The sun rose and we all slowly woke up. Sitting up, I looked around the island that was once shrouded in mist. Instead, I saw a beautiful island. Even the water looked more inviting. I supposed that was the curse this island had. During the day it'd lure you in with a false sense of peace, and at night it would try to rip you limb from limb.
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Sighing I looked around the little camp we had made. The fire was smoldering, but everyone was still asleep except Ty. He was looking out at the water, silent, and still. I watched him, wondering if he felt any emotions. Wondering what had brought him here. After staring too long I decided to sit beside him and watch the water. Out of habit, I noted a few things; the water had completely cleared. There was no sign of anything we had seen the night before. Not even the remains of the dead I had controlled. While it didn't seem impossible in an ocean for the water to clear out, it didn't make sense as most things are pushed to the shore with the waves of the water.
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I continued staring at the water when Ty finally broke the silence, “So you're a necromancer?”
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I nodded and stayed silent. He didn't seem to mind, and kept talking, “There's nothing wrong with that, but I sense an internal struggle.” He looked at me, “Tell me; why are you trying to change who you are? Is it because of the queen?”
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I nodded again, and he sighed, “You know you shouldn't have to change for someone. Instead of waiting on her, find someone that will love you for who you are. Not who for who you're not.” He looked back at the camp, “Either way it's time to get everyone up. We need to move and set up camp again before sundown.”
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I agreed and went to wake up my daughter. Within a short time, we were all packed and ready to go. The sun had reached its highest point in the sky, and slowly the eerie feeling from the night before was beginning to come back to the island. Something was wrong, very wrong with this land. I was unsure of what, but I had a feeling it had to do with why the queen sent us here. No one knew exactly what we were going to encounter, and the details of the mission were very vague. A secret was being kept from us. We just didn't know what it was, or why. All of us came for different reasons, and the payout, if we survive, was well worth the risk it seems.
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Coming out of my thoughts I realized we had walked into a clearing from the brush. The clearing seemed nice and simple, but what stood out was the dead tree in the center. It twisted and coiled until it looked like it had eaten itself alive. As we drew closer, I looked closer and noticed that the tree was pulsating. Like it had veins running through it. This was a curious thing, as I know there are such creatures as tree folk, but they never looked like this. I asked everyone to stop and told my daughter to keep a safe distance. I knew we needed to find out what was going on but I didn't know how this would end.
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Once I was standing beside it, I spoke, “Can you hear me?”
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To my surprise, the tree slowly turned until half a face was staring at me. When it spoke it startled me, “I haven't seen another living soul here in ages,” It said in a broken voice.
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I shivered a bit, “What happened to you?”
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The old tree lady I assumed grunted and tried to shift her body to no avail, “It's this island, it swallows anything living. Listen, there are no birds. No animals of any kind.”
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I did as told, and noticed the complete silence the island had. Finally, I looked back at her again, “Can you tell me where the heart of the island is?”
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She nodded as I noticed the light in her eyes slowly dying, “Follow my roots.”
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That was the last thing she said before she groaned in pain. Her body contorted and crumpled to the ground. Everyone walked up to me, and the wolfman grunted, “So what's our plan?”
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I sighed watching the setting sun, “To make camp, and try to survive the night. We’ll follow her roots in the morning.”
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