An Encounter In The Woods

“Deal.” Demium said as he stood up to shake hands with the two men in front of him.
“Good. We leave in thirty minutes. Will you be ready by then?” Variel took Demium’s hand gently, gracefully moving it up and down.
“Yeah, I’ll be ready.” Demium replied as he released Variel’s hand, and then moved on to Orn Iejir’s hand.
Orn Iejir, saying nothing, delivered a painful grasp to Demium, and finished with one strong shake.
“Perfect, so then I will leave you to your business.”
Both Variel and Orn Iejir sat back down at the table, their large six foot six bodies making the already massive Demium seem like a midget.
Demium began walking towards the door of the bar, needing to hurry home and gather his equipment. He’d finally acquired a job. “So I’ve got an elf and a half-dragon. Can I trust them?” He paused in his thoughts for just a moment, “But then how do they know they can trust me?” He thought about this once more, still continuing his deliberate stride to his house, which was only two or three blocks down the stone road. “Well, I’ll be the only one with a weapon, so as long as I keep a distance from that Orn guy’s wolf I should be fine.”
Demium pushed open the door and then moved on to collect his gear. At the same time Variel and Orn Iejir were talking back in the bar.
“How do we know we can trust him?” Variel said leaning his tall upper torso over the table
“I trust him. I like him.” Orn Iejir leaned back in his chair until it rested on only two legs, and then he picked up three darts from the table behind him.
“Of course you like him. He’s your type.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He spun his head towards Variel with such a force that his shot was thrown through the nearby window.
“Well, you both think very highly of yourself and your ideals. You also tend not to be the best listeners.”
Orn Iejir through his head back and laughed “Lighten up Variel. I’m sure he’s fine, and if he’s not then I’ll have Vilkas take care of him.” He looked back at his target. “Hey, where’d my other dart go?”
“You threw it out the window.” Variel slid backwards in his chair and heaved a sigh. I’m in a group of barbarians.
“Ha! Cool.” He then picked up the second dart and threw it at the board. The dart flew through the air as a hot knife cuts through butter. When its arc finally began to descend, it slammed into the board with a resounding thud.
“I don’t see how it’s cool; all it means is that you can’t score 360.”
“You’ve gotta’ learn to enjoy life Variel.” Thud, another dart slammed into the board.
For a moment nobody said anything. Variel stood up, walked over to the bar, and purchased two more drinks and six more darts. After returning to the table he handed over the darts.
“Here,” Variel said setting the darts carefully down on the table. “Now you can score Six-sixty.”
“Cool thanks! What’d ya’ get for drinks?”
“The usual.”
Orn Iejir picked up the other six darts and raised his hand to throw.
Down the street, Demium opened his front door. He had on a simple and loose-fitting long sleeve shirt, his thick round metal shield, tough blue jeans, and his trusted hiking boots. Over his left shoulder was his duffel bag made of pig skin and at his side rested his handmade sword. It’s metal hilt reflecting the sun as he walked back towards the bar.
“Here he comes now. Are you ready?”
“Almost. I’ve just got two darts left.” His gaze focused on the dart board in front of him, he neither glanced nor noticed when Variel stood to greet their new companion.
“So you’re ready then?” Variel looked up and down the small five foot human in front of him, mentally checking his gear and stature.
“Yeah … yeah I am.” Demium glanced over to the dart board, which now had ten darts protruding from the small rectangle that was worth sixty points. “Wow, you’re a pretty good shot then.”
“Only with darts.” Orn Iejir threw his last dart towards the board, and hit the very center of the same rectangle. “I can’t really throw much else. Back in my hometown darts was a pretty big thing.”
“Wouldn’t … er … I mean.” He paused, unsure as if to continue. Variel gave him a quizzical look, and Orn Iejir had only just now even begun to look at him. He didn’t want to offend his employers before the job had even started.
“Wouldn’t what?”
“Well … I mean wouldn’t you … um.”
“Go ahead, you can’t offend me.” Orn Iejir gave a smile that encouraged Demium just enough.
“Well … wouldn’t you and the people in your hometown be riding dragons or something? Having dragon races and training? That has to be more exciting than a game of darts.”
Orn Iejir chuckeled a bit before his warm response “I suppose it would be more fun, but I wouldn’t know. Not every half dragon can ride a dragon.”
“You can’t ride a dragon? So that’s why you half a wolf then?”
“How about we get started on our journey, we can talk all you wish about dragons on the way.” Variel interjected, then he began to stride towards the door.
“Oh … sorry.” Demium followed and started letting his gaze droop slightly.
“Oh, don’t worry about him.” Orn Iejir gave him a gentle punch in the shoulder. “He’s always up tight. That’s the way elves are. But yeah, that’s why I’ve got Vilkas. He’s my pet.”
“I thought all half dragons could ride from birth.”
“I probably could if I had a dragon. I never got one. A half dragon has to find a dragon suitable for him to ride, and once the two are joined he can never ride a different dragon. I never found a dragon that chose me. After I moved out of the house, I picked up Vilkas.” He stooped down and began to scratch between the ears of the wolf that followed him.
“Hm. Well okay—“ Suddenly Demium was cut off. They had just passed through the city gates, weren’t even to the tree line 800 meters away yet, when something started to shake in the bushes.
Demium drew his sword, Orn Iejir began speaking to his wolf in druidic, and Variel joined him, speaking to his hawk.
Suddenly a strange four foot creature jumped out of the woods. “Hi-ah!” It said with a wave. She stood three feet tall from the ground to her forehead, but her bright red and pink hair added another foot to her composure. She had on a green coat and purple pants, and it seemed like her nose was crushed between her massive eyes and mouth. Variel and Orn Iejir immediately relaxed, and slowly Demium began to follow suit.
“Hello.” Variel said with as great a bow as he could manage without offending the gnome’s height.
“I’m Lini! What’s your name?”
“I’m Variel.”
Behind Variel, Demium began to wisper to Orn Iejir “What is that? Is it a gnome?”
“Yeah, it looks like it. You’ve never seen one before?”
“No, not in person.”
“Well aren’t you gonna’ introduce me to the rest of your group mister?” Lini asked Variel with a huge smile.
“Of course. This is Orn Iejir, and this is Demium.”
“Hey.”
“Hi.”
“Hi-ah!” Said Lini as she waved her right hand rapidly back and forth.
“If you would excuse us, we’re on our way to the next town over.” Variel said as he began to walk again.
“Could I come with?”
“I don’t see why not.” Orn Iejir said enthusiastically.
“Cool!” Lini said as she turned to the bushes she came from. She spoke a few short words, and then a Lion leaped out of the bush and landed at her side.
Demium was the only one to tense, reaching for his sword. Orn Iejir saw this and grabbed his hand before he had a chance. “Chill man. It’s just her pet. We’re safe.”
The group which had now grown to four, continued down along the now dirt path. Variel no longer leading, but instead the quartet walking together in a line.
Demium and Lini flanked Orn Iejir as the three began to talk about any number of subjects.
The small group of four passed sometime this way. Walking down the path, Lini, Demium, and Orn Iejir talking excitedly to each other about whatever came to mind, the Lion and Wolf trailing behind them, and then Variel speaking with his Hawk in Druidic. They were only about fifteen minutes away from their destination when a fog began to slowly descend upon them. At first they didn’t mind, the fog wasn’t so thick that they couldn’t see each other, but soon it became apparent that the fog wasn’t occurring naturally.
“Wait wait. Stop talking. Do you hear that?” Orn Iejir said as he stopped and raised a hand.
“Yes I do. Movement. It’s coming from in front of us.” Variel answered as he tilted his head to one side.
“What is it?” Demium asked.
“Maybe it’s someone who’s lost, or a friendly stranger who wants to say hi!”
“Unfortunately the rest of the world does not often share the same kindness that you gnomes do Lini. Let’s get ourselves ready for whatever happens.” Variel had already thrown up his arm so that his Hawk could take to the sky.
Orn Iejir and Lini began to mutter to their pets in union, “Estrin listarion prenon atracke. Voinon defrandenous.”
“Hey, don’t you think we should form some sort of defensive position?” Demium asked, he had yet to draw his sword.
“What do you mean?” Variel asked. Lini and Orn Iejir were still muttering to their respective pets and didn’t appear to be listening at all.
“Well, you, Lini, and Orn Iejir all cast spells, but if things come down to hand to hand combat then all you can do is punch stuff. I’ve got a sword, and from the looks of it your pets are ready to scrap. Why don’t you guys get behind us and support us so that we’re more effective.”
“Yeah … that’s not a bad idea actually.” Orn Iejir had in fact been listening, as he was the first one to interject. He turned to Vairel, “I think that’s probably our best course of action considering the circumstances. It gives us the best chances of survival.”
“Fair enough, take positions.” Vairel took two or three steps backward as did Orn Iejir. Demium chose now to remove his sword from its sheath, and then he readied his shield. Lini didn’t move at all, still talking to her Lion in Druidic.
“Lini!” Orn Iejir shouted
“Huh? What?” Lini responded with a start.
“Fall back to where we are and be support for Demium.”
“Oh … Okay. Sorry, I was talking to Two Claws.” Lini moved back and at the same time Orn Iejir began to give instructions to her Lion, filling it in on the plan that the two had missed. Finally everyone was ready for battle.
“So … Two Claws huh?”
“What?” Lini asked as she turned to Orn Iejir.
“Your Lion’s name? Two Claws.”
“Oh! Yeah.”
“I like it.”
Lini’s entire face lit up and her smile grew to two times it’s normal size. “Thank you! That’s so kind.”
“Okay people, let’s focus. They aren’t moving, so let’s advance.” Variel said, never breaking his posture or seriousness.
Slowly the troop began to move forward.
“I can hear their footsteps. There’s one, followed by three more.” Variel said squinting into the fog in front of them.
For a minute nearly all was silent. They moved forward together through the fog, and could hear only each other’s breathing. Then Variel gave another order.
“They’re close now. Only ten or fifteen meters. Stop and let’s wait for them.” The fog had grown to be so thick that you could only see a few feet in front of you, and the air had a dark and evil texture to it.
“What direction is the first one in?” Lini asked Variel, surprisingly her voice still sounded just as cheery as when they’d first met her.
“They’re all in front of us.” Orn Iejir responded, looking at Lini with a face tilted to the side.
“No, I mean which direction exactly. Are they in the middle of the path, or closer to the sides?”
“Oh.”
“The first one sounds as though he’s in the middle, if not extremely close.” Variel answered, straining his eyes as though they could hear sound.
“Incendir!” Lini suddenly shouted, and a ball of fire shot from her hands.
It split through the fog and disappeared. For just a few moments nothing happened. The group sat in silence, only the footsteps of the creatures approaching could be heard. Then a figure appeared. It hadn’t advanced through the fog, but instead had started glowing. Before them, still a distance into the fog, was a glowing skeleton, holding a shield and a sword.
Demium wasted no time. He charged forward, raising his sword and shouting at the same time.
All the remaining three in the group started calling out to their animals, and moving forward to see through the dense fog which now covered the area. Two claws lept forward with a roar at the same moment that three more skeletons appeared. With precision and skill, the lion pivoted while landing and attacked the right most skeleton. At the same time, the wolf went after the left most skeleton and the hawk took the one in the center.
Demium was engaged in a brutal battle with his foe, the skeleton being just as quick as he was. One swing to the skeletons right was blocked by his shield. Demium then had to raise his own shield in defense as an assault came from his left. Demium raised his foot to kick but that too was blocked by the shield. As he struggled to regain his balance the skeleton brought down the heavy sword from above, aiming for the head. In a moment of pure desperation, Demium was only barely able to defend by deflecting with the blunt side of his own long sword. A shunt from the shield brought the evil creature off its balance, and then a spin with the sword removed its head from its skeletal shoulders, the body falling limp to the ground.
Two claws struck out with both his paws, the lion tearing three ribs away from the skeletal frame in front of it. The Skeleton, unfazed, quickly swung his sword downwards. The lion however was faster and pushed off his left feet, narrowly dodging the assault. Another grab with the paws proved to be ineffective, rebounding off the shield of the creature as it swung around for another attack. This time a roar was heard as the dirt path was splattered with a deep crimson red. The lion retaliated quickly and without hesitation, leaping onto the skeleton without regard for defense and crushing the frame to dust.
Demium had heard and seen the lion as it had been giving a new red stripe on its back, but the lion seemed to have things under control. He turned to the left to see another skeleton waving his sword around in an attempt to fend off the hawk that had been picking off its fingers. He charged.
Meanwhile, the lion seemed to decide that the rip in its flesh was a minor concern. It ran to help its fellow carnivore. At the same time the lion arrived, the wolf flew backwards from the blow of the skeleton’s shield. The lion struck out with its paws yet again, taking off the arm holding the sword. The skeleton attempt a kick, but the lion blocked and took off the leg of the creature. The wolf got up and made a huge leap, taking off the head of the creature with a single bound. In the same moment that the left most skeleton hit the ground, demium delivered his sword through the spine of the remaining skeleton. It broke apart and fell to the ground.
Immediately after the danger had seemingly disappeared, Lini ran to her lion and hugged it, “Oh my gosh! Two Claws are you okay? Estinas buwin? Estinas heron? Secrandu estinas sangreendin!”
Variel went to join her and took off his backpack, reaching for his medical supplies. Orn Iejir turned to Demium as his wolf laid down on his feet. “So, exciting so far huh?”
“I guess so yeah! Does this stuff happen often?”
“It does in our business man. That’s why we hired you.”
“Well I’m glad I can help.”
Orn Iejir laughed, “Based on the way you’ve helped so far, I think you’ll be with us a long time.”
“Thanks.” Demium said as he glanced over to the lion laying on the ground. Lini and Variel were kneeling next to it, and the hawk was perched on Variel’s shoulder. “So what about Two Claws?”
“I’m sure he’s fine, Variel would be making a huge fuss over him if he weren’t.”
“This isn’t a huge fuss?”
“You don’t know Variel.”
“Fair enough. Are they going to continue with us as well?”
Orn Iejir thought for a moment. Then, with an absorbed look on his face, he continued “I’m not sure. Gnomes are fun, incredible kind creatures. But they’re also extremely fickle. They don’t like hanging out in one spot for very long. We’ll just have to see what Lini wants to do.”
Demium nodded his head, and the both of them stood contemplating their future. Although they had just met, it seemed as though a bond of incredible strength had already been forged.
“Come on,” said Orn Iejir patting Demium on the back, “Let’s go see if we can help.” And the two walked over, ready to help their new found friends.