Soon we would be leaving the pine forest according to Eidechse. I was excited to finally be out of here. It felt as though we have made no progress since coming here. Still, it would mean leaving our cover. Despite my dislike for it, these woods helped us avoid the attention of those bastards who’d slaughtered my people. I was also beginning to worry about what to do with the Goblins. They haven’t chosen to settle down anywhere here and it was looking as if they were getting attached to us despite all the hardships we’ve faced. Or maybe because of them. Either way, keeping them with us wasn’t really an option. It was already hard enough smuggling me and Vyth into town. A small army of these guys would be met with genocide. Eidechse also was getting grumpier with each day spent around them. They gave him a wide berth, but it did little to calm him.
As we got within half a mile from the end, where the trees grew a lot less densely, I noticed a foul smell. It was bitter. It had a faint hint of sweetness, but more of a scent that had once been there now long gone. It also smelled old and herbily. This wasn’t like anything I had ever encountered before. I looked to Thet for any guidance and she seemed to have noticed it as well. Yet, she was as confused as I was. A sure sign we were screwed. My head was racing with ideas of what it could possibly be. From the most mundane exotic plant to dangers never seen before. I was paranoid. I knew that. Vyth and Eidechse knew it and the latter put a hand on my shoulder to get me to calm down. But, I didn’t see Thet calming down. She was looking around curiously. Her nose half covered from the awful smell while allowing it to somewhat seep in so she could pinpoint it’s direction. “Fuck it”, I told myself. We were so close to getting out of here. So close to what I’d count as a win in my book. I let paranoia take a hold of me. I had to find out what it was. Had to make sure we were safe.
“Where are you going?!”, Eidechse yelled at me as I jumped into the air.
“Just keep walking! Speed up if you will as well, please”, I responded over my shoulder as I flew to the back of our party.
The Goblins at the back were the more senior ones. Senior for their kind, at least. They weren’t as quick as the rest, but from the stories their younger friends told me, had proven their toughness and skill through survival.
“Keep your bows at the ready and eyes on your backs!”, I ordered them.
They were less fond of taking orders than the rest usually, but this time they immediately responded. They notched arrows loosely and kept them at a ready. They scanned the woods around them like a skilled team of hunters. Each trusting his companions to keep a close eye on their part of the land. I continued downward and veered left to where I thought the scent was coming from. It grew stronger there. I flew up a little more to hide behind the cover of the canopy. A little further I began to slow down and focused on my sense of smell and hearing to find anything off. The scent was still strong despite the canopy’s best effort to block it with its more refreshing pine smell. But I heard very little. I hopped a couple trees further until the scent got really strong. I could make out the vague scene of movement below me, but I heard no peep. It gave me a rather strange and menacing feeling. I popped my head down past the leaves to get a good look at what was below me. I had seen the undead in movies and shows before. They were a common monster to use in all sorts of media and became something like Goblins. A common enemy that’s really there so the hero can just easily dispatch of them and show off how strong he is. Seeing it in person sent a deep chill down my spine that dared not to shiver. My blood ran cold and everything in my wanted to scream yet couldn’t. Just seeing them felt disgusting in some way I find hard to explain. They weren’t even rotting. The bones had long lost any flesh from their previous owner. These skeletons wore moderately tattered armour made from thick hide and were equipped with long bows and quivers full of arrows. Vines were rapped all around them and darted in and out of their cavities. They seem to be what controlled them. The skeletons moved in a strange yet fluid fashion. Their lower half always preceding before the upper half followed behind in a bobbing and hunched posture. The arms dangled lifelessly in front yet still held on firmly to their weapon. At the end of the pack was a skeleton lacking a bow and quiver, but instead holding a staff with a sapphire gem in it that seemed to be beaming light in front of it like a weak flashlight. Was he the one controlling them? Or was this something else?
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I believed myself somewhat knowledgeable of this worlds magic by now. Necromancy wasn’t really spoken of or written about. But this seemed different from what I’d expect. This seemed more druidic, with all those vines and all. And considering we were still holding on to an amulet belonging to a rather pissed off druid it made sense to me. As my train of thought began to fade back into the background the flashlight like beam began to move upwards in my direction. I popped back above the canopy and began speeding back the way I came from. Those skeletons were still a good 200 yards away, but they were gaining on us.
A sharp ‘whiz’ sound alerted me to danger. Looking over my shoulder I saw a wave of arrows shooting for me and putting me in the shade. My heart beat so hard I could feel it pounding against my chest. I flew as fast as my wings could take me. Diving sharply to gain more speed in favour of altitude. I felt the light touch of wind on my foot as the closest arrow just missed its mark. I had gotten out of range just in the nick of time. Their accuracy was scary, to say the least. Never had I seen such accuracy, yet they were mere plants controlling the long dead remains of whoever that druid got his hands on.
After a tiring sprint I arrived back by my friends’ sides. I gathered Vyth, Thet and Eidechse together to tell them what happened in as much detail as I could give. The Goblins naturally overheard and began to worry, but I thought that they might as well. Now was the time to worry.
“The undead, you say?”, Eidechse said, “Well, I could use some action. All this marching’s been making me rusty”
“You can’t be serious?”, I said in shock.
“Oh, he’s serious, alright”, Thet said with a smirk on her face.
“Dealing with the undead is somewhat my forte”, Eidechse boasted.
“Like running a drug selling operation? Or stealing from vengeful druids with small armies at their disposal?”
“Har har. Very funny, kid, but I’m serious. This shouldn’t take long. If they scare you, then it’s best you stayed behind.”
“You call this being serious?! You’re acting like you’re some kind of-”
“I am. There’s no shame in fearing those abominations. You very well should. But there’s no turning away for me. Elifar’d kill me himself if I did.”
With that he simply left. He calmly walked into certain death like it was a nice hike in the woods, but the memories of those things made the scene look dreadful. Thet followed, slinking into the shadows behind him. The Goblins, meanwhile, were confused and scared. They looked to me for guidance. I didn’t know why. I didn’t know what to do myself. I wanted to help. They were my friends after all. But I was tired. And the visage of those walking dead kept getting to me. Vyth put his hand on my shoulder. The first warmth I felt in a while that day. He clearly didn’t want to leave them alone either.
There was no choice, really. Inside my mind screamed with each step we took closer. But those steps were still taken none the less. The Goblins were just as scared. I could see them shaking when I looked behind me. Something tells me they’d seen their former master’s corpses before. Still, just as he did with me, Vyth steeled their hearts and got them to march forward. Together we outnumbered them. We had the advantage, even if it didn’t look it. Weapons were held at the ready and everyone’s senses were on edge.