@voidrisen:
Bitter wind blew violently atop the Howling Cliffs, the jagged rock sides creating sinister shadows among the stones below. Dangerous creatures tainted by light lurked around every corner, ever hungry for another taste of life, driven by an insatiable hunger stained by madness. The wanderer, cloak now ripped and stained by the wear and tear of travel, desperately sought shelter. Amid the blustering storm they had encountered many beasts and now began to fully feel the aftermath of it all. Staggering into a dim cave, the little shadow noticed a corpse slouched among the dark. This was not an uncommon occurrence in the desolate waste of Hallownest. To peer inside the minds of those long gone, Ghost attempted to use the Dream Nail upon the poor creature. Astonished by a sudden burst of red lights, the wanderer was caught off guard and staggered backwards, bumping into something that was not there before. . . A tall lantern, with dark quiet embers stoking beneath. Curious about the peculiar object, and piqued at the thought of a warm fire, Ghost began to meddle with the object. Suddenly, the lantern roared to life, filling the cavern with an eerie red glow. Rewarded by newfound warmth, yet gripped by an eerie dread.
Little did the wanderer know what they'd messed with. In the small town nearby, life sprung up from nowhere on its outskirts... and quite to the surprise of its few inhabitants. Where once was quiet was now filled with that scarlet light and noises of odd bugs laughing and making merry.
From nightmare far away, Grimm knew this time would come soon enough. Hallownest, that holy kingdom... the land of Wyrm, living on borrowed time. How much time had he once spent here...? Now he stands in its limits once more, but it was nothing more than a ragged corpse.
"Finally, finally the summoning has completed. Have you taken sight of the one who brought our blessing?" the Troupe Master asks, eyeing one of the bugs who'd just taken stock of the sad looking dwellings around.
"Not yet, Master. Our traveler sent to establish the anchor isn't in this town. But soon enough, we'll have eyes all over the kingdom to know, should they not show themselves in a timely manner."
...Nothing to do but wait, Grimm supposes.
