Accursed Wars of Immortalis

Chapter 4: Hunting the Rogue

"Yes, we might not have time later," added Ragnhild. "I'm best equipped, so I'll draw it's attention, keep it busy. Kurt, you flank it. Must give Walgen a chance to strike with his poleaxe. Might even be able to kill it in one swift blow." 

She nodded to herself, satisfied with the plan.

Colton moved to Flann's side.

"Listen, if our vanguards get in trouble, we need, at all costs, to prevent them from being cursed. I can use some water magic to quench the fiend's flames and push it back, but if one of them is incapacitated, I won't heal them, for I am not skilled enough to do it in the heat of a battle. I'm glad that Ragnhild chose to bring you along; I heard that you are a great healer." He paused, thoughtful. "Stand back, and let us deal with the demon. I heard that you could be reckless."

Flann immediately frowned at Walgen, who had been listening. Hearing that their conversation had abruptly stopped, he looked back to see why. He met Flann's stare, and smiled nervously.

"Well, you see, dear Flann, there is some truth to what I said," explained Walgen.

"Flann, we can't afford to lose you. Stay back and let us do the fighting. Remember, you are a priestess of Light before all; support us," interjected Ragnhild.

The journey to the edge of the forest was uneventful. Most were silent from fatigue, as they had been walking without stopping for at least five hours. They were near the edge of the forest now. They ate one ration each, without cooking the gynesis root. It taste rather bitter, but it was edible when combined with a bite of bread and a swig of water. They were standard rations, and had no meat or fruit.

"This is the biggest forest in the northwest, Tarnen Forest," said Ragnhild. "Home to nasty beasts, which avoid human settlements, usually, but don't miss out on a good meal when it comes into their territory. Stay alert."

During their meal, they removed parts of their armour and sat for a few minutes in the shade of a large tree. The sun was now near its zenith, and the heat out in the open was barely bearable to the armoured vanguards. When it was time to resume the quick march, Walgen sighed before hefting his poleaxe. Kurt offered to carry it for him, but Walgen refused.

Inside the forest, the air was much cooler. As they went deeper, however, it became more dense, giving Walgen trouble with his poleaxe. After getting snagged in some branches, he finally accepted Kurt's help. Now, the two of them held one end of the weapon each, and they walked in line, carrying the poleaxe together and suspending their supply sacks from it.

While the group maintained the same pace as in the highlands, it was more exhausting, and progress was slower as they continuously had to watch their footing. They could only hope that the rogue Maledicti, supposedly taller than Ragnhild, would also have trouble making its way through the forest.

Colton suddenly exclaimed: "Ah! I have felt a trace of the demon. It's aura is more powerful than any I've felt before, albeit only a little. I think that there may be a slight exaggeration of it's power in the account given by others."

He took the lead, and adjusted their heading, slightly more to the north.

"It seems to be headed for a road that connects Stilshor to Wittenburg. That would certainly allow it to travel faster, as well as get a few bandits or travellers along the way," he said. "They never tire of cursing people."

On their way to the road, they found a few animals. Most scurried away, being nothing more than harmless critters, rodents or small animals. Others were pacts of three or four aggressive beasts, lukos, that had been slain. They bore claw marks along their necks, and sometimes gouged-out eyes and other wounds, or burnt fur. The group was thankful that the rogue did not set fire to the forest.

"We've at least ten dead lukos now. Do you think that it cursed some?" inquired Flann.

"I don't think that they typically curse anything other than humans. Few living creatures have as much mana as us. Those that do are rather rare." answered Colton. "I think that they would rather not waste time with low-mana creatures."

He hesitated a moment, looking back at Flann. "Did you see any animals, down in the Sea of Flames?"

"Well, there are these crab-like creatures that live on land, but they are native to the Realm. I think there may also be fish in the lava that tickled us as they swam by," she began "I once saw a colossal serpent swimming far away; I could barely see it because of the ash in the air."

"Is that so?" answered Colton, surprised. "I never would have believed that anything really lived there. But none of those were once native of our realm, it seems."

Flann nodded.

They reached the road, around two hours after their departure from the forest's edge. They were able to move quicker without exhausting themselves now, but the trek through the forest had taken it's toll.

"We may need to rest before we face the demon," advised Kurt. "Once it's trace becomes strong, we should rest for a bit."

"Few minutes won't be enough," said Ragnhild, "and waiting too long will distance us too much. We'll have to strike fast and kill it quickly."

They remained silent, aside for their breathing. The chirping of birds in the trees, would have helped lighten spirits, were it not for the grim trial ahead.

"This is not good," muttered Colton, "there is a large disturbance in energies up ahead. Not just Maledicti magic, but other magic too. There must have been a fight."

Flann felt it too – a vortex of violent pulsing energy, the familiar effects of chaos magic, and more subtle alterations usually caused by the other elements. She covered her face when a strong smell swept over the group. The familiar stench of burnt bodies. The group drew their weapons, shields and wands; they quickened the pace to a jog, ready to charge at the sight of the demon. The road curved sharply ahead, keeping the source of the smell out of sight.