Let’s get this party started. Pike and Erasmus, freshly decked out in clothes provided to them by the Dwarves, pass through a hidden gate on the northernmost spur of the Mount Tarn. The two of them blink as they see the light of early morning, it has been a while since either have seen open sky. Before them, the land rolls away into forested valleys and hills, before rising up again into the ominous peaks of the mighty mountain range that dominates the northern horizon, the mountains known only as the Teeth (name pending).

“I see why we went the roundabout way,” said Pike, scanning the land below. From what he could see, they wouldn’t be able to find a flat stretch of land big enough for even a pancake for miles around. Stray from a known path, even a little, and you might suddenly find yourself plunging off a cliff or into a bog.

Erasmus looked towards the west, as if hoping to see some sign of their destination. The land there didn’t look much more hospitable. “I hope the others found a safe path,” he muttered to himself.

“They will have surely made their way to the River’s valley,” said Fray, stepping out of the tunnel to join them, followed by a dozen Dwarf warriors. “It shall lead them, and yourselves, directly to Hargrave. I can’t imagine any harm would have come to them.”

Pike sneered. “Certainly. Unless these Hargrave people are as welcoming as everyone else we’ve met so far on this damn journey.”

“The men of Hargrave are allies of the Thanes,” interjected Erasmus. “And of the Rangers…”

“So were those Troll-men.”

“Well Pike, to be entirely fair…”

“To be entirely fair,” Pike spat back. “They attacked me first!”

“I know that. But you must admit, first impressions aren’t your strong point.” Erasmus scratched his cheek, right below his scar.

“It’s not my might fault I’m so badass…”

“Well friends!” interrupted Fray, a little too loudly. “This is it. The thoughts of our Lord and Lady, as well as our people, go with you on your quest.”

“Oh you guys are too kind,” said Erasmus. Pike spat on the ground.

“But we would not have you depart with only kinds words, the Lady has beseeched us to deliver these gifts to you.”

“Oh that’s grand,” said Erasmus. “But you have already given us much. The clothes and the rations are all we need, and all we can carry.”

“I speak of no mere trinkets.” Fray motioned to the other dwarves, and two stepped forward, bearing bundles of grey cloth in their hands.

“These cloaks were woven by Lady Brisinga herself. There are few who can make cloaks such as these anymore, and long have they warded dwarven travellers from the eyes of enemies.”

“So what’s the big deal?” asked Pike. “Are they magical?”

“Of course.”

“Fuck yes,” said Erasmus. “We shall never forget this kindness. May we meet in happier times, noble Dwarves. May the Heroes safeguard your realm.”

With their shitty fighters, they’ll need it, Pike thought to himself.

They said their last farewells, and made their way down the path that lead them from the mountain and into the forested lands below, keeping their eyes on the lazy stream that was to lead them to the banks of the Ruga. Pike walked ahead in silence, but Erasmus hummed cheery tunes to himself, breathing in the clear morning air, rich with the freshness of spring. Now that they were back under clear sky and on the journey again, Erasmus could not help but feel his spirit soar. Pike quickened his pace, until he was well out of sight of the Paladin. It was going to be a long, long trip, Pike thought to himself bitterly.

The ground was damp, and Pike felt his way along with his walking staff, cautious to avoid stepping onto a snake or a sinkhole. Eventually, something caught his eye. He could glimpse something that was a dark red colour through some tangled bushes. He sniffed the air instinctively. There was a hint of the iron scent of blood, but old and faint. Pushing aside thin branches with his stick, he saw a bundle of faded red cloth lying soiled in the muck. It didn't take long for him to remember Myra's red cloak she had always worn, the one that Garth the outlaw was wearing the night Pike cut him down.

So Myra must have escaped the mountain and come down here, probably chased out by the dwarves. Pike frowned, how did she manage that? And what had happened to her since? The dwarves had said something about chasing intruders out of the mountain, but running into an ambush. What in the world did that outlaw woman get herself into?

Pike thought back to dark caves beneath the mountain, how the woman had held back and watched as he slowly lost his grip and fell into the black abyss below, how she had left him to die. Well, it wasn't entirely unexpected, but Pike couldn't help but feel a little salty.

"At least she's out of my hair now…" he muttered to himself, but it didn't make him feel any better.

"Ho! Pike! Where'd you get to buddy?"

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Pike jolted and hurriedly crammed the cloak into his pack, thinking of no better way to dispose of the thing then and there. Erasmus watched as Pike's head rose suddenly from a cluster of bushes.

"What're you doing over there?"

"Nothing," Pike said, stepping back onto the path. "Taking a dump."

"Ah. My bad." Erasmus looked around and sighed. "I daresay getting kidnapped by dwarves was worth it just for the indoor plumbing. Nothing like getting intimate with nature to make you miss the finer points of civilisation. Wouldn't you say?"

"You lost me at 'indoor plumbing'," Pike scratched his head. "I don't speak any fancy island languages you know."

"I… oh never mind. Anyway, I don't think it's wise for either of us to go off alone. Fray did say something about a battle happening outside the north gate. It must have happened nearby."

"Yes, I remember. In fact, I was just thinking about the same thing…"

"It happened a couple of days ago. But still, better be careful. Say, what do you think of all that?"

"Of what?"

"About all that stuff Fray told us. Harrowing stuff to hear about wasn't it? Just as our company passes by we get left behind, suddenly some mysterious figures show up and wreak havoc and disappear just as quickly. Not to mention the thing with the demon…"

"How would I know anything about all that stuff?" Pike snapped. "I had my own problems to deal with."

"I just thought that you would have an educated guess at least. You must admit, you have had a… well, a colourful life."

Pike shrugged his shoulders. "Shit happens."

(Drunk and desperate to continue this thing)

But anyways, they continued on their way for some days, with Erasmus vainly trying to strike up conversations, and Pike shooting them down every time. At last they entered the river valley, and here’s how that went down.

“By the Dark Lord’s dingus, that’s a big river,” said Erasmus, looking at the big river that flowed past them. “I’d never imagine that there would be this much water in one spot without even a single house in spitting distance.”

“Things are different out here,” said Pike, being both uninformative and ominous, just the way he liked it.

Erasmus looked to the sky. “It’s getting late. We ought to find a place to hunker down for the night and get a fire going.”

“About that,” said Pike. “I’m not sure we should go lighting any fires. If there’s anyone else out there…”

“But you can hardly see in a straight line for miles around,” said Erasmus. “Besides, our biggest threat at night will be wolves and such. Fire should keep them at a healthy distance.”

Pike ground his teeth, deep in thought. “I just have a gut feeling that we’re not alone out here. And I’m not just talking about animals.”

“Well then, I suppose it’s a choice between lighting a fire, and not. Too simple.” Erasmus fished around in his tunic and drew forth a large, silver coin. “We shall have to just leave it to chance.”

“What’s that?”

“This is my lucky medallion. It bears the image of Caradoc the Cantankerous, my Guardian Hero. We share the same birthday, you know, June the second, in fact . He has never led me wrong, back in the raid on the island of Shaigan, I was caught between the choice of…”

“Okay I get it,” Pike cut in. “As stupid as that sounds, I guess we don’t have a better option.”

“Very well then. Heads, we build a fire.” Just as Erasmus began the motion to flip the coin in the air, a raven perched on a branch above them gave an obnoxiously loud caw. The two of them nearly jumped out of their skin, and Erasmus’ coin flew off at an odd angle, bounced off a branch, and disappeared into the forest.

“Nuts! My lucky coin!” Erasmus exclaimed as he chased after the talisman, Pike laughing after him.

“So much for Guardian Heroes…”

“Pike! Quick, come look at this!” came Erasmus’ voice after a couple of minutes. Pike frowned and followed after him, hand on his sword hilt.

“What is it? If you’ve lost your stupid coin, I’m not helping you look for it.”

Pike entered a clearing that was dominated by a large tree, but the Paladin was nowhere to be seen.

“Don’t have to, old bean. It led us right after all!” Suddenly, Erasmus’ head appeared from between two roots at the tree’s base. “It was heads, but we won’t need a fire tonight. Come look!”

Erasmus disappeared again like some rabbit in his burrow, and Pike cautiously followed. Hidden amongst a jumble of roots and clinging vines was a tunnel. With little difficulty, Pike slithered into it and found himself in a small but comfortably sized hollow beneath the tree. Erasmus was sitting on a jutting root, looking rather smug.

“Neat, isn’t it? Not the most promising of lodgings, but we should be well out of view of any nasty customers. And our swords should be enough to deal with any animals sniffing after us. Caradoc was always known to be a most resourceful Hero.” Erasmus beamed happily, tossing his coin in the air and catching it.

Pike slumped to the dirt floor, satisfied but trying to look unimpressed. He opened up a satchel the Dwarves had given him.

“Too bad you couldn’t luck us up some proper food,” he said, eyeing the slice of dried mushroom that made up their rations. “I guess dwarves never heard of jerky.”

That night, Erasmus was having a flashback dream or something, when a sharp pain in his abdomen dragged him back into the waking world. Blinking, he could vaguely see Pike sitting there by the hollow’s entrance, sparse moonlight filtering into it.

“Huh, Pike? What’s up?”

Pike held a finger to his mouth. His heavy sword was unsheathed next to him. “Keep it down. You were snoring.”

“Do I really snore? Wait, what’s wrong? Do we have company?”

“Come see for yourself.”

Erasmus crawled his way to the tunnel mouth. Peeking out of it, he could see a dark, misty world outside. The light of the moon was only strong enough to frame the shadows and little else. But Erasmus could see, dark shapes moving amongst the trees. Squat, shuffling shapes that meandered around. Whatever they were, Erasmus saw their eyes, pairs of red lights which pierced the darkness. Erasmus’ blood nearly froze in his veins.

“All-Father’s throne…” his voice was a hoarse whisper. “What are those things?”

Pike audibly shrugged somehow. “Not sure. I’ve heard the stories though. Everyone in the Wild Wood hears stories about shadow-demons or beast-men or whatever. I’ve never seen one though.”

“They looked like they were searching for something,” said Erasmus. “Are they looking for us.”

“I’d bet my left nut on it. At least we found this hole to hide in. If they sniff us out, we could hold them off at least.”

“Indeed. This changes things… Hargrave is still a few days off. What will we do tomorrow night?”

“Not sleeping in a convenient hidey-hole, most likely,” said Pike.

“Maybe these dwarf cloaks will shield us from their sight?”

Pike chuckled “Yeah, and maybe we’ll find a magic carpet and fly to the moon.”

“That would be preferable,” said Erasmus, enthusiastically.

“Whatever. You’re the one who banished a demon with your fancy magic sword, so you can take the watch from here.” Pike stretched himself out on the hard earth floor.

Erasmus took up his sword and rested it on his knees, watching hollow’s entrance. “I’d give up us this sword without a second thought if I could know how the others are faring. This quest has already gone completely off the rails before we even reached the battle.”

“They’ll be fine…” Pike muttered. “Probably.”