The opening on the other side was eventually starting to emerge, and Lauri blew a sigh of relief, beckoning them to continue. Her relief was short lived however as a loud rumbling noise abruptly started, attracting her attention to the sky. Boulders bounced off the cliff towards the group at high speed, the passage still too narrow to allow them to dodge. Before she could cry out, a strong blast of wind ripped past with enough force to send the rocks harmlessly into the clear opening ahead. A mage near the back of the group was bathed in a pale green light as the winds continued to rip past, only ending when it appeared safe. ‘That was a close one’, she thought, glad to be in the company of those who are competent with their magic. Without them, that would have ended up much differently.
On seeing that, the rest of the group needed little motivation to exit the passageway as quickly as possible, spilling out onto the grassy plain and as far away from the cliff as they could manage. A few of the Rangers observed the rocks that had nearly crushed them littered on the floor. The mage responsible looked pleased with his work but said nothing, receiving a pat on the back from one of the other mages present. Lauri glanced north. Her gaze revealed trees appearing in the distance, displaying the direction of their next location; Springhollow.
Springhollow resided near the top of the Cloud Forest, just below the foot of the mountains. It was the last settlement of any race before reaching the Isthmus; a stretch of land that connected the eastern isle to the western isle. Yet despite this, few travellers stopped here, aside from their own race. Given their recent encounter, the party was happy to make haste towards the sheltered patch of green.
The air was moist and heavy as they entered the forest. Thick dew hung delicately from the lush vegetation, gathering the attention of the curious mages. Mages rarely went outside the academy at Aelburn. This phenomenon was rare within the city, nor did it ever look as beautiful as it did now. Lauri quietly noticed their fascination and smiled to herself, remembering the first time she ventured outside the protecting walls of the capital city. It had been frightening, but it was an experience she would never forget. It drove her to want to protect it, leading her to join the Ranger’s Guild many years ago.
Focusing back on the task at hand, she casually glanced around. By now she’d expect their presence in the area to be known but no one was making themselves obvious, they were probably wary of the group’s intention. A single smaller, new blood demon would stand little chance against the group by themselves, preferring to remain hidden and observing as they pass. This village, however, was known to have multiple of the larger old blood demons. If they took a disliking to the new company then the situation could turn sour fast, the two groups working together were dangerously efficient at combat.
Nearby trees rustled and confirmed her thoughts, they were being watched. The onlooker was close by as well. She put a hand up for the group to stop, it would be for the best if she made contact now.
“We mean you no harm,” Lauri announced into the woods, pausing to check for a response. Nothing came initially, so she continued, “we come for information regarding the events in the West.” It remained quiet for a moment before more rustling was heard. The group looked around nervously, but Lauri remained unfazed. Dropping in from her left a shadowy figure emerged and walked out towards the group, giving those with surprised expressions a strange look. Based on what she was seeing, it was a young woman stood in front of her, her facial features showing the tell-tale softness that demon females possessed. Her body, however, was clad in loose cloth and leather, obscuring the more feminine body shape. Female or not, the demon still stood about half of Lauri’s height again, if not more. Height was a notable trait of demons; they stood even taller than angels, a trait that was not appreciated by the feathered race.
“Can you prove your claims?” the demon enquired, with a higher pitched tone of voice than the group was expecting, judging by their reactions. Lauri reached into her pack and produced a rolled up cloth, handing it over to the waiting demon. She readily accepted it and unrolled it. It greeted her with the standard of the Ranger’s Guild embroidered onto the cloth, the needlework was so perfect that a fake was out of the question. As she ran her hand gently over the cloth mana warmed her fingers, the item had been enchanted to further prove its authenticity. Happy with what she had been presented with, she rolled it back up and handed it to Lauri and waved the waiting party on. “Follow me,” the demon stated simply and continued back in a northward direction, the quietly chattering party following behind.
The walk did not take long to Springhollow, although the ever increasing feeling of being watched made some of the less experienced members of the party jittery. Lauri was not bothered, the demons would be unwise to attack the group after what she had shown their escort. Such backlash from an unprovoked attack would cause the downfall of the settlement.
Expansive houses built of wood and stone appeared ahead as the trees gave way to an opening, once again revealing the sky. Demons were numerous within the area, in all shapes and sizes, going about their normal tasks or just playing with each other. As the group entered they were regarded with interest but little worry. They were well aware that the female leading them would not have allowed them close if she thought they posed a threat. One of the younger demons watching scrambled off to inform someone of their arrival. The village chief, the demon who would be able to answer their questions.
“He will be out shortly,” she informed the group, obtaining an understanding nod from Lauri.
A door opened, and a sparsely dressed male demon stepped out, his hair showing signs of turning pale and dull. She knew that he was of a respectable age, potentially with a wealth of experience as well. He approached the group, and the female demon gestured towards Lauri, speaking in a tongue unintelligible to her. Lauri gave a small bow in respect to the chief. It was a gesture he appreciated, giving her a nod of recognition in return. From this distance, she could understand his curious choice in clothing. Scars decorated his body, some rather vicious looking. The overall effect worked, though, he certainly gave out an aura of strength.
“I can provide you with some information,” he remarked, causing Lauri to perk up. Her push to get the group to come this way had paid off in the end.
“That would be very much appreciated, Sir.” Judging by his expression it was not a title he was referred by often, but he appeared amused enough for her not to be concerned that she was angering him.
“We have been receiving a worrying number of reports about missing persons, as well as a sudden occurrence of reports detailing mysterious creatures,” he said grimly. Lauri drew the same conclusion as him, the two things were not coincidental, and both only started occurring after the storm first appeared.
“But no physical proof?”
“No, unless anything has appeared in the last day,” the demon conceded, fetching a small obsidian pendant from a tattered pouch hung from his rags. “Take this, show it to anyone who enquires about your presence in the West.” He offered the pendant to her, demons often used such items to allow others safe passage, the carved pendant would be recognised by any who came across it. Lauri readily accepted it, such an item would make their journey a whole lot easier.
“May we rest here for a little while?” she asked. Although they had not been walking long since their last break, the distance from Springhollow to Linlake was a fair trek, only made worse by the open expanse between the end of the forest and the edge of the swampland. He agreed, and the group settled down, still slightly wary about their new added company.
* * *
Less than an hour had passed before Lauri announced they were heading off again after she had received advice on the quickest way to continue onto the Isthmus from their current location. She thanked them for their hospitality before setting off with the group, receiving waves from a few of the demons that had remained in the area. The next few hours went without incident, as the heat of the day was only just starting to come
into full effect, but they were not far from their destination. They had left Aelburn early with the intention of crossing this open expanse before the sun became too overbearing, so far they were doing well on time.
A wide, shimmering body of water lit up the view on the left, and a settlement became notable to their right; Coldcliff, a small and reclusive village. She had not expected to get any information of use from them so they would skip the place, instead of heading for Linlake at the northern edge of the swampland, just below the water body that was visible.
Soon afterwards, they reached the edge of the swamp. The grass was now turning to a less appealing brown and stubbly plant as they went. At least, the ground did not appear too wet, but she knew that the swamp often hid its bogs; getting sucked too deep into one could prove fatal. She hoped that sooner rather than later their presence would become known, the demons that lived within Linlake knew this area of the swamp well and could direct them to avoid unsavoury areas.
Step by step they paved their way through the thick mess of reeds. A uniform squelching sound arising as they moved, much to the appeal of some of the travelling party. Willow trees hung their branches despondently in a pond that became evident in front of them. The emergence of the trees indicated to Lauri that Linlake must be close now, as the demon settlement was known to be built within a patch of these trees. She was uncomfortable with the fact that they had not come across any demons at all. Was the situation in the West really that bad?
However, she was wrong. They were being watched unbeknown to them. A demon sat at a distance. He was utilising magic to keep him unseen by the group as they approached Linlake, his expression one of discontent as he assessed them. The storm had brought more traffic to the region than he appreciated; the West held many secrets that could be exposed by the unwelcomed guests, secrets including him. His appearance was too notable for someone to simply not recognise him. Upward curving horns were a feature of his southern heritage, along with his long, pointed ears. Another memorable feature was the demon’s overly sharp body: a pointed chin, chiselled face and angular joints gave him a rather threatening physique, which was added to by his fiery red eyes. Knowledge of his continued existence would not bode well for him if it happened to reach the ears of Sebastian. He had too much to lose now to risk himself with that. The demon continued to watch, carefully following behind.
Chapter 3: Tensions in the West
Lauri and her followers arrived at another collection of wood and stone huts that were suspended above the boggy ground below, but the area was still silent. The place almost looked abandoned.
“Is anyone there?” she called into the silence, the words clinging to the musty air. No response came. The group started to become wary, was an ambushed plan for them or was there simply no one present? She decided the best course of action was to try the huts one by one, hoping to get a response.
After being greeted by nothing a few times, one such knock brought what sounded like a curse from behind the door. A shuffling sound could be heard before loud footsteps brought the occupant to the door. The door opened, and the demon pushed out of the room, forcing Lauri to take several steps back as he slammed the door behind him. It was obvious he did not approve of what was stood before him, nor did they approve of him. He stood well over twice their height and equally as stocky. Thick, rough hide covered his body, so much so that the Rangers were unsure if their blades would even be able to pierce through. They watched as he tensed his hands, his knuckles cracking as he did so; the humans did not need much demonstration to know that he was capable of snapping them like twigs. Multiple horns added a distinct sharpness to his already threatening facial features, his cold blue eyes locked down on them, his mouth upturned in a snarl.
Lauri knew she had to do something to diffuse the situation; those behind her were just about ready to flee for the mountains.
“I have this,” she hesitantly said, presenting the obsidian pendant for him to see. The demon looked at it and relaxed his hands, but his position remained very guarded. He was hiding something, but she did not know what.
“You come about the storm,” he growled, sending chills down the spines of those behind her. He did not sound pleased about it as she had expected, quite the opposite in fact. “Words do little to describe it, you’d be best to go and see it first hand,” the demon added before she had time to speak. It sounded like an excuse to be rid of them, but there was some truth to his statement.
“Why is there no one else around?” Lauri slipped the question in, but she was surprised at the lack of concern on his face.
“We don’t have the luxury of sitting on our asses all day, unlike you humans.” She bit her lip, something was definitely off. An object caught the demon’s eye, and he peeked behind them, but by the time Lauri had turned around nothing out of the ordinary was visible. What he had seen was the demon that had been following them revealing his presence for a second, before hiding himself from sight.
Lauri sighed, this was evidently not getting anywhere. She instructed the group to return back from where they had entered. Hopefully, they’d have more luck with Valmeadow or Esterbrook. Either way, they would need to top up their water rations. They walked off, not bothering to even give the demon a farewell. He did not care, however. He just wanted them to leave.
Once they had gone from sight, he groaned, opening the door and letting himself back in and the camouflaged demon entered behind him, revealing himself once again.
“You can come out now,” the larger demon said to the apparently empty room before him. Before long a third demon emerged from underneath the covered bed, this time a female. She was rather short for a demon, with notably oversized wings for her body. Her eyes were unusual for her kind, possessing a lavender hue, opposed to the dark tones that demons usually had. Upward curving horns poked out above her flowing black hair, with her long ears sitting just below. Swiftly she stood up and patted herself down. The underneath of the bed had been unusually dusty.
“What did they want?” the female enquired, from her position it was not easy to make out what was being said.
”Information,” the tallest demon spoke bluntly. It was enough to satisfy her, however. Those who wanted information in the West were never well received.
“Thank you for this, Crono,” the demon that had remained quiet until now spoke up, addressing the larger demon. He had done well to keep the group away from seeing the girl. Crono waved off the appreciation, it was not something he did for a reward. The large demon did not wish to see her hurt as much as anyone else.
“What are you going to do now, Amnur?” he asked the other male demon, who came over indecisive. He paced for a moment, heading in the general direction of the girl.
“I need to protect my daughter,” Amnur replied, “but I do not know where is safe anymore.” The girl looked at her dejected father, offering him a smile to try and comfort his worry, but with fleeting success. “I’m sorry Sakura, I just feel like I’m failing you sometimes. I mean, you always have to hide because of me,” he sighed. He just wanted the best for her as any father would, everything was always against him managing that, however. Upon hearing this, she walked over and hugged him, coming up short to her taller father as usual in a vain attempt to cheer him up. Amnur reminded himself he needed to stop considering her as just a girl. At twenty-two, she was nearly an adult in her full right, even if her height always indicated otherwise.
Crono smiled at the sight below him. He had always been fond of the two of them, regardless of the rocky start he had with Amnur when he first turned up twenty-five years ago. “It would probably be best to remain here,” Crono reasoned, “at least here we can protect you.” It sounded solid to Amnur, anyone would be ill-advised to attempt to attack Linlake. The terrain was to their advantage, those unfamiliar with the environment could quickly find themselves in a watery grave.
* * *
Luck was not onside for Lauri today, both Valmeadow and Esterbrook h
ad been cagey with their answers. At least they had been allowed to refill their waterskins at Esterbrook. The final destination was the human town of Wintergate, though she already knew in advance the town had been abandoned after the storm emerged. It had started right on their doorstep, after all. If there was anyone still remaining, they might be more willing to shed light on the information they received back in Springhollow.
The dispirited group marched on, each sharing their own opinion as to the varied responses they’ve been receiving. Mountains started to appear on the horizon: the town of Wintergate was settled at their foot, guarding the only major route into the Commons. It had always been considered the first defence between the Commons and Aelburn, for them to abandon it so easily was a worrying fact indeed.
Impressive, hefty, curving walls attached firmly high in the cliff welcomed their approach, and the gate was already winched open. Lauri just assumed it was left that way when the humans left, as it was only intended to be operated from the inside. The mages with them were becoming increasingly agitated, however, which attracted her attention, causing her to throw them a quizzical look.
“I would be prepared, the aetherial mana up ahead feels incredibly perverted,” one spoke up. Lauri did not understand what he had said fully, but she certainly grasped his anxiety.
“Draw your weapons,” she instructed, placing her hands on the hilts of her own scimitars. They carefully pressed on, reaching the opened gate. Unease spread through the group; even the Rangers could pick up there was something wrong from their position. A clean snap was evident on the suspended gate, the area surrounding the damage almost looked as if it had been melted. Further damage was evident around the town as they passed the gate. Thick gouges ran through the stone walls of the buildings, burnt patches of ground lay scattered around, and some houses had been completely gutted by ravenous flames. Wintergate had not been abandoned. It had been decimated. The assailant was a mystery, though. Evidently, it knew how to conjure fire, but the gouges in the house brought the main worry; what creature was so powerful to manage to cut through stone so cleanly?
Skies of Fyir Box Set Page 23