The sun was at their back as they entered into the Verdant Forest following the river’s path. The group of four slowly trekked along the bank of the river. The canopy was so thick the sun only made it through in sparse patches. The rocky ground made traveling with horses difficult. The morning rain, too, had made everything slick. The group made idle chatter, some of it was about Tyrina and some about Earth.

They eventually came to the abandoned village. The group did a once over and then continued their journey. As they traveled farther west, there were times they had to dismount their horses so they could carefully navigate particularly rocky areas. The river slowly grew wider and wilder, and the ground began to gradually slope down.

The day progressed slowly. They didn’t even stop to eat, instead choosing to snack as they rode. They passed the split in the river and followed the northern branch.

After several hours, they finally came to the waterfall and the cliff.

“I know there’s a couple more hours of daylight, but I feel we stick to the plan. Getting here early will give us some time to set up traps and fortify the area a little.” John was already off his horse and unpacking. “The river and cliff will give us an advantage too.”

“Aye. My ass is rubbed raw as it is. I’ll help set up a perimeter. No fire tonight. We don’t need to bring attention to us, so cold food it is.” Ivan unmounted his horse and also began going through his pack.

About an hour later, they had two rings of a warning system in place consisting of trip wires and cans and various other obstacles.

“And now we wait. I’ll take first watch with Vee. You two take second watch. It’s going to be a long and hopefully boring night.” The small talk continued until it was pitch black and only birds and the rustling of tree branches could be heard. John took residence up in a nearby tree while Vee stayed on the ground near where the other two slept.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After what seemed like several hours, John got down from the tree. He walked carefully over to Vee so not to startle her.

“Time to switch. I’ll let you wake ‘em,” whispered John to Vee.

“Like we’ve actually been asleep in this mess.” Ivan slowly sat up. “Just been resting my eyes.” Monty was already sitting up, barely visible in the moonlight.

“Sorry. I don’t seem to have any problems sleeping when out on missions.” John shrugged. He laid down on the hard ground. Vee did the same a short distance away.

“We got it now,” replied Monty. He climbed the same tree John had been in and took his watch. Ivan leaned against a different tree.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Barely any time later, John was woken up by a hand being put over his mouth, startling him. Ivan stood nose to nose to him shaking his head. He made a motion with his finger. The early warning system had been sprung. Vee was already up. Her quiver of arrows was standing next to her having been planted in the ground. Her bow was drawn.

Monty stood next to her in the same stance, his much larger bow ready to strike.

John slowly drew his sword as he and Ivan stood next to each other waiting.

Suddenly, one of the horses reared up, screamed, and fell to its side. Two humanoids crawled over top of it. In short order, the other three horses were similarly fell.

“They went through the damn river,” said John, angry. “No mercy. They will have none for us. Activate any spells you have to see better.” Ivan swung his swords in preparation.

“Identify.”

Adolescent Ogre

Level 12

Cannibal

Thick Skin

"Identify."

Adolescent Ogre

Level 14

Cannibal

Thick Skin

“Ogres. They’re small and low level. One is level 12 the other is 14. They’re cannibals and have thick skin. We can’t let them live.” As John spoke, more began to appear from the trees and river. None, that they could see, had come up the cliff behind them yet. “Steady. Steady.” They slowly backed up toward the top of the cliff.

They were in a stalemate. Once in a while a rock would be flung at the group or an arrow let loose dropping an Ogre. One of them quickly lunged forward only to be met with an arrow to its forehead. It immediately dropped to the ground. This only incited the rest. They began to hoot and holler and beat the ground threateningly.

“Let ‘em have it Monty!” Ivan urged his friend on. Monty and Vee began to release arrows in earnest into the swelling group of Ogres. With each shot, one would fall or be gravely injured, but the numbers never seemed to decrease. Ivan and John stood in wait for those that they missed or if they swarmed.

“We’ll run out of arrows before we even make a dent in them. They just keep coming!” Vee was hollering over the screams of the dying. Several times, one of the braver ones would shoot forward only to be met with Ivan or John’s sword.

Then, as if something changed, it was a mad rush as a wave ran at them from the trees. John and Ivan fought for their lives as first Vee then Monty ran out of arrows and they too drew their swords.

It was a bloodbath. And although most didn’t have weapons, their teeth and nails were razor sharp and tore into flesh and armor. Monty was quickly overwhelmed and went down under a pile of Ogres. Vee did her best to clear the beasts away, swinging wildly, sending limbs and heads flying. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to safety. He was missing an ear. Blood poured freely from wounds all over his body.

“Shit! If there’s many more of them, we aren’t going to make it!” Vee sat Monty down behind her and continued to swing her large sword killing or maiming an Ogre each time.

John and Ivan weren’t fairing any better. Each sported several gashes and missing pieces of flesh. John’s left arm hung limp and Ivan was stumbling. Only Vee wasn’t hobbled at the moment.

As time went on, the number of Ogres began to dwindle. After what seemed like an eternity, Ivan swung his sword for the last time, an Ogre falling dead to the ground. Death wails sounded from all around them. It was a veritable circle of carnage. John dropped to the ground and crawled over to Monty.

“Vee. Grab my bag. I have herbs and medicine in there that will staunch the bleeding.” She hobbled over, her left leg having been injured near the end of the fighting. She quickly rummaged through the bags. She handed bandages to Ivan and the herbs and more bandages to John.

After Ivan bandaged his head to stop the bleeding from his cheek, he walked around and put his sword through the head of each Ogre, alive or dead.

John and Vee continued to bandage Monty who was by far the worst off.

“He’s lost a lot of blood.” Vee was cutting off his pants and gasped at the extent of the damage caused by the little monsters as she removed them. There were pieces of flesh missing everywhere. She packed each with bandages and liberally applied the herb mixture Gert had sent along. “We need him to eat something and drink some water. His regeneration will take over but not if he dies first from losing so much blood.” She got in his face. “Monty, buddy. We need you to drink this water.” She grabbed a skin and put it up to his lips. He groggily drank.

“You ain’t dyin’ today Monty! You open your eyes and drink that damn water!” Ivan took the skin from Vee and forced him to drink. He also soaked small pieces of jerky in the water then made him eat them. “C’mon Monty. Think of Annie and Erik. They still need ya.”

While Ivan was tending to Monty, John began to bandage his own wounds. He walked over to a tree and smashed his shoulder into it trying to relocate it. He grimaced each time but eventually succeeded. He used his good arm to wrap and pack the numerous cuts on his body.

A tear rolled down his cheek as he looked at Monty who was struggling to stay awake. “Dead. I’d be dead if I hadn’t trained with Willis. And I would have failed all three of you.” He put his head down.

“We don’t have time for you to be sappy right now, damnit.” Ivan looked at John, irritated. “We need to heal quickly. There may be more of the bastards out there. Snap out of your self-loathing and set up another perimeter.”

The tone in Ivan’s voice snapped John out of his stupor. He gathered what he could, avoiding the countless dead bodies, and began to set up another warning system.

For quite some time, they worked through their own pain to ensure their friend survived. They took turns slowly feeding him and making him drink.

In the meantime, Ivan had created a sled similar to what John had used to haul back the deer. John gathered their gear from the horses and fastened another sled to pull it all. They tended to their own wounds, too. While numerous, they paled in comparison to the amount Monty had. They also worked as a group to pile all the bodies of the fallen Ogres and the horses to burn.

“If there’s more of the bastards, we aren’t gonna leave these bodies here for them to feast on. We burn ‘em all,” said Ivan, as he threw another body on the pile. “Vicious little creatures. I hope this was all of ‘em.” He spit on the pile.

“They do look humanoid, but their skin is gray and super tough.” John was dragging another to the pile.

“Well, supposedly Ogres are the offspring of Goblins and Humans. We may very well be looking at the descendants of the missing villagers and some of the Goblins.” She was dabbing a wet cloth on Monty’s forehead. “Either that, or this tribe came later. Not good news either way.”

John nodded his head, disgusted.

By the time the sun was beginning to first peak through the canopy, the pile of bodies was a raging inferno. John had cut a couple trees down nearby to prevent the whole forest from going up in flames.

Vee gently placed Monty onto one of the sleds and made him as comfortable as possible. “I’m sorry Monty. We’ll do our best on the walk back, but it’s not going to be comfortable.” She stroked his head.

“I’ll. Make. It.” He grunted out, drawing a small smile from Vee who was happy to hear his voice.

They packed the last of their gear on the other sled.

John turned and flipped off the Forest to the north. “We’ll be back! If there’s any of you f’ers left, you better run while you can!” He turned to look at Ivan who stared at him. “Sorry about earlier. The last thing I want to do is let my friends down.”

“You’ll never let us down brat. Stop being so mopey sometimes though. It’s annoying.” He punched John making him scrunch his face in pain.

Then John smiled. “C’mon. Let’s go home. It’s going to take us quite a while. Our goal is the abandoned village by tonight.”

He picked up the ropes of the sled and tied them to his sore shoulders and followed behind Ivan and Vee who pulled Monty.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whoever wasn’t pulling a sled was in charge of feeding and giving water to Monty. The rocky ground was horrible to pull the sleds over; all of their injuries only made it slower. John cringed every time he’d hear Monty moan in pain when they’d travel over a particularly rough patch.

By late evening, they’d made it past the split in the river and were nearing the village.

“We’re going to need a new plan when we come back.” John looked forward. “A lot of them looked to be children or small adults, which leads me to believe that wasn’t all of them. Four of us isn’t enough though to come back.”

Ivan sighed. “I know. I thought about that too. If they’re cannibals, they may be runnin’ out of food. I bet this was a culling. Send the weak to lessen their numbers. Do you think they’re bold enough to attack the village?”

John mused about it. “I don’t know. There was no indication they’d even been to the village by the river. They probably hunt in a small area around their camp. But like I said, we can’t attack a camp, not without a lot more people. I doubt they’ll be so bold to come out in the open and expose themselves.”

Vee added some input. “I agree. Remember, Ogres are related to Goblins. They like dark places which is probably why they settled in the Forest if they aren’t descendants of who was here before. Who knows how long they’ve been there. They may have even been what caused the village to actually be abandoned and not the closing of the mine. While I don’t think they’ll leave the Forest, I think we need to worry that they may have found a new food source.” She paused. “Us.” She looked at the others.

John cringed. “That’s not gross at all.”

She shrugged at his reply. “But the truth. Their food supply may be dwindling. It makes no sense to attack us like that unless they were desperate.” Vee gave some more water to Monty. “We may have actually done them a favor and bided us some time in doing so though.”

Ivan nodded. “Enough time maybe for us to prepare and get some more help.” He stopped for a moment. “I need a breather.”

“I’ll take over for a bit. You just walk and rest.” Vee took the sled from Ivan and they continued on.

A short time later, the crumbling walls of the village came into view. It was now nearly completely dark.

“We’re going to set up in what was the blacksmith. It’s got two good walls yet.” John led the way pulling the sled with their gear. They meandered through the rubble and finally came to the building.

Vee carefully laid Monty’s crude cot down and then collapsed beside him, as did John and Ivan.

“I’ll set up a perimeter in a minute.” John was laying back on the sled. “I just need a moment.”

“Aye. I’ll help. Let’s get it done.” Ivan got to his knee then stood. He pulled John up. “If we don’t do it now, we’re bound to pass out and not do it at all.”

Vee tended to Monty as the other two quickly set up a more secure perimeter than before. When they were finished, they went back inside and again collapsed to the floor.

“I’ll take first watch. You two are in worse shape than I am. Get some rest, and this time Ivan, actually try to sleep eh?” Vee tried to smile and went to the doorway.

Ivan moved closer to John. “She’s a good addition John. Great fighter. We’re alive because of her today. No question ‘bout it.”

“I know. I was worried about bringing her in, but she’s fit in well with everyone. She’s willing to train and help wherever. To be honest, I was more worried about you and Monty’s reaction. About us lying to you. For that, I am truly sorry.” John turned his head to Ivan.

“Aye. I’m glad she’s here. And I wouldn’t trade ya for anything, even ale right now!” He laughed then groaned at the strain. “Damn ribs must be bruised.”

“Get some rest old man. It’s only a couple hours back home tomorrow. I’ll take next shift.” He crawled over to Monty to make sure he was ok, laid down next to him, and quickly passed out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several hours later, John’s foot was kicked waking him. Vee stood above him with a smile. She indicated with a nod that it was his turn. Ivan laid next to John snoring loudly.

John stood, pain shooting up his left arm as he put weight on it. He wielded a smaller sword than usual in his right as he made his way to the door for his shift. Vee had stacked pieces of rubble up that formed a small defensive wall in one of the openings.

He leaned against the doorway and thought to himself. Ivan was right earlier. What’s gotten into me? I used to run into a situation with no fear. Now I cringe and worry about every little thing. That needs to change. It’s time I start making decisions and quit apologizing for mistakes. I haven’t failed anyone. I need to quit thinking like I have. It’s making me second-guess myself, and it’s eventually going to cost me or someone else their life.

John continued to think about how to improve himself and his village as his watch came to an end. He went to wake up Ivan, but Vee was already sitting up and smiled. She grabbed her sword, put her hand on John’s shoulder, and walked past back into the doorway.

I’ve been really lucky with my friends and villagers. I hope it keeps up. He checked on Monty once more before laying his head down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun peaking through the sparse trees in the village woke John up. Ivan was by the doorway arguing with Vee about why he hadn’t been woken up for his shift. She just shrugged. John laughed at the exchange drawing attention from the duo.

“You should have woken me damnit.” He stood, favoring his right side, obviously in pain.

“I told him it was fine. I was already awake and he was sawing logs.” Vee had her hands up.

Ivan glared at her. “Whatever lass.” He sighed and deflated. “I appreciate it. I was more tired than I thought.”

She laughed and patted his shoulder. “I’ll pull Monty. One of you two grab the sled. The sooner we get the hell out of here the better.” Ivan and John both nodded their agreement. John grabbed the other sled as Ivan quickly dismantled the warning system. They set out to River’s End.

They trekked slowly next to the river. Each seemed to be more sore than the night before, their muscles exhausted from the strain.

About an hour later they were at the edge of the Forest and making good time back to the village. They pulled the sleds up and over the rolling hills and grasslands. Soon, the towers and walls were visible in the distance

As they continued to approach, he could see someone on a tower seeming to flag down others. The southern gate was slowly let down. Guards and villagers came streaming out armed to the teeth.

Willis was the first to arrive having mounted a horse. “John. What happened?” He quickly hopped off and took over for Vee pulling the sled.

“I’ll tell you in just a bit. Monty is hurt badly. Let’s get everyone inside. We need fresh bandages and more herbs.” Sara, who had also ridden up on them, took this as her cue and quickly rode back to the village to prepare Gert.

Soon others arrived, including Drew. Everyone helped where they could, either pulling a sled or aiding one of the adventurers in walking.

“John. You guys look awful. What the hell happened?” Drew had his arm under John’s.

“We were attacked in the night. I’ll give details once we are cleaned up and freshly bandaged.” Drew nodded. “Thanks for helping me. Not sure I could have made it much farther.”

“You guys have been the conversation for the past two days. So when one of the guards saw you walking, we knew something had happened and rushed out here.” Drew smiled assuredly. “Glad you all made it back, mostly in one piece.”

“Me too, Drew. Me too.”