***
Informing the base camp of their findings were simple. It might not do anything but if even the slightest information would lead to the end of the slayings, it was worth it. There was no easy way to track the killer. The trail had already been too old when they arrived. Only Mayitso's sensitive nose had given them the little information they found. It was obvious that his foe was intelligent. It had done what it could to dampen its scent.
Kava stated that it was a goblinoid, though a lot of people dismissed that as ludicrous. A single goblinoid could not possibly do so much damage. Especially not with just a knife. The wounds were too ragged for that. The vodyanoi was positive, however, pointing out that a particularly cruel and jagged knife could easily make such vicious wounds and would be a beloved tool of a creature of that sort. Most of the rangers agreed that it had to be some beast instead, one that had been given intellect through magic.
The vodyanoi snorted to Enzi, “So they would rather believe a magically enhanced monstrosity is doing this rather than a simple explanation?”
“Most people see the goblinoids as less than them in every way. Having one that equals them, even surpasses them in some ways is something they can not accept. Most of these rangers have been patrolling these woods for years and dealing with goblinoids from time to time. Sometimes it is hard for humans to look past their prejudices. Those who can are rare and wise.”
“Seems like a quick way to call yourself wise,” Kava croaked.
“If the title fits,” Enzi replied with a smirk.
Kava laughed at that. The base camp quickly settled back down for the night. Guards watched out for danger while the others slept. The morning came far too early for most though at least it had been a quiet night. New patrols were sent out to look for where trouble might be. Acting General Cassius Tessium cam to Enzi and his Irregulars. He look worried and tired beyond his years.
“I think I have need of you already,” the Nuvroci Steel Warrior and member of the Order of Myrmidon stated, “The goblinoids are sending an advance force our direction. A mage is with them, a summoner we believe. Beren is getting ready to take care of that problem. We are sending whatever we can to meet this threat.”
“Bad enough we are dealing with whatever it is that is slaying your people,” Enzi replied, “But we will do what we can to stop this new threat.”
Cassius nodded, “The dangers of this war will only grow. Hopefully it will not be more than we can handle.”
Soon a small detachment of warriors left the base camp. Beren Gendar led the way. Syrian Dow had joined as well as a half dozen rangers. Enzi gave a worrisome look to Syrian. The Kurrot was young. Normally a Bladestorm would be busy on the western front, but Enzi imagined the youth was not granted access to the front lines due to his age. Kurrot was not a place that held much for rules, so the boy had slipped away to fight the war on his own terms. It was the sort of thing that often got the Kurrot killed.
Along with Enzi and his Irregulars, this group led a mere dozen and a half regular soldiers. Most of them were Nuvroci infantry in heavy armor, but a few were Ravaleians. It was not a force that would inspire fear, but it would be enough for a small scouting force of goblinoids. If the enemy troops were stronger than expected, then things might become troublesome. The humans often spoke of the goblinoids as weak, but their only weakness was a lack of resources. With the same armor and weapons as a human, they would be an equal match. They would hopefully not be expecting such an eclectic mix of warriors to stand against them however. Unless Kava was right about the Beast that Takes Trophies, it might have noticed the group and warned its goblinoid brethren.
After a few hours of walking, Enzi noticed a change in the trees. Those that required more moisture were quickly becoming common. It was not long after that when the ground began to feel softer as it was filled with moisture. The heavier members of the force were making considerable footprints in the wet ground. Mayitso led the way, his nose in the air to attempt to detect any foes before the foes detected them. The enemy could appear at any time, depending on how fast they were moving since the scout spotted them.
As the ground grew swampier and harder to travel through, the sun began to sink in the east. The Nuvro range meant that sunset came early on the west side of the mountains. That was of great benefit to the goblinoids. Their superior night-vision made a darkened swamp a perfect hunting ground. It was in this hunting ground that the human forces set camp for the night. The Halz could see in the dark as well as any goblinoid as could the minotaur. Along with the nose of the lycanthrope Enzi felt confident that any night time surprises would be detected before it was too late.
***
The base camp felt empty with so many out to deal with the invading force. Kasamir took Lunaris with him to go on a long patrol. He hoped a second pair of eyes would help protect from the monster that was slaying so many, but he had few hopes for the young girl. It seemed more likely to him that the so called Hunter of Man would take Lunaris first. She would be an easy target. Kasamir hoped that the squad sent out to deal with the enemy would be back by the time the pair returned. Dealing with a hidden beast with few resources was not a good idea to Kasamir's mind.
The patrol took them two days out from the base camp. Lunaris dragged her feet the whole way, as Kasamir expected. It was frustrating. The elder Nuvroci Ranger had a job to do however. He would not let some young whelp of a girl cause problems that would result in the death of those at the base camp. The third day of the wide circle took them along the edge of the Siren Swamp. Things were quiet and Kasamir kept his eyes on the trees as well as the ground.
Unfortunately his foe knew that the trees would be watched. He had set up several diabolical traps in the swamp and even a few in the forest. The goblin had not used them, he had no need to waste them. Now he would finally start to make some use of his long toil. The large male ranger stepped into the range of one of the goblin's traps. The hidden creature tugged a vine and a log erupted out of the trees. Kasamir saw it and reacted immediately, stepping back and trying to duck and roll.
Of course, that was when he hit the real trap. The log was too cumbersome to be more than a distraction unless the target was particularly slow or stupid. Kasamir felt his leg suddenly sink into a hidden hole then a great pain as the trap inside snapped upon the limb. The goblin leapt from his hiding place to finish the kill. For all the things Lunaris could not do, she certainly had the ability not to be seen or noticed. The goblin saw her too late as he rushed Kasamir. At this point he could not pause, run, or escape. It would give Kasamir a chance to kill him.
The goblin assumed his day had finally come. He was happy with that. He would take out one last ranger before he left. Several others might find some of his traps and meet their end as well. It would have to be enough. The goblin drove his knife at Kasamir's neck while pushing himself at full speed. Lunaris drew an arrow to her bow and took aim. The arrow flew wide of the mark, as it always did. The goblin felt his knife sink deeply into the male ranger's neck.
The enormous eyes of the goblin soaked up the last glimmers of life in the human's much smaller eyes. He stood as another arrow fell well short of its target. He looked up at Lunaris and saw the young girl trembling. He stood still a moment, shocked that he was alive and watched motionless as she fired a third arrow. He was not a moving target yet she still missed. The goblin saw the pain in her eyes. Lunaris had failed her master and could not even kill his slayer.
The goblin could not resist the urge that filled him next. He began to laugh. Another arrow shot by as the shaken girl could not even begin to come close to hitting the goblin. The goblin thought that he could easily kill this young girl now, but grinned as he thought that leaving her helpless in the wood as a failure would be more fitting. He twisted his knife deep in Kasamir's neck as he tore the head and spine from the fallen body. The goblin slipped into the wilderness as arrow after arrow flew helplessly from the young crying ranger's apprentice. The mocking a
nd cruel laughter of the goblin filled the Nuvroci youth.
Lunaris spent her quiver without a single strike before collapsing in tears. Kasamir was dead. She was alone in the forest. Being left alone was all she had ever wanted. Now she had failed him. His death was her fault. If she had taken her archery seriously she could have stopped the goblin. She could have stopped the Beast that Takes Trophies before he caused any more harm. She merely hugged the beheaded corpse of her mentor while bawling that she was sorry. Words, of course, would never be enough.
Enzi's Irregulars #0045
Everyone expected an attack at night. When morning broke without a trace of violence, the attack force felt quite relieved. At least for the moment the goblinoids would not have a major advantage. The rangers and Mayitso spread out from the core group, scouting for the enemy. The core group continued southwards into the marsh. The scouts returned, one ranger sooner than the others. He had spotted something moving in the swamp.
Mayitso dashed that direction to try to confirm while the rest of the group headed that direction at a more normal pace. The lycanthrope soon returned to the group and growled at the direction he had come from, leading the way. Surprisingly it led closer to the mountains where the rocky ground was more firm. Enzi was not sure what this might portend. Their small military force trudged slowly out of the soft marshy ground and soon found signs of a large group that had moved past. They were not too far ahead. Beren looked around and his eyes narrowed.
“There is definitely a mage in the group. Whoever the mage is wove a spell recently. We should hurry,” the magehunter said.
Beren rushed ahead with Mayitso quickly catching up. The rest moved quickly but the two leaders knew exactly where the foe was. Their senses far exceeded the others in the group, each in their own unique way. Beren and Mayitso emerged into lighter woods as they chased their foe and they could see what they were up against, but their foes also saw them. The magehunter counted nearly forty goblinoids, as well as a Tarvoni and a few wargs.
The enemy looked shocked, but none more so than the Tarvoni at the rear of the group. He quickly began to weave a spell. The goblinoids turned to engage the two foes. Mayitso thought that the Mage hunter would slow down and wait for the others, but Beren seemed to have no intention of slowing his pace. His eyes were set on the caster. The three wargs headed for Mayitso. They knew what he was more than the goblinoids did though wargs were not intelligent enough to communicate or realize how outmatched they were.
Wargs were a terrible creature. Their muscular forms and flat hairless faces made them almost look like humanoids running on all fours. Their faces resembled a goblinoid in many ways, as they did not have any nose. However the major difference was the mouth. Wargs had a massive maw full of deadly sharp teeth. The flat face meant that their mouths looked unnaturally wide. In that regard they slightly resembled Kava. The frog-like mouth of the vodyanoi was perhaps the closest relative to the warg's terrifying max. The vodyanoi did not have the same powerful jaw muscles or terrible teeth however. A warg's bite was no joke.
Beren noticed the wargs headed towards the lycanthrope and almost felt pity for the beasts as they did not realize what they were getting into. The Agonish people had a different name for the wargs. They called them barghests. Ancient myths said that they were able to take humanoid form. This had long since been disproven and Beren imagined someone had mixed up tales of the lycanthrope with the barghests. It was not the first time that two different creatures had been thought of as the same. Usually it was more likely that one creature had multiple different stories and names based on what witnesses had seen or exaggerated.
They were far larger than Mayitso and more muscular. Their torso reminded Beren of a large and powerful wolf, but all their power came to naught against the lycanthrope. Their jaws were powerful enough that if they found a good hold they might actually break the skin of the lycanthrope. None of the wargs were that lucky. Mayitso tore them limb from limb in a terrifying display. Beren had other things to worry about however. A crude javelin flew from one of the goblinoids.
The magehunter's buckler deflected the clumsy missile as Beren slashed at the first goblinoid in his path. His blade cut expertly and the creature fell as Beren spun past him. It was almost like watching an expertly choreographed dance as Beren avoided blows and enemies around him fell. Despite his skill, even he could be easily overwhelmed. He had only one goal in front of him. He had to stop the mage. The Tarvoni finished off a spell to summon something to fight for him.
It was no normal creature that rose from nothingness. A palpable sense of dread came over all the goblinoids. Mayitso felt the evil as well as the fur on his hackles raised. The monstrosity that stepped forth was a ten foot tall terror that reeked of ash with an acrid burn to it. It was a fiend from beyond the world, one of the demons that the Abyss Cult often dealt with. Beren remembered the immense creature from Casea. This foe was similar but was far weaker and smaller.
Mayitso leapt at the thing and bit at the monstrosity. His teeth did not even scratch the demon's hide. It laughed at the lycanthrope hanging on its arm and slashed with the claws on its other hand. Mayitso yelped as the claws sliced through his hide and drew blood. It was not a major wound but it was enough to make Mayitso take notice. Beren looked to the lycanthrope and sighed.
“Hold it off a moment, I'll stop the mage from summoning more,” the magehunter stated as he charged towards the mage.
The demon moved to intercept Beren but Mayitso leapt at it as the goblins slowly began to realize the demon was on their side. As one moved in to aid the fight an arrow pierced his throat. The rest of the human forces had arrived and a grand battle began. Beren saw the electric blue aura of magic around his foe as the Tarvoni rushed to weave another spell. The magehunter saw to look of fear in the porcelain skinned man's eyes. Then the pale skin and blue aura were little more than red as blood flowed. The Agonish man's sword had cleaved well.
Arrows flew and blades slashed. Kava found some amusement at fighting the goblins. It was unusual to fight a foe as small as she was. Of course, she though the larger goblinoids might have made a more satisfying thump sound when they hit the ground thanks to their extra mass. Aldebaran did not think of such things. He concentrated solely on the combat at hand. His mighty two handed sword cut swaths through the goblinoid forces. Syrian and the Rangers cut through several goblins as Enzi and Eurysa provided support.
Mayitso kept the demon well engaged. The demon had trouble seriously wounding the lycanthrope but it was obvious that Mayitso was losing. Several of the human forces took pot shots at the demon when they could, but it was far too tough for such unfocused strikes. Suddenly the demon roared as Beren slashed at it from behind. Even his fine Casean blade could not harm the creature. It would require magic the group did not have to kill such a beast.
However, Beren easily kept the demon busy while the rest of the group mopped up the goblinoids. After that the demon saw it was outnumbered and fled. It no longer had a master to command it. The group began to gave chase but Beren waved them off. The group looked at him oddly. Such a terrible creature certainly could not be allowed to roam freely.
“To conjure such a powerful creature takes a lot of power. The magic that allowed it entry will not last long. It can not do any harm with the little time it has left,” Beren said, “Never have I fought such a foe. Fighting it any longer would only give it a chance to harm us. We are lucky it chose to flee. I doubt it realizes how little time it has left here. It seems we have to find a way to beat demons as well if we are going to win this war.”
Enzi nodded, “Unfortunately I have some knowledge of that from my people's battles with the Tarvoni over the years. That was a particularly powerful one, but even it can be hurt by normal weapons if struck hard enough or with perfect precision at its weakest points. With the power of Aldebaran's swings, fleeing may have been smarter than you give the demon credit for. It is far easier to harm them with certain kinds of magical po
wer however. Our priests would often summon vicious cold to freeze them.”
“We could use some priests here,” Syrian said, “Especially for the wounded. I see a few cuts and bruises on us. I would hate for them to become infected.”
Enzi nodded, “Let us move away from the marsh and wash out our wounds with some of our water. Hopefully that will keep the evil of the Siren Swamp from setting in.”
The group made their way to drier land and tried to clean up. After that they began their trip back towards base camp. The mission had been a success. There were no major wounds and no one had died. Enzi imagined such a victory would be a great boost to morale.
***
To be free of the void, even for a short time, felt glorious. The demon knew he did not have long in this world. He tasted the blood on his claws and grinned. He fled through the forest searching for prey. He killed what few animals he could catch and ate them. The warmth of flesh and blood soother his belly. The stench of death filled the creature's nostrils and it loved it. The experience was beautiful to it. All it had ever experienced was the great void. Like all its kind, it drifted helplessly in the void.
The void was empty. One could see nothing, feel nothing, taste nothing. The demons felt great rage at the creatures of Doulairen while being helpless to do anything. The actions of the creatures of this world had shattered their home. The demon was not sure how he knew that, he just did. It was their fault that he must now drift in the void. The demons drifted helpless with nothing but their rage. Was it any wonder that when summoned they were cruel and violent?
The demon felt his tenuous hold on the mortal world begin to loosen. The magic that had allowed him to roam was unraveling. The vibrant colors of the world vanished and the monster drifted through the void once more. He thought perhaps that the taste of the mortal world would be enough to satisfy him. However he noticed his hunger had only grown. Madness soon overtook the demon once more. It sought out contact with the mortal realm.