Marching along the trail, most of my time was spent conversing with the group. Information has, and always will be king, no matter the location. What you don’t know will hurt you, anything that can go wrong will go wrong, that sort of scenario. Then again, it's within our condition to pay more attention to the bad rather than the good.
The primary priority on my journey was to familiarize myself with the surroundings and the local culture. As journeyed as I’d like to consider myself, immersing yourself in a new culture will always lead to some discontent between yourself and the locals. I’ve learned that its best to familiarize yourself with a smaller group before stumbling into larger settings.
Taking avid note of my inner monologue, I began making small talk with the short, purpled hair girl, Lilith as I have grown to know her. Gazing into her deep silver irises, “We’ve been walking for a while now haven’t we? What’s with the lack of noise?”.
“It’s a sinister land, that drives most away, especially animals. If you hear anything, that’s when you know somethings wrong. Either the undead on your back or…” Cut off by the cracking of branches behind us; we quickly swivel our heads around, I immediately put shame into the saying ‘Keep your head on a swivel,’ turning a full 180 degrees in under a few milliseconds…
Not long after, the rhythmic sound of feet and steel clattering; overtake the once silent forest. The bushes rustle from behind us, unveiling hundreds of undead marching in droves. A few walking corpses spot us within the vegetation, five in total break from the group gaining on us in a matter of moments.
Lilith quickly unsheathes her blade, and I make a quick dash forwards, winding back my arm I form the best fist I can manage, the shock of the uncanny situation taking its toll on my once recovering psyche. Two of the five cadavers quickly close ground, their rotting flesh sagging and dripping in visceral fluid turned black from time spent stagnant. Time slowed down, and my thoughts sped at a rate that belayed the lack of distance in comparison to the quickly gaining threat; thoughts of my imminent death overtook my mind, ‘Am I going to die here?’, ‘Why now?’, ‘Why didn’t I take that damn sword.’
Time dilation, what I never expected to experience in reality, had taken over my cognition. Time slowed to a standstill, at least mine had. I glance over to Lilith; she displayed nimble footwork making quick work of the three rotting corpses, her swift blade severed the limbs of the putrid carcasses, leaving them immobile then efficiently taking their heads effectively killing them for their second time.
Looking at Lilith in compassion to my inability, I shudder. My arrogance in my newfound abilities had given me some form of muddleheadedness, the equivalent of me having my head too far up my ass to see the blunders I’ve made.
Lilith looks back to me in anticipation after dispatching the few undead near her, “Snap out of it, its just their aura!”
I take hold of the little courage I have left in this situation quickly regaining a smidgen of my previous arrogance; the undead are now upon me. I ready my posture into a standard military form taught to those who served in the Terran Empire. With my form ready, I aim for the thought center, the head of all places. The lack of any type of defense on top of severe decay has lessened the structural stability of the humanoid corpse in front of me.
The corpses arms are in motion striking towards me. I take the initiative and dash forward weaving out of the undead’s half-hazard attacks, my preparations for a strike pay off. A loud wet squelch resounds from my fists hitting the undead’s head, makes me shudder. Being so close, I can now smell how badly decayed this corpse truly is, the stench unaided by the bloody mist its head has been reduced to.
The all too familiar sound of a dead body dropping to ground sounds across the now apparent battlefield. Perhaps shocked by my powerful strike. The undead hoard appears hesitant to make their way forward and engage in battle, fearful of me, or something else.
A fist fight is something I'm quite familiar with. However I wouldn’t say that I've killed anyone with my fists, we used weapons for that. Energy and kinetic weapons were commonplace. Why beat someone senseless with your fists when you can vaporize them?
‘Vaporize them?’ Resounds in my head, the equivalent of a facepalm resounds throughout my soul space. An answer to this disastrous situation made itself known, Magic. However, another problem presented itself, how? I had minor practice with magic, its complexity was not something that could be overcome in a day, even with the plethora of knowledge I had at hand. Even if I’d taken a week, it wasn’t to practice solely magic. I mostly practiced my God-given powers, but I can’t exactly expose myself like that, now can I?
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I look back to the group in this moment deliberation, Alec, and Thomas along with the comatose boy had disappeared somewhere, potentially abandoning us. Lilith had been making herself over to me after dispatching her adversaries.
“Where are the others at!” I shouted at the distantly approaching female. However, I didn’t receive a verbal response, only her pointing upwards into the trees. Turning my head towards the canopy, I spot the rest of the group perched above in the trees.
In the time I spent gawking at their ingenuity, Lilith had covered the full distance.
“Say… You’re pretty strong to be able to take their head clean off with only your fists without magic or weapons.” She said unphased by our circumstances.
I absorb some of her apathetic attitude and muster a response, “You must be pretty strong to swing a sword with that speed, without magic.” At least I assume she didn’t use magic.
“Touché,”, She said with a grin and a light chuckle.
“So how are we making it out of this one?”
“Like this,” She said, “Alec do it now while they are grouped!”
Before she had even finished her shout, Alec had twirled his staff with mirth. A massive ray of blinding light exploded from it, an odd sense of veneration grasped ahold. Where once a small army of undead stood, was now an albeit large patch of smoldering rubble.
I wet my lips in the grand display of magical might, “A small army destroyed with one spell”, I muttered, apparently inaudible to the group. Imagine the power of the Empire if all our soldiers could do that…
Thomas and Alec quickly jumped down from their perch. Thomas had a grin on his face that spoke of ill intent. However, I made my way towards Alec ignoring Thomas, “I know we just met, however, would it be too much to ask to have you teach me magic, at least to give me some pointers?”.
Alec in response to my sudden rapture gave me a bemused expression, “I don’t mind, however, whether or not you can apply any of it depends on your talent.” He said giving his best shrug and grandfatherly smile.
Our brief conversation was interrupted by Lilith shouting “What are you doing!?” I quizzically turned my head…
Only to see Thomas with his cock out, urinating on one of the undead who appeared to have fallen off the side of the trail.
“What the fuck are you doing.” I scream-whisper at the fool, “He looked thirsty?” Thomas replied, pissing into the undead’s open mouth, a mischievous smirk plastered on his face. However, his smirk quickly turned into that, of, a look of fear, as the once thought to be corpse leapt up with a flinch, Thomas cock in hand promptly stumbled back. This opening gives Lilith enough time to unsheathe her sword, and dash in to save him.
All this while I’m sitting there trying not to laugh my ass off, at his misfortune.
Lilith quickly dispatches the shambling corpse; turning to Thomas, “Idiot, you’re lucky it was only one.” She mumbles. “Serves you right, that’s what you get for desecrating the dead,” I toss in to add insult, to injury.
With these events, a clear picture of the group has been painted. ‘Thomas is the clown or an idiot ‘probably both,’ Lilith is a bit of a jokester herself… But she’s got a good head on her shoulders, while Alec is a kindly grandfather figure’ I turn to Alec, no to the boy on his shoulders, ‘He is…’ “Disabled,” I let slip.
Lilith takes notice of my words and gaze, eliciting a small sigh matched with a slight frown. “He wasn’t always like that,” she said pointing to the boy, “His sister cared for him for most of his life, she urged him to come out with us, it was his first adventure and her last. He watched his sister, his last family member torn limb from limb, and eaten.” She finished with “If that happened to you, wouldn’t you shut down as well?”.
Jostling my hair, “No, I would die trying to save her.” I replied matching her frown. “How’d it get that bad anyways, what happened to get to that position in the first place.” She lets out another sigh from my question only giving a short response “We ran into a hoard of beasts, and they chased us, so we ran, Jacklyn tripped…” unfortunately that was all I could pry from her, she caressed her forehead pinched the bridge of her nose and went silent.
The rest of the trip to town was in bleak silence, nothing but the pitter patter of footsteps on the soil. “Huh, that’s interesting,” I said looking at the sign on the trail, and the final traces of forested land now opening into a vast plain.
[Town of Eirendel, Population:7,569]
‘Not bad for primitives I suppose.’ The walled town made itself known in contrast to the farmland surrounding it. Vast fields of golden grains and varied crops decorated the large plains area. A single smooth stone roadway cut through the expanse of harvest. We quickly made our way to the gates of the walled town.
Massive hulking masses of flesh and armor made an appearance, bustling muscles detailed through their sparse clothes. “I look like a wimp compared to them, huh” I voice out loud. However, my inner monologue goes something along the lines of ‘Hmm, I wonder who's stronger,”.
Thomas smelt blood in the water, and quickly wisecracked “Yeah, you look like a fairy when compared to those monstrosities. Especially with that frail frame, and pointy ears, bet you’d sell well on the market.” He finishes letting out an audible chuckle.
I gave him a creeped out look, in retrospect to his inappropriately shitty joke.
Lilith chimed in with a smile, “Yeah, you look like a walking twig.” she says earning a self-deprecating chuckle from myself.
“How many are in your group,” Asked the monstrosity of a guard.
“Five now,” Alec said, surveying the group a deep frown on his face.
“The tolls three silver, you can pay now, or you can leave” with a sigh Alec took out a bag, quickly producing the currency to pay the man.
“I’ll meet you guys back at the Tavern; I have something to take care of,” Alec said after making our way through the gate.
“I’ll show Alec around, for now, we’ll meet you at that Tavern.” Lilith supplied Alec.
“Where’s Thomas,” I asked, “He, ran off somewhere like usual, probably up to no good. Now come on, I have to get you registered at the guild” she said.