Necromancer For Hire- Arc 1

Arc 1, Chapter 8

The Capture

Umbra pulled up Victor by the hand, the boy stumbling in a troubling way.

Victor, in the span of several minutes, had begun to show several negative side effects, including being weak and off balance. Umbra had started to get concerned about his health, even considering just teleporting directly home, despite the ill consequences.

"Victor, we're going home," he announced, summoning his naginata to hand.

The Asian weapon was grand, with a long, sturdy pole and a violet, serrated blade jutting from the top.

"Wait!" Victor exclaimed, gaining a bit more color in his face. "Can't we just search a little more? I don't feel that bad..."

Umbra knew his son enough to recognize when he was lying, but Victor seemed to be trying to convince himself that he felt fine.

Umbra sighed, rubbing his forehead and letting the weapon dissolve into light. This trip was much more of a headache than he had planned it to be.

"If you insist," Umbra muttered. "But the second you start feeling worse..."

Victor held out his hands, looking innocent. "I know, I know. We're going home if I feel any worse. But it's just like you told me earlier: I'm going to be fine."

Umbra was beginning to regret pretty much everything he had said to Victor within the last day, but he decided to humor his son. I've never seen him so intent on a task, he thought, eyebrows knitting, He usually looses interest within a few hours...

He took his son's hand, and they walked side-by-side through the steamy rainforest.

Umbra was in full defense mode, carefully listening and watching their surroundings for any signs of danger. He tried not to jump into action for any small sound, but holding down that instinctive muscle memory was growing harder with every snap of a branch or crunch of a leaf. He didn't want to spook Victor, but he also couldn't be sure what was dangerous and what was not in this unfamiliar territory.

"Dad, what's this?" Victor asked, letting go of Umbra's hand and walking to a tall tree. He pointed to a spot on it, where a strange symbol was carved into the bark.
Umbra squinted at it, desperately trying to make sense of it. He had studied several languages from several different species, but didn't recognize this script. It reminded him of the language of the Serpentine people, but the letters were still gibberish to him.

Umbra ran his fingers across the tree, biting his lip. "Maybe some kind of sign? If I had to guess, I would say a territory marker..."

"Halt, trespassers!" A deep voice cried out, making Victor flinch.

Umbra went into action, positioning himself in a balanced fighting stance and summoning his naginata back to his waiting palms. He grabbed Victor by the collar, throwing him on the ground behind him.

Umbra focused, trying to find the source of the voice. Whatever had found them was much stealthier than he had assumed it would be.

Slowly, he circled Victor, holding out the pole arm. Victor was curled at his feet close by, hugging his own chest in fear.

The naginata was used in times of old for defending a samurai housewife's family, and Umbra could see why. The reach of the eight foot pole allowed him to keep close to his liege while he attacked with the long, sharp blade.

"Where are you?" Umbra snapped, his purple eyes shooting daggers all around him.

The twang of a bow spring being released responded to Umbra, and a salvo of three arrows flew out from the brush around them.

The first whizzed by Umbra's neck, grazing his hair and slamming into the tree behind them. The second arrow soared between his legs, barely missing his groin, and then buried its tip into the tree. The third projectile was much more dangerous, nearly hitting Victor in the shoulder. The boy screamed and flung himself in the opposite direction.

"That was a warning shot, trespassers. The next arrows won't miss." The baritone voice boomed again, and Umbra realized it was coming from the tree above them.

Crouching down and letting his weapon disappear, Umbra wrapped his arms around Victor's waist, bringing the boy close to his chest. He could feel his body quivering against him, along with the distinct feel of sweaty skin.

"We surrender," Umbra whispered, still looking for their unknown attacker.

Author's Note- Fixed whatever errors could have been there (hopefully) Please vote and comment!