This is the Erased Swamps, gateway to the southern realms. To make it through, one either has to brave the dark pits of the Evil of Tormenting, or to come within range of the necromancer’s tower Matchscuffled.
“I’d pick goblins. At least goblins won’t try to eat my brains out.”
“For once, I agree with you. Though it doesn’t mean we should relax our guard; goblin lands aren’t exactly the safest place to be in.”
“Rislu, I’m a goblin.”
“Think I haven’t noticed? All I’m saying is that don’t expect your kindred to give you a free pass. Never know when they’re going to stab you i-“ Rislu suddenly froze. “Get down!” she hissed.
“Yep, we’re all highly dangerous beasts waiting to tear your guts out,” I muttered sarcastically after the goblin had fled past us.
Rislu had a worried expression on her face as she got up. “Strange. You don’t normally see goblins acting like that.”
“Don’t sweat it. We do it all the time; it’s just that the screaming is usually internal.”
Three hours into our wandering trek, we spot a towering structure up ahead.
“Dark tower,” whispered Rislu. I brightened up.
“Good. Maybe there’s someone in there that we can ask for directions. The way I see it, we’re either hopelessly lost, or we’re taking the scenic route.”
“What? No! Come back! They’re going to chop our legs off!”
“… you’ve got some serious goblin issues, mate,” I muttered darkly as I headed towards the tower, unheeding of Rislu’s calls.
“Heya! My name is Sitsu! What’s youewaa-”
“-ah shit.”
“So? Got anything useful?” shouted Rislu from beyond the trench.
“RUN!”
Her look was as bewildered as it got, until she too saw the moaning abomination shuffling out from the tower’s gates.
“SHIT! RUN, GODDAMNIT!”
“That’s exactly what I said!” I yelled indignantly as Rislu sped past me with frankly inhuman speed.
Pant, pant, pant.
“Okay. Now we’re hopelessly lost,” muttered Rislu.
“Well, luckily…” I waved a gesture over at the horizon. Rislu’s gaze followed my hand to the two new dark towers on the horizon.
“Nooo.
Again?”
“Movement on the parapets. Can you see if it’s alive or dead?”
“Looks alive to me. Appears to be a goblin, I think.”
“You think?”
“I’m not entirely sure what a rotting hulking goblin corpse is supposed to look like, Sitsu. Your skin’s pretty green enough as it is.”
I was still panting. “Alright, I’ll go pay them a visit.”
This tower was definitely inhabited. There were several goblins milling around its base; they offered me a friendly wave. Grinning widely, I waved back.
“Can you tell me the way out of this place?”
“You’re not too far from the southern exit. Just follow that direction, where the brook is."
As I looked around, there was a rising cacophony of sound from the tower below. Already, a mass of goblins had gathered around the trenches, all armed with shields and rusty metal weapons. Ngerxung leaned from over the fortifications and gave me a nervous grin.
“Hope you’re not planning on fleeing, eh? Cause you know, we can win this thing. Just have to stick together, we goblins. Then they won’t be able to get our brains.”
Suddenly, a loud battle horn sounded. He turned around with fear set in his eyes. “The living dead! They’re closing in from the north!”
Several of the goblins raised their weapons in joy, others cowered amidst the shadow of the tower. It was a uniquely goblin thing – driven to kill by your bloodlust, driven to survive by your internal screaming. I, on the other hand, had to flee. I had to warn Rislu.
When I saw her, I shouted, “Corpses! From the North! RUN!” Her eyes registered my words, and within seconds we were fleeing south as fast as our feet could take us.
We both sprinted across deep trenches and uneven terrain. The ground was littered the evidence of previous battles – dropped weapons and bolts stuck out of the mud. Before long, I could hear their dying screams beyond the horizon. The dying screams of goblins. It struck me that I too did not know how a dead rotting goblin looked like. It had been too long since I spent any sort of time with my own kind.
The terrain finally gave way to flat ground. I collapsed unto the floor, exhausted, yet in all honesty relieved to be alive. Giddy with adrenaline, I turned towards my companion.
It is dark. It is cold.
Night has fallen.
Rising from the woodwork, cackling screams and twisted forms. They danced amongst the shadows. They came. I ran.
Voices in my head. Voices somewhere. Telling me that I should accept my death. Succumb to the night, child.
No.
“Stay back!” I yell, waving the sword in front of me. From the shadows, I still hear them cackling, still see them dancing. My bravery wavered fast. I realise that Rislu was right all along – that I had no clue how to use the weapon I was holding in my hands. So I fled once more.
They were everywhere. The voices in my head, they tell me it is inevitable. I glance backwards in fear. I see their demonic forms in the dark. They are in close pursuit.
I cannot take it anymore. I fall. There is water in my lungs, in my nose, in my mouth.
It was inevitable.
Goddamnit.
This was the perfect bloody storm. First I lost my only companion, in a vast area where there's no safe settlements. Sure, no problem, I thought. I'll just sleep on beaches. Worked for the first day; then came the second day. Clouds, clouds everywhere. I couldn't tell what time was it, whether it was close to dark or not. When I finally emerged from cloud cover, it was evening. The closest beach was at least half a day away. No mountains.
Darn luck.
I had good plans for Sitsu too. Was genuinely enjoying my adventure and the storyline that I was making up in my head. Boogeymen screwed it all up. I will avenge her -- next time it's my turn, the night had better watch out.
Fortress coming up next. Stay tuned!
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Topic: (42.06)[The Windy Universes] Turn 10a, Terrapin | Turn 11b, Bearskie [Adv. Suc.] (Read 33016 times)