“Ya know, am not so sure about this anymore,” Flencer looked up at the looming treeline of Manglewood. Unlike the alluring whimsy that Happywood consecrated, Manglewoods trees speared at the sky with blackened thorns, the canopy coiled and twisted into overhead bracken that glared down on those unfortunate enough to walk within its domain.
Kaleb joined Flencer at the front of the wagon. “What’s the matter, Dwarf? Scared of trees? Aren’t you trying to become one?”
Flencer scowled at Kaleb. “Are you going to box my bollocks this whole trip?”
“I should hope so,” Kaleb jumped off the wagon and approached the woods on foot, stretching his legs a little, the cramped box doing nothing for his stature. He walked by the side of Flencer and looked up at him. “You said the Treemen would be a problem?”
“If we run into them.”
“Aren’t they just a myth, walking trees?”
Flencer chuckled. “Trees that walk? That is ridiculous, no, these are man-eating trees.”
“How would you know about such things?”
Flencer cast Kaleb a glance before turning his focus back onto the entrance of the woods where the road disappeared into the gloom. “When I was a young ‘un, we was playin’ around the edge of the wood, me friend got dragged in by a root, I shan’t repeat what happened next.”
Kaleb rolled his eyes.
The wagon halted at the arching branches that made the organic gateway. “Well, this is it, we are going through?”
Iridia and Morgan joined up the front and took in the foreboding welcome the forest offered; gnarled willows warped into grimacing faces seemed to scream in silence at them, They climbed higher than some spires of Angelspree and the roots crawled deeper than the demon's corruption.
“I imagine the open road would have us set upon by compromised folk,” Kaleb said in a vain attempt to calm his parties' hearts and clear their minds. “Either way, the road will be fraught with danger, we have simply chosen the nature of that danger.”
They all nodded at Kaleb in agreeance, but it didn’t make Manglewood any more inviting.
“Armour up.” Kaleb clapped his hands. “Weapons ready,”
They took up a travelling formation, Morgan drove the wagon with Flencer sitting beside him, crossbow at the ready. Iridia and Kaleb flanked the wagon on foot, weapon in one hand and lantern in the other, Iridia’s shield rested on her back neatly. The light was just enough to read the road and take them from cobble to stone, occasionally they would need to kick away loose paving.
“Can’t you use your hammer to brighten the place up?” Iridia called over.
“Magical behaviour begets magical attention, Iridia, do not be so quick to rely upon that which your eyes and a simple flame might achieve.”
Iridia nodded but wasn’t pleased about stumbling in the low light. The forest seemed to be closing in on them, the road tightened and devolved gradually, from a well-made road to a sparse stoney path into a muddy track, roots protruding like veins. The air was fresh and the breeze from the outskirts seemed to follow them deeper like a curious child, playfully whispering and hiding behind tree trunks to pop out at any moment.
“Halt.”
The party and wagon stopped at Kaleb's command.
“Quiet.” They listened, the woods creaked and whined like a dying cat, There was something alive in the forest with them, that’s for sure, the calls of the animals would have them snapping their heads around in an attempt to determine their location, the acoustics of these woods forbid such a feat.
“What is it, why do you halt us?” Iridia hissed from the other side of the wagon at Kaleb, nerves getting the better of her a moment.
“We are surrounded.” He raised his hammer. “Illuminate the lies the darkness hides, hammer of Zale.” Like in the pit of the Necromancer, the hammer glowed brightly and created a sphere of light which pushed the blackness back. Kaleb was quite right, dotted amongst the trees were shadowy figures, crouched and primed.
“Hello there Paladin!” The accent was odd and the unknown man practically sang the words. “Do tell me your business in these lands.”
Kaleb kept his hammer in two hands, lantern by his feet and stance readied. “If you know I am a Paladin, you know not to ask my business, lest you fear you are my business.”
The trees creaked and the wind fluttered through, carrying a troupe of dead leaves over the path. The figures let out tuneful whispers between each other until one lept from the shadowy canopy and silently landed before the party. Now bathed in the light completely, there stood an elegant man with long auburn hair and eyes that were big and blue. He wore a green leather tunic and knee-high boots. In one hand he held a spear and the other a gnarled stave with bird wings carved in the top. “This place is no place; for gligs.”
“Gligs?”
“Folk who don’t know what gligs are.” He smiled at Iridia.
“Well, we must go through, are you here to stop us?” Kaleb let his hammer drop over his shoulder.
“I shouldn’t much bother to try and stop you, for the forest would do it for me if that was my will.” The words he spoke seemed to rhyme, bending their pronunciations artfully to create an understandable but markedly off speaking pattern, it was beautiful and alluring to listen to.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Another wise arse who lives in a hut, exactly what are you doing here?” Kaleb narrowed his eyes, inspecting the man further, noticing the points of his ears. “Elf?”
“Elf? It’s clear you haven’t met an Elf before.”
Flencer chuckled. “Elves have a beauty you ‘aven’t witnessed, Kaleb.”
Kaleb shot a glance at Flencer who shrugged at him in return.
“Yes, quite right you are, Dwarf, Flencer.”
“How do you know my name?”
“The forest holds memories in its roots, we may listen to them, as you listen to your divine heart, do you understand such a concept?”
Kaleb sighed. “I understand heresy, what are you then? Why are you here but for gloating about our perils and playing hopscotch upon our ignorance?”
The man bowed. “Forgive me oh great, Paladin Kaleb,” he chuckled and tapped his spear. “I am Jill-drath, you would call me a Half-Elf, like Morgan over there,” he pointed to him on the wagon.
“Very well, Jill.”
“Jill-drath.”
Kaleb bit his bottom lip. “Well, it was very nice to meet you, we’ll be on our way.”
“Certain death awaits you, the forest is in the throws of a nightmare, I have witnessed the phantasmagoria through the roots and breathed in its fear, it calls upon the kin that bares its fruit to seize any and all that dare tread upon its bed.”
The party were entranced for a moment, the longer the Elf spoke the more melodic was his speech, it was perfectly imperfect. Kaleb shook his head and cleared the fog away. “The wild lands pose a similar threat.”
“Indeed, evil has crept up on these lands, Manglewood as you call this place, defends itself with great pride.” Jill-drath stepped forward and bowed his head a moment. “It does not tolerate our people, we have been forced to the very edges of darkness, soon we may find ourselves as nomads.”
Kaleb pursed his lips and nodded. “Do you know a safe way through?”
“There are safer passages, but not by road, your wagon here would be waylaid, you’d have to leave it with us.”
A pang of suspicion jolted through Kaleb, more thieves was it? Half Elves can’t be trusted, they are not connected to the Divine heart, he knew this to be fact for he was taught by matter of fact and it had yet failed him. “Why do you live in Manglewood? There is a reason it is named so.”
The Elf laughed playfully and spun on the spot, “Oh, my dear Paladin, it is named Manglewood because someone is poor at naming things.”
Flencer laughed, “Happywood, eh? Was that place happy?”
“Your fat friend is quite right.” The Elf smiled, Flencer crossed his arms and huffed. “We know these woods as Rul-Dramella-Kal-Rul-Dramello.”
Kaleb blinked, “That’s a good name?”
“It means Wood of secrets and wood of truth, if you know how to speak to it, it will speak back, if you know how to befriend it, it will befriend you back.” He pointed away from the road with his spear. “We have a camp, you should join us, perhaps you can discuss with us the nature of your journey.”
“You didn’t answer my question, why do you live here?”
“Well, I thought that would be obvious to such a well-tempered and intelligent being such as yourself, oh great Paladin, we live here because no one else does.”
Flencer leaned forward, “Do you have food?”
“Plenty.”
“Would you not think with that gut of yours for once, half man?” Kaleb snapped.
Morgan had remained quiet up until now; “I’d much like to visit the camp, Master Kaleb.”
The Elf cocked his head, “You call a Paladin your master?”
“I do, for he took me in where no one else would, much like these woods for you.” Morgan nodded at his rather astute contribution.
The Elf’s flat mouth turned up into a smile, “How very profound, yet we do not call these woods our master.”
Iridia had made to stand beside Kaleb, she looked at him while he pondered the thought. “They seem friendly, in a non-creepy way.”
Kaleb leaned down to speak in whispered tones, “They are rather odd, but I sense no darkness in them.”
“Can you not look at them through the eyes of truth?” Iridia closed her eyes, trying but failing to bring it about again.
“No, they are not connected to the heart, their intentions are hidden.”
“I feel they are telling the truth, Why would they lie and not fill us with arrows?”
Kaleb nodded, “I don’t pretend to understand the nature of Elves, half or otherwise, but you have a point.”
The Elf stood patiently before them, smiling brightly. “You are to–” Jill-drath stopped his song mid-sentence and looked up, a call from a fellow Half-Elf by a short sharp whistle. “Harpies! They have sensed your magics, they come to cleanse!”
Kaleb raised his hammer, “Let them break their bones upon my hammer.”
Iridia raised her spear and Flencer readied his bow, looking around frantically at the canopy.
An ear-splitting shriek ricocheted through the trees and the Half-Elves disappeared into the darkness, Jill-drath stood ready and called out in a strange language.
Another shriek pierced their skulls and a shadow ripped through the party and knocked the wagon over, sending Morgan and Flencer tumbling off. Flencer rolled onto his back and fired an unworthy shot in the general direction, the harpy had gone before the bolt left the end of his contraption.
“Down!” Jill-drath ordered. “Down or it will have your head from your shoulders!” Despite his own advice he remained standing. Iridia, Morgan and Flencer saw the wisdom in the instruction and promptly dropped flat.
Kaleb swung at the swooping bird, he caught a glance of its fearsome face, it had the visage of a horrified person, a beak protruding from its nose and eyes alive, and its claws were barbed and deadly. The power of it knocked Kaleb down, and it gripped a wagon horse and carried it off. The wagon was lifted into the air before the reigns broke free, it dropped with a clatter and smashed into pieces, their belongings spilling out.
“No, the horse!” Iridia tried to stand to protect the other horse but it was too late, another Harpy had swooped in from the other side and collected the beast of burden. The wind whipped, the trees settled and all was silent.
Jill-drath helped Kaleb to his feet but he pushed his arm off. “Are you well, Paladin?”
Kaleb pointed at the Half-Elf with an accusatory stab, “You brought these foul creatures upon us!”
“I did not, that is a promise.” Jill-drath stepped back. “This attack was a warning from the forest, You should come to our camp, I see you are set on moving forward, eat, let us change your mind.”
“Why would you be so invested in us not moving through these woods? What of our survival and success drives you?” Kaleb probed further, dusting himself down and looking over the damage the Harpies had done to his wagon, it would be of no use now.
Jill-drath shook his head. “I do not care for your success or mortality, Paladin, I care for this forest, and how your presence will disturb it further.”
Kaleb sneered, “Show me this camp of yours then.”
“Right this way.”