Hounds Rising

As the rest of the party lay down to rest, Myla and Rhokhishi sat against a tree near the fire and kept their first watch. While a scary story didn’t normally bug Myla, feeling the intense emotions from those around her as Mr. Muffins lunged forward for dramatic effect didn’t make it easier to keep the fear away from the back of everyone’s minds. One mind would have been fine, but the six of them? It made her hyper-aware of her body and the things around her in the dark—the sounds of creatures rustling in the trees, small mice in the grass, and her own heartbeat.

Myla looked over and checked on Rhokhishi to make sure she was still awake. Lyla laid her head in her lap and was already starting to snore quietly. Rhokhishi smiled at her, then returned to looking around in the dark.

Half an hour into the watch, Myla’s head snapped as she heard something grunt, a branch snap, and something hit the ground hard nearby.

“What was that?” Rhokhishi whispered.

I don’t know. It sounds like it came from that way. Myla pointed as she spoke into Rhokhishi’s mind.

I’ll check it out. She replied.

Carefully, she moved Lyla to the side, resting her head on a portion of her pack, then stood up and walked out into the dark. Myla watched as Rhokhishi moved slowly, ten, fifteen, thirty feet out, disappearing into the darkness.

She waited quietly, eyes wide open, listening for any sounds, but nothing happened. She panicked, turned to her sister, and barely contained her whisper.

“Lyla! Wake up!” Myla said as she shook her sister awake.

“What?”

“There was a sound! Rhokhishi went to look, but she’s not back…”

“Then let’s go find her.”

Lyla stood, wiped the tiredness from her eyes, and they walked over to where Rhokhishi had disappeared. They moved slowly, listening for sounds, but it was hushed. Myla thought back on the story of the man and the blood…

Right as she shook it out of her head, a new fear came. Five feet to her right, a tall bush started to rust loudly. Both stood, ready to attack the first thing that came out of it. They waited as they heard grunting, and then Rhokhishi burst out from behind the bush.

“Help!”

They both rushed in to see Rhokhishi half-carrying, half-dragging an elven woman. She was unconscious or dead, which was hard to tell because a large branch was poking through her abdomen.

“What the fuck, Kiki!?”

“I don’t know! She fell from the sky!”

The three picked the elf up and brought her closer to the fire. The noise of them carrying the body woke everyone else up, and the whole party shouted out.

“What?”

“Bring them closer, I’ll heal them!”

“Where did that come from?”

Ana stood over the body, pulling her staff close to her. As the staff alighted with energy, it pulsed through her hands and into the elven woman’s body. Rhokhishi and Mr. Muffins pulled the branch out of the woman’s stomach, and Lyla and Myla rushed to grab bandages to wrap her in. Leaf stood nearby, watching for any attempts from an ambush or other attack.

Myla watched as Ana’s magic worked, bringing the woman back. She took a large breath, then coughed, turning to her side to vomit an amethyst crystal. After a moment, the woman fell back and looked around her, confused.

“Where am I?” She asked, her voice still hoarse from coughing.

“Just North of Moonbright! Are you okay?” Ana asked.

“Oh… Okay… Cecela.” She stated as she laid her head back and tried to breathe.

Mr. Muffins walked a little closer, looking down through the bile at the gemstone.

“Did you just cough up a fucking gemstone?”

“Is that like your pouch?” Myla asked Mr. Muffins.

“No, this just helps me in dire situations,” She stated.

As she pointed to the amethyst weakly, Myla saw it crack and turn to dust. She was amazed at what magic could do and would be excited in a different situation. This was not one of those times.

“Must have been worth it then. Where did you get here from?” Lyla asked, her suspicion showing on her face.

The woman pointed up at the sky, then made her hand crash into her other hand. Ana brought her some water, which she hastily took, then spoke again.

“I’m… I’m an archeologist. We were doing a new dig, but everything collapsed on us. In my panic, I tried to get out but must have teleported myself too far. I don’t know if anyone else made it out…”

Myla wasn’t sure if the woman would be able to say more. Not wanting to risk it, she decided against asking for permission. She put her hand on the woman’s shoulder, trying to seem caring and just wanting to ensure she was okay. She closed her eyes briefly, then let her mind wander into the elf’s.

Without much fight, maybe because of the recent trauma she saw through this woman’s eyes. Less than an hour ago, she was running frantically. She could hear the woman tell the story to the party, but Myla was able to see it for herself.

“I was in Ekholm, a smaller town in Migandi. We were working through a dig under the Church of Freyja.”

Myla watched the woman run, turning corners and trying to keep tabs on where she was.

“There were traps or something magical underneath the church, which set up a collapse.”

Magic burst around Myla as the elf turned another corner and shot a spell behind her. In front of her, she could see burn marks already there, likely from other spells that had been cast.

“I took the amethyst in, then teleported out, afraid I had no other choice.”

Myla saw the woman stop as the ceiling collapsed behind her. Looking down, a man’s arm lay out from the rubble, a ring on his hand. She quickly pulled the amethyst from a pouch of materials, placed it in her mouth, and cast the spell.

As she vanished from the site, she fell at an incredible height. Unable to do anything in her panic, she turned, and Myla could feel the branch impale her, snap from the weight, then drop them to the ground with a heavy thud. Myla opened her eyes and let go of the woman. She had been truthful, regardless of how tragic it was.

“Well, you’re safe now,” Ana stated.

“Let me help. Here,” Leaf said as he pushed forward and kneeled. As his magic worked through the air, it laid onto the woman’s clothes and body, and before too long, she was clean again.

Myla took a quick look to see if there was any danger. She wore white robes with a golden insignia of a phoenix on the back. It reminded her of her sister’s monastery, except they had more of an infatuation for dragons. She also had two sheaths. One of them still had the sword inside, but the other had disappeared, and the inside of the sheath was marked with burns as if trying to put something on fire inside it.

“I’m so sorry for the intrusion, and I wouldn’t ask unless necessary. Would it be okay if I rest here for the night?” The woman asked. “I can pay.”

She held up a purse and opened it to reveal a stack of platinum coins.

“I typically don’t travel with anyone unless I know their name at least,” Lyla retorted.

“Forgive me. My name is Helena. Helena Harkspell.”