"My loyal followers…our time approaches!"
"We shall see the world unravel itself, from the small villages to the capital, all shall see the fruits of our labors! They themselves will come to be enlightened and in that moment…will become followers who shall see the truth with their own eyes! For the Miracle of Life!"
The man closed his eyes and smiled as he thought back to what his master had said to him all those years ago. Around him he could hear the cries of anguish as man, woman and child was screaming in pain, even the sound of animals were heard along with them, they too had fallen victim to the poison. He soon felt a tap on his right shoulder and looked toward the other older man beside him dressed in a dark black robe.
"Are you alright my brother?"
"Fine." The man continued to smile as he looked toward the village and people collapsed to their hands and knees clutching at their bodies. "We are successful in our creation of the Elixir!"
"I do wish the others had come with us. They would marvel at how far we have come with our own creation."
These two were among the few surviving followers of the Necromancer; over the last five years they had been hunted by the King's men. Never again would their brand of evil be allowed to be recreated; survivors were tortured into giving up the locations of others but held true to their demented devotion. Survivors were forced to flee to the outskirts of the continent, though the king's elite troops continued to hunt them.
These two men had separated from others, their fellow cultists were focused on resurrecting the Necromancer while they simply wished to recreate the formula and amass an army of beasts under their control while. This disagreement led to their splintering and they chose to hide within plain sight as it were, simple apothecaries in a new town trying to help those around them.
"Five years…five years of having to hide from those who are our inferior, but no longer!"
The Faceless Man smirked as he drew out an object from within his robes, a white mask with large glass lenses for the eyes and a long leather beak-like protrusion on the front. He chuckled as he placed the mask upon his face as his fellow brother did the same, now back in their original attire they looked over the groaning people.
"Now! Hear my voice! Obey my commands!"
The men, women and children ceased their screaming; an eerie silence fell over the village as they all slowly got to their hands and knees. Everyone was back on their feet, a groan of anger or annoyance escaping from their mouths. Drool ran from their mouths and their bloodshot eyes focused on one another, but then they went to reaching for tools or any nearby object to be used as a weapon. A scream erupted from their mouths before charging forward to fight each other much to the surprise of the Faceless Men. Children gleefully beating animals with sticks or being pounced upon by rabid dogs; elsewhere a mother laughed as she repeatedly stabbed her child while men beat one another until their brains spilled from the skulls.
"What? What is this?"
"Brother…what is going on? They haven't changed and are acting mad!"
"I…I don't know! All of you stop this foolishness now!"
Those nearby turned their attention to the two Faceless Men before shrieking and rushing to attack the startled men. The screams and smell of blood permeated the air and drew the attention of something in the swamp…something massive. The creature stomped through the swamp approaching the fresh bodies to feed on only for survivors to run and attack the beast.
xxxx
"Goblin Slayer, a pleasure to see you again." The King smiled as he extended his hand towards the oddly dressed adventurer. "I'll skip the pleasantries and skip right to business as I know that's your usual manner. I've been receiving reports of several small settlements to the northeast of the capital being assaulted by individuals in armor."
"Goblins?"
"Unknown. The few survivors say they were as large as men, slaughtering all in their way, prioritizing the capture of women."
"Hmm. Have other groups been sent out to deal with them?"
"They have but known have returned. That is why you are here is it not?"
The King and Goblin Slayer turned as the curt voice sounded behind them, a mature woman dressed in an immaculate suit slowly approached, the hair left long to cover the scars on her right eye.
"I remember you, my promotion exam." Goblin Slayer carefully looked over the woman, his tone as devoid of emotion as normal. "My wife was worried about your safety during that battle five years ago."
"Ah yes, my young junior. I'm still surprised that she chose you to be her husband, even more surprised that someone with your…personality would help save the world." The Guild Manager smirked as she looked over the odd adventurer, surprised by how far he had come since accompanying on the promotion exam.
"I didn't save the world, just stopped someone who would use goblins as a weapon."
"Ah yes, as your name would indicate. Then perhaps you will allow us to partake of your expertise." Guild Manager had a small smile as she returned her attention toward Goblin Slayer.
"My thoughts exactly, if you two will come with me, we shall look over the sites where the abductions occurred." The King motioned for the two to follow him to his private chambers.
Goblin Slayer and Guild Manager calmly walked with the King, between the three of them there was some small talk, though most of it was from the King and Guild Manager.
"By the way Goblin Slayer, I was surprised to see that only you and your dire wolf came on this journey."
"My wives had asked about coming, but I suggested they stay with my daughters. We are all away too often so it is not fair to them to be left alone."
"A shame, I had wished to speak with my young trainee and see how things were going balancing a job and family at the same time." Guild Manager smiled as she looked to Goblin Slayer but now found he was gone.
The King and Guild Manager looked around and found Goblin Slayer looking up at a statue. The statue depicted a woman in a long robe with medium hair, a gentle smile on her face and what appeared to be glasses upon their face.
"Hmm, this statue…"
"Oh, the Goddess of Insight. She is a relatively new deity, someone can be seen as someone between Knowledge and Wisdom. Wisdom gives out information far too easily and Knowledge pushes people to discover things on their own. Insight, she will provide hints or clues which allow her followers to discover the information they sought." The King smiled, happy to see a new statue among the other statues designed to honor the Gods and Goddesses of Order.
"She looks…familiar." Goblin Slayer slightly turned his head as he studied the statue but brushed it off as returned his attention to the matter at hand. "More importantly, we should discuss the goblins."
"Of course Goblin Slayer, let us continue." The King motioned for the two to follow him down the hallway.
Guild Manager and Goblin Slayer, along with Wolf, followed the King to discuss the threat of the goblins. As they departed, the statue of the Goddess of Insight allowed her eyes to follow Goblin Slayer, a small smile on her face.
"My, my, how far he's come since then. I should hope to speak with him again."
xxxx
"It's been too many days stuck in this blasted swamp. That damn tree trying to feed on us and constantly looking over our shoulder for that damn Executioner, I'm a bundle of nerves." Harpy Scout let out a sigh as she looked upward, the thick cover of trees blocking the sun.
"I feel the same way, every noise has ne nearly jumping, worrying that bastard is going to come barreling through the swamp at us." Half-Dragon Priestess turned to look around the swamp, the various noises filling her with unease.
"It not only animals that make noise to be careful of. Hidden animals ready to strike."
"Hidden animals? Do you mean like snakes or alligators…or something else?" Padfoot Monk paused as his ears moved in the directions of the noises around them.
"Those bad but need to watch for Tree Bugs." Saber Rider grunted as he looked at a nearby tree killed with long jagged branches.
"Tree Bugs? What are tree bugs?" Harpy Scout too looked around as well to try and see if she could determine where these creatures were hiding.
"They right here."
Saber Rider took hold of his axe and struck as several of the tree branches; the branches collapsed to ground, the crooked twigs thrashing about as yellowish fluids oozed from the spot where they had been cut. The girls immediately backed away from the sight then turned their attention back toward the tree to see the other branches scurrying up toward the tree tops.
"Those Tree Bugs. Very dangerous. Wait for prey to get close then drop from tree to feed." Saber Rider snorted as he kicked the remains of the bugs into the swamp.
"The sooner we're out of the swamp the better. I'd rather not cross that Swamp Hag, no telling what other horrors she has unleashed in this area." Wolf Brawler involuntarily shivered as her ears could hear the screeching of the Tree Bugs once again. "Isn't there supposed to be a small village located near here?"
"That's what the map we had seen showed us; a chance to resupply and hopefully get a nice warm meal in a safer location." Half-Dragon Priestess looked ahead trying to find an easier path to move through.
Suddenly a roar erupted from within the swamp; a strange mixture of growling, hissing and almost a type of trumpeting sound. The party of adventurers, though scared, readied themselves for something to come charging out at them but as they looked to the swamp nothing moved. The strange roar continued but seemed to be moving away from the area; after a few tense moments the cries seemed to die down.
"What, what was that?" Harpy Scout slowly eased off on the drawstring for her bow as she nervously looked about the swamp.
"I never hear sound like that. Strange noise. Sound like different animals." Saber Rider tense his fist around his axe, beside him Fang's eyes narrowed as he snarled at the swamp.
"For now it's moving away and we should do the same thing." Half-Dragon Priestess looked toward Specter who was snarling as well, so she reached out to pet him and calm him down. "Easy boy, we're moving away from here."
The party quickly yet quietly moved away from the spot, not sure what had caused the monstrous roar and not eager to discover it. While they moved away, they could not have known that the Swamp Hag was in agony as she knocked over the items upon her alter before gripping it to steady herself.
"What…what is it? What causes you so much pain?"
The Swamp Hag's eyes began to glow as she could see through the eyes of her familiar. The beast growled and snarled as it ran through the swamp seeking creatures to kill, flesh to feed upon, and when it found nothing smashing its body and head against the trees, all of which was connected to her. Earlier that day all had seemed well, but then she could tell something was wrong, the beast was acting in a crazed manner, only aggression and pain surging through its body.
"Stop…Stop…STOP!"
Swamp Hag let out a shriek as every blow the creature endured was like a wound to her body, she then collapsed to the ground, the deer skull rolling away as she hit the ground. The Swamp Hag now lay unconscious on the ground, but her familiar continued its violent thrashing as it continued to search for something to kill and feed upon.
xxxx
"I think I can see smoke overhead." Half-Dragon Priestess squinted her eyes as she saw what appeared to be black clouds through the gaps in the trees.
"You're right. Sniff…Sniff I can smell smoke from ahead…and blood, a lot of it." Wolf Brawler took in several deep breaths and frowned at the odd scents she was gathering.
The party and their companions rushed forward toward the cause of the smoke and were horrified to discovered the village was now in ruins. It was clear that a violent attack took place in the village from the burnt out buildings and bodies strewn around the area.
"No. Not again. The devastation…is this the Dragon Executioner?" Harpy Scout frowned as she could see the bodies of children nearby.
"No. His scent isn't in this village, something else killed these people." Wolf Brawler frowned as she shook her head while exploring the village.
"Here. Look. Oh sorry, Dogface no can see." Saber Rider had knelt down by some of the nearby bodies and called for the others to check the bodies. "Bodies here. Look like people kill each other."
"You have nothing to apologize for my friend, but what you just said, the people killed each other? What would make them turn on one another?" Padfoot Monk could not see but looked around the area trying to picture all the devastation around them.
Half-Dragon Priestess and Specter moved close by the buildings, she was distressed by the carnage around them and at a loss for what would make the people kill one another. Something then caught her eye, near one of the mangled bodies she could see a white object smeared with blood; as she moved to investigate her eyes grew wide when she realized with as a mask that resembled a bird's beak with two large glass lenses for eyes.
"No. No, no, no, no! Not again!"
The others heard the frantic cries from Half-Dragon Priestess and rushed to her side thinking she was being attacked but found her holding a bloody mask in her hands.
"What's wrong? Did you encounter the one responsible for all the destruction around us?" Padfoot Monk looked around but his ears could only hear the faint crackling of fires.
"Why Lizard Girl make so much noise? No danger around here. Hmm…Lizard Girl find giant beak, that monster who cause damage?"
"It's not a beak, that's a mask, surely you've heard of those before." Harpy Scout let out a sigh as she clarified to her uncivilized companion but looked towards her friend with a worried look. "What's up with the mask? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I have in a way. This is a plague mask, my father told me it was used for people to gather bodies in area where there is dangerous sickness, but…I remember them from a more troublesome time. Do you remember how I mentioned going on a journey with my family to the Capital five years ago?"
"This was when your family helped in dealing with the Necromancer yes? He had unleashed a horde of monsters to destroy the Capital right?" Wolf Brawler curiously looked at the bloody mask in her friend's hands when the sudden realization hit her. "You don't mean…"
"The Faceless Men who worked for the Necromancer wore these very masks. Nearby the mask I found the black robes they would dress themselves in. That same plague that would transform people into monsters has been released here."
Harpy Scout and Padfoot Monk were also shocked by this realization, they too had heard the stories of the hideous creations set loose upon the countryside. Saber Rider was the only one who was unsure of what Half-Dragon Priestess was talking about but could tell that this was something very terrible.
"I don't understand. Why would they be here? I thought they had been wiped out in the Capital." Harpy Scout looked about the ruined village, true there was carnage all around them but no signs of people turning into monsters. "I thought the poison they used created monsters, these people appear to have torn each other apart."
"I don't know. These men must have been survivors of the attack and maybe the poison they used is different but we must destroy all the remains." Half-Dragon Priestess then looked toward Specter and Fang then toward the bodies around them. "Make Sure we these two don't touch anything. If this new poison causes people to act violently, I don't want to think of them being infected by eating contaminated flesh."
The five went about the terrible job of dragging the remains toward a makeshift bonfire, taking care to avoid getting any of the blood on themselves. After a few hours the task was done and Half-Dragon Priestess went about spewing forth her flame to engulf the bodies, while she was doing this, Saber Rider and Padfoot Monk went about collapsing the well to make sure no one could access the water.
"Why we destroying this thing?"
"According to Priestess, those madmen would use the well as a way to poison the people. We cannot allow any others to befall this same tragedy."
The prayers for the dead had been said, the well destroyed to avoid the spread of further contamination and the bodies had been set ablaze as the stink of burning flesh filled the area. Half-Dragon Priestess was worried though, though many bodies appeared to have been killed by others there was also signs of something feeding on others.
"We need to make sure that none of those monsters are still loose. It's the least we can do for those who were cursed by the Necromancer's vile poison." Half-Dragon Priestess let out a final sigh as she looked away from the bonfire to the destroyed village.
"Don't you worry. We'll make sure to hunt down whatever might have escaped this village." Harpy Scout placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, offering a small reassuring smile.
"Over here. Fang and big wolf find something."
The others moved to join up with Saber Rider, Specter and Fang who were growling as they looked down at the ground. Beneath their feet within the mud were bloody tracks; large, foru-digits imprints with visible claw marks at the ends. The tracks were all around them, they seemed to indicate something came out of the swamp and attacked the people within the village before retreating back into the marsh.
"Looks like the beast may have been attacked by these from the footprints and blood. I think from the footprints here it was a large alligator, but…the scent is all wrong." Wolf Brawler closed her eyes and took in the scent of the creature from the footprints.
"No alligator, can't be." Saber Rider squatted near the ground and traced his fingers through the outline. "That big lizard have five toes but three claws. Monster have four large claws."
"Maybe an effect of that poison the Faceless Men used, but we need to find this thing and kill it." Half-Dragon Priestess tightened her grip on her blade while moving her gaze from the footprints to the misty swamp. "I don't want to go back in there, not on the chance of running into another carnivorous tree, but we can't let this thing run loose. My family fought long and hard over those two months to vanquish this heresy and now we shall too."
"Ngiphe umlilo, ukushisa ububi. Priestess, perhaps that strange roar we heard earlier was the beast itself." Padfoot Monk stood ready with staff in hand both ends set ablaze as he turned toward the party's leader.
"All the better then, that cry was not too far from our group. Be wary of the beast, we don't want any of us to fall victim to this strange madness that befell the village. Let us destroy this evil!"
The party rushed back into the swamp, determined to find this swamp dragon and destroy it before others were infected. As the five carefully examined their surroundings for signs of the creature hiding, Specter and Fang were sniffing around following the scent, Talon was flying through the trees to spot the beast and alert the others. Both Fang and Specter suddenly stopped their movements as they shook their heads, snorting furiously as if trying to get a foul scent out of the nostrils.
"What's wrong Specter?" Half-Dragon Priestess rushed to check on her dire wolf.
"Why you acting weird Fang? What you smell?"
Just then both Wolf Brawler and Padfoot Monk were covering their noses while coughing heavily; Harpy Scout and Half-Dragon Priestess were both distressed by the sight, believing their friends were somehow contaminated by the same foul poison, but those worries were soon put to rest with the next comment.
"Gods above, what the hell is that smell? It's almost as if someone took a massive shit right in front of me!" Wolf Brawler took a couple steps back while trying to avoid taking any deep breaths.
It took a couple moments for Brawler's friends to register what had been said before they finally laughed breaking the tension that had been building.
"Quite the colorful imagery Huntress but I tend to concur, it is a foul smell that hits us all." Padfoot Monk wanted to laugh at Brawler's quip, but the smell was too over bearing at the moment.
"Sniff…Sniff…I know smell. This stink water." Saber Rider took in the smell wafting through the air and frowned.
"Stink water? What exactly is that?" Half-Dragon Priestess was curious what caused her companions such distress but kept a careful eye on the surrounding trees.
"I show you. Smell get worse as we get closer."
The party followed Saber Rider, thankfully Half-Dragon Priestess had learned from her big brother, to always carry a mask with charcoal within, which made the smell slightly more tolerable. They soon came upon a spot within the swamp where there were only dead trees around them, the sky above was bright and clear but in the center was a large crater full of boiling liquid. Around the edge of the crater was a yellow-orange colored crust, the smell was strong enough to make their eyes water, carcasses of animals lay nearby in various states of decay.
"This smell…this is a sulfur pit. My brother has used this noxious fume to choke and poison goblins." Half-Dragon Priestess peered over the edge of the crater and could see the boiling yellowish liquid. "Wouldn't want to fall in there, you'd be boiled alive."
"That's fine and all, but can we get away from there? Those of us with stronger senses of smell are really suffering here!" Wolf Brawler continued to cover her nose, even though she had a cloth cover it, to avoid any further smell getting through.
Before anyone could respond they heard the screeching of Talon away from them followed by the strange roar once again. Half-Dragon Priestess and her comrades rushed toward the sounds, a mix of fear of this unknown beast and worry that it was after Talon. They soon came upon the site, within the water were the remains of several of the Tree Bugs, eaten by the large creature that now reared up and roared as it attempted to catch Talon. The beast was not a swamp dragon but something far worse.
The monster had greenish skin, its body was long and slender like that of a lizard nearly the length of five humans laying down. It's tail was tipped with four thick spikes but the head was far too unique, large, loose skin for ears, a long trunk-like nose with razor sharp teeth on the underside, and two massive tusks protruding from either side of its long nose. The party looked at the strange creature, believing it to be an alligator mutated by the Faceless men's mixture but what they were looking at was actually a Grootslang. The Grootslang was covered in various wounds received from its battles and self-inflicted injuries; its yellow eyes only focusing on the bird flying overhead as it struggled to catch the prey but it soon stopped as it took notice of the others around it.
"What in the name of the Gods is that horrid beast?" Harpy Scout readied an arrow the moment the beast laid eyes upon them.
"It may have been an alligator before being infected but now it is just a monster. We must kill it at once." Half-Dragon Priestess quickly moved in front of Specter and motioned for him to moved back. "Quickly Specter! Stay Back! I don't want you getting infected as well."
"Right. You too Fang! You stay away!"
Specter and Fang could see their partners moving their hands to push them away, the scent from this strange beast in front of them gave off an uneasy scent which made their fur rise. The Grootslang let out a trumpeting roar before charging forward to slaughter the five figures just as the party maneuvered to fight against it.
xxxx
"Ugh…my head…where?"
Swamp Hag slowly opened her eyes; she found herself within her hut, lying on the floor as she looked up at the ceiling. She slowly got back to her feet, searching for her deer skull before placing it back on her head. The last thing she remembered was seeing things through the eyes of her familiar, it was thrashing about striking its head which caused her immense pain but now it seemed calm.
"What…what caused my loyal beast to AHHHHH!"
The Swamp Hag clutched at her right arm, pain coursed through her once again, feeling as if she had been hit by an arrow yet her body remained unharmed. As she looked at her right arm a new pain moved to her left side, like a blade had cut deep into her flesh. Swamp Hag staggered towards her altar and ran her hands over her crystal ball until her eyes began to glow and now she could see what her familiar was able to see. Her familiar was now in the middle of fighting with a group of adventurers, her eyes widened as she quickly realized it was the very same ones she had seen only a few days ago.
"You! What are you doing? Are you the ones responsible for his madness?"
Through the familiar's eyes she watched as the adventurers attacked, every strike, every cut, every bit of damage he incurred she felt as if she was the one to directly attacked. The Swamp Hag screamed once again as she stumbled backwards colliding with the walls of her shack.
"Damn you! AHHHHH! Stop it! Stop hurting my beloved beast! RAAGHHH!"
xxxx
"Damn monster! You die!" Saber Rider foolishly leapt toward the monster's tail and began to hack away at the spiked end.
The beast swung its tail wildly, but with his clawed gauntlet digging into the creature's flesh, he continued to hack away with his axe. The others also continued with their attacks with Wolf Brawler rushing in to deliver a massive blow towards its eye and snout and when she moved away to avoid its counter-attack Half-Dragon Priestess moved to slash at its body and use her flame breath to drive it back. Padfoot Monk also delivered blow after blow with his flaming staff while Harpy Scout fired arrow after arrow into the into it's body. The Grootslang was heavily injured yet continued to attack forcing the others to move back with every swipe of its claws and snapping of jaws. Saber Rider laughed as he finally hacked off part of the tail only for the beast to shake its body and knock him back into the murky water.
"Rider! You alright?" Harpy Scout flapped her wings to quickly fly back as the beast attempted to slash at where she had been.
Saber Rider erupted from the water, spitting the liquid from his mouth and giving his head a shake before laughing vigorously raising his arms high; in his right hand was his axe and in the left hand was the spikey segment of the tail.
"Stupid beast! Look now! I got your tail!"
Saber Rider's ecstatic comment did catch the others by surprise but they too could help but smile and laugh along with him. Half-Dragon Priestess was indeed happy her comrade was alright but knew they could not continue to draw out this fight, a single bite or scratch might transfer the sickness to them and they could not allow this beast to be left for scavengers.
"What to do? I could possibly burn it after we kill it but with this water my flames won't last…wait. Water!" She gasped as the realization flashed through her mind causing her to shout out. "That's it! Stink water!"
"What the hell are you on about? What about stink water?" Harpy Scout reached for another arrow but paused as she realized she was running low on the quantity.
"The sulfur pits! I know how to kill this thing! Head back for the pit!"
Half-Dragon Priestess made a mad dash away from the beast, Specter immediately following his master. The others also quickly rushed to follow with Priestess as the Grootslang roared and chased after them eager to end the madness and devour their flesh. The five of them suddenly stopped to face the beast, it charged blindly allowing its rage to push it forward.
"Now Scout! Go for the eyes!"
Harpy Scout heard the shout from her friend and quickly drew back two arrows, she had practiced firing more than one arrow before but now it was time for those skills to help her friends. She let loose both arrows, hoping they would meet their targets; the first arrow struck the monster's left eye while the second arrow imbedded itself deep into the monster's forehead. The creature roared, thrashing its head about while it continued forward, in the few moments after Harpy Scout's arrows hit the party quickly jumped towards their left or right while the beast ran past them, falling into the crater behind them.
The Grootslang splashed into the boiling torrent shrieking as the water burned at its injured hide. The beast readied itself to crawl out of the pit but Half-Dragon Priestess rushed toward the crater and spewed forth a burst of fire. There was a sudden ball of fire which knocked the adventurers into the murky waters and engulfed the monster completely. The blaze was far too intense for the others save Half-Dragon Priestess whose scales added some protection from heat, but they could all hear the cries of the monster. The Grootslang thrashed about in the burning pit, the air burning as after it cried out it found it there was no air to breathe in. It continued to writhe in pain for as long as it could but eventually collapsed as the flames burned away at it, ashes from its body blowing upward into the air.
"It's dead. Father…big brother…the evil of the Necromancer has been destroyed." Half-Dragon Priestess took in a deep breath but suddenly began coughing as the stink of sulfur still filled the air.
"Damn it. Even set ablaze there's that damn smell! Let's get the hell out of here!" Wolf Brawler placed a hand over her nose as she moved away from the burning crater.
The others followed, allowing the remains of the beast to continue burning; with the monster slain the spirits of the dead villagers could now rest in peace. As the group moved further away and could breathe a bit easier, Harpy Scout noticed that Saber Rider still had the end of the tail he had chopped off the creature.
"Why the hell do you still have that? You should have thrown it into the fire."
Saber Rider looked at the tail and raised it upward before bringing it down, he grunted with a smirk as he repeated the motion.
"No waste. Bone in tail thick and strong. Remove flesh and make weapon." Saber Rider chuckled as he continued to swing the tail around.
His comrades were a bit unsure of their friend's thinking but would allow him to attempt to make his new weapon. They had been victorious, destroyed the heresy of the Necromancer and could now continue onward without worry…or so they thought.
xxxx
"NOOOOOOO!"
Swamp Hag screamed as the pain of her familiar coursed through its body all the way until it finally passed. She had watched its final moments, through the fire she focused on the five adventurers who appeared to take pride in defeating her loyal beast.
"Damn you! DAMN YOU ALL!" Swamp Hag roared as he knocked her crystal ball to the ground, watching it shatter. "Revenge…I will have vengeance! You have crossed the wrong person and shall suffer the consequences."
Swamp Hag threw the burning candles on her altar upon the floor, the old wood easily began to catch flame but she did not care, she would not be returning to the shack ever again. With staff in hand she exited her cabin as the flames began to consume it and smoke rose upward towards the trees. She moved away from the burning cabin, sloshing through the waters in the swamp to reach her destination. Even as the cabin burned she never turned to look at it, instead her eyes were focused on a small hill, a hill covered in pumpkins. At the very top of the hill was a scarecrow, those who had seen it might have believed it was simply to keep animals away from the pumpkins but within it was the skeletal remains of an unfortunate person who had wandered into the Swamp Hag's domain.
"I want my vengeance. You shall be my instrument. No price is too high to make those adventurers pay."
The Swamp Hag moved up the hill, when she appeared the scarecrow stopped as she jammed the bottom of her staff into the soft mud. She took out a small dagger and cut her left palm to allow the blood to flow; she reached out to smear blood upon the skull of the skeleton and then a nearby pumpkin.
"Blood for blood. Life for life. My soul in exchange for this creature to have the powers of the earth at its disposal." Swamp Hag sneered beneath her deer skull as she retrieved her staff and moved back to perform the summoning ritual. "From the depths of hell, I shall summon forth a demon to serve me. You my servant shall slaughter my enemies."
Swamp Hag raised her arms up towards the sky, with staff in hand the clouds above grew dark and thunder rolled in.
"Kenbe lwen PumpkinHead, sof si ou fatige nan k ap viv. Lènmi l 'yo se sitou mouri, li nan mechan ak enpitwayabl. Ri nan l 'ak anile ou, men nan kèk mòd efreyan. Vengenace li konsidere plezi ak plan li ak yon pasyon. Tan pa pral efase oswa efase, yon konplo ke li se enplikasyonJwi. Se lè ou panse ke li bliye, ke li pral evoke defèt ou. Bolted pòt ak fenèt entèdi, gad gad rode nan lakou a. Pa pral pwoteje ou nan kabann ou, pa gen anyen byen ... soti nan PumpkinHead!"
As she finished her incantation, the ground beneath the scarecrow opened up, swallowing the fixture and several pumpkins before closing once again. The Swamp Hag as she looked toward the ground in anticipation, she would not have long to wait as the earth beneath her began to shake when out burst a hand, the bones now covered in the green plant stock that was attached to pumpkins. Soon another arm burst from the ground and began claw at the dirt to free the rest of its body. As the soil gave way, the scarecrow erupted, it's skull now replaced with a shrieking pumpkin, a red glowing light visible in its eyes and mouth as blood oozed down its chin. The creature, PumpkinHead, now free from the ground stood, this scarecrow slightly towering over the Swamp Hag who smiled at her creation.
"PumpkinHead. The earth bends to your will."
The creature tilted its head before raising its arm upward, several vines thick as a man's arm shoot upward whipping around like the heads of a hydra. The Swamp hag began to chuckle but soon that chuckled turned into a mad cackle.
"Come. We have work to do."
xxxx
It was a windy, overcast day as Goblin Slayer along with the King and a small detachment of knights carefully moved through the countryside. Most had opted to go by horseback, but Goblin Slayer had refused as the sound of galloping horses would alert the goblins.
"I must ask Goblin Slayer, what makes you so sure the goblins will be attacking this area next." Guild Manager smirked as she walked alongside Goblin Slayer and Wolf.
"I don't know if they are goblins but they follow a predictable pattern. Strike the nearest settlement, deal with those in the immediate area but not to travel too far as to draw any further attention to themselves and then vanish before anyone can arrive." Goblin Slayer grunted as he looked over the sloping countryside, pausing ever now and then to examine the area. "I don't like it."
"I doubt anyone would like dealing with goblins."
"No. There are no immediate caves for them to retreat to, no underground tunnels at any of the ruined villages, and even the adventurers who went out should have been able to deal with a few of them, but there were never any bodies. Something is different about these creatures."
"That still doesn't answer my earlier question, why this area?"
"There are easy targets around here. A small temple for the acolytes and a nearby settlement, either one far enough from a major town before aid could arrive."
"And that is why I personally asked for your aid, your firsthand knowledge of the goblins is quite insightful." The King smiled, though losing people was the last thing he wanted, with Goblin Slayer here they at least had a better idea of where to start.
"Given the number needed to decimate the settlements we saw it is a small fast-moving force. No larger than 30 but no fewer than 15. Still, how are they able to move about so fast and remain undetected?" Goblin Slayer grunted as he tried to come up with a possible answer, but nothing immediately came to mind then noticed Wolf stop. "What is it Wolf?"
The black dire wolf stopped as it took in a new scent, he began to sniff at the ground moving toward its left then raised its head to check once again; though different there was a familiar stink about these creatures which made Wolf growled as he looked ahead.
"I see. This way."
Goblin Slayer and Wolf took off but were quickly followed by the King and the others, as they moved across the plains the Guild manager looked toward her right and could see a faint smoke trail off in the distance.
"It would seem that your instincts were quite correct. I'm eager to see how much you've improved from the last time we journeyed together."
"I do not require a promotion test. I am here to slay the goblins."
"Ever the serious individual I see."
Goblin Slayer and Wolf got to the top of a hill and as they looked down they stopped their targets. As he had expected the group he saw was made up of 26 indidivuals and more than a dozen slaves. There were six slaves tied by their wrists following the and then first group of ten further back was another group of seven slaves also tied by their wrists following the second ten and behind them were the last five soldiers watching for potential escapees. What struck Goblin Slayer was these creatures did resemble goblins in appearance but they were just as tall as men and had a greyish color to their skin. Each of these "goblins" was clad in black armor, most if not all, was covering their chest and back with leg guards as well. The final figure leading this group was a figure shroud in a black robe, he did not appear to have any particular armor about him.
"Get a move on you slave trash! We got quite a ways to go before you serve your ultimate purpose." One of these creatures spoke like a human as he cracked a long black whip along the ground.
"Strange. They look like goblins but are not. They are even able to speak the language humans use with no difficulty. Each has adequate armor covering their vulnerable areas. This is troublesome." Goblin Slayer immediately drew out his sword as he looked down at the group.
"Beloved. I have seen these creatures before back from days as an adventurer. We called them orcs. Creatures from beyond the black mountains that separate most of the continent from the wastelands. What are they doing here I wonder?"
"Orcs. So it wasn't goblins. It doesn't matter, they need to be slain."
"Well said Goblin Slayer." The King also drew his sword and looked toward the others. "Attack!"
The Orcs and captives turned as they heard the cry and saw the group of knights and adventurers charging down the hill after them.
"Damn it, we've been spotted!" The commanding orc started pushing his men forward. "Don't stand there gawking, slaughter these humans! You, Mage! Get to chanting, we need that Gate opened now if we are to transport our cargo back."
The figure in the black robes, a demon mage, growled in frustration at being given orders by this orc but knew he was correct. He raised his hands and began to chant; he would need to open the Gate otherwise they would be killed by these humans.
Author's Note: Apologies everyone, it's been a while since my last post. Part of it is writer's block and the most was burnout. Not from the story but work. As a teacher, trying to get your kids to stay on task and surviving the "Devious Licks" problems over the last month pretty much had me drained. Thankfully things have calmed down and I feel like I can get back to a more normal routine with the story. As we've seen new enemies for our fledgling adventurers, familiar faces working with Goblin Slayer and now a new threat of creatures who are unknown to him. How will this all turn out and what connection do these "Orcs" have to Half-Dragon Priestess's future adventurers? Honestly I'm not sure, that's why I'm asking you. Just kidding, there is a method to my madness.
