Disclaimer: I don't own anything! All characters are property of Ryan Sohmer and Lar DeSouza – creators of the "Looking For Group" web-comic. I am not making any money off of this (though if I was that'd be pretty kick-ass… though I'd probably get sued . ) and is purely for entertainment…. And disturbing fellow forum goers! That means you, iloverichard! XD Bahaha! evil
One Fine Day
Written by NEhaverabies (a.k.a. hobbitofcaradhras)
Night was quickly approaching, the sky turning shades of purples and blues. Through the thick forest vegetation, a blanket of fog was rolling along the ground, getting thicker by the minute. Over head the birds had gone to roost, not a sound could be heard, except for the occasional chirp of an insect. A slight breeze rustled the leaves above, as if whispering secrets that only the trees could hear.
On the small dirt path, which was overgrown with ferns and grass, five people silently made their way forward. They had been silent since dusk, an overwhelming sense of foreboding bringing a hush about them and their environment. When they had first entered the forest, a mysterious hermit had warned them of the dangers with in, telling the travelers to be wary at nightfall.
Having heard these kinds of forebodings before, the group had, for the most part, ignored the hermit's advice and pushed onward. Now, however, as night was approaching the five travelers could sense a kind of strangeness about them. As they made their way ever deeper, they could feel eyes boring into them, watching their progress.
"We should be nearing a clearing," the elder of the group, the scholar, whispered behind him, not daring raise his voice in this place.
"Great, maybe we'll have enough light to look at the maps again," Benny, the priestess, whispered in equally quiet tones.
Behind the priestess were Cale'Anon, his panther companion, Sooba, and Richard, an undead warlock. Cale glanced about warily, straining his elven ears for the slightest of sound. He glanced about him in all directions carefully, apprehension gripping him.
Richard for the most part, seemed uninterested in his surroundings. He casually glanced about, looking for anything worthwhile of his attention.
"I think I see the clearing…" Krunch whispered to the others. He squinted, trying to see through the thickening fog.
"The sooner we get there, the better. These woods are beginning to creep me out." The priestess called quietly back, glancing into the darkness of the woods as if to challenge something to jump out at them.
"Perhaps we could move with more haste, then?" Cale'Anon suggested to the two in front, a tinge of hope in his voice. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he too was feeling trepidation from the forest.
"Good idea, Pinky. Let's pick up the pace." Krunch replied, immediately falling into a brisker walk. The others, except for Richard, who didn't seem the slightest bit worried, had to take up a slight jog to keep up with the large scholar.
A few minutes later, the group found themselves in a vast meadow, the fog hanging low to the land, allowing the silver light of the moon to reflect off of it giving the ground a liquid feel. They traveled out a few paces, distancing themselves from the gloom of the trees. As Krunch halted, he pulled from a pouch a rolled up parchment, which held the information for where they were headed.
Krunch unrolled the scroll, holding it up so he could see in the moonlight. Benny came up beside him, glancing sidelong at the paper.
"What does it say, Old Cow?" she asked in a partially louder voice, as the moonlight lifted some of the ominous tension from the travelers. As her adoptive father perused over the parchment, he let out a small grunt.
"All it says is something about waiting for the dawning light." He relayed the words, rolling the parchment back up and placing it with in his pouch yet again.
"Dawn isn't for another several hours yet," Cale stated as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What are we to do until then?"
"We wait." Krunch answered as he took a seat on the ground.
"Great, I just love doing such productive activities." Benny rolled her eyes sarcastically, clearly not looking forward to the wait.
"Heh heh heh…" a low chuckle reached their ears suddenly; Krunch, Benny and Cale looked behind them at the approaching warlock, each with an identical questioning glare.
Stopping in his tracks, Richard cocked an eyebrow curiously at the others.
"What?"
"Find something amusing?" Benny asked, placing a hand on her hip.
Richard crossed an arm over his chest and placed a finger on his chin in thoughtfully.
"Well, I wasn't going to say anything…" He began, giving the priestess a bemused look. "But now that you mention it, that outfit you're wearing –"
Before Richard could finish the sentence that would have almost certainly angered Benny, the chuckle came again.
"Heh heh heh heh…"
This time, however, the voice seemed to come from all directions, hanging in the air as if mocking them. Confused, the group looked around trying to spot the unseen being. Benny gripped her staff tighter as she crouched in a fighting posture. Krunch took up a defensive position in front of Benny, holding a protective arm in front of her. Cale'Anon slowly unsheathed his twin swords, backing up next to Sooba, who was giving a low, warning growl. Richard, who was standing a few feet from the others, began to crack his knuckles in anticipation of a fight, an evil glint in his eyes.
"Those who have traveled so far from the safety of their homes are going to soon regret ever stepping foot in these a-cursed woods." The disembodied voice spoke up, floating along listlessly in the air.
"Show yourself!" Krunch called out, his deep voice rang loudly in the night air, sounding foreign in the environment.
"Yes, you would like that, wouldn't you?" The voice seemingly whispered in their ears, sending a shiver down their spines.
"Who are you?" This time Cale called out, straining his eyes to see what was not yet there.
"Who I am is irrelevant! You should be more concerned for yourselves…" As the voice spoke, a shadow emerged from the tree line, moving slowly towards the group. Fog parted as the figure progressed closer, revealing a short, pudgy man adorned in dirty, moth eaten purple robes.
"What do you want, little man?" Benny spat the question at the newcomer, clearly not impressed with the individual.
"Well, I do believe you're trespassing." The voice that came from the man was nothing like what they heard in the air. Instead, he spoke with a nasally, squeaky voice. Surprised, the party gave the gaunt man baffled looks.
The man came to a stop several feet from the group, his features now clearly visible. Aside from his shabby garments, the short man had a waxy complexion, and a badly done comb-over. His face was riddled with freckles and his eyes were small, beady and sunken in. The man stood a head shorter than Cale'Anon, and a pungent smell of tuna and old milk wafted up to great their nostrils.
Cale, who was closest to the strange person, brought his fingers up to his nose, trying unsuccessfully to ward off the offending odor. Sooba was still growling, but backed up slowly, unsure of the strange little man.
"How did you come to the conclusion that we're trespassing, stranger?" Krunch asked, ignoring the smell and pressing for answers.
"… Well, technically you're not, but it sounded like the right thing to say." Shifting his weight uncomfortably from foot to foot, the strange man fidgeted with the sleeve of his robe. Glancing nervously at each of their faces, beads of sweat began to roll down his balding head.
"What is it that you want, then?" Krunch asked, getting annoyed at the stranger's behavior.
"Oh! Oh right, yes… about that. You see, I've been given the sole duty to await the chosen ones arrival! I'm… I'm assuming you're them?"
Confused, the group looked at each other curiously, Cale raising his eyebrows incredulously. They looked to Krunch for the answer, but the large scholar merely shrugged, just as perplexed as the rest.
"Oh dear… oh dear! If you're not them, then… What'll I do? What'll I do!" Now panicked, the short, robed man began to tug at his hair with anxiety. Seeing this, Cale sheathed his swords, rushing forth to try and stop the man from causing harm to himself.
"What do you mean, 'if we're not them'? What will happen if we're not?" the elf asked in the middle of trying to pry the man's frantic hands away from his thinning hair.
"It's your fault… your fault!" Suddenly changing behaviors again, he pointed at the group, a wild gleam in his eyes. "You must pay! You must pay for trespassing!"
"But, I thought you said we weren't…" Cale had by this time backed away from the crazy man, now more confused than he had ever been before.
Richard, who had been spectating the events unfold with mild amusement, looked back and forth between the crazed little wizard and confused Cale. Now he was becoming bored, however, and with a flick of his hand the hem of the man's robes began to smolder – giving way to open flame.
With a squawk, the stranger jumped an inch in the air, staring aghast at his now burning robe. He futilely tried patting out the flames, but only managed to set his sleeves on fire. Panicked, he began to run around in circles, Cale chasing after to try and offer his aide.
"Now this is entertainment." Casually strolling up next to Benny and Krunch, Richard placed his hands on his hips, admiring his handy-work. Giving the warlock a dirty look for further complicating things, Benny moved forward, and with a small spell put out the flames on the grubby wizard's robes. The short man came to a stop, panting at the exertion.
"No one… makes a fool of… Glorfenmad!" He managed to yell between gasps for air, pointing a pudgy finger at the warlock. "You'll all pay dearly for this!"
"But… we have done nothing!" The elf began to protest, waving his hands defensively.
"Enough! I know just what to do with frauds such as you!" With a maniacal cackle, the stout little wizard snapped his fingers.
A blinding light engulfed the group, the sound of the wizard's laugh growing faint. Slowly, the party fell into the darkness of unconsciousness.