The group hit the edge of the Moonwoods as the bright morning sun greeted the new day, their tail already long gone somewhere to the east. Even now there was hesitation on whether to push forward or to follow after the elves.
His boots hit the earth with a solid thud even as the other human ranger called out, "So we just letting them go?"
"It's not like there's anything else we can do," ground out the halfling checking the donkeys. "They're out of range to be of any bother anyways."
"I could try catching up," the young dragonborn spoke up. A number of the company reacted with sedated hostility but hostility nonetheless. He didn't like it and it seemed the third ranger of the company agreed, quickly interjecting, "I can go with."
"Are you sure, Dooooo?"
He looked from the third ranger to the older of the two dwarves in terms of being with the company who was also one of the leaders of the Rough and Tough Bunch, Opal. He looked back to see a determined expression on the other ranger's face. "It's best if we don't let each other wander off without a partner." Dooooo looked to the second dwarf, the second newest company member followed only by the dragonborn. "The dragonborn is your friend. Do you want to join us?"
Sam watched as even the newest dwarf distanced himself from the dragonborn. Guilt and regret churned in his gut, a sharp reminder that he wasn't doing anything to help the dragonborn feel more welcomed.
Before the dragonborn joined the company at the edge of their last city, and before the dwarf stuck with them after they had helped free a dragon from storm giants, Sam had been the newest member of the Rough and Tough Bunch. Despite the awkwardness of being half forced into the company due to the circumstances at the time, everyone had been rather welcoming, if not tolerant of his presence. In turn, he had come to enjoy all their company; even the odd half orc that worshiped yams and her feline friend who - from the brief words others had shared and the many things he had witnessed since - had a tongue that regularly got more than just the feline in trouble were decent folk. Odd, but decent. And after all the battles since, he had thought he had gained the group's trust, the three that led the company even listening to his words at times recently.
For whatever reason, this dragonborn gained ire from the majority and while the dragonborn was crude and clearly inexperienced, he didn't think it warranted so much hatred.
It was hard to tell if the dragonborn was even affected by it.
Dooooo shrugged. Before the pair could leave, the half orc walked over. Sam looked away as she touched Dooooo shoulder and assumed she was giving the ranger well wishes in her own way. He turned to the other human ranger who was currently staring at the cart.
"I don't think that's going to go far if we're not using a road," Jun voiced, stepping away from the donkeys.
Falcor shrugged. "I say it's worth a try, if nothing else."
"We will pull the cart into the treeline to keep it out of site but I agree with Jun," Opal spoke up. "The cart will only slow us down. Besides, we have four donkeys. They will be able to carry everything that we cannot. It will be fine."
Falcor made a face but ceded. Despite the three being the leaders, it was generally Opal's word that led them on. If Opal wasn't there, then it was Jun. Only once had it been left to Falcor to lead the company when both Jun and Opal were unavailable to lead.
It hadn't gone overly well but no one had died so there was that.
The two groups parted ways, the duo heading east along the treeline and the remaining company continuing north into the forest.
"Do you want us to lead?" Falcor spoke up over the noise of emptying the cart, unhitching the donkeys, and securing packs and items to the beasts' backs. Sam looked up first to Falcor before glancing around. It seemed odd he was startled by the thought that Falcor was talking about him. It hadn't been hard to figure out what and why the other ranger was offering. They were both familiar and quite comfortable traveling through forests. It would be easiest to keep them all on track.
Opal's gaze flickered to Sam and he found himself straightening. "If you are comfortable with it."
"Of course."
The company shifted around the donkeys, situating into a line even though they weren't quite ready to start moving again. Falcor had moved a few steps away and Sam approached carefully. He knew that look.
"Feel anything?" he inquired softly, not wanting to interrupt before Falcor was finished searching.
Falcor let out a sharp breath. "If there's an elemental out there, it's beyond my range." Falcor shot him a cocky grin. "Wanna give it a go?"
Sam smiled but shook his head. "If you can't sense anything, I doubt I'll have any luck. That skill isn't something one can get better than others at."
Falcor laughed. "Fair. Want to take point, then?"
Sam blinked at him. "You don't want to?"
Falcor shrugged. "I know you keep to yourself because you don't feel like one of the group but we trust you to hold your own." Falcor's gaze went over the group, specifically to the new dwarf and the feline. "More so than others." Falcor grinned at him. "Don't worry. I'll join back up with you when the trees get denser. I just want to help make sure the line keeps moving in the right direction."
Sam let out a huff of a laugh. "Have fun babysitting, then."
"Don't pity me quite yet," Falcor retorted, pointing a finger at Sam even as the other Ranger was already starting towards the back of the line. "You'll be next on babysitting duty soon enough."
Sam grinned in return. "I look forward to it."
Falcor laughed even as he threw his hand in the air as he left. Sam watched the other's progress for a while before turning his attention back to the forest and letting it wander around them. There was an edge to it that he didn't trust but he wanted to bet that had more to do with the unnamed threat they were going up against. Or, well, as unnamed as a zaratan was.
Sam couldn't help but feel like he was out of his element in this, pun notwithstanding. He could handle a fight with any sort of beast. Heck, he had just managed to survive going up against a number of storm and cloud giants, not to mention any other assortment of creature. But the only elemental he had ever had to attend with were the wind ones that had attacked them previously and he had only been so useful with that. Even the bow and arrows currently strapped to his back felt like a weight he was slowly collapsing under. What kind of Ranger couldn't hit a target to save a life?
Opal nodded at him and he turned, leading the way.
The trees took some time thickening that by the time Falcor joined him, it was already almost midday. Sam looked to the other as he stepped over a massive root. "You try seeing if there was anything around us again?"
"There's....something out there. An elemental, I think, but it's just at the edge of my range."
Sam nodded. "And the others? They holding up well enough?"
Falcor chuckled. "There's a few complaints from a few but, beyond that, they're doing just fine." Falcor fell silent for a moment. "How deep do you think we'll manage to get before we find any sort of sign of our target?"
Sam looked north. "If we're lucky, soon. But it's more likely we'll not find anything even if we make it to the heart of the forest."
"You don't trust the Princes?"
Sam shrugged. "I wasn't there for your last bet and I don't know if they were lying or not. For all I know, they could be, but it seems silly to stake that much money on a....a legend. There's something out here, sure, but I don't think they told us what it was on purpose."
Falcor opened his mouth but didn't get the chance to say anything. Sam caught sight of it the same time Falcor did and they both lept back as an arrow embedded itself into the earth before the footprints they had just vacated. A warning shot as the trees around them came alive with elves.
He didn't recognize the type of elves.
He really ought to have.
"You are trespassing," one of the leading elves decreed.
"We weren't meaning to," Falcor tried.
"We are simply passing through," Opal quickly added.
Jun spoke up as well. "We'll be on our way if you can-"
"You say you are not trespassing yet you stray far from the road," a different elf chastised.
"Turn around," another warned. "You won't live if you fight us."
That sent up an uproar first from the company quickly followed by the elves. Sam lost track of any of the words that were being spoken but the sudden desire to try and get the elves to understand before the entire company up and got itself killed drove him forward.
He grabbed Falcor's shoulder but it was a reflex driven on by something he couldn't pick apart. Had he wanted to ground himself or calm Falcor down? He took a step forward as the fleeting question left. "Please," he spoke out, his voice heavy with sincerity and concern. "We did not mean to trespass. If you would just guide us around your border, we will happily be on our way in search for a creature that may be doing more harm than good in this forest."
His words hung in the air and it was all he could do to suck in the shaky breath that filled his body. His gaze flickered over the elves but not a one of them moved.
A body fell from the trees above and landed beside him with a solid thud on sure feet. He jumped, taking a startled few steps back. He felt Falcor jump under his touch but seemed far more solid than Sam felt. The elf straightened and Sam watched as she gestured towards the east. He turned his head towards the direction but did not remove his gaze from her face. She turned and started walking.
The company fell into step behind her. Falcor's shoulder slipped from his touch and he focused back on those that had stopped them. He dipped his head in a brief gesture of thanks before following after the elf himself.
"So, you have a name?" drifted back towards him in Falcor's voice.
"Yevanith."
Sam found her gaze on him when he settled a few paces behind her left shoulder. Her footfall slowed and he soon found himself level with her. "You said you were not intending to trespass." Her gaze moved to Falcor before drifting to Opal and Jun not far behind. "That you are looking for the zaratan."
"We are," Sam assured her.
Falcor took over. "We had heard it was causing trouble in the surrounding area and decided to see if there was anything we could do to help."
"Have you heard of such a creature causing havoc?" Opal asked. Sam couldn't tell if the way the dwarf's words rolled were a show of mere caution or distrust.
"Yes. And I can take you to it."
"What?" Sam blurted at the same time Falcor nearly cheered, "Seriously?"
Yevanith gave Falcor a rather flat look. "It is not hard to find when one has been tracking it for some time."
"You specifically, or your people?" Sam clarified cautiously. The sharpness to her words made him hesitant, as if he could cause all their murders if he did not tread carefully here.
But when she looked at him, there was no such severity and it eased some of his hesitation. "A combination." Her gaze snapped forward. "I have a vendetta against the creature and the village watches to make sure what has happened before does not happen again."
"It attacked your village."
Her gaze - sharp, hunting - slid his way but he didn't back down. He met her gaze head on and waited. "It has destroyed many a village out in this forest. It is best if we keep it from doing more damage."
She put distance between them. Sam let her, catching Falcor's sleeve to keep the other ranger from stirring a pot that needed to be left alone.
"We need to know more," Falcor hissed.
"And we'll get the information we need," Sam countered just as hushed, "but right now we need to not piss off the only lead we have if you want to win your stupid bet."
"I do not know how much of this is still because of that bet," Opal offered gruffly, lowly. "With the way those warriors had reacted, I would not say that had been a normal elven greeting."
Jun swayed his way up to Opal's other side, asking, "So we take the thing out, one way or the other?"
Opal's gaze hardened. "There is no real knowledge around the zaratan - if that is what this is - that we were able to find. If it magic like we are assuming it is…"
"Then we'll need to take out the caster," Falcor finished. Sam met his gaze. "We have to ask her."
Sam nodded. "I agree, but it can wait a few minutes."
"Just not too long, Sam," Opal warned. "We need to know before we go jumping in."
That stole a chuckle out of Sam's chest. "When has the Rough and Tough Bunch not dived in without knowing? I thought that was how we ended up on that floating fortress."
Falcor pointed an accusing finger at him. "Hey, I did my best to be cordial. They shot first."
Sam threw his hands up, grinning despite the earnest gesture. "I wasn't there, remember? I was in the bowels of the ship when the first attack ripped through the balloon. And after watching you fail at setting up a bet we really didn't need to get into, I can't help but feel justified in my thoughts."
Falcor made a swing at him and he ducked laughing. Jun's roaring laughter filled the air just as well as Opal's low rumble of a chuckle.
Whether intentional or not, Falcor's actions had separated the majority of the group from Yevanith and had forced Sam closer. Amused, Sam fell back into step just a few paces behind the elf's left shoulder.
The group's chatter paces back rolled with the sounds of the forest creating a soothing atmosphere despite the severity of the situation the company was in.
"Are they always this boisterous in such serious situations?"
He looked up at Yevanith to find her giving the company a displeased look. "The overall situation may be serious but is this moment?" Her eyes were on him again. "Isn't it far healthier for them to pass the time loose and happy before they push themselves beyond their limits going up against a creature we know nothing about taking out?"
There was a moment where she just stared at him like he had spoken gibberish and maybe he had. Maybe they all were far too relaxed in the face of reality but there was a part of him determined to give them this moment of joy before they all faced Death again. They all knew that Death was waiting for someone going in. It was the risk they all took doing this.
"You all are strange," Yevanith finally stated, focusing back on the woods ahead.
Sam couldn't help the chuckle that belayed his words. "Never said we weren't."
There was brief burst of noise from the back of the group but it hadn't sounded worrisome. More like the troublemakers being true to their nature.
"You do not have to walk behind me, ranger. The path is not that narrow."
His gaze flickered towards her expecting her eyes on him again but she was focused on the route ahead. He hoped 'path' was being used loosely because he couldn't see whatever path she did. Still, he did make an effort to get closer to her side as she slowed a breath. "I don't mind following behind you, Yevanith."
This time her gaze did find him but there seemed to be amusement at the edge of the sharp look. "You are far more tolerable than the others seem to be."
Sam chuckled softly at that. "Falcor means well. The other ranger," he clarified. "The other two leaders of the group, Opal and Jun, have better people skills."
"You are not one of the leaders?" He shook his head in answer and she turned her gaze back to the trees ahead. "Strange. With how you had spoken, many thought you led them."
Sam beamed at that. "As flattering as that is, I'm not actually officially part of the company, though they would say otherwise, probably, at this point."
"What do you mean?"
He let his gaze wander over the surrounding trees. "I got swept up in their adventure because I didn't have much of a choice. A mix-up with some race and I ended up in the same cell they had been and it had only been because I had agreed to go with them to complete a favor for our captors was I able to walk away with my life and my freedom."
"Why didn't you walk away?"
That pulled a smile to his lips. "Where else would I have gone? I have no home to return to and my ending up in that cell had not been my choice. At least, not completely."
Silence stretched between them.
"Yevanith, why are you helping us?"
Yevanith's expression twisted but he couldn't decipher it. "I have my own reasons."
"Your vendetta."
It wasn't a question and she gave no answer.
"Family specifically?" he asked cautiously.
"My whole village."
Sam felt that weigh on his heart and the words were on his tongue before he could think otherwise. "I can't guarantee you'll come back alive from this but you are welcome to join us in this battle."
She scoffed but a glance her way revealed the smirk pulling at her lips. "As if you have any say on whether I do or don't."
He gave a huff of a laugh.
It wasn't till most of the hour had passed before the terrain abruptly changed. The group spilled out into a path somewhere around twenty feet wide full of felled trees. It was clear to see what direction the destruction was heading and it was even easier to find the footprints in among the wreckage.
Falcor hissed. "This thing is massive."
Sam gave a hum in agreement. There was no telling how powerful this creature was going to be and the implication by its size was daunting.
"Do we keep going?" the half-orc asked, wandering in the direction the creature had gone.
"We'll keep going till night falls," Opal stated. The dwarf looked at Falcor. "Unless you think it'll outstrip us in the night."
Falcor shook his head. "Whatever elemental of sorts I'm sensing, it's not moving very quickly. Even if we did rest through the night, I don't think it would be impossible to catch up."
Opal nodded. "Then let us keep moving."
Evening came faster than Sam had expected and the call to camp rang out from Opal. The group scattered a bit in a given area at the left edge of the trail. Sam hovered near Falcor as the other took note of the creature's place, watching as the half-orc went about starting a fire.
The look Yevanith sent her was certainly a dark one. Their confrontation was too muted for Sam to make out what had transpired but, by the looks of the half-orc grudgingly wandering over to the feline and the newest dwarf, Sam would bet it had been about not starting a fire in the woods.
"Seems the thing's settled for the night as well," Falcor commented, letting out a heavy sigh.
Sam focused back on him. "I'm assuming that's a good thing," he teased.
Falcor huffed a laugh. "I'm going to bed. You coming with?"
Sam shook his head. "I'll take first watch."
"Suit yourself."
Sam stayed where Falcor had left him taking in the others settling in to rest. At the other edge of the group, Opal had settled in but it looked as if the dwarf was going to be joining him on first watch. He dipped his head towards the other when the dwarf looked his way and Opal returned the gesture in acknowledgment.
He had seen her go up the tree but it was hard to pick out where she had gone in among the branches. He sat against its trunk anyways, settling in for the first few hours of watch.
It was probably a half hour later before he was certain those that were resting were sound asleep. The elf, though, he had picked out in among the branches finally. She was just as alert as he and Opal were and there was some comfort knowing she was on watch too.
"Are you truly avenging just your village?" he asked, letting the gentle wind carry his soft words to her. "Or did it take someone dear to you."
She moved in the tree before dropping down with a soft thump, settling into the squat she had landed in. Her expression was not kind. "You can be a nosy one."
Sam shrugged. "I just want to be prepared for you losing your composure because this is more than just avenging your village and the others it has taken. As personal as that can be, or justified, doing it because the creature took a loved one is far more dangerous."
The elf studied him; for what, he didn't know. Whether or not she had found what she had been looking for, though, seemed to be enough for her to plop down on the dirt beside him, leaning against the large tree.
"You said that you had no home to go back to. Why?"
Sam leaned his head back against the trunk searching for stars through the swaying branches. "It's a long story," he warned, though a smile pulled at his lips. "And a rather personal one. You sure you want to hear the woes of a lowly human stranger?"
"I have found that you humans are all too eager to spill your secrets," the elf drawled, waving a hand dismissively. He chuckled at that, agreeing with her. A comfortable silence settled between them for a moment before she broke it with, "We have nothing but time."
He hummed.
"I grew up in a small farming town. There was probably only 60 people within a good five miles of the center of town and the only exciting things that ever happened while I was growing up were the trades carts that would come through and the occasional adventurer. We weren't on any major routes so the fewer adventurers we saw we believed was for the better. Outside of that, the only other thing that ever stirred up any excitement was the Guard.
"They're trained how to be rangers but some will cross specialize in other areas of knowledge and others are encourage to. The Guard was stretched in among the towns like mine where we had no warriors or trained civilians that knew how to deal with the more fowl of adventurers or beasts that come knocking. Farmers know how to keep wolves and the like that will kill our livestock and eat our harvest, but when those things come in numbers we can no longer handle on our own, or become things too big for a simple farmer to take down, the Guard come to aid us."
A smile, warm and content, pulled at his lips. "For me, I enjoyed farm life. I hadn't had any real desire to join the Guard like my older brother did. He hated farm work and constantly talked about going on grand quests with the Guard to protect the town and others like ours. He talked about seeing the world and going where no one in our small little town had ever gone." He laughed. "He would practice sword fighting - with no training, mind you – against a bale of hay and a stick that would always end up breaking when he got too aggressive with it.
"So when the Guard came through recruiting, my brother's name was at the top of the list." Something heavy tainted the joy in his expression and he let his gaze fall from the leaves above. "I had entertained the idea of joining the Guard myself. Heck, every boy and a number of the girls under the age of 10 did at some point, but I had been the one more down to earth compared to my brother. I knew that I would be in charge of taking over the farm when our dad got too old to do the work anymore and I would have to take care of our sisters should anything happen to our parents or the farm itself. I was content with that."
The words stalled out. The weight of it all pressed against his chest and weighed down his tongue.
"But that wasn't what you got to do," Yevanith prompted, her words brushing up against that weight and easing a part of it.
"Yeah," he sighed. He shifted against the trunk, bringing a knee up. "My parents had signed me up as a sort of birthday gift. My mom had talked about all the great opportunities this would open up for me, how I would be able to do so much more, but I had fought them. I wanted to stay home, to take care of the farm. I didn’t understand why they had gone and done that."
His tongue fell still against the press of the memories that still stung years later despite how much he cherished them. "My dad finally pulled me aside, sat me down, and had a long talk with me. He told me how he didn't want me tied to the farm despite my desire to stay behind and take over. He spoke of how I could always come back once I was trained and ranked, how the town would welcome me with open arms and I could take over the farm then. My sisters were all willing to take over till I got back. Besides, he had said as a last attempt, it will only be a few years and before you know it, you'll be back here tilling the earth like you've done since the day you could walk.
"A part of me still wishes I had continued to fight them on the matter, that I had convinced them to let me stay."
"Why?" He glanced over even as her words did not stop there. "What happened?"
A sad smile tugged at his lips. "The town was attacked while I was in training." He turned his gaze back to the trampled forest before them. "We were maybe three months away from graduating the Guard's training academy when one of the higher ups came in and told us the news. They sent us after the relief efforts, whether to help or just to check in on our family, I can't remember."
He caught her moving out of the corner of his eye but whatever she was doing stopped as his words continued. "It was devastating coming back to a town I had grown up in, remembered seeing whole and healthy, be completely ravaged by some unknown entity leaving nothing but ash and smoke in its wake. Our dad had died in the initial attack and our littlest sister succumbed to the wounds she had sustained, but the others had lived. Mom and our two remaining sisters were scarred mentally and physically but they were alive and as healthy as they could be after all that. I was relieved - happy, even - but my brother grew angry, grew brash. I tried talking him down but he was having none of it. It was at the request of our mom that I stayed with him keeping an eye on him as he went head first seeking revenge.
"He ditched the Guard as soon as we had graduated. I'm not sure why he waited those few months. He never told me much of what was going on inside his head, simply giving me enough information to know he was planning something stupid. So I followed him to the ends of the earth honing my skills as a ranger, keeping him alive till I couldn't, and giving up my freedom so that others could walk away scot-free. My brother's death was probably a relief to him after the letter we had gotten a week prior." He glanced at her, finding her gaze honed in on him. It was rather unsettling. "We had gotten word that our sisters and mom had died in a raid. My brother didn't let me read the note but he had told me roughly what it had said."
"Will you go looking for them at some point?" Yevanith inquired. "You're mom and sisters?"
He hummed. "Probably. If for nothing else than to know where they were buried. My brother died on the battlefield and I don't know if someone got to his body to bury him. I'll have to check when my time with this company ends."
Silence settled over them again. It dragged at him, coaxing him to sleep but he fought against it determined to make it through the shift before succumbing to sleep.
"Are you not going to try and get me to speak?"
He opened his eyes, unaware he had closed them. "No," he offered truthfully. "If you want to share, you will in due time. I may be willing to spill everything to a stranger but that doesn't mean you are." He shrugged, grinning in jest. "We humans be weird like that." The grin turned to a soft smile. "Just know I'll be keeping an eye on you. Just because I can't guarantee you making it through this alive doesn't mean I can't have your back should you need the help." He smiled again, tired. "And if we're being honest here, we'll all probably be needing your help by the end of this."
She watched him for a moment before looking back out on the forest. "You are a strange one."
"Eh, I like to think I'm being realistic." She gave him a flat look and he laughed. "Not so much?"
"Not with that. You talk as if we are friends."
"Aren't we?"
She frowned. "How could we be friends when I know your life history but not your name?"
He sat up and turned to face her, offering his hand. "Hi. I'm Sam Nish. Pleasure to meet you."
He wondered if the look that flickered across her face was surprise. She took his hand, her hold firm but hesitant. "Pleasant greetings, Sam Nish. I am Yevanith Guildenhoth."
He smiled again. "Not sure how much you know of human culture but you don't have to be formal with my name. Sam is fine." Distaste was clear in her expression and he quickly added, "I do not mind calling you whatever you wish to be called and I don't mind being called by my full name. It's your choice. You introduced yourself as Yevanith to the rest of the group but if you want me addressing you a different way, all you have to do is say so."
"Yevanith is enough." She settled back against the tree and he followed suit. He expected that to be the last of their conversation till he heard her speak again. "Why are you so friendly with me with no ulterior motives like other humans?"
He lowered his hands from behind his head so that he could see her. "What do you mean?"
"Most male of your race flaunt themselves in the hopes of carnal embrace."
He mouthed 'carnal embrace' to himself piecing together what it meant. Sure enough, he had indeed heard it before and wasn't overly surprised that had been many a man's ulterior motives. "Ah," he responded. "Carnal embrace has never really been a drive for me."
"Truly?"
He shrugged. "I was too busy either working on the farm, studying, or trying to keep my brother alive. After that," he gestured to the company, "I was watching their backs."
"No desire at all?"
He shrugged. "I'm sure it's a beautiful experience but, to me, it doesn't seem like something I want to do with just anyone. Now, that could be my parents' teachings. Highest know there was enough talk about it in the academy and a number enjoying it among each other but I just never felt any drive to pursue it."
"Odd indeed, for a human."
He chuckled. "Just so you know, I'm taking that as a compliment."
A smile pulled the corner of her lips upward and it wasn't hard to piece together why men – and probably a good number of women – would try and bed an elf. He could pick out the features that many claimed to be beauty and sexy but, for him, Yevanith wasn't the epitome of beauty as she was for others. To him, she was just another person struggling with demons only she could see and rather than bed her like others would, he wanted to help her with her demons, even if he was only able to help with the smallest, tiniest one. "As ill iterated as it was, it had been such." She looked at him. "You are far more elven than you are human in your mannerisms, Sam Nish. It is refreshing after having seen so many behave so differently."
He tipped his head forward in a sort of bow. "Glad to be of service."
There was the sound of people stirring behind him and he looked over to see Opal waking the next watch.
"Rest, Sam Nish. The next watch is starting and you are in need of rest."
"Will you be returning to the branches for the next watch or will you be resting as well?" he inquired as he shimmied into a more comfortable position against the tree.
"I have not decided if I will remain awake, however, I have found a good enough position to remain in for the rest of the night, if that is your concern."
He gave a huff of a laugh as he closed his eyes. "No, no concern. Just curious."
There was a stretch of silence that nearly put him to sleep but her words cut through the haze of rest. "You are certainly a strange one, Sam Nish."
He waited for more words to leave her tongue but it never did. There was shifting and a strange presence pressed against his arm. Not physically, just enough for him to wonder if she had shifted closer.
Something warm and soft draped over him and he heard her mutter, "Idiot human not using his own blanket. And you said you would be watching my back but instead I am making sure you will not freeze in the forest's night."
More shifting and this time her arm brushed against his. Her warmth seeped through the space between them and he realized without having to look that she was sharing the blanket. Said blanket smelt more of earth than his normally did and he was stunned that she had used her own blanket to cover them both.
"May Fate be kind to us tomorrow," she softly muttered. "Sleep well, Sam."
He jerked awake at the sound of someone shouting. Yevanith was already on her feet, blanket thrown from them both and bow in hand with an arrow notched. He rolled over and unsheathed both swords. As much as he wanted to draw his own bow, he didn't trust the streak of luck he was currently having with the damned thing.
Man, he really missed being a decent archer.
He frowned at the figure trying to piece together what he was seeing but he didn't get the chance to move closer. The initial figure that had drawn everyone's attention had company and had Yevanith not grabbed at the fabric on his back and pulled, he would have been a pin cushion.
"Thanks," he breathed, re-positioning himself at her side.
"Of course." She let loose several arrows. Two took out their targets with ease. Third hit its mark but it didn't seem to fell the target. "You cannot watch my back if you are dead."
"True," he agreed with a grin. He turned having sense the same thing she had. He used the momentum of the turn to bring both swords across in the same upwards sweep. The assailant fell to the ground. He kicked it for good measure.
It didn't get back up.
He rolled the wrist holding the short sword, gaze going across the felled part of the forest. "Friends of yours, Yevanith?"
An arrow shot past his right ear, taking down one of the incoming whatever they were. "Please tell me that was your strange human humor."
He laughed. "It was." One got close enough for him to take out. He wondered if Yevanith had let it. She was taking them out rather efficiently. "How full of a quiver do you have?"
"I will run out if they keep coming at this rate."
He pressed close to her and moved around her, taking out the closest one before taking out its buddy with the second sword. "Then you may want to just switch to a different weapon. These things aren't stopping."
He felt her press against his back briefly as he took another one down. Stupid thing had the audacity to jump at him. It seemed others thought that one had a brilliant idea because a lot of them started throwing themselves at him.
She pressed against his back again but this time did not move away. "We have to put distance between us and your friends."
He had ended up facing the path of felled forest through the brawl and he took a brief moment to glance towards the company, asking, "What? Why?"
And he saw why. For whatever reason, the little - he settled on gremlin things despite them not actually being gremlins - were swarming towards them, focused intently on them. The company was holding its own against the figure and what gremlin things were attacking them but it was clear they were only preventing the figure to come at them and the gremlin things were happy to have at whatever was closest.
"Opal!" he shouted, gaining the dwarf's attention. He noticed Jun coming up and covering the dwarf just as Yevanith provided him what cover she could. "We're going north! Head towards the zaratan! We'll catch up when we get the chance!"
He waited long enough for a brisk nod in acknowledgement before turning and following Yevanith towards the opposite treeline.
"Stop them!" the figure bellowed.
There was a brief surge of the gremlin things before them but they managed to cut through them and hit the trees before the figure broke through the company and chased after them.
He stowed his long sword but kept his short sword in hand as they ran. The gremlin things were quick but they were losing them just as quickly.
By the time he couldn't go anymore, there wasn't a gremlin thing in sight. He crashed to his knees, gasping for breath. The short sword hilt pressed into his palm as he put some of his weight on his hands in the dirt. He glanced over at Yevanith. A part of him was glad to see that he wasn't the only one affected by the sudden long distance sprint.
"We," he gasped, "we have to keep moving."
"As if I am the one in the dirt trying not to pass out," she retorted sharply. He watched as she swayed a bit when she stepped away from the tree she had been leaning against. Her gaze was far more steady, though, as it roamed over him, settling on his thigh. "Are you sure you can?"
He frowned. "Can what?" he asked, turning to look at what she was looking at.
He stared at the nasty cut on his thigh.
"Oh." He wondered briefly why he couldn't feel it. "Guess I took a hit."
"That is an understatement, Sam Nish." He shifted to sit and hissed as it felt like his entire leg suddenly felt like it was on fire. Her grip was painful but the lack of weight on the limb as she helped him sit was appreciated. "You know Cure Wounds, correct?"
"Y-yeah," he croaked. "Just, ah..." He swallowed. "Just give me a moment."
Her hands went to his thigh, one hand at either end of the wound. He hissed when her magic flared around his thigh and started working on healing the damage done. The magic ebbed till it ceased and he blinked his eyes open, feeling far more tired than he had before. The wound had stopped bleeding and looked like it was mostly healed but it was still raw.
Yevanith pulled back. "Use Cure Wounds on your other injuries."
"What of yourself?" he inquired even as he gathered the necessary magic to cast. He could see blood trickling down her neck from some wound hidden by her hair and there were a number of cuts he could see. She hadn't made it through the battle unscathed.
"I will be fine. I have enough magic still for my own Cure Wounds. Cast your own on yourself."
He did as she said and sighed in relief when the ache and some of the exhaustion faded. He opened his eyes again – he really needed to quit closing them in the first place – and saw that a number of her more superficial injuries had vanished. The rest looked a bit raw or a few weeks old but they were healed enough to hopefully not bother her. His own were in a similar state, though it looked like he had taken far heavier damage than she did if the twinges of mild pain were anything to go by.
He clambered to his feet uneasily. Despite her assist, his thigh was not willing to behave fully. It wasn't till he was straightening that he realized her hands had been hovering near him as she withdrew them. "Ready?" he verified.
She nodded as one of the gremlin things stumbled into sight. She took it out just as it spotted them with a well-aimed arrow but there was no knowing how far behind the others were. He grabbed up his short sword and followed her deeper into the forest.
They only made it a few minutes before a swarm of the gremlin things cut them off. Their chittering suddenly filled the trees and he hissed in frustration.
"It is impressive how slippery you can be," a voice curled in from behind them. He turned enough to keep the swarm in sight while looking at the approaching figure. He hoped the company hadn't sustained any deaths before the figure had slipped through their line of defense as he prepared to keep Yevanith out of the figure's grip. "I've hunted you from one end of the map to the other without being able to get my hands on you and yet I gained ground; every day, a little bit closer. Now, though..." The figure sighed in relief, removing a massive double-bladed battle ax from their back and twirling it. "Now you are within my grasp."
To his bewilderment, Yevanith stepped in between them. "You're not taking him."
"What?" he croaked, confused.
The figure laughed. "You think you can stop me, puny elf woman?" The figure pointed the battle ax at her. "I have cleaved plenty of your kind to know your tricks. You will not keep my prey from me. None have. Not that farm family, not the warriors he had traveled with."
It felt like someone had filled his veins with ice and fire all at once and he took a step forward, demanding, "What do you mean by 'that farm family'? You attacked Havestfield?"
The figure laughed. "Are you thick? Of course it was me. I was under the impression you knew you were being hunted. After all, that boy from that farm family seemed to know my movements and you stayed several steps out of reach since then."
He shook his head, snapping, "I'm nothing more than a farm boy myself. And that 'boy', as you so called him, was my brother. We grew up together."
The smile the spread across the figure's face sent alarms sounding through his brain as he felt the magic rise around them at the same time. "You really are thick, aren't you? Are you truly blind to what you are?"
"I'm human," he retorted with all the confidence in that knowledge he could muster.
The figure laughed. "No, you're not, boy." The figure's grin grew even more.
"You're an Everlast."
Prompt #2 - "Every day, a little bit closer" (July '18)
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks