Vi tugged at her ill-fitting leathers and glared at Gil. The newly forged healer was chatting amiably with Riley; he carried his spear like a walking stick and wearing a shiny coat of red trimmed lamellar armor. Riley looked more like her, ill-fitting armor and an iron sword hanging at her side.
Beside them was a small group of more experienced classers, her dad and Jeren, members of the city watch, as well as two mercenaries in red trim, a healer and a hunter by the looks of them.
Vethyr poked her “Where do you think they’re taking us?”
“Whatever it is, I doubt it’s dangerous enough to pose a real threat. My dad wouldn’t have let me come if there was even the barest chance we’d get hurt.”
“I bet it’s gonna be stirges or something like that, small, dangerous in numbers, but not really a threat.”
“Reasonable, oh by the way thanks for the bracelet, it was a really thoughtful gift.”
He smiled “It really wasn’t hard, I don’t think even Titus likes rocks as much as you do.”
Vi shook her head softly, grinning.
“Alright we’ll stop here, at the edge of the treeline,” called Jeren, his voice easily cutting through the sound of the river next to them.
Vi exchanged a glance with Riley who shrugged.
“So what do you guys think we’re hunting?” Vi asked
Gil glanced over at his bodyguards “No idea, I think Rahn will scout the area and find something we can take.”
The group followed his gaze, turning to look at the hunter who was in the process of stringing his bow. Vi’s furrowed her brow, why wasn’t her dad going with the merc? He certainly knew the area better.
“I bet we’ll end up fighting blights, my father says the rangers have been running into more and more of them,” said Darren, one of Jarren’s kids, leaving his twin by looking out over the river.
Vethyr and Riley turned to look at the forest like it had just grown teeth while Gil looked at Darren surprised. “Really?”
“Yeah, usually just twig blights, but I heard they found an entire tree blight.”
“Don’t blights usually grow during the winter?”
Vi listened to the back and forth with growing confusion. Out of all of them she’d probably studied monster lore the least, not that she regretted spending her time on rocks. “What is a blight?” Vi interjected
Darren glanced at her a little surprised “A blight is deadwood that’s reanimated by Yin energy, they weaken forests, feeding on the life force the trees and animals.”
“He Brin, can you not do that!” shouted Jarren and Vi looked over. Darren’s twin, Brin had thrown a stone across the water, it skipped across the river before landing on the other side. The kid looked over at his dad, on the other side of the camp.
“What?” he shouted.
The river exploded behind him. A chitinous claw shot out of a geyser crushing Brin let out a bloodcurdling scream. Vi stared at the scene in mute horror, and her stomach turned at the sickening crunch. Gaius was there in a moment, his sword cleaving through the grey chitin before the claw could vanish into the water, catching Brin in his hand. Jarren was there in another moment, blocking another claw that burst from the water, the spear-like limb skidding off his shield. In another moment they were away, and the healer was at work.
The shock seemed to wear off on Gil first. He shouted and ran to Brin’s side, his own hands beginning to glow. Brin lay between the healers, blood gushing from his crushed chest, his mouth flapping wordlessly as he tried to draw a breath. Jarren kneeled beside him, squeezing his hand and stroking his head “It’s okay, it’s okay, you’re gonna be fine. You’re gonna be okay.”
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“Brin!” shouted Riley, running over, but Gaius stopped her “he’ll be alright, just don’t crowd him.” Darren rushed past him, taking his twin’s other hand, tears flowed down his face.
After a couple more moments the rest of the group remembered how to move again and put more distance between themselves and the river.
“By Yang’s glowing ass, what was that thing?” Vi asked
Dad cuffed her on the back of the head “It was a mudcrab, and a big one at that. Probably gone through two or three evolutions already.”
Vethyr stared at the river, at the pool of blood and the bisected ends of the chitin pincer “Do we just leave it there?”
“No, we’ll let the rangers know and they’ll send a team to deal with it.”
There were a couple of minutes while the healer worked on Brin, his hands glowing gold as he spoke a long incantation. Gil had rejoined the group, having run dry on mana after the first minute. The golden light faded and Jarren grabbed Brin in a crushing hug.
“Ow,” the boy choked out and Jarren lay him back down, tears falling from the big man’s face.
He wiped a tear off his son’s face, a kissed his brow “Oh Brin,” he said, his voice was emotional, but light, like the sun after a savage storm. He stood up, pulling Brin with him and wiping his eyes “I think we’ll be going back, anyone else is welcome to join us.”
There was a pause. Vi remembered the claw crushing Brin’s chest. Her hand found her sword’s grip and she squeezed, the smooth leather was almost comforting.
“Sorry Vi, I don’t think I can do this,” Vethyr said, walking over to Jarren and his sons.
Gil looked at Riley questioningly. She pressed her lips together and nodded. He returned the gesture.
And so, the group waited for the hunter to return, Vi stared at the while Gil talked with Riley and Dad talked to the healer. They’d been lucky she’d come along. Vi had to admit being friends with Gil had its perks.
“Gil, really, I’m fine. Just a little shaken up,” the young noble didn’t seem entirely convinced, neither was Vi, but she could accept it.
“So, Gil, why did you become a healer?”
Gil looked over with a grin “Well, someone needs to keep you two alive. I figured I was as good as anyone.”
Vi rolled her eyes, Riley smiled, taking his hand in hers “That’s really sweet Gil.”
“Hey, the hunter’s back” said Vi. The man was moving fast, and was soon in conversation with the healer and her dad. Dad nodded at whatever was being said and soon they were on their way over.
“Gailan spotted a small group of twig blights a little deeper in the forest, low level, one for each of you. Think you can handle them?”
They nodded and Dad looked over to the hunter, nodding him forward.
“Alright, you’re hunting twig blights…” The hunter seemed to be in the best mood, having been scouting when the mudcrab had attacked. “These are blights, that means staves and axes,” he glanced at Gil “We don’t have those so go for cutting and crushing blows, stabbing’ll just make them angry,” he looked them over “got it?”
It was cool beneath the tree cover, sunlight danced through the canopy of broad-leafed trees, and the forest floor was covered with ferns and felled trees. The fresh scents of forest mixed with the air off the saltwash creating a strange but soothing smell.
Gailan led them along the twisting paths, occasionally scouting ahead and coming back. Several times he had the group change course and when they were approaching the blights Dad was looking at him with something like approval. Vi was glaring daggers at him.
“They’re just ahead,” the hunter said softly, beckoning them forward.
Vi, Gil, and Riley stopped next to the hunter, their eyes searching the old forest. Vines twisted around several old trees in a small area of dead ferns.
“Where are they?” Riley asked
“Find out,” said the hunter stepping away from the group. They exchanged glances. Riley and Vi drew their swords while Gil changed his grip to something more like a quarterstaff.
They approached slowly, cautiously, backs together as they scanned the trees.
“How many of them are there?” asked Vi, voice soft
“Three I think,” said Gil
Slowly they rotated, approaching the center of the clearing
“There!” shouted Riley, springing forward, sword falling. There was an inhuman screech, and they turned. Riley was hacking away a humanoid figure made of twigs.
“Vi watch out!” shouted her dad and she turned, activating a skill on instinct. Wooden claws scraped against her face and she slashed, taking off an arm. The creature leapt away, skittering up a tree. Beside her she heard Gil swear, but couldn’t look. She settled her feet, and her sword flashed, the rising earth met the creature, hacking into it. The blight thrashed, its woody fingers catching on her armor. She pushed it away with a kick, and grabbed a rock from her pocket. Concentrating on the stone she activated catapult, sending the river rock through the blight’s head with a crash, and leaping out of its way as it collapsed.
Around her Gil and Riley were finishing their own opponents.
“Everyone alright?” she asked
“Good” said Riley as she hacked at blight’s head in front of her. Gil echoed the sentiment and Vi turned to her monster.
Focusing she cast inspect
Level 2 Twig Blight
She frowned, it had only been level two? Dislodging her sword from its chest she fished around in the gap, eventually coming out with a small black bead, the blight’s core. Closing her eyes she squeezed it in her hand, focusing on drawing it into herself. When she opened her hand, the bead was gone.
Wiping the tar-like blood on a tree she noticed her friends were doing the same, absorbing the well-earned experience.
“Well fought you three,” said Gailan, walking into the clearing in front of her Dad and the healer. Should we look for some more monsters?” he asked, grinning wolfishly.
