Magic and Monsters

Beacon

Charles almost pulled out his hand to shake with Cain, when he remembered that it wasn't the tradition here.

The town hall was a fairly large building made of stone. There was a staircase leading up to a second level, and had quite a few quality bits of furniture. Nothing compared to the castle rooms though. Charles looked back at Cain and picked himself off the timber floors.

There was no time to waste. Charles quickly introduced himself, before moving on.

"We need to activate the beacon and request aid from the Arcane Sanctum. They will purge the village." said Charles. Beatrice nodded behind him.

"Ah yes, the Beacon is in the other room. However there also happens to be three walkers locked in the beacon room. We'll have to kill them all." said Cain.

"How many soldiers do we have here?" asked Beatrice.

"There are three others apart from myself and Charles here. The rest are women and children upstairs. The good strong men sacrificed themselves to give them a chance. Also there's something I must show you." Cain added. He lifted up his sleeves to reveal a bite wound on his arm. 

"Woah! You're -"

"Yes, I was bitten by a walker as I fought them off. I probably have three or four days before I change myself. Five days at most. Until then, my life is yours to command, Lady Beatrice and Sir Charles. Then I shall take my own life." he finished as he knelt.

"Thank you Cain of the Garrison, your allegiance will be looked up to by the families you save today." said Beatrice as she placed a hand upon Cain's shoulder.

"And also, It's just Charles without the Sir." added Charles.

Cain nodded and called for his three warriors to tell everyone to barricade the upstairs in case the worst happens. They then positioned themselves in front of the beacon room door with barbed spears ready to skewer.

"Ready?" asked Cain. The three soldiers and Charles nodded grimly, before Cain opened the door. Nothing happened. One of the soldiers made a hollering sound to draw them out, and immediately a wicked howl came from the room. The first walker charged out, straight into two of the spear prongs. Cain swung his sword on the immobilized walker, cutting off the head clean. The other two walkers lunged out, one of them barreling into a soldier, knocking him onto the floor as the other one went straight for Charles. 

In one fluid motion, Charles dodged to the side and smoothly sliced the walkers legs from beneath. The creature fell onto all fours and was quickly finished off by the sword. He turned to see the soldiers dispatch the last one.

"Good job men. Fight for today and be hailed as heroes tomorrow!" yelled Cain. The soldiers roared in victory. 

"Now it's my turn." said Beatrice. She walked into the beacon room and knelt before an altar with a complex looking round, turquoise stone gilded with gold symbols. Beatrice placed her palm across it and closed her eyes before muttering something under her breath.

A sudden white light flashed, and a masculine voice resonated from the stone.

"The Arcane Sanctum receiving. What do you have to report?" 

"Lady Beatrice reporting, Abbotsford has been overrun by walkers. It is likely that there is a necromancer behind the outbreak, and we require an urgent purge before it spreads further. The castle is still strong, however we are hiding out in the townhall with the survivors." 

"Thank you for letting the Sanctum know, sit tight and we'll have the town cleansed by the light of day."

The Beacon stone dimmed down to a light glow. Beatrice sighed with relief and visibly loosened, before turning with a weak smile. She walked to Charles and give him a deep hug. Charles could hear Cain and the soldiers trying to stifle their snickering. They then left the room.