The Lonely City

The Dark Forest

The next morning the group awoke early once again, much to Loirin's disapproval. They ate a small breakfast using the supplies Nembor had bought from Nimtras' markets the previous week. The fire was out with only a few embers remaining. The grass around them was dusted with frost, which flew into the air as Allethan stood up out of his bed. Thilhan opened up a small bag and took out a piece of bread, he broke it into even pieces and handed them to the others. In the distance the Gleam of Nimtras shone bright, but still only a small amount of the beautiful light reached them. In front of the group was the Dark Forest, spread like a wall of bark. It was a forest like no other, it's leaves the most ugly shade of green imaginable while the bark was a rotted brown. 

"And to think, I used to have nightmares about this place", said Thilhan, staring at the Forest.

"You'll be having a lot more nightmares by the time we get out", Loirin told him as he examined his hammer. Thilhan sighed and slung a bag of supplies over his back.  

Nembor was the first to step foot into the forest, followed by Allethan and Thilhan. Loirin took up the rear. The ground was cold and damp, but not muddy or frozen. The light from the outside world began to fade and the darkness crept in. Thilhan slipped on a large root and clattered to the ground, Allethan trekked back and helped him up. After an hour of walking the groups eyes managed to accustom to the darkness but it was still incredibly tough to discern any detailed shapes. Thilhan stopped suddenly, throwing his bag onto the floor and opening it. He pulled out a lantern and began to try and light it before Nembor put his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't, we can't afford to attract any attention in here", he whispered. Thilhan put the lantern back and continued walking. There was an odd feeling among the group, as though they were being followed. Allethan scanned the trees but couldn't see anything of note. The trek continued for 3 days. 3 days without light. 3 days without warmth. And 3 days of constant fear. Everything had been the same in those three days and nothing eventful had occurred. The group had slept in the trees every night and the group were becoming weary. It was around noon (not that the group could tell) when they reached a small clearing surrounded by trees. It was just as dark but there was a brown, muddy patch of grass. 

"What is this?", Loirin asked in amazement.

"I have no clue, but something warns me to stay away", Nembor replied. Allethan walked forward into the clearing and looked around.

"I cannot see-", CRACK! A twig had snapped beyond the outskirts of the clearing. Allethan swung round. He could see nothing. Nembor joined him, raising his bow and drawing back an arrow. Loirin and Thilhan made their way towards the clearing, slowly. Loirin raised his axe. Thilhan kept his greatsword on his back. Allethan also unsheathed his blade. Another twig snapped, like a knife piercing the silence of the Forest. Nembor narrowed his gaze and let his hand fall. The arrow shot forward and stuck into something among the trees. The creature let out a whimper and fell to the ground. There was a howl from beyond the treeline, followed by several others.

"What are they?", Thilhan asked, lowering his greatsword from his back.

"The wolves of Algul- Ferags!", Nembor answered, pulling another arrow from the quiver. Another two ferags jumped out from the trees. One was met with Loirin's hammer while the other leaped at Allethan, barely missing as Allethan rolled out of the way. As the creature landed and steadied itself Nembor fired an arrow squarely between it's eyes. It's eyes rolled as the creature fell to the ground. 

"There will be more of them!", Nembor said to them, breathing heavily. And sure enough, a minute later four ferags broke through the trees. Two were struck down by arrows from Nembor's bow. Another was impaled through the neck by Allethan whilst the last was killed by Thilhan. The noise stopped except for the breathing of the group. 

"Was that it?", Loirin asked. He placed the end of his hammer on the ground and rested on it. 

"I cannot be sure, but the noise may attract some attention", Nembor kept his bow raised. The group began to rest for a moment but were interrupted by the sound of many footsteps, moving at a swift pace beyond the treeline. 

"Oh no...", muttered Nembor. He raised his bow, pulling back the arrow. Out of the treeline burst around five ferags, each with a Goblin rider on it. The goblins screeched and unsheathed their scythes. The riders circled the group, who were huddled together. One of the goblins broke away and rushed at Allethan, who stuck his blade into the ferag and stabbed the goblin rider. The others, enraged by this, also raced at the group. All were killed bar one, who retreated behind the trees.

"Run... Run!" Nembor shouted. The group raced out of the clearing and back into the forest.

Howls and screeches sounded behind them as they burst into a sprint out of the clearing. Nembor occasionally turned and fired arrows at the riders. That usually caused whimpers and howls from behind them. Allethan was fast, but soon he was caught by a rider who tried to stab him. Allethan moved out of the way and swiped at the legs of the ferag, which came crashing down. The other riders surrounded the group. The goblins hissed and bared their sharp teeth. The scythes they wielded looked even more menacing in the twilight. One of riders came forward, pointing it's scythe at Allethan. It said something in a different language as it placed the scythe at Allethan's throat. Allethan closed his eyes and waited for the blade to come down. But it never did. His eyes flew open upon hearing a horn in the distance, and the sound of galloping animals. The Goblins heads turned and howled as many of their number were shot by arrows. Allethan took advantage of their distraction, stabbing the ferag before pulling the rider down and impaling him. He looked up to see more ferags arriving, these ones were dressed in golden armour and were white in colour, in contrast to the usual grey or black. On them rode not goblins, but elves of some description. After the goblin riders had been killed or had fled the mysterious riders surrounded the group, their bows pointed them. They each had helmets that obscured their faces. Nembor shouted something to them in elvish. They appeared to acknowledge him and lowered their weapons. The group relaxed as the elf dismantled and took off his helmet. It was an elf, but not one of the east.

"Greetings, travellers, I am Glorfimir", he smiled at the group and extended his hand. Nembor was the only one who shook it. "What brings you to Algul?"

"We seeked to pass through the forest undetected, but we were not so fortunate", Nembor answered.

"That is not an easy thing to accomplish nowadays, Elf-friend", Glorfimir told them. "Night will fall soon, you must come with us back to our camp. It is just south of here. We can discuss these matters there". Nembor nodded and followed him. As did the group.