The Tainted Wood

by Alara Branwen

  "It’s okay, Kurkmud. What is going on?” Cleave asked the troll.

  "Sorry, it’s just...have you seen any lights around? Or any flashes?” he asked.

  "Just the ones caused by the magic of the Severed Elves," Cleave said.

  "Do you know about the Ring of Life?” Kurkmud asked.

  Laryhalla looked at Kurkmud with a bit of confusion. "What are you talking about? That’s something that trolls shouldn't concern themselves with,” she said.

  "Who are you?”

  "Laryhalla. I'm one of the few elves around here who hasn't been attacking you. And you’re a troll that’s meddling in affairs you shouldn't be. I don’t know why you’re asking about the Ring of Life, but I will say that it’s nothing that you should concern yourself with,” she said.

  Kurkmud looked at the duo and sighed. "I got attacked by the Severed Elves. They began scouring my hut, forcing me to work with them. I don't want to help them, Cleave. I really don’t. But I feel like I’m being compelled to,” he said.

  "Can you explain to me what happened exactly?” Cleave said.

  "Well, I was minding my own business when Tarka and Krug suddenly ended up here. They were unconscious, so I took them upstairs. I think they’ll be okay. I was trying to wake them up when I was attacked. Now, the Severed Elves are threatening to ruin my home, burn my place to the ground, and destroy the parchment that I have, lest I tell them where this ring is,” he said.

  They listened, and Laryhalla simply nodded. "I see. What do they plan to do with the ring?” she

  asked.

  "They’re looking for this old information. I told them that I didn’t have it in my hut, but that wasn’t enough to get them to go away. They keep harassing me, and they’re determined to make sure that I don’t get in their way. Please, you have to help me,” he insisted.

  “Kurkmud, you should go check on the other party members. We’ll take care of this," Cleave said.

  "Thank you. I know what they’re after. I think they’re trying to harness the old magic from the forest to create the most powerful undead army that they can. They plan on retaking their place as the most powerful members of the forest," Kurkmud explained.

  "Well Kurkmud, you should first go upstairs and check on Krug and Tarka. I don’t want you involved right now; we’ll take care of this. Just...get them back to health,” Cleave said.

  "I'll do my best,” he said.

  Laryhalla listened to the troll as he went upstairs. Cleave then turned to her, and she spoke.

  "They need to wake up. I think it’s obvious that whatever is happening is getting worse, and we need all the help we can get,” she said.

  "Yeah, I agree. Can you heal them?” he asked.

  "I’ll help in any way I can” she replied. Laryhalla made her way upstairs, and Cleave followed. There was a small sound, and then, the stomping of feet.

  "How the hell did I get here? Where is Cleave?” Tarka cried out. She opened the door, and came face to face with the white elf, who seemed to be smiling.

  "What the hell is going on here?” she asked in confusion.

  "Calm down. I'll explain," Cleave said.

  He looked to Krug, who was laying in the corner. Berryl was attending to his wounds. She smiled her cat like smile. “Nice to see you again, Cleave. You disappeared on me during the fight with the Severed Elves. I hid in the woods and made my way here. When I showed up, Tarka and Krug were already in the upstairs room.”

  “I’’m glad to see you’re alright,” Cleave said to Berryl. “You seem to have a way with evading trouble. I was starting to wonder where you had gotten off to.”

  "We don’t have time to worry about that right now. Anyways, let’s get downstairs, so we can fill everyone in on what’s happened,” Laryhalla said.

  There was a grunt, and soon, Krug woke up.

  "What did I miss?” he asked.

  "A lot actually. Come downstairs, and we’ll tell you everything,” Cleave insisted.

  The group went downstairs, and soon Cleave and Laryhalla explained what was going on.

  "So we need to find more people to fight the Severed Elves with us,” Tarka said.

  "Correct,” Laryhalla replied.

  "I know just the place. We can go to Fey Wilder to get help,” Tarka said.

  "Do you think that will work? Do you think there are enough people still in the guild to fight the Severed Elves?” Krug asked.

  "Yeah. It will work. Bitterroot and Lurupine should be able to help us gather enough of the members back in order to fight,” Cleave said.

  This is bigger than what we imagined, and I think if we take out the Severed Elves, we’ll be able to stop the forest from getting worse,” Laryhalla said.

  The party all agreed. They headed out together, and soon, Laryhalla stopped at a path that veered off to the side, going to the right. "I'm going to recruit some elves. You go to the guild and get people there. We’ll meet at the battlefield near the troll’s hut,” she said.

  They all agreed, each of them parting ways. The trek back to Fey Wilder didn’t take very long and seemed pretty easy, probably because Laryhalla managed to put a spell of protection on the party. When they got there, Bitterroot, Estelar and Lurupine all came out to welcome the small party. Tarka had a serious look on her face. "We need to talk,” she said.

  "What about?” Bitterroot asked.

  "There is a fight coming to the forest. We found out the Severed Elves are the ones tainting the forest. They are taking the life magics and turning them to necromantic uses. If we can fight them all now, and take them out, we can be successful,” Cleave explained.

  "But that may be foolish. We don’t know how strong they are,” Bitterroot said.

  "We don’t have much time," Krug explained. “The longer we wait, the more powerful their army becomes.

  "Yeah, if we don’t do something now, the Severed Elves will continue to take from the land, making it hell for everyone,” Berryl cried out.

  Everyone listened, and while they couldn’t all completely agree on the best course of action, it was obvious that they had to do something, and fast.

  "I see. Well, let’s call on our biggest and best druids for the job," Bitterroot said.

  "Thank you. Hopefully, this will stop the undead problem,” Cleave said.

  "I hope so too. I'm sick of hiding. I'm sick of telling everyone they can’t go outside because it isn’t safe. I’m tired of watching more and more of the forest quickly wilt and die. It’s just...it’s getting harder and harder to get the dryads to agree to this, you know,” Lurupine said.

  "I know. But, hopefully, if we all come together and take a stand, we can defeat the Severed Elves once and for all. If we can stop them, the forest will regain its life force and return to the beautiful home it once was,” Cleave insisted.

  The result of their meeting was that many members of Fey Wilder came together and began preparations for an attack on the Severed Elves. The plan was to attack at dusk the next day. All of them knew they were about to fight, and the stakes were high.

  The next day, the guild went out. The top warriors from Fey Wilder and the party went into the forest near where the troll’s home was. Tarka looked around, feeling slightly ill at ease, but then Cleave spoke.

  "It’ll be okay. I swear,” he said.

  "You tell me this, Cleave, but I've got a bad feeling about all of this,” she said.

  When they got to the edge, immediately the remaining dryads and the guild members that were standing launched an attack, going against some of the Severed Elves. The Severed Elves tried to rush at them, throwing fiery bolts and lightning, but it was then that Laryhalla came forward with her own group of elves. She smiled at Cleave and then spoke.

  "Told you I'd come back,” she said.

  "You did,” Cleave replied with a beaming smile.

  Soon, the elves led by Laryhalla attacked the Severed Elves with their natural powers. The other forest members joined the assault, turning their effo
rts against the Severed Elves. They launched a relentless attack from every side.

  The Severed Elves cried out as the woodland creatures overwhelmed them. A few of the creatures used vines to constrict the Severed Elves. Others used various magics of the forest to defeat the Severed Elves. Within moments, they were gone. Laryhalla and Cleave both looked at one another, realizing what they did.

  "Thank you for your efforts,” she said.

  "No, thank you. And thank you to everyone in Fey Wilder,” Cleave said.

  Just as he uttered those words though, the feeling changed. Where just before had been the thrill of victory, now there was a sense of foreboding. The forest got deathly still, and then they could hear an ominous rustling. They could hear branches snapping and cracking, and soon came the pounding of thousands of feet. All the sudden, skeletal creatures appeared, hordes of them, surrounding the forest creatures and the other members of the party.

  "I don’t think the elves were our only problem,” Tarka said.

  The undead started to come at them in swarms, but everyone banded together, forming a small circle, protecting each other as they dealt blows to the undead. Cleave dealt a few blows to the undead, but he found they were annoyingly resilient. It took several direct hits before one of them would finally go down. Cleave felt frustration start to line his body as he hacked away at the droves of undead coming at them.

  They continuously attacked him, coming from all sides. Cleave felt his body grow a bit weaker as he tried to fight the skeletons off. Soon, rage began to boil within him, and Cleave realized he was getting into rage mode far faster than usual.

  "You little shit!” he cried out at one of the undead. He carelessly started to fling his sword about. He didn’t care that he was getting attacked. He was driven by the need to get rid of them. Of course, the other members of the Fey Wilder were fighting others around him, but Cleave was hacking and swinging with little thought for himself or those fighting with him. He was working his way through the undead, but he was getting hit as well. It was only when a small beep warned him that his HP and health were getting dangerously low, that he came out from his berserker mode.

  Cleave:

  HP: 15%

  Stamina: 5%

  Mana: 100%

  Character Status:

  Unhealthy

  Cleave immediately shot back to reality. Tarka came forward, bashing down the last of the undead. She looked at Cleave, annoyance present on her face. "Are you trying to fucking die,” she said.

  "Sorry. I escalated into rage mode way too fast. It was on accident. It won’t happen again,” he said.

  "You have to be careful. Drink up!” one of the guild members said.

  He downed the awful liquid, grimacing at the taste of it. He had been foolish to let himself get carried away so quickly during battle.

  "We need to figure out why these undead are attacking. We fought the Severed Elves, but it seems like our efforts were in vain. We have to find out who is controlling this massive army,"Tarka said.

  “Maybe it wasn’t just the elves we had to worry about,” Krug pointed out.

  "That could be it,” Cleave admitted.

  The party knew that they needed to find the answers. The members of Fey Wilder were looking to them for a solution. Laryhalla stayed near with her group of elves. "I think I'll come with you,” she said.

  "What about your elves?” Tarka asked.

  "They’ll be fine. I've instructed them on what to do. They’ll take care of preparations from here. We took out the Severed Elves, which was a start, but I don’t understand the undead presence. I feel as if there is something bigger going on. I think heading towards the east might be a good idea,” she said.

  The group all agreed, bidding farewell to those of Fey Wilder and the elves that helped them, and headed in that direction,. They had only been moving for a short time, when they were hit with another attack from the undead. Laryhalla started mumbling, throwing incantation after incantation. The skeletons cracked apart. Krug, Cleave, Tarka and Berryl quickly took them out. Laryhalla turned to them, looking about. "There is something wrong here. I don’t understand why the undead keep on attacking,” she said.

  “Maybe the answers lie further ahead,” Cleave said. He wondered if it had something to do with the Scrying Eye and what the Severed Elves were doing, but, Laryhalla looked at Cleave, shaking her head.

  "It isn’t them. The Severed Elves were defeated. There is something else going on here. A part of me believes that the Crimson Kingdom has something to do with it. I fear that Padwin isn’t dead, despite suffering what we thought was a mortal wound; I can feel his presence,” she said.

  Cleave gripped his hands, looking at Tarka who scoffed.

  "Of course that nimrod isn’t dead! How could he be? He never dies,” she said.

  "Tenacious as a cockroach it seems,” Krug said.

  "Well, we should move on and see what we can find,” Cleave said.

  The party made their way through the forest, fending off attacks from the undead. It seemed no matter how many they took out, hordes of skeletons or zombies continued to attack their small party. With the help of Laryhalla, they were able to defeat them quickly. However, as it got later in the day, Cleave felt the tiredness set in, and soon, his body grew heavier with each and every movement. "We should make camp for the night,” he said.

  "Get to the fork in the road up there. That’s Traveler’s Clearing. I have a magical barrier placed there,” Laryhalla said.

  Cleave nodded, and the party made their way to Traveler’s Clearing. After getting a fire going with a couple of sticks and flint, the group gathered round. Berryl had already curled up and was taking a nice long cat nap off to one side of the fire. Krug had stretched out on the ground as well. Cleave and Tarka sat together on a fallen log. Laryhalla sat on the other side of the fire and looked at Cleave, and then at Tarka.

  "You two are close,” she said.

  "We’re dating outside the game," Cleave said.

  "I see. I guess you two have come far in your quest. Tell me, do you know anything about the blight that’s attacking the forest?”

  "Other than what I've told you, no. I know for sure though that if we don't stop this, many will die,” Cleave said.

  "I wonder if--” As Laryhalla was about to speak, there was a cry in the distance, and then the clashing of swords. The party looked at one another. Berryl immediately stirred and crouched low on her haunches with claws out. She looked to Cleave and Tarka. Cleave put his hand on his sword and looked into the distance, grimacing as he realized who it most likely was that had startled them from their peaceful evening.

  "Come on, we should go over there and see what’s going on,” he said.

  They raced over, and as they drew near, Cleave found his suspicions were true. There was Padwin, fighting off a horde of undead. These looked kind of like wolves this time, with a few that resembled what movies made zombies out to be. The Fey Wilder party hesitated. Not sure if they should get themselves involved in the battle, but then Padwin spoke.

  "Come on, help me!” he cried out.

  Cleave and Laryhalla both nodded to one another. Tarka looked at them with annoyance plastered on her face.

  "You don’t really think you’re going to help him, right?” she said. He was their mortal enemy. Cleave took a deep breath and looked at her.

  "Tarka, we want to capture him and question him about what’s going on. We feel the Crimson Kingdom is somehow involved in all of this. I...I nearly killed him back when we were separated for a bit. However, if we are to find the information we need to fight the blight and stop the attacks of the undead, I know that we need to save him.

  "Fine. But it’s your funeral when he stabs you in the fucking back,” she said to him.

  Cleave rolled his eyes, then he and Laryhalla raced in, looking at Padwin with concern.

  "Oh, pleasure to see you again,” Padwin said, throwing his body to shield the attacks from the undead. Cl
eave looked at the screen, noticing his stats.

  Padwin:

  HP: 10%

  Stamina: 5%

  Mana: 50%

  Character Status:

  Unhealthy

  Cleave knew his decisions now would have a major impact on the future. While he hated Padwin with a fiery passion, he couldn't just let the guy die. It wouldn’t help them complete the quest. Instead, Cleave drew his sword. As the skeletons were about to finish Padwin off, he stepped forward, slashing at the enemy. The undead went down fast, and Tarka, despite disliking what Cleave was doing, decided to join in and help. She turned to Krug, who wasn’t sure where he should go.