The Hero’s Right Hand

Strides towards a more powerful party were welcome. Not only had Aisha learned to empower Valefor but she didn’t need to hide in the forest to train. Shockwaves were minimal and staying away from the trees holding their shelter was enough of a precaution. But everyone was growing antsy with the lack of progress towards Shusyoun. Everyday they meandered was another that Aeraza was likely moving closer to his goal. It was no assumption. Aisha didn’t entertain unprovable notions. Rather, they had noticed more strength in their undead enemies.

They’d encountered some every few weeks since the Dawncaster attack. The frequency made them numb to the creatures’ presence. But within a month of searching for Shusyoun, there had been a change. Previously they were primarily humanoids but now took on a myriad of shapes. Their power was never exactly what could be expected at a glance. Thankfully, the rate at which undead could grow was nothing compared to the Hero’s party. While the first powerful undead had left them bewildered, it fell just as easily.

By now Sariel didn’t so much as leave her perch atop the trees during a fight. Initial hesitation regarding Shusyoun had turned to frustration with its elusiveness. During her youth she’d seen it. Granted Veil guided the dragon away from it before imprisoning her. Nevertheless, the city was clear. There had been no historic records of it vanishing or being destroyed. This was incomparable to Foxhill. Shusyoun was similar to Dawncaster in its size and recognition. More so as it bordered both the continents of Teprav and Ioznel.

Teprav was comparatively smaller than most other continents. It was quite literally a tiny corner of the land. Ionzel, on the other hand, was significantly larger and connected to every other continent on the land mass. Thankfully, there was little chance of walking into the new world without knowing. The edge of Teprav provided a clear view of Shusyoun. The city would be visible no matter how far it was in the distance. Unfortunately, Sariel had a sinking feeling they would need to go to Ionzel. Traveling would be significantly slower. Simply getting from Mount Iana to Shusyoun had already taken almost half a year. There was no knowing how much longer it would take. Not to mention the chance they had been going in circles and were simply lost since losing sight of any significant landmark.

Triangulating using distance vistas felt like the best option as the days passed. It was during these times that Sariel missed Kargon most. Years of observation grew into a great skill of recognizing notable clues during travel. With both sets of eyes, the party could significantly lessen their hardship. Though the half-elf couldn’t help, Sariel could. She stayed as high in the forest as possible but it didn’t feel like enough. The memory of long distance views from the sky was burned in her memory. What she wouldn’t give to be able to do that now. For a brief moment she considered replacing her cowl with a magical alternative the next time they found civilization. But something stopped her. Since waking up in the middle of some unknown field fifty years ago, the cloak had remained with her. There was a stronger connection there than could be replaced.

Instead, Sariel relied on her understanding of ecosystems to track major changes on their route. If memory served, Shusyoun’s surroundings were dominated by monsters rather than animals. The construction of the city centuries ago garnered their attention but the defenses overpowered any creatures foolish enough to attack.

“Wooden structures… wooden… structures,” Vofric muttered to himself. His small stature gave the perfect angle for looking past the underbrush. Though he still couldn’t see nearly as far as Sariel or even Kargon. “You do not expect them to be as advanced as yours, Sariel. Correct?”

“It’s unlikely but not impossible. Some monsters have the intelligence required to craft functional edifices.”

Aisha raised her eyebrow at the suggestion. “Teprav has only a few monsters known for that level of reasoning.”

“More than you know,” Sariel said. “Goblins may appear unintelligent but even they are capable of building. What they lack in power they make up for with tools. But Veil’s experiments had some successes. If they were released into the wild… There is the possibility of highly intelligent beasts who can empower their natural strength.”

“Why’s Veil on your mind?”

Sariel stopped suddenly and settled onto the branch under her feet. Nightmares of her trauma haunted her but rarely did she think about it during waking hours. For memories to flash in her mind something needed to trigger them. Obviously it wasn’t in her sight nor something she ate. Aisha, Vofric, and Avant caught up and stopped under the tree. They watched the ranger shut her eyes and honed her other senses. Sounds and smells rushed at her as if they’d never been experienced before. Another unexpected feeling was how acutely aware Sariel became of the half-cape covering her back. Upon touching her back it sent a chill down her spine. The memory of her scales vibrating and clattering was as fresh as the day she was captured. The scent of fear emanated from fleeing creatures of the forest. Soft whimpers and rabid growls cascaded in Sariel’s mind.

“Ravenous…” she muttered and dashed away from the path. Her party hurriedly followed but could barely keep up while navigating the difficult terrain. Avant’s sharp eyes assisted in tracking the swift dragon and his large form was much easier to track. Against small foliage he was something of an unstoppable force. If not for Sariel’s familiarity with his vocalizations she might believe him to be a wild beast as well. Though it was hard to mistake him for any other owlbear with his patchy hide of half brown, half white fur and feathers.

After ten minutes of constant dashing, Sariel stopped with her bow ready. The others caught up soon after none the worse for wear. Exhaustion was no issue with the owlbear’s magic increasing their endurance. They fanned out around Sariel’s tree and watched as prey dashed through the bushes and flora. The animals took no notice of the armed adventurers or even the almost fully grown owlbear baring his beak. What chased after them was far more horrific. The sight stunned everyone, barring Sariel. Regardless of what she’d hoped it was obvious Veil had discarded his victims. Unfortunately, many were already hateful. Now they had the means to punish others for their undeserved torture.

Squelching and squirming veins bulged off the muscular deformity that lumbered towards the group. It was as if whatever laid beneath the skin was fighting to tear through the surface. Though it was a bipedal humanoid, its limbs bent at awkward animalistic angles. A rabbit’s muscle structure connected to cat-like legs. Wolf claws protruded from gorilla knuckles. Only the creature’s head remained relatively unchanged except for the strained blood vessels on the brink of exploding. A single hobgoblin should not have been able to withstand mutations of this extent. Behind it were bodies of other mutants that had died in mortal combat. Some were more animalistic while others were primarily humanoid. All were horrifically mangled. Their baser instincts had won out, leaving only raving monsters. Sariel assumed her draconic lineage protected her from a similar fate.

“Adventurer meat. Tough,” the hobgoblin’s voice was as guttural as bubbling acid. Though it was aware of the party, it didn’t take its eyes off the bear within its grasp. The animal flailed ferociously to try and get free to no avail. Hefty swings dragged the entire body into the sky before slamming it into the dirt. Bones crunched under the pressure. Blood seeped through its fur as if being wrung out.

It obviously expected a reaction. While tearing into the morsel the monster stared at the adventurers. Much to its chagrin, they were unphased. Seeing a dragon beheaded followed by Kargon’s evisceration had bolstered their hearts. Avant was the most reactive and roared but still waited on a signal to attack.

“Show mercy,” Sariel demanded without explanation.

Aisha nodded, then looked at Avant. “Charge.”

The owlbear rushed forward and clawed at the hobgoblin’s arm. Only overconfidence could explain its lack of effort in blocking. Talons tore through its muscle and freed the bear carcass. There was no saving it but at least the hobgoblin gained nothing from it. It angrily swiped at Avant but missed due to two arrows piercing its open wound. Searing pain coursed through its arm. A familiar sensation for any resident of the wildlands; poison.

“Little one. Mine.” The hobgoblin roared and kicked Avant to propel towards Vofric. The owlbear’s sturdy bulk provided an unfortunately secure foothold. With a preemptive swing, the dwarf caught his assailant with a heavy strike of his warhammer. It pushed the monster aside but did little else. With great focus the hobgoblin leapt off the massive weapon and lunged towards Aisha. With each movement more arrows flew towards it. With each arrow more poison spread.

Such a lumbering oaf was leagues too slow to impact the Hero. She sidestepped and brought her blade down on the wounded arm. The attack changed direction midway through the shoulder and traveled towards the neck. The hobgoblin roared while forcing the weapon off kilter. It tore a chunk of muscle from its trapezius muscle and blood gushed from the wound. Less than five attacks was all it took for the creature to recognize it was bested.

As Sariel expected, the hobgoblin was ready to retreat. What no one expected was to see every building muscle on its body explode.  The blood and viscera blinded them as new, smaller limbs took their place. All in all the monster was no bigger than the average goblin. But its speed was significantly higher. Within seconds it created a large distance from its pursuers. Aisha gave chase, knowing she could keep pace. The lack of knowledge within the forest quickly made that impossible. Fortunately, Sariel completely avoided the spray of blood and was close on the monster’s heels.

It moved irregularly. There was no stopping or turning while it weaved through the foliage. Like water it flowed through the trees with impediment. Mid-dash, Sariel shot two arrows far into the distance. By her calculation they would at least slow the beast. Though the projectiles didn’t land on the target, they blocked its path unexpectedly. It slowed just long enough for Sariel to catch sight of small draconic wings protruding from its back. For some reason her heart tightened. Veil had benefited from imprisoning her and left violent torrents of rage to harm the land. Pity trickled into her mind knowing an unmutated monster may have remained innocent. It was her duty to kill the wild hobgoblin. To show mercy.

She continued to fire arrows but that only widened the gap between them. Stowing her bow and focusing on the chase helped but the creature had clearly spent much time in the forest. Not only did it navigate with expertise, it even used light to vanish from sight. Something in the distance reflected the sun and made it all the harder to track the fleeing hobgoblin. Sariel didn’t dare look away. Her heightened senses could recapture the creature if she stayed focused but a single distraction would allow it to escape.

It was aggravating to be bested by such a weak creature. A hunter should never fall behind in her favored domain. This was Sariel’s home. Not just this forest; every forest. Visions of a time long past teased her focus. They demanded attention. But Sariel refused. There were more pressing matters. Pain started to surge through her. It had never happened before even after hours of hunting. Her back tingled as hundreds of small blades seemed to tear into it.

No. They were ripping out. Each time her cape flapped down it caused a tingle to run down Sariel’s spine. A possibility occurred to her. It was risky and attempting it invited failure. But that was already likely if she didn’t give it a chance. While still pushing forward, Sariel descended to the lower branches of the trees. In front of her was only large trunks with space used by the hobgoblin to flee.

Instead of pushing off the branch and aiming upward, Sariel pushed straight ahead. There was nothing to latch onto. The ground wouldn’t hurt her but she was nowhere near as fast as Aisha. Not on the ground. But she hadn’t crashed into the forest centuries ago because of a mad dash. Sariel was on course to slam into the tree in front of her if she didn’t do something. But she’d learned from her allies to take a leap of faith.

Seconds before the collision Sariel was pulled to the side by a strong force. It turned and pulled her forward. She didn’t need to look back to recognize the familiar feeling. The hooded cloak may have vanished but in its place were beautiful jade wings that fused with Sariel’s tunic. Each flap pushed her forward faster than before. There was no delay from jumping or changing angles. Sharp eyes working in tandem with her significantly smaller size blessed the dragon with unprecedented navigation abilities. The hobgoblin honestly looked to be traveling slower, a few dozen feet under its predator. Sariel looked forward, considering her next action and caught sight of something in the distance.

No more than a moment later, she found herself hurtling to the ground. The wings had transformed back into a cloak which provided little in the way of slowing her descent. She landed with a loud thud. The few branches and leaves on the ground did little to break her fall. It was only a momentary daze but even a monster knew to take advantage of it. Though why the hobgoblin used it to turn back was beyond Sariel. It hovered over her with a wild look of hunger. Even its small appendages were capable of severe harm. Slick claws protruded from bony limbs. The momentum from flight sent it directly towards Sariel’s head. She couldn’t help but let out a scoff. So much work went into chasing the creature when a simple mishap caused it to approach with no defenses.

A single long blade protruded from the dragon’s palm and pierced through the hobgoblin’s head. The skewered monster crumpled to the forest floor. There was nothing nurturing about it but little good came from the beast regardless of its state of being. Sariel brushed off the blood and rose to her feet. The distant sound of her friends directed her. Every few steps she resummoned the wings but could only hover for seconds before dropping back down. Using a magic item was completely foreign to her. Though one made of her own draconic scales shouldn’t be difficult to understand.

“What was that?” Aisha asked with a huff. Sariel landed next to them, satisfied with the extra second of air time.

“My cape is… was my wing. It was a sick joke from Veil to tear them from my being then fashion a cloak for me,” Sariel explained. “I will turn them into a boon.”

Aisha shook her head. “Not that! I mean, I’m glad you understand it and would like to learn more. But what was that chase? You went mad. You said to show mercy.”

“Ah, yes.” Sariel said, as if forgetting her own demand. “Initially I wanted to follow it to wherever it came from. Then something came over me. I was reminded of what Veil did. Who he hurt. All the survivors carried a vitriol that nothing could satiate. They even attacked each other when given the opportunity. I couldn’t let it go free.”

She turned around and walked with purpose. The others followed with more questions.

“It seems the encounter was integral in reacquiring your wings,” Vofric said.

“Likely,” Sariel replied.

Aisha inquired. “Are they the same as your old ones?”

“No, I have access to temporary flight. I must practice in order to master them.”

Avant growled softly. Sariel slowed to give ruffle his head.

“Veil will harm no one else. Not if I have any say.”

Aisha and Vofric shared a soft smile and continued to follow. It was odd for Sariel to stay bound to the same level as everyone else. Even walking was outside her norm of either leaping through trees or sauntering on foot.

“Not that I don’t like the confidence in directions but where are we going?” Aisha asked.

“A glimpse of something during the chase caught my attention,” Sariel answered. “It is clear to me where we are.”