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"I like this skin, he's pretty funny! Wick whispered, his flames brightening. After a few close calls with the light, he now hid in Lwon's skull. With nowhere else to go, the fire sprouted out of his eyesockets.
It was night, and the corpse wagon had rested in a forest clearing. Snoring could be heard from the sleeping bag of a man while an oil lamp burned a dim yellow.
The man that drove the cart was a little... off, often speaking to invisible people and making idiosyncratic hand movements. It left no end of entertainment for Wick, and he loved entertainment.
Nonstop, the wisp would ramble on and on in Lwon's head about an insane prank on the late duke of Semien, whom Lwon had never heard of, or about a patch of forest he burned down because a pixie called his nose stupid. Do wisps even have noses?
Evidently not, seeing as how he'd intentionally raise the temperature in the cart. The cart with dead bodies.
Thankfully, Lwon could turn off his sense of smell, but fellow travelers made a variety of faces as they passed.
One time, Wick pretended to be another voice in the mans head, prompting him to make noises whenever Wick commanded.
In broad daylight!
"...Anything?" Lwon asked.
Wick descended. "No sign of the horde we saw earlier. Skin here is fast asleep as well, but he's snoring up a storm."
At night, when the light wouldn't be noticed, Wick floated above the treeline for a better vantage point.
Lwon wiggled his way around the mound, jumping down on the ground.
"So where are we on the map?" Wick queried.
Lwon unfolded the map and simply pointed out the location..
The Wailing Woods. Located on the edge of the mists of undeath in the southernmost edge of Aarde, It was home to a great deal of mystery.
It was more of a swamp of the forest. Weeping willows drooped in messy half arcs as water dripped down the leaves. A hum of frogs, flies, and bigger creatures usually permeated the atmosphere. Many things came out at night to hunt.
Adventurers often heard screams emerge from deep within the forest. Many have tried to discover the source of the noises, none returned.
Right now, it was deathly silent. The convoy hadn't heard anything since entering, other then a herd of undead and a squadron of Nightbanes sent to quash them.
Nightbanes are elite soldiers trained by the church to combat all things unholy. Their most visibly discerning trait was their black clothing and gold masks, depicting the lord of the underworld, Godwin.
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Lwon broke in a cold sweat when he noticed one of them staring right at him. Luckily, the smell was particularly rough that day, discouraging any further investigation.
"Wow, I never even heard any wailing this whole trip!" Wick said in joy. "I guess even that Myrtle got tired of it.
"The druid..." Lwon replied. She was a recipient of one of the letters, a Miss Myrtle Groen.
"Crazy old bat if you ask me. She gets all psycho if you disrespect her plants, never do that."
Lwon put that under consideration while wondering how Wick knew that.
A noise rattled from the forest. Something slid on the forest floor, shaking fallen leaves and branches.
"...hmm?" came a voice. It sound strained, as if someone was being crushed.
Shadows became illuminated as a twisted face emerged. It was a Nightbane, still wearing his mask. Already dead, his missing arm and leg were replaced with a green assortment of vines and flowers.The vines stuck interconnected between the Nightbane, forming a sort of man/plant symbiote.
A rattling noise woke the crazy man up. He'd planted a proximity alarm beforehand– one could never be too cautious.
"Oh yo oh yo, what is it now, Matilda?" He said, grabbing a disk shaped object under his shirt.
The vined monstrosity laughed in ridicule as the man quickly drew his sword. What a puny thing!
Lwon was about to rush off to help when Wick made a ruckus.
"Stop you idiot! Thats one of the old bag's scouts. Let him eat the skin then we'll follow him back. SAhe likes to change trees or whatever she lives in every week and this will save a hell of a lot more time."
Lwon flared up in anger. LET THE HUMAN DIE? He knew it firsthand how valuble life was.
"Help me.... or not..." He continued to move.
Wick tried to reason with him. It wasn't worth it! We need to deliver the letter! Think about what'll happen if she goes emptyhanded Then Miss finds out!
It didn't work.
"Fuck....." He sighed." I guess it IS sort of our fault, those things are attracted to magical energy, and it just so turns out you're held together by the stuff." He flared up, as if pumping himself up. "Ok, fine. Lets do it."
Lwon, with Wick inside his skull, climbed out of the wagon.
"Just remember to not kill the thing... We just gotta scare it a little, then we'll follow it back to the druid." Wick whispered. "Don't disrespect the plant– in fact, let me do the talking."
Wick rumbled as if clearing his throat, then shot a bolt of fire into the air.
"I was just haunting aimlessly for a few decades when I came across something like you. YEAH, I MEAN YOU, BLACK FACE!" Wick yelled.
The vine monster and the wagoneer looked to the cart. In front was skeleton with glowing blue eyes. clad in chainmail with a greyish overcoat. Blue flames licked the ground as it walked forward.
"WANNA KNOW WHAT I DID TO THAT THING?" Wick yelled, while Lwon opened his jaw.
"What happened to.... don't disrespect the plant.." groaned Lwon.
"It's not disrespecting the plant, it's disrespecting the human vessel." The flame shot back.
"Cuz.. I know the difference..."
The monster laughed again. He was a little offput by the appearence of the newcomer, with his blue flames overflowing from his sockets, but the weird newcomer's squabbling emboldened the creature.
It rushed towards the man.
"I DID THIS!" Wick shouted, while hurriedly whispering to the skeleton. "Put your hand up, put your hand up on the ground!" He hissed.
Fire shot off from the skeletons outstretched hand, demarking a clear line between the vined Nightbane and the crazy wagoneer.
Squealling in horror, the creature decided a hasty retreat. Being cautious is how one survived in this world.
It head back to the shadows whence it came.
Crazy was jumping in joy. People always told him it was 'impossible' for the voices in his head to be real. But here it was, physical proof. His fiery friend who sprang up a few days ago, John, had saved him.
"John! I KNEW YOU WERE REAL!" He exclaimed.
He ran to the wagon to greet his longtime friend, but was shocked to finds nothing but burning corpses.
It's as if he'd never existed.
In reality, the two of them chased the vine monster as it ran. Smoke from the fire made it quite easy to sneak away from the cart to chase the vine monster.