It was hours that the rain persisted for, numbing them all to the core as they mindlessly walked on through the woods, pushing on with stiff limbs and reduced vision. The sound of the rain hammering down around them did however help to cover the eerie silence that they had suffered the day before. It was difficult to judge the passing of the day since it was dark beneath the cover of the clouds and the forest but after a while Nathaniel caught sight of a figure to his left. It was a deer stood perfectly still, just a dark brown silhouette in the distance. This was the first living animal that he had seen upon entering the forest but it seemed that one of its antlers had been snapped off. As soon as the deer had seen the group of men it bolted and silently disappeared into the darkness beyond. The sight of the deer had made Nathaniel smile but now that it was gone the thought of its broken antler troubled him. It was not the right season for the rut and so another deer did not likely break it off in a fight. Now he was worried that whatever had injured the deer awaited them further along the path and just as quickly as he had calmed down he was once again anxious and fearful of what prospects lay ahead.
As the group pushed on, the rain stopped and Nathaniel was aware that he did not recognise the forest anymore. He used to know it so well and would be able to navigate it with ease on previous excursions but there was definitely something strange about it as he looked around. A mile or so down the road they came across an abandoned watchtower, built many years ago when the republic was still a kingdom. In its glory days it would have stood high and proud above the trees, overlooking the land around. The structure was quite ornate and would probably have been manned full time by a group of about twenty to forty guardsmen.
As it stood now the tower looked quite sad. It was in a bad state of disrepair and would be useful to provide a little shelter from the elements but was in no condition to be manned full time. A good view would still be afforded from the top, to anyone brave enough to scramble up the dilapidated masonry. In fact as he looked at it, Nathaniel could make out a path to climb fairly easily to the top. He had visited this tower before, he knew, but for some reason it felt foreign to him. Something about it was not the same as it had been the last time he visited. The captain had caught him looking up the tower and brought his horse alongside him. "Do you see a way up?" he asked, to which Nathaniel nodded. "Are you up to it?" he questioned further, but Nathaniel did not respond and instead jumped off his horse and headed inside the tower.
The base of the tower was surprisingly well intact, however the stairs had long since rotted away and a tree had grown up the centre. This gave Nathaniel his starting point and having removed any unnecessary weight in the form of his armour, hoisted himself into the tree and began to climb. The tree was quite strong and took him up the tower to where the first gash in the side was, where masonry was missing. As he looked up he still had a way to climb and it looked much harder than it had on the ground. He slid his fingers between stones, where the mortar had worn away and managed to climb up to a window ledge where he stopped to rest and observe his route up higher.
Somehow plants had taken a hold higher up also and pulling on a vine to test its strength it pulled straight out of the wall and brought some small stones crashing down below. "Careful Nathaniel!" came the call of Buron below. He was now a little shaken as adrenaline surged through his body but he calmed himself and after a few deep breaths, he continued to ascend using finger holds between the stones. Higher up part of the wall had caved in and he could use it as steps to reach the upper tier of the tower but he could see no easy way to reach it from where he was now stood. The only thought that crossed his mind would be to jump for it and pray he did not fail the distance.
Looking down did nothing to settle his nerves as he prepared himself to make the leap. He closed his eyes and gripped his medallion tight in his hand, taking deep breaths once again. In the next moment he threw his body, with all the strength he could muster, toward the ledge. It was slightly higher than where he had been perched but his hands found the edge and gripped on for dear life as the rest of his body followed him over and slammed into the wall. Without thinking he pulled himself right up then realised he had knocked the wind out of himself and probably bruised, if not broken, a few ribs.
He continued upward, using the steps provided by the broken wall to reach the upper tier. Only a few feet now remained between him and the roof of the tower, of which less than half remained intact and probably less again remained safe. He did not allow these thoughts into his head as he continued to climb, once again risking the strength of the vines growing out of the stonework. This time they seemed strong enough to hold his weight and he swung across the gaping mouth of the tower to reach a protrusion of stone on the other side. Climbing on top of it he could easily grab a hold of higher stones and pull himself onto the roof.
It was much windier up there and the stones were still a little damp from the rain making it quite precarious. The view however was quite spectacular and looking downhill the whole forest and valley floor was spread out before him. He had never seen it from that view before and did not until then appreciate just how truly immense it was. Nothing could be seen looking uphill as the trees had virtually swallowed the tower and the treetops poked up higher than where he was stood. The spire of the tower did not look safe but would afford a much greater view of the forest, as it was still just about higher than the trees. Again he climbed up without thinking too much about the danger involved.
As he had thought, the view was improved and it allowed him to see uphill also. It seemed nothing was about for miles around. Other than his companions there were no other signs of life about. No birds hovering in the sky, or mountain lions prowling the ground. If he had not seen the deer earlier, or eaten rabbit and fowl the day before, he would have believed the forest to be devoid of all life since the shadow had laid over it. Thinking of it again made him shudder and he knew that it was time to descend the tower. When he looked down he knew he wouldn't be able to go back the same way he came, however the trees nearby had plenty of vines growing from them and would allow him to carefully rappel down the side of the tower.
Having his feet back on solid ground was quite relieving and he walked over to where Buron was standing, holding his horse while he was climbing. "No sign of anything for miles my lord." He said, quite to Buron's disappointment.
"We shall continue then," replied Buron, after Nathaniel had redressed in his armour, swung back into his saddle and taken up the reins. He looked back at the magnificent stone structure as the company walked away. Although it was a ruin, it had a kind of beauty to it that stood out against the dismal backdrop of the shadowed forest. The sky began to brighten again as they ascended further into the foothills and soon the path diverged once more, this time running parallel to the mountains. It was this diverged path that they took; the other would have taken them beyond the forest and into the mountains. Although this path was the more preferable as far as Nathaniel was concerned, he would have preferred to head back to the city. It was certainly the lesser of two evils, since the path they took headed deeper, remaining in the darkened forest.
The scenery did not change very much as the path progressed. Midday passed again and the journey back grew ever longer with each step they took. Quite bizarrely Nathaniel was beginning to feel less and less anxious, as if something had brought a wave of calm upon him. Although the forest did not become any less dark, it somehow had a brighter outlook, as if they were leaving behind whatever evil had been dwelling with them. The feeling was short lived however as the sun hid back behind the clouds and the sky grew dark once more before unleashing another torrent of rain down upon them. He was now feeling quite miserable, as he was being rapidly re-moistened. As the group drudged on through the woods, his feelings of anxiety slowly came back to him and he was back in the same mood as when they had set off, worried about what lay ahead of them.
Time passed on, never really feeling as if it was moving forward, as each tree looked like the last as the path wove its way steadily forward. Soon however they came upon a spring, which poured out of a hole in a rock. Nathaniel knew it as soon as he saw it. Three summers ago he had been on a patrol this way hunting a pack of goblins. He had been separated from the group for a day and a night and had found the spring. It had been a lifesaver providing fresh water. Now was the perfect time for its appearance too as their canteens would be emptied soon.
Nathaniel swung down off his horse and knelt down to refill his canteen. The water was the purest clear he had seen and reflected light like a crystal. He took a few swigs from the top of the canteen before filling it up completely again. The water had run straight off the mountains and remained underground until it reached the spring. The taste of the water was beautifully refreshing. The water ran through the rock, across the minerals within the earth giving it an indescribable freshness. The spring came across as a sign of hope to Nathaniel on their desolate mission. Although he was already wet, he splashed some water over his face. It was the most refreshing feeling, leaving his face cold and tingling but feeling cleaner and fresher for it.
If his memory served him correctly, then there should be a gully nearby. Usually it only carried a trickle of water down the hillside, but with the amount of rain that had fallen over the day it would likely be a gushing torrent. The path continued and as he had expected, Nathaniel could soon hear the sound of rushing water. When they finally reached the gully it was clear that they would not make it across and would have to find another way to pass. The captain decided it was best to head down stream and it was not far until the water found its way back underground, allowing them to continue and find their way back to the path. As the sound of rushing water slowly died away behind them, the path began to open out and widen. They could now ride two abreast quite easily and the path began to turn, heading back down hill. It was now late afternoon and soon darkness would once again shroud the forest. Nathaniel did not know how long they would be staying in the forest for but however long they journeyed outward, it would take just as long to return home.
Slowly the path began more and more to resemble a track and the ground became firmer beneath the horses hooves. The track then snaked around a corner and into a cutting between two rock banks. Since the track was fairly wide and the only trees grew on the banks, it formed a slight clearing, allowing better light to come in. Suddenly Buron's horse stopped ahead and refused to walk on, no matter how hard he dug his heels in. Nathaniel stopped his own horse. Something was amiss and he could tell by the fact that all the hairs on his arms and neck were bolt upright.
Nathaniel snapped his head round to the right as he saw something move from behind a bush. Then out of nowhere an arrow shot past him, narrowly missing his cheek. "Goblins!" he shouted, "An ambush!" The rangers darted looks about them but could see no goblins, yet more arrows fired and one by one plucked down all of the rangers. Their bodies dropped to the floor with grunts and shrieks. Nathaniel froze as a sudden ball of fire burst out towards them from nowhere. His horse threw him to the ground then bolted and as quickly as the flame had appeared it was gone. He looked about him dazed and winded from the fall, looking for captain Buron. The ball of flame had hit the Buron's horse leaving them both in a limp pile, dead on the floor. Looking around him all he saw was his dead companions sprawled on the ground. At that moment his only thought was to turn and run. He stood up, still dazed and ahead of him he saw a venbeast clad in armour. Sat upon it was a dark figure wearing a loose black cloak and plates of metal armour down its chest, fixed to a leather tunic. He did not stop and take time to look at it but instead ran with all his possible speed back up the road. He was sure he had never run so fast in all his life as he heard the sound of the venbeast thundering up the road behind him. Without thinking he diverted off the road and began to sprint through the forest, dodging left and right through the trees.
He kept running and running and suddenly there was a huge flash beside him, throwing him back to the ground dazed, as another fireball hit a tree in front of him. It was far too close for comfort. His eyes were now blurring and his head spinning but he knew he had to keep running. He stood back up, choking on the smoke and foul air but he could see a faint light in the distance. Without further thought he began to run again, heading straight for the blurred light ahead of him. His legs somehow kept moving but he was not quite so fast as he was before and again he could hear the thundering feet of the beast behind him, chasing him down. All he could think of was getting to the light and away from his pursuant. The next thing he knew, a great force had struck him right in the middle of his back and he felt a huge burning sensation fizzle through his body before he came hurtling towards the ground, stumbling over roots and bushes. He was unconscious as his limp body came crashing down onto the forest floor.