[Cards] Death's Shadow (Patreon)

The hero stood before the tides of war. Of evil. Their weapons glinted red with the blood they'd already spilled. They wouldn't go further. They wouldn't harm another person. The hero wouldn't let them.

Despite the hero's determination, the overwhelming force wore them down. Arrows stuck out from their chest. Gashes of mortal wounds lay bare and exposed to the harsh air.

The hero fell.

Darkness took hold. It was comforting. Warm. Safe.

From the darkness, a face. A white mask wreathed in an impossibly black dress. A guardian of the mortal coil's threshold.

"Rise, champion. Your fight is not yet over. There are those that still need saving."

The figure leaned in as it whispered. As the voice melted through the hero's aching muscles, an amulet was draped around their neck.

The soft darkness remained, but the sense of safety was more fleeting. The hero's consciousness extended outward, through the darkness to find refuge in another form. Something not quite alive, but far from dead.

From beyond the shadow's refuge, the horde of monsters saw only the body of the hero become cloaked in a billowing black vapor. Arrows were brushed harmlessly away from it, and sword strikes slowed to a gentle touch. From the shadows came a burst of a dark flame, a rising avenger.

The shadow was unwilling to fall. It was unwilling to break. It was unwilling to let evil reign.

The hero rose.