Castlevania: Of Darkness and Light

Greta

Riding the unicorn felt the closest to flying again. His hoofbeats skimmed the earth without a jolt, his mane rippling in the cutting breeze. The trees and fields whirred past me in a blur, forcing me to focus my sight on the road ahead and the unicorn's gleaming horn. I held on tightly to the reins, my rear end lifted off his back as I kept myself in place pressing my feet against his billowing sides. The unicorn needed no guiding, he knew the way as well as I did

The unicorn galloped tirelessly along the road, sparks flashing from his hooves and tail stretched out for balance. When the village lanterns flickered on the horizon, he surged forward, flaring his nostrils with an intense bellow. My staff glowed brighter as we grew closer to the village. "Night creatures!" I bared my teeth. Here we go!

Danesti was protected by a scant wooden gate now burst open by a pack of crabmen. Two breached the gates and advanced on the villagers bravely standing their ground wielding swords and pitchforks. Let's hope they don't turn those on me after I've dealt with these walking dinner platters.

Well aimed blasts from my staff immolated the crabmen outside the wall and I sliced them clean through when I charged through the gate, standing between the persecuted villagers and the hissing night creatures. The unicorn reared in a shrilling neigh and struck his hooves, his horn shining beneath the emerging moonlight. The beasts lunged forward with snapping claws. "Hyahh!" I slashed a light beam from my staff bisecting the creatures down the middle in a gory splatter. 

More crabmen appeared and I flexed my arm, glyphs gleaming beneath my sleeves summoning a line of holy flame through the attackers, controlled by my mind. As the demons screamed being cooked alive I blasted them to giblets with well aimed shots and sliced the necks up close and personal of those too stubborn to die. My loyal steed took the enthusiastic chance of trampling those still clinging to life.

Once the creatures' screamed ebbed into silence, I burned their corpses with holy flame, ensuring their poisoned husks wouldn't harm anyone in death. I steered the unicorn towards the villagers standing tense with their weapons at ready. Please don't let this be a repeat. Ignoring the instinct to stay in saddle, I lightly tapped the unicorn's legs, asking him lower his knees. "Is everyone all right!?" I dismounted.

The villagers remained silent, gazing on me in a mixture of fear and relief. One in particular, a dark skinned woman with black hair, stepped forward. I gripped my staff seeing the hammer latched to her belt. This woman's a warrior, which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on if she thinks I'm an enemy or not. Gotta put my best foot forward.

"We are now, thanks to you." The woman responded. "Welcome to Danesti. I'm Greta, the village headwoman."  I introduced myself with a respectful bow. "Arcane Magician at your service. How's everyone holding up?"

" Barely by a thread." Greta answered, looking past the unicorn trying to spot something unseen. "Did Marius...?"

I gripped my staff in guilt. "Was that your rider?" I lowered my head. "I'm sorry. He was attacked on route and suffered mortal wounds. I found him in the woods bleeding out on his horse but I was too late, he died in my arms." I took the message from my cloak's pocket and handed it to her. "Not before giving me this. I came as fast as I could."

"I see." Greta pocketed the message with a mournful look.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save him." I told her in regret. "The only thing I could do was be with him."

"He wasn't alone and that's more than enough." Greta responded. "He's not the only one we lost, but he was the last of his family which is why he risked the journey." I felt a pang in my heart, I knew what that was like.