it strange, "wait so it somehow knew that I was going to be a source of danger for it so it wanted to end me early? But why did it try only now?"

"Yes!" The priestess clapped excitedly, "well it's due to three conditions that are related to you and one that is related to the Banshee itself. First it's because of your spirit, it has a special allure to creatures like that banshee. Second—"

"Wait, can you elaborate more? How exactly?"

"I can't." She answered with a tone that brokered no leeway for negotiation so he decided to stop pressuring.

"The second reason is because your on the ancient land bridge where the veil is a little thinner. Third you don't have your necklace on you for the time being."

"Oh, that makes sense. So there was something special about the bridge after all, huh." Aldrich muttered, "but these were only the conditions on my part, what about the banshee?"

This concerned Aldrich greatly, although Banshee's were incredibly powerful beings, half of all encountered banshees are grade two monsters.

But that didn't make any sense how could it sense danger in fate and move accordingly? That was an overpowered ability, even a grade three being wouldn't have that kind of power right?

"The banshee has become a special being, it's at the peak of grade two, but it was not through it's own power that it sensed the danger in fate but through a certain item."

"H-how do you know so much?" Aldrich had to ask, this woman was very suspicious and weird but surprisingly enough Aldrich didn't feel any malice from her, in fact it felt like she somehow…

"I-I heard about it… anyway, this is the place where you will confront her so remember it. I think I will go now…"

The priestess looked around hesitantly like she didn't know what to do.

"Wait, I will have to travel one more day on the bridge should I just not sleep?" Aldrich remembered that he was in a pickle, if he met that banshee again… it wouldn't anything good.

"Eh? No, no it's fine now, it will have to recover and by the time the quest is over you will get your necklace back right?"

She spoke as a matter of fact and even Aldrich nodded along with her taken by how confident she was about it.

"The quest is actually pretty dangerous, I might not even make it." Aldrich said jokingly.

But the priestess suddenly grabbed his hand and looked at him despite being blindfolded he could tell she was.

"I believe in you, Aldrich. You will make it for sure, despite the hardships and loss that awaits you, you will make it."

"Eh, thanks," Aldrich was embarrassed by how confident she was in him. He felt a little awkward for doubting her but the doubts only continued to accumulate.

Suddenly he was aware that the priestess was starting at their joined hands and she was furiously blushing, her entire face was like a tomato.

"So, before you go, can you tell me your name?" Aldrich asked hopefully.

"I-I can't, not now. B-but when we meet in reality I will tell you." She smiled and Aldrich was taken back by her beauty.

This was real, not like the fake illusion cast by the banshee, this was real.

****

Aldrich woke up, to the sound and smell of eggs and bacon on the fire.

"It's good that you woke up, it's time for breakfast." Cole said and handed him a waterskin which Aldrich greedily drank from.

Two days later they got off the bridge and came upon the main road in this region, the first thing that struck them was the heat, it was hotter here despite the clouds.

The second night went smoothly like the woman said. And Aldrich was glad for it, that experience was terrible, except for the part where he met the priestess.

They did see a flock of giant eagles hunting fish in the sea and nesting in the clifftops. But there was no danger so to say, they didn't get close to the bridge.

Finally, after asking for directions a couple of times, at noon of the third day, they made it to Ebrict, the fishing hamlet.

Ebrict was built on two identical hills that formed an arch, the east and the west. The center of the arch a port was being built with many workers moving about and few ships here and there.

When he looked at the east hill he saw the tip of a lighthouse peaking from there.