The Bizarre Adventures of a Half-Elf

9. Ghost Wood

Charlotte made out a light through the darkness, and suddenly she was conscious. Her eyes snapped open, and the peach-fuzzed face of Red swam into vision. "Wakey, wakey," he smiled.

"Ouch," she croaked out, hand going to her head, "Why do I have a blaring headache? Did one of the clerics mess up?"

"Oh, that." The archer looked from side to side uncomfortably. "I... May have accidentally bashed your head on the doorframe when I was carrying you into the chapel. You're heavier than Lola."

She sat up to give him a blank stare. "You mean the Kishi who is about a foot shorter than me?"

"Aye." He held his hand out to her.

Charlotte sighed, but took his hand so that he could help her stand up from the medical cot. "I take it that the Uruks are gone, considering the fact that I'm alive right now."

Red nodded. "When Timoré and I had heard that you guys were going into danger, we did our best to get ourselves together enough to come after you. We arrived just in time to help kill them."

"Thank you. I appreciate it," Charlotte said, rolling her shoulders back to try and shake the sluggishness from her body.

"You okay?"

"Aye. Soul just resettling into the body, and all."

"Do you remember Necral this time?"

She shook her head. 

The archer sighed. "That's the Elder Dragons for you. They made Terras, and then just disappeared from this plane without another word. Come on, let's head back to the others."

Charlotte followed, finding the others of her new group waiting outside the chapel.

"Oh good, you're back," Asmoth smiled.

"Yes. Wonderful," Timoré sighed, his hood up over his head. He may have snapped out of his stupor, but he wasn't any less grumpier for it.

The rogue nodded to the Kuesik and rolled her eyes at the mage. "Yes, mission accomplished. Shall we find something else to undertake?"

The others nodded, and and they began to wander the town again. It did not take long for them to find another task to set their abilities to.

"Please, someone help me! I've been robbed!" A woman screamed.

This time it was a Sun Elf woman. She was sobbing, but when she saw Charlotte, her eyes lit up, and she rushed forward to grab onto the Half-Elf's tunic. "Please! You're a Sun Elf! Someone took my firewood, and my family is going to freeze without it!"

Charlotte heard Timoré snicker from behind her, and she had to use all her might not to roll her eyes. Instead, she gently took the woman's hands in hers so that she could disentangle herself. "It's all right, we'll help you. What happened, exactly?"

 "They came from out of nowhere," the woman explained, trying to regain her wits, "They took my firewood and disappeared into the Ghost Wood."

"The Ghost Wood?" Charlotte tilted her head in confusion. She looked at the others. "Do any of you know anything about a Ghost Wood?"

They all shook their heads, none of them being native to the area, but the woman spoke up, "It's an evil forest to the northeast. It is forbidden to go in there, because they say that monsters lurk in the trees."

"I'm sure that the thieves weren't monsters. We'll find them and bring your wood back to you," the Half-Elf reassured the woman.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!" The woman reached to hug her, despite Charlotte's awkward protests. "I will be waiting here for your return!"