I woke early in the morning, alone. I felt small wood chips poke my arms and belly, wondering how they hadn't woken me in the middle of the night. Shuffling and heavy breathing came from somewhere nearby, and I rubbed my bleary eyes to look around.
Eliandra stood in the middle of the room, wielding two axes and moving through a set of slightly familiar movements. It was still somehow wooden, and I could see she was holding the axes like she would a sword, but I was impressed nonetheless. Haltir stood in the doorway, staring inside, following every move.
When Eliandra stopped at the end of the practice set, he nodded. "I'm impressed. Although I can see too much of the elegant sword-play you're used to in the form, you have promise!"
Eliandra stretched, and I saw a sheen of sweat glistening on her body. How long have they been working out? I thought, wondering how I hadn't woken from that either. I must have been dead tired.
"Est, you better continue practicing, or you're going to be overtaken soon!" Haltir grumbled as he looked at me. There was joy on his face, but as he got up to move away, he almost tripped. Glaring at his own leg, he hobbled out of the cabin.
"So, you've finally decided to use a real weapon?" I said, grinning at Eliandra.
"Well, as someone lacked the foresight to make me a sword, I didn't have any other choice!" Eliandra said, mock glaring at me. She didn't manage it for long and suddenly burst out laughing.
"Come out of bed, snoring boy! We should reach land before it gets dark, and you still need to make two more bows, and we have to practice!"
Groaning, I covered my face with the bag. "One more minute!"
I heard running footsteps, and before I could react, Eliandra pulled the bottom of the bag, sliding me and it across the ground.
"None of that! Besides, you need to wash up!" With a loud laugh, she ran out of the room, leaving me lying there, entangled in the sleeping bag.
I groaned but couldn't stop from smiling. It was good to see her this happy.
After breakfast, I spent the rest of the morning making two more bows. I didn't manage to get back in the zone, and it showed in the final product. Although they would do, Laurel's annoyed tsssk showed how she felt about the one I handed her.
Practice proved near impossible. Lark was bobbing so much that even Laurel missed the wooden practice dummy I had put up more times than she hit it. When I finally shot an arrow in the deck, Lark started screaming, and we called it a day.
Having more time on my hands, I locked myself away in the cabin to work on a secret project. Well, it wasn't really secret, but I liked how it made the others all curious.
I had just finished and was staring at the wooden creations I had made, wondering if the idea would work, when Laurel shouted from outside.
"Land!"
About time! I thought. The prospect of getting off the ship and not being confined to a city sounded great, even if the result would be doing dangerous things again.
Bending down, I grabbed the first wooden shin guard and bound it around my leg, then the second. Getting up, I moved around a bit but barely noted the added weight. Looking down, I grinned as I wondered what the others would think.
Moving out of the room, I saw the rest standing at the prow, staring at the shadowy blur in the distance. The sun was still out, and quickly summoning my map for a peek, I nodded. We should reach dry land before it got dark, which meant we had time to find shelter somewhere.
I moved beside Eliandra, putting an arm around her waist.
"There you are, mister mysterious," she said, looking at me, then my hands as if she expected me to have something with me. "So? What is it then, this thing you wouldn't tell us about?"
I tapped my foot on the deck.
Eliandra looked at me in wonder, and I glimpsed down before looking at her again, a grin spreading on my face. She followed my eyes, and her mouth fell open.
"That's it? Two pieces of wood strapped to your shins? And what are they even supposed to be? Demons?"
My grin widened, but I just shrugged. Eliandra sniffed and turned back to stare at the land. "Whatever. While you were wasting your time, we created packs for everyone and divided the rations. We only have enough for a few days, so we will need to do some gathering on the road. Haltir said the two of you had experience with that, so I'll leave that up to you."
As I followed her gaze, watching the dark blotch grow into a piece of land, my good mood soured. The rest and relaxation, if you could call it that, were over. Soon we had to go and make our way back to the Harrowing Hills and find Ulderion's ancient followers, or what remained of them. I pulled up the map again and looked at the winding red line that moved across the land. It would take us at least a day or two to travel through the edge of the Howling Forest, and after that, we needed to cross the planes to the Harrowing Hills.
"We can forage after we leave the forest. There's not a lot of edible things that I can find, and it's dangerous to boot. It's easier when we reach the open plains behind it."
"I agree. The forest is no place to run around, hoping to find food that won't kill you," Haltir said.
Quiet returned as we stared at the land coming closer.
Masster? Lark asked, for the first time in a while using master again.
Yes?
What about me?
I blinked, realizing I had totally forgotten Lark couldn't move on the land. Thinking for a moment, I turned to the others.
"Lark can't come with us... do any of you know of a good harbor where he can go where we can find him again?"
I'm not going to wait at some unmoving place until you come around to find me! Lark said, and I could see from the faces of the others that they had heard Lark.
"Can't you just stay here?" Haltir said, sounding uninterested.
Will you come back here to find me? Lark asked, and Haltir shook his head.
"I don't think so."
"Haltir, easy…" I muttered, turning my attention back to Lark while trying to think of something.
"Lark, what do you want to do?" I asked, trying to buy myself some time.
I want to go back to the ssserpent caverns below the sea and get a normal body!
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I blinked, any ideas I might have had vanishing from my mind. "Is that possible?"
Laurel sniffed and shrugged. "Perhaps. Demons are known for taking over each other's bodies at times. But I think you need to be alive for that to work…"
I want to try! Lark stated in such a way that it brooked no argument. I felt the ship shiver as it moved off course a little.
"Alright, but can you bring us to land first?" I hastily said worried Lark would just turn around.
It was quiet for a while, and I saw Laurel and Haltir exchange a worried look.
Fine. Lark sounded annoyed, but the ship returned to its previous course.
"What are you going to do if you succeed?" I asked, trying not to show how unlikely I found it.
I will find masster again and travel with him!
The reply came with such childlike enthusiasm that I didn't know what to say and looked at Eliandra for help. She wasn't looking at me but staring at the deck, lost in thought and with a pained expression.
Crap. I put my hand on her shoulder, but she didn't respond. I knew she had to be thinking of her father, that no good douchebag.
"Lark, look at this map," I said, sharing the map Rathica had given to me.
It didn't cover the whole continent, but enough to have a low detail part of the north. On it, the area Rathica had bargained for with the Grablon Elders was highlighted. There was a small red dot on the coast, a little inland and between two massive mountains. I hadn't gotten around to talk with Rathica about it, but I was pretty sure that was where she had plans to make a more permanent home outside of her realm.
"Do you see this dot here?" I said, mentally indicating the area.
Of courssse, Lark said, sounding confused.
"After you succeed in getting a new body, go there. It's where I'll go after I finish my mission!"
Alright… it's far, but I'll try, Lark said, and I felt the ship speed up slightly.
Eliandra had put her elbows on the railing and was staring off into the distance. I wanted to go to her, hug her, but I knew from experience she wouldn't let me. Instead, I moved closer, hoping just being there would help, if only a little.
Nobody spoke again as the ship moved closer to the land. Soon I could see the sprawling dark forest, it's familiar dark and gnarled trees reminding me of when I had first set foot on Kernstalion.
The small inlet we were going to disembark at came into view just when the sun colored the sea even redder than it normally was.
The ground is too shallow here to get much closer, Lark said when we were ten meters out from the coast.
"Alright..." I said, looking at the others. "I'll go in the water and look for any dangers Lark might have missed. If there isn't anything, I'll go to the shore and chop a tree to use as a raft for the luggage."
"You shouldn't go alone," Haltir said with a frown. He was inspecting the water while subconsciously rubbing his leg.
"I'll be faster on my own," I said, shaking my head. "Besides, if something happens, I need you to pull me back aboard as fast as possible. If two people go in, that leaves only two to pull the others back aboard."
Haltir frowned and shook his head, either not agreeing or generally unhappy, but I couldn't make out which. He didn't say anything though, but moved to the target practice block, removing a length of rope we had used to bind it to the mast.
Eliandra moved towards me, staring at me for a second before hugging me so tightly I was glad I had four arms to guard my sides. Even then, I wondered how she could put so much force into a hug with just nineteen muscle mass.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" I said. When she let me go, she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before stepping back.
I reluctantly removed my armor, hoping I wouldn't get in a position where I needed it. Still, swimming with it wouldn't work. I did put my leg wraps back on, which caused some snorts from Laurel. Looking at the two-leg guards that looked like demons, their arms and legs wrapped backward around my lower leg and their taloned hands clasped together, I just smiled. I wasn't sure if my plan would work, so I'd just keep it to myself for now. A throwing ax in two of my hands, I left my big ax behind and sat on the railing.
"I'll be right back!" I said before pushing off and splashing into the water a few meters below. As soon as I was below, I cast gills. I'd given my breather to Eliandra the day before, just in case.
There was little movement in the grey and red watery world around me, and only a few silvery fish shot away along the bottom, nibbling from the brown plants that covered the surface. Finding nothing dangerous, I began swimming to shore. The seabed rose quickly, and six meters from the shore, I could stand. Feeling my feet sink in the mud, the warmth slightly sickening, I quickly moved towards the treeline ahead, pushing through the plants. The sound of the forest began to be noticeable above the lapping of the sea and the blowing of the wind.
The gnarled trees closest to the water were almost leafless, their branches hanging down listlessly. A few meters further in, the specimens seemed healthier.
I snuck out of the murky water, climbing onto solid ground. Away from the boat, the world was swaying slightly, and I waited until the feeling faded. I looked around for a good tree to chop and bring with me. Two meters away was one that looked like it had been hit by something. Cracked in the middle, it was swaying in the soft wind, creaking as it did.
That'll do just fine, I thought, looking around. I didn't see anything moving, nor any of the dangerous trees or fungi Agga had told me about what seemed like years ago. Staying low to the ground, I snuck forward.
A soft growl came from a bit further in the forest, and I froze, slowly turning my head to the side. Two burning red eyes stared at me from a muzzled wirg head. A mass of scar tissue around the left side of its face drew the emaciated wirg's mouth into a perpetual half-smile. Looking around for more, I saw none and felt a smile creep on my face. This seemed incredibly familiar.
This should make a great addition to the evening guard duty, I thought. With a quick motion, I cast Befriend with my two free hands.
The wirg fell quiet, the growl slackened. Then with a shake of it's head, it snarled, bared its teeth, and charged.
"Fuck," I grunted, getting up and readying my axes. For a second I thought of using my new trick but then held off. It wasn't needed for a single wirg.
I jumped forward at the last moment, dodging below the wirg's leap, slicing upward with one of my axes and nicking its belly. It didn't cut deep, as the wirg made a mad move midair that caused it to dodge around most of the slice. As it landed on the ground, it scuttled away with its tail between its legs until it was clear of the blades. Then it turned and began stalking towards me, and I saw a cunning gleam in its eyes. It reminded me of Smell and Scar.
Something was wrong. I knew it right away. Each time I'd fought wirgs they were either feral and attacked heedless of the danger, or-
I whirled around and dodged to the side out of the path of another wirg that was sailing through the air.
There you are!
Rolling across my shoulder, I got back up and didn't wait this time. I had no idea how many there were. I ran forward, towards the scarred wirg that was rushing at me. It hadn't expected my charge and tried to get out of the way when I moved forward with my axes in front. It managed to slither aside a bit, but not enough to prevent another, deeper slice across it's flank.
This close, I could clearly see the ribs below the saggy skin. These guys were malnourished and still this crafty? I rolled on the ground, looking around. The second wirg wasn't attacking but prowling around the edge of the dark forest, and now I saw a dozen more shadows flit around. How hadn't I heard or seen them before?
Keeping my eyes on the scarred one, I cast Befriend again, but this time did it multiple times, looking at the other wirg. It froze as had the first, and after a second relaxed.
Deciding to get as many of the pack as I could, I was about to rush into the forest when a cracking howl reverberated through the forest. My hairs rose, and the wirg that I had cast Befriend on shuddered. With a snarl, it jumped away, disappearing into the forest. The other shadows vanished almost as one, and I turned just in time to make out the scarred one's shape before it too fled.
What the hell was that? I hissed. It had sounded like a wirg, but louder, and it had dispelled my magic. Taking a deep breath, I moved around the area, ready for anything, but I didn't find any wirgs. All I saw were tracks in the muddy ground and a few tufts of hair stuck to branches.
Moving back to the water's edge, I backpedaled to the tree I had seen and cast Soften wood until it was like toffee. Keeping my eyes on the forest, I used one of the axes to slice through it until only a small edge remained. Then I cast Harden Wood before chopping the last bit. The tree immediately toppled to the side and crashed into the water. I climbed atop and alternated between looking at the forest and cutting the most obstructive branches off.
It didn't take long, and I used one of the longer branches that still had some brown leaves as a paddle, sitting on the trunk like some poor man's canoe. A shout made me look up, and I saw Eliandra look at the forest behind me, pointing. Turning, I found a massive wirg standing between the trees, staring at me with glowing orange eyes. It was easily twice as high as a normal Wirg, far more muscular, and the way it looked at me made me shiver.
Worg, I thought, remembering the large Wirg I had encountered near Sart. After a second, the Worg, if it was that, turned and disappeared into the forest.
That guy would make a fabulous friend, I thought, turning to the ship while pondering how I could cast my spell on it without it resisting.