The Gargoyle and the Imp

The hunt for the curse

It was late at night, dark grey clouds covered the skies and blocked out any light from the moon and the stars to shine down upon the earth. Deep deep in a forest laid a large pile of ancient ruins, a landscape of waste which rested in a spot surrounded by nature. Long long ago it used to be a place where a wizard who specialised in the dark arts lived, he practiced forbidden magic and became mad with his power within the old castle he once dwelled in. He used his powers to enslave people into doing his work, a favourite spell of his was to turn people into stone if they dare disobey him. With all of his slaves and prisoners, he turned them each into gargoyles, one with a curse so cruel attached to them. If any of them dare to try and leave their household, they will turn to stone completely, becoming nothing more than a statue frozen in fright. It was a twisted spell he used so no one can possibly escape and only within the ruins was it possibly for the beings of stone to stay alive.

However, as time went by and the curse began to fade, all gargoyles have been turned to inanimate sculptures that each rest in the ruins. It was a tragic moment to many as lots of loved ones were lost and lots of poor souls have been left to rot as there was no way to lift the curse.

That is until now.

"C'mon, Ian! Pick up the pace!" Barley called out with a chuckle as a carried a mighty sword with him, the one and only Curse Crusher.

The poor younger elf, completely drained from energy at this late hour was doing his best to keep up with his upbeat older brother. "I-I'm coming, Barley. Hold on...but...are you sure about all this?" He asked, trying his best not to trip over any branches as they neared the ruins.

"If my gut says it's gonna work then it's gonna work." The elf said with a hum as he rubbed his stomach, he seemed to be able to carry the large sword with ease. "Besides you don't REALLY wanna let all those poor warriors stay as stone forever do you?"

Ian let out a sigh, Barley had informed him about the history of this place and he had mentioned he's been trying to find out how to restore the place to its former glory for years! Many people are still in a deep coma inside their skins made of stone and Barley along with Ian couldn't help but pity them. But whether it was a chance to become an even more famous warrior to be written down in history or if it was simply wanting to help the lost souls that encouraged Barley to "Borrow" the Curse Crusher, Ian wasn't sure which outcome inspired his brother most. "It's just...it's said that the curse faded..." Ian said with a frown as he followed his brother.

"Ah yes dear brother, but so did magic and look at who was able to bring it back!" Barley said as he turned to look at his brother, his flashlight shun into his eyes though. "All we need to do is wake up the curse and then quickly crush it with the Mighty Manticore's sword! Hence the name Curse Crusher."

The youngest of the two let out a defeated sigh. "Ok...but are you sure this isn't going to backfire in any way?" Ian asked with a nervous grimace as he shielded his brown eyes from the light.

"Nah, as long as we can fully awaken the curse without it fading or anything, it should all be ok!"