When a fountain of mana was found, one which was different from every other kind seen before, people thought it would be a new source of power and magic. Unfortunately, however, it would end up being a curse. When the group of mages investigating it broke through into its core, it struck back like a venomous snake, poisoning their magic. When they returned, this disease spread slowly and silently before bursting out into the limelight, driving all who carried it insane.
It has been a year since this event, and while the world has plunged into a state of chaos as those who are infected run rampant, rending the very earth itself, there is still some hope. A new order, one comprised of the majority of uninfected mages, was formed to hunt down and purge these infected individuals.
They are known as the Hunters of the Maddened.
I pant heavily as I stand victorious over the charred body of my latest victim, my hand still pointed and outstretched toward him, fire magic still coursing through my veins. Slowly, my breathing calms, and I dispel my magic, letting my arm fall to hang loosely by my side.
I let out a long, tired sigh. I didn't even know who she had killed, only that he was responsible for the crater where a village once stood. I was thankful somewhat that the Maddened were insane because if he had been in his right mind, he would have certainly used his magic more effectively and I would surely have been killed.
"You fought well, it's just a shame you weren't coherent enough to realize it." I say respectfully.
A faint tingling reaches my senses as I instinctually send out a sensory spell around the vicinity, getting a ping right at the edge of the spells range near the end of the clearing I stood in. Eyes narrowing I turn around slowly, scanning the treeline for any movement.
