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Jeremy
After departing Ostlind, the local town on the outskirts of the kingdom, Jeremy and his three associates had spent the better part of a day following this elf.
Although most of the gang thought that the Elf was full of it, the boss didn't want to risk missing out on being able to clear a young dungeon before the guilds showed up and started fighting over land rights. Jeremy didn't really look forward to the shitstorm that was going to be coming down on their heads. Being so far from the closest city, the land out here had questionable claims from several local dukes and had been resold several times. It was not going to be pleasant.
Of course, that all hinged on whether this Elf was telling the truth at all. There was almost nothing of interest out here in the east, so it didn't make much sense to Jeremy that there would even be a dungeon out here. More likely than not the drunkard had stumbled upon a Lair and mistakenly categorized it.
Either way, after three days of scrounging up the best fighters loyal to the cause in town and properly equipping them, they had decided to gamble on the elf. Worst case scenario, at least they would be far enough from town that there would be no need to dispose of the body or any witness.
"Eyes open humans, we are coming up on the edge of the forest."
As they approached the ford in the nameless river, Jeremy couldn't help but shiver. Although the sun had yet to set, there was a noticeable change in the air here, and the look of the forest on the far side of the bank did not do his nerves any good.
Although it was covered in trees, he was sure that this area used to be inhabited by some Nulls. There were not any maps or cartographers in town, so he couldn't be sure, but there had been more than one individual who had gone out this way and not come back. One thing was for certain, there did not used to be a forest out this way. The eastern plains were known for being just that, plains.
"Yo, pointy ears, the sun is setting. We should make camp and brave the forest in the morning."
Jackson did have a point, this forest seemed ominous and the daylight could only do them good. After walking for so long the rest of the crew, save the elf, agreed so they started setting up for the night.
In total there were five in this motley party, including the Ranger. Jackson and his brother Ethan were bigger men who both favored a club for a weapon. Jeremy had his spear and the little bit of training he'd received while working with the city patrol, and Jacob had a longsword. All four of them were outfitted in boiled leather armor, with a collection of knives and tools strapped across the chest.
The elf was a different story. Contrary to what Jeremy thought a ranger would be wielding, Echil had only throwing knives in a sash across his chest. In his waistband he had two daggers sheathed, and what looked to be a locksmith set. The only thing that credited him as a Ranger was the assorted dark green and browns that he wore in place of armor.
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The night passed without much event, with Jeremy standing the third watch. Apart from weird rustling noises and a sense of discomfort it went far more smoothly than he'd expected.
As they were breaking camp and preparing to ford the river the elf spoke up again.
"I am going to warn you once more, and for the last time, this is an enchanted forest. There will likely be monsters in there, and if you get separated from us there is a good chance you will be lost. Wood magic is not something to take lightly, so stay close and stay quiet.
"That being said we have wasted enough time, so let’s get going."
Jeremy really disliked the elf. Although he'd introduced himself when they met up the previous morning on the outskirts of town, he did not seem interested in learning the names of his traveling companions and had spoken little apart from passing out orders. He really lived up to the reputation that his race had built up for sure.
The group forded the river carefully, keeping an eye out for any surprises. As they reached the other side and passed under the drooping branches of the willows Jeremy felt yet another shiver goes down his spine. In addition to that, he would have sworn that the branches tried to snag his clothes where they touched.
"Jeremy, quit lulling behind and keep up with the Bark Sniffer. Can't have you getting lost because you were too busy admiring the flowers."
"Whatever you say Ethan, you won't be saying that when some sneaky ass monster sneaks up on us. I can't wait for you to kiss my ass and buy me beer for saving our lives"
Picking up his step a little bit Jeremy tried to keep up with the rest of the group. After a few hours of wandering through the woods, they stumbled out into a clearing. In the center of the clearing was a collection of strange looking fruit trees and the biggest fucking hedgehogs Jeremy had ever seen.
The things looked to be twice as large as any cat he'd ever seen and there were 6 or 7 of them bustling around the clearing. As the group started to take measure of the giant rodents, the hedgehogs also noticed the trespassers. Faster than they should have been able to, the hedgehogs seemed to dive into the soil as if it were water and disappeared.
"Well then elf, where the hell is the hill you said the dungeon was in? I only see trees here." Jackson was clearly annoyed. After spending hours trampling through an untamed forest, besieged by all manners of insects, the group had been looking forward to getting this over with.
"Calm down, we are almost there. The forest seems to be setting up a visitor area of some sort in this grove. Let’s just keep moving."
They walked along the edge of the grove until they reached the other side and reentered the trees. Within 30 minutes they found themselves in another clearing. This one had only 5 trees in it, and unlike the last it also had a hill that matched the description the elf had provided them. The tree on the hill was a pale white tree with vibrantly green leaves, whereas the other 4 were harder to describe.
Jeremy approached the closer of the other four trees. First, it was more of an adult sapling than a tree. It felt both warm and cool to the touch, and a lot smoother than he expected, and seemed to gleam in the sunlight. If he didn't know better, he would have said the tree was a sculpture of some sort. It stood about a head shorter than he was, as did the other three.
"Jeremy, let’s go already. If I didn't know better, I would have guessed you were the tree humper here."
Jeremy jogged over to his party as they crossed the clearing.
"Shit!" It looked like Jacob had stepped into a sinkhole as one of his legs submerged almost up to his knee. "Ow! Ow Ow Ow sweet gods get me OUT OF HERE!"
As they dragged their blond companion out of the hole Jeremy finally caught up to them. It looked like something had mauled the back of his leg, and he was just lighting them up with profanities. After several rather graphic descriptions of what he was going to do to any hedgehogs he caught, he settled him down under beside the hill.
"Listen here Jacob, we aren't slowing down for you. Suck it up and we will carry you out after we clear this dungeon. We have our orders."
So, they set off into the dank entrance with a litany of profane language behind them.