The border of the Bewitching woods is situated on the top left of a continent that has no name. The border is clearly defined by a barrier of trees with vibrant green leaves. The area is fairly large, enough so that the prominent kingdoms around are filled with jealousy.
Not enough jealousy to ever act, for there are certain aspects of the woods that make it an unappealing prospect to most outsiders.
On a mountainous outcrop a fair distance away, an encampment is well established. Several fires give off absent minded smoke as men and women sit around them laughing and speaking with joy.
In the encampment, there are several pikes scattered around. The shaft’s are large, clearly shaved down from the Bewitching woods trees. Tied to those pikes are several humanoid bat-like humanoid creatures, with their heads facing the earth and their feet sticking up. There are about 16 on each pike, 4 in each direction vertically lined up and down. Many are dead, but on the bottom row there are multiple still twitching, barely alive and able to comprehend their situation.
There are multiple tents in the encampment, and in the far back there is a particularly tall and wide one. There are two pikes in front of it, and each has only one body tied to it. While they still retained the shape of the other humanoid bats, they were much larger, taking up 3/4th of the pike’s on their own.
Inside the tent, four people are gathered around a small table with a map of the Bewitching woods on it. Two of the four are wearing metallic armor from head to toe. One wears a red robe, and his hair is brown, though a streak of black runs through it.
The other was a man of stout stature. He wore a simple pair of cloth pants and shirt, though the upper right of his shirt was ripped, revealing a condensed and thick muscular skin. A lit cigar rests in his mouth, and his eyes are furrowed in intense annoyance.
“They’ movin too much, no?” A thick voice escaped his mouth, one that didn’t care for timbre or tone.
The red robed man responded. “No. It’s to be expected with how much we’ve been focusing on the same places. They don’t have to go out and hunt, so they have the leeway to pick and choose.” His finger glides along the map, pointing out a pond. “But they still have to go where there’s good pickings. Once Aiga, Tega, and Ash get back we can question the thing for more info.
The stout man grumbles, a plume of smoke coming out of his mouth. “If they get back. These are blood suckers and we’re men. They’ve got the skill, but they’re organized, if they want-”
The two armored men laughed. One speaks up in a pompous tone. “They’re too cowardly to take a life because of the count! Worst case we have to send a diplomatic party in and “promise” that we’ll stop hunting.”
Red robe nods, agreeing. “I told them to pick off a weak one and not kill it. We want some intel, and then we can bleed the thing later.”
“We halfta act with caution!” The stout man slams his fist against the table. “Being easy yesterday means nothing!”
The room goes silent, the man’s authority weighs on them. “Tha movement isn’t right, the air smells foul, and we haven’t seen a signal flare.” He turns to each of them, staring with a furious expression. “Our interest in the woods is not the only interest in the woods. Have ya forgotten about the witch doctor?”
A scoff comes from the red robed man. “The witch doctor hasn’t been seen for decades, same as the count. If you let us send in more, than-”
“No! No! NO!” He spits each no with more force. “Are you daft? Any more than three and it could be an act of war.”
“A war against who!” The remaining person in armor speaks up, her voice incredulous. “The fake count? The witch doctor of legend? We’re mercenaries and yet we’re scared of myths, honestly I don’t understand how you got to be put in charge.” She throws her hands up, clearly expressing her frustration.
“Against tha land! The war would be against the land! Whether you believe- or not- in the count, there are many who owe a debt to ‘im. If they hear our footsteps, you think you can fend em all off?”
There were no words spoken in response this time, but the red robed man’s brow furrowed. The lack of a signal flare was something he had tried to sweep away as a simple ignoring of procedure by the party, not to be unexpected by three they sent out. The thought gnawed at him all the same.
Placing both hands on the table, the stout man- the leader of the camp, leaned forwards. “1 week. If we hear nothing by then, us four will go in and confirm the situation. And we’ll assess the situation of the count ourselves.”
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The man lifted his hands and slammed them back into the table. “And for a second, why don’t you all think about who’s paying for this all. Y’think she wants us to go in flags waving and trumpets blaring? Daft! All of ye are daft!”
The man’s insults carried well out of the tent, the soldiers around the fires all hearing and having an uneasy smile on their face.
The red robed man sighs, and nods his head. “You’re right. We got ahead of ourselves.” At this point a smaller boy runs into the tent, panting heavily.
“What is it lad?” The leader speaks softly, the worry on the boy’s face was immediately discernible.
“It’s a letter sir, from the mistress. She said… well,” He places the letter on the table, already opened and face up.
“She said to prepare for a march into the heart of the bewitching woods. The situation’s changed… I didn’t understand it all, really. But it’s all there in the letter.”
The four began to scan the piece of paper intently, and although their argument was still fresh, the content of the letter shocked them all.
“She said, well sir she said there’s something dark in the woods now. She divined that… well demons will come out of the woods.”
At the word of demons the four bolted up. The man in the red robe went pale.
The stout man finished reading. “Gather everyone. I need to make an announcement.”
And the boy went off, quickly telling everyone in the encampment to line up. The atmosphere in the tent was dower.
After the various men and women of the camp lined up, the leader came out of the tent, his back arched straight and the expression on his face deadly serious.
“LISTEN UP!” His voice echoed through the encampment. “We got orders for one week from today. Sharpen your blades, hone your skills. We are to march on the castle and take it for ours! We will cut, we will burn, and we will destroy anything that gets in our way.” He takes a moment to scan the confused faces, before continuing. “There are demons in the woods.” This caused a shock amongst those gathered, and he continued. “We don’t know how many, we don’t know why. Collectively, we will be fine. It is a threat, but a threat we can deal with. After we take our position in the castle, the mistress has informed me that she will send us a garrison to take over. We will receive bonuses at 200% normal pay for the year.” A man nearly fainted at the thought. “And we will be put on leave for two. This mission promises us wealth, and glory!”
The enthusiasm of the crowd was not extreme, but the promises of rewards did raise their spirits at least partially.
“That is all. Prepare yourselves.” He turns back and heads into the tent, leaving the mercenaries to speak amongst themselves.
Once in the tent, the man finds the red robed man with a panic stricken face speaking to him. “You need to let me go in now.” The lack of a signal flare was now too much of a coincidence for the man to remain steady.
Looking him up and down, the encampment leader wanted to speak of how rash and foolish he was, but he understood the reason well.
“Fine. Have someone come along with you, but you listen to me, you welp. Once you find the party or you find evidence of them, you leave. You come back here and you report. You do not act on your own. I don’t care if he’s your fucking brother, he was sent on a mission and if he failed then he’s better off dead.”
Fury sparked in the red robed man’s eyes, but he understood. “Ok.” The red robed man promptly left the tent, not wanting to waste a second more.
The two armored individuals stayed silent, until the man spoke softly. “God… Demons on the mainland? How’d they get here!” A quiet sobbing could be heard through his helmet.
The leader took his seat. “Calm down. If she thinks we can handle it, we can. She’s not the type to waste us for a chance. If it was dire, she’d send us in right away. We’re waiting a week because she knows it’ll be the time to act.”
He lifts a cigar up to his mouth. “But demons… Damn.” He stares at the map, his eyes trembling slightly. “Maybe the blood suckers’ll…” This thought made him stop. Demons were a clever species, and he realized that if they truly were in the Bewitching woods, they would be there with a purpose. All he could do was shudder, and hope that his mistresses guidance would keep him and his men safe.
Earlier in the day he had said that taking any more than three men into the Bewitching woods would result in a war. Now, he was preparing to take his battalion of fifty into the heart of the thing and sack a castle, all while also preparing for the demonic threat that now lurked within.
Nothing about the situation sat right with him. Particularly, in the letter it states that the demon’s won't leave the woods until the same time they begin their march.
He breathed in deeply, the end of the cigar burning with a vibrant ember. Regardless of his feelings, he was to follow his mistress’s commands. She had gotten them this far, and he could only believe that she would get them farther. Still, his heart was uneasy.
In no less than ten minutes the red robed man had picked his companion and had set off. His companion was a short man, a bow slung over his back and eyes like a hawk. They walked through the trees that marked the border of the woods, and set forth.
The Bewitching woods would soon become a place of great change, of revelation, and of violence. The clock ticked, with each second the deadline for the march grew closer. Anticipation was rising, both within, and without.
And far outside of the watchful eyes of the encampment, another man strode into the woods. He had a confident gait, and his eyes shone with gold.