Disenchantment Sagas

IronHeart Part 4

    "Diana, please reconsider this. You don't have to go through all this trouble," Stephanie pleaded.

"I have to, and I want to," said Diana, packing her satchel with her tools.

"But it's too dangerous!"

Diana turned to her mother. "Dad left behind the knowledge of something that can help you improve your health. If it's out there...then I will get it."

Stephanie sighed. "Diana...just please—"

Diana gently hugged her mother. "I will be careful. I know I met this group today, but they seem like good people. They'll have my back."

Diana said goodbye to her mother as she left the cottage and mounted her horse. Bean, Elfo, Luci, and Koga followed the blacksmith down the path heading north of the bedrock kingdom. As they went further and further north, they noticed that the weather was beginning to change. The clouds were now grey, and the wind started to pick up. More and more dragon remains were beginning to come into view. Some were towering over others. Some were even as large as mountains. "That...was one big dragon..." Bean whispered. "That's an understatement..." said Elfo. The corpses of dragons weren't the only visible thing. Corpses of soldiers were visible in the soil, along with old swords, axes, and spears. Large trees were sprouting out of the ground, and flowers of all kinds were growing out of the cracks in the ground. They entered a large canyon-like structure with dragon bones sticking out from the canyon walls. What caught the eye of Bean, Elfo, and Luci most was the glowing blue mist hovering over them. Occasionally, balls of light would fly over them, causing them to duck.

"What the hell is that?" Bean asked, looking over to Diana.

"If I were to take a wild guess, it's magic that accumulated over time from the dragon's remains," Diana watched as the glowing mist. "We need to tread carefully." 

BOOM!!

They all looked up. A small rock lands on Koga's forehead. He rubs his head and sees a giant boulder falling towards them. "EVERYONE MOVE!" The wanderer called out. They all dismounted their horses and leaped out of the way. They covered their heads in anticipation of debris hitting them. But nothing happened. They didn't even hear the boulder hit the ground. They moved their arms away from their faces to see the boulder hovering in the air. The mist caught the boulder and tore it apart, turning it into white dust.

"Thanks, glowing green mist!" Elfo waved at it. That same mist the elf waved at caught a bird passing by, and the bird fell to the ground, twitching. "Oh...wow...."

"This place is way too unpredictable..." said Bean, on edge.

"You see why I haven't tried coming out here alone?" said Diana.

"Come on, we need to keep moving," said Koga. "If we stay in one spot for a long time, who knows what will happen to us?"

"You don't have to tell me twice..." said Bean. She got off the ground and tripped. "What the hell?" Bean turned around and saw that a skeletal hand had gripped her ankle. The princess let out a shocked scream when she laid eyes on the skeletal hand.

Koga rushes over to Bean, grabs her hand, and yanks her away from the skeletal hand. They all back away as four glowing red corpses crawl out of the ground one by one. Their bright eyes hover in their sockets, and a smokey red mist comes out of their mouths.

"Hey, Bean, maybe one of these guys is your type?" Luci laughed.

"Everyone get back, I'll handle this," said Koga. He drew his longsword and rushed forward with a downward slash at the undead corpse, cutting him in half. Koga would go on to do the same to the other three. Koga turned to face the group, looking unamused. "Jeez... it's always undead corps—"Elfo would suddenly yell, "Koga behind you!" Koga turned around and saw the undead corpse he'd just slain swung at him. The wanderer jumped back, dodging just in time. "Hey! That's not how that's supposed to go!" He scowled. A transparent body had emerged inside the served corpses, and they all slowly walked towards them.