Howl of the Dead

As soon as the hunter was dead, the forest immediately erupted into violent howling.

“A trap…” Ilia hissed raising her staff, eyes flickering between the rotting trees.

“Form a circle!” Verena ordered and the Chiming Spring members smoothly moved into formation.

“Keep together. Don’t get isolated.” Verena reminded them. She caught a glimpse of movement ahead of her. A form shifting between the trunks of the warped trees.

“There are at least two on this side!” Mimi piped.

“I cannot see their number but more than a couple on my side.” Ilia said.

“T-there's so many!” Amelia nervously exclaimed.

Before Verena could respond the first of their mystery assailants rushed forward with a burst of speed. Not even having a chance to look, Verena’s reflexes kicked in and she raised her shield just in time to intercept the attacker, feeling the impact as it slammed into her. She pushed back on it, feeling the pressure break as it fell back from her.

Lowering her shield, Verena saw what had so rapidly attacked her. It was a slarg. A large forest canine with jet black fur and four eyes, two for day and two for night. But like the dying man from earlier and the whole forest itself, it was shot through with rot and oily corruption. It’s jaw was only partially connected to the remains of its head and it slavered a mixture of blood and rot.

“He doesn’t look well!” Mimi exclaimed.

“He’ll look a sight worse when I am done!” Verena growled stepping forward and swinging her mace down at the rotting slarg’s head.

Whatever remained of the slarg’s mind did not contain any survival instincts, and it simply stood there as Verena caved in its skull. The creature's four legs splayed out as it collapsed into the muck that quickly covered it beyond sight.

Howls filled the air and more of the rotting beasts came. On twisted broken legs, and with jaws of shattered teeth they charged the group from every direction.

Ilia began chanting in the Deneril tongue and in her free hand a swirling ball of fire emerged. She threw it at the advancing monstrosities and it exploded amongst. Ruined burning flesh sprayed around as the creatures were destroyed instantly by Ilia’s fireball.

Amelia, next to her, reached into her pouch and pulled out a handful of seeds. She drew Machine energy from within her, pushing it into her hand and scattered the seeds before her. Before they even reached the filth covered ground, they burst into life. Vines snaking through the air, wrapping around the charging slargs and impaling them on razor sharp barbs.

Mimi and Verena, without magic, had to wait for their attackers to reach them. Mimi skipped around a rotting snout, before driving one of her blades into the slarg’s eye socket.

“Nice try!” The demkin laughed before ducking under another slarg’s claws and running her dagger along the underside of its head and down its jaw, opening its throat.

“There is someone controlling them.” Ilia yelled, “I saw a glimpse of them just before.”

The mage beat back a slarg with her staff, before Verena stepped in and finished it with a wide horizontal swing that shattered the creature’s skull.

“They are going to keep coming if we don’t stop them!” Mimi shouted.

“Alright move as one. Ilia lead us towards the target.” Verena ordered and the group moved swiftly, smashing through the slargs and charging into the trees.

“There!” Amelia pointed, and sure enough a tall hooded figure clad in layers of dirt encrusted black cloth. The figure was holding his hands towards the muck covered ground. On his command, the filth parted revealing the partly decomposing corpse of another slarg.

“Rise and serve our lord.” The man muttered. The slarg’s paw twitched a little. Then its entire leg moved, and finally the creature came to its feet in rapid jerky motions.

“Necromancer.” Amelia hissed. The man’s foul magic, everything that a druid stood against.

The man turned towards the group, his chipped and rotting teeth revealed as he grinned at the adventurers.

“Foolish Guild slime! You will not stop our works! I will raise your corpses as thralls and Brojun will reward me generously.” The necromancer cackled, sending more of the dead slargs against the Chiming Spring.

“Contain him.” Verena and the others split up and moved around the necromancer. Amelia’s staff cracked down on the head of the newly risen slarg before vines spilled out of its open rib cage and tore the dead slarg to pieces.

“You won’t defeat me. I am Owlain, the Beast Raiser.” The necromancer drew a dagger from his belt and swung it at Verena who casually blocked it with her shield.

“You are nothing without your dead beasts.” Verena yelled, bringing her mace down in an overhead swing.

Owlain raised his dagger just in time to block the blow, but his dagger was over poor quality and the blade snapped under the mace head. The necromancer disarmed, Verena swung her shield out and smashed him in the face, sending blood and broken teeth showering onto the carpet of rot beneath them.

“Naw. You can’t..Felxa-” The man’s final words were cut off as Verena brought the shaft of her mace down on his head, caving his skull in.

“Good riddance.” Amelia said. The young blond druid’s face twisted in anger, “Your foul magic will not haunt these forests any longer.”

Verena wished it was so easy, but they had yet to even reach the grove and whatever horrors lurked there,