Our trip through the village was oddly quiet as we made our way to the Dark once I was sure that the evacuation preparations were about done. It wasn't that the village was empty, because it wasn't. There were still people rushing about, kobolds being sure they hadn't left grandpa in his room or that their pets were gather, all that sort of thing. But the mood was that of fear and sadness, over shadowing the excitement of it all. The death of the family this morning weighed heavily on all of our minds, and everyone seemed to be working with speed, their heads lowered, only speaking in whispers.
The feeling was made all the more eerie by the fact that we were heading straight for the Dark. Once we cleared the town and entered the no-man's-land between there and the Dark, everything grew completely silent, the only sound being the whisper of the autumn wind over dried and yellowing grass.
The forest itself was rather imposing as I and the three men approached the tree line. It was almost a wall of dense foliage that rose a hundred feet or more up to the canopy, where the interlocking branches all but blocked out any sunlight from reaching the forest floor. The effect was to make the entire forest look as if it was kept in a perpetual twilight. Standing on the outskirts, I could not see very far in. I could smell the scent of autumn decay about the place and could hear a lot of branches scraping together above my head. It was a little spooky, but not down right terrifying. Not yet at least.
"Must we really go in here...?" Grumbled Draxly, glaring at the dark trunks of trees, his claws out and ready for anything. "This place makes my fur itch."
"Agreed." Said Brillum, eyes scanning every surface for potential attackers.
"There is no point in asking or complaining." Huffed Lagdon, prodding me in the back to get us all moving forward. "You know full well she will not be satisfied till this is done. Best to do it now while the sun is high in the sky and we are ready to leave."
"You know me so well." I sighed, maybe a little sarcastically as we all shuffled over the border and into the twilight.
We did not need to go far for me to get the information I desired. In fact, even the first few steps into this dark and mysterious place provided me with at least a little insight. I knew, instantly, that this place was old. Certainty, it was older than the few centuries since Aeros had begun neglecting his duties. I couldn't remember who had said it, but someone had said that the Dark was maybe even older than the dragon himself. I could believe that now. It just felt antient. But what it did not feel, was malevolent. If there was evil here, it was not because the Dark itself was evil.
It was magical, however. I could feel the place Absolutely buzzing with the energies all around me. There was no shortage of life and power here, even when the rest of my inherited lands had been dyeing off when I came here to this world.
"Well?" Asked Lagdon as we came to a stop just about fifteen feet into the forest.
I looked around us. It was dim and the trees grew close with thick, thorny bushes all around. I couldn't see nor sense any animals, but there did appear to be plenty of glow bugs flittering about, their dim green lights all that lit up the forest. It looked Darkly enchanted.
I knelt down to the mossy ground, setting a hand on the earth and closing my eyes. I was trying to connect with the land, as I did with the other parts of my territory. I was surprised to feel resistance to my mental, magical probing. Like the Dark was warry of my touch, But after a moment the push back eased and I found myself swimming in the energies of the place. It was as dense as I had thought, and I could tell immediately that there were many powerful creatures living here, even if I could not instantly locate them. But only one stood out like a sore thumb.
Somewhere, in this deep dark woodland, sat a monstrous being. Not just brimming with its stolen power, but evil in its intent. I saw it, and I could tell it saw me. I shivered, not wanting this thing to be aware of me at all.
"I feel it." I said, getting to my feet and dusting off my hands. "I can't get a clear read on it but what I can see is not good."
"How do you mean?" Asked Brillum, looking very uncomfortable at being here.
"This whole forest is positively exploding with power." I said, with utter confidence. "If I had to guess, it existed long before Aeros ever became the god of these lands. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if there had once been a different god who watched over this forest specifically."
"That is a possibility." Said Lagdon. "the territory of the gods can be fluid, even if the changes tend to be slow in the making. The lands that had been Aeros' are actually very large, and that is probably because he stole them from other, lesser gods all those generations ago."
Knowing that lizard, I would not put that past him. Though, the fact that lands could be taken- though not new to me- did remind me that I still had a lot of work to do. I still had not even made contact with over half the lands I was supposed to be protecting, and if I did not put my stamp on them soon, it could be that another god would take them for themselves.
"Well, even though I can tell there is a crazy amount of power here, most of the beings seem to be indifferent to our presence, and more like mildly intelligent animals on the whole. I did sense one disturbing entity, however."
"The Specter." Stated Draxly, eyes wandering, ready for the slightest sign of danger.
I nodded. "That's my thought, at least. It has clear hatred about it, and its buzzing with stolen power. but at the core of it, I sense Aeros' magic, through and through."
"I take it we can leave now?" Aske Brillum.
"Yes, I think that would be a very good idea." I said, and we all turned, wasting no time heading for the light and freedom. "As soon as we get home I need to set up a war council with both Brax and Margund, immediately." the others were looking at me surprised, so I continued. "I might not be able to get a clear look at this Specter, but one thing I know for sure is that it means me, and these lands harm. Its hatred is clear, and all consuming, and it wants me gone, and gone fast."
Lagdon grunted, a hand firmly on my shoulder and hurrying us all forward. He was taking no chances, and the others seemed to be of the same mind. Brillum and Draxly hurried forward, brushing aside branches and thorn bushes to let me get past with little effort.
But I should have known better. Should have known that there was no way that me entering this place would ever end up the way I wanted it to.
Just as Brillum and Draxly entered the sunlight, Lagdon and I a mere foot behind them, I heard a frantic shuffling in the forest behind us. Lagdon cursed, The two foxie spun to see what was happening, and I suddenly felt a hard, boney fingered grasp on my other shoulder.
"No!" Roared Lagdon, his club in hand in an instant. But it was no use. In an instant I was yanked from the hobgoblin's grasp, and as I was being dragged away at a break neck speed I saw that Lagdon was covered in short, stumpy creatures before the forest all but swallowed me.
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Lagdon snarled, as he was swarmed by many stubby, scratching and yanking beings. He grasped one and yanked it off his face as he felt another pulled off his body. He saw that Brillum and Draxly had joined the struggle. He could not understand why they were helping him and not running after Enna. She should always be their top priority!
But then he saw that they two had been swarmed by the strange creatures. they looked to be one or two feet tall tree stumps with roots for legs and twigs for arms. they clung and poked and scratched like their lives depended on it. He had to get rid of them now!
With an irritated roar, Lagdon began to swing at the tree creatures around Draxly, as he could not really hit the things on himself. Luckily the damn things were annoying, but weak. Within seconds Draxly was freed enough to start clearing the beasts off of Lagdon and Brillum. After less then a minute the three men were surrounded in the corpses of the tree creatures. They did not bleed and to the eye seemed to be nothing but half rotted stumps now.
"What in the world were these things!?" Snarled Brillum, kicking one for good measure before shaking his red read, as if to clear it. "Never mind. We need to go after Lady Enna!"
Both foxes made to rush after Enna but Lagdon brought them to a stop. "No," He said, frustration making his voice strained. "I will go, but you two need to get back to the kobolds."
"What?" Snapped Draxly, his black fur on end, eyes flashing in the dim light. "I know we have all chosen to follow your lead Master Lagdon, but going off alone into this place is foolish!"
"I know that." Lagdon huffed, preferring to go in as a well trained team. "But that is neither here nor there right now."
"What does that mean!" Snapped Brillum. He was normally an easy going man, where Draxly was the quiet and deadly one. But both were desperate to go and save their god right now.
"Whether she looks and acts like it or not, Lady Enna is a land god, and these are her lands. She can handle herself, and can not die as easily as many of us fear. But what she will not accept is us defying her orders."
"Order?!"
"Yes. it is Lady Enna's wish that the kobolds are to be lead to safety. As competent as the men are that I brought with us, none of them are leader material. You two are needed to keep everyone in line and heading back to the estate."
the other two grew quiet. They knew that what Lagdon said was true. Despite Enna's lofty dreams and visions for the future, monsters, at their core, were wild and confrontational. Under her command, or at least under the command of powerful leaders who acknowledge Enna as their master, they can be kept in line. But for the monsters not as strong of mind- especially confrontational types like the hobgoblins- being left to their own devices could mean that the kobolds could be abandoned to their fate mid trip.
"Lady Enna wants the kobolds safe..." Sighed Draxly, understanding what is needed.
"Yes. I leave them to you. Get the caravan home as fast as you are able, contact my brother, and immediately send out reinforcements. In the mean time, I will track Lady Enna."
The foxes did not like it, but they knew what was expected of them. It was their job to ensure that their Land God's wishes were up held, especially when she was unable to enforce those belies on her own. And Lagdon had the job of getting to Enna and making sure she got home in one piece. He knew that she was no weakling, had seen her progress with his own eyes, and knew that as a land god, her mortality was all but fictional. It was nearly impossible to actually kill a land god. But she could be captured, or even put out of commission for an indefinite amount of time, leaving her precious lands unprotected.
Lagdon, and all the foxes, goblins, and now even the kobolds, owed the young human born woman too much to let her lands fall to ruins. Not on his watch.