The woods of France were dark and deep,
And many a creature did lurk and creep.
Among them was the Wizard,
The Demon,
and The Knight.
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They wandered through the woods, these three,
In search of adventure and mystery.
The Elf was seeking to become a sinner,
The demon craved escape,
And the Orc just wanted to achieve glory.
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Beneath the trees they walked and talked,
Of all the things that they had seen.
The Elf recounted tales of dragons,
The demon spoke of dark and terrible things,
And the Orc told of heroic battles.
The Elf's eyes gleamed with admiration
For the demon's stories of terror and pain,
And the Orc's tales of courage and might.
The demon longed to be free,
And the Orc dreamed of becoming a legend.
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Dale had too many teeth for an owl. As a direct result, the demon was always hungry.,It eyed the hapless creature in the cage before him, he licked his chops in anticipation.
"Don't think about it," they said. The Elf sighed. "You're going to make yourself sick."
Dale licked his lips. "I don't care. I'm hungry."
Betta watched the two of them with interest. She could recognize that perhaps her new companion wasn't entirely truthful in their description of the owl. This vulgar thing was something more than a deformed animal.
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"Why is he in a cage?" she asked.
"Because I cannot get him out," said Kailin.
Betta frowned. "You said you were a wizard."
"I am...I'm just not a very good wizard. So, I seek ancient magic to free him."
"And where do you hope to find this ancient magic?" she asked.
"I was told to look for a note in a cave. He is said to have the answer I seek," they said.
"He?"
"Dale said to look there, so it's there I shall look."
Betta held her tongue when the elf mentioned a note in a cave. To say nothing of the elf learning how to play the lyre. Perhaps their interests overlapped too much. After a day or so's journey, the group made it on foot to La Brenne. France's land of a thousand lakes. It was a section of wetlands that was divided by a great river.
The group stood at the edge, their boots soaked through with swamp water. They would all be lucky if their lives were not claimed by trench foot.
"You know, Kailin, call me crazy. But if I were a betting woman, I would say that the cave of the bear leech is not near here, this wasteland of lakes," said Betta.
"You have to pass through the wetlands to get to the cave, dumbshit," said Dale.
Kailin sighed. "Let's just find a way to cross this river."
"Summon up a boat, shit-wizard," said Dale.
Kailin ignored the demon, choosing to shake his cage as punishment.
They walked for what felt like hours, looking for a way to cross the river. They were all tired, wet, and cold. Kailin's magic was running low, and they were getting desperate. Betta was ready to give up and go back when Dale suddenly stopped making cruel hissing sounds..
"What is it?" she asked.f
"I smell food," he said, sniffing the air.
"Where?"
"Forward, into the trees," he said, and they did.
They came to a small clearing where a fire was burning. A pot was suspended over the flames, and a hunched figure was stirring it. The pot stunk of rotten meat and aged milk.
"Who goes there?" called the figure. It was a man who looked as like his skin had been stitched together out of horse leather. His name was Charon. In addition to being Hades ferryman, he was also a small time grifter in the world above.
"We're just travelers," said Betta. "We're looking for a way to cross the river."
"I can help you with that," said the man. "But it will cost you."
"How much?" asked Kailin.
"Two gold pieces," said the man.
Kailin cursed. They didn't have that kind of money.
"I can pay," said Betta, fishing a couple of coins out of a burlap sack
The man took the coins and disappeared into the trees. He returned a few minutes later with a small boat.
"Get in," he said.
They did, and he pushed them off. They floated downstream for a while. The ferryman did a little dance to a song that only he could hear.
Eventually, they came to the other side of the river. They disembarked and the ferryman pushed off without a word.
Betta scowled. "That was... if we make it back, I think we should avoid doing that again."
The night continued to grow as they made their way further south, far away from the sight of their gods. But not from my sight. Don’t think for a fucking second that I would allow any these bastards to escape me. My hands are clean as far as the bard is concerned, his death ain’t on me. Even on the opposite side of the river, the knight, wizard, and demon still had miles of wetlands to get through, and the night brought unwelcome darkness. The kind of dark that wraps around you like a crooked blanket. In a sense, the night is often fun. Like cooking or murder. They set up camp further inward, as far as they could manage in the dark.
“The ground’s too wet for a fire,” complained Dale. Because god knows he needed to contribute something.
“I can see,” said Betta, who is rational, despite what I’ve written.
I’ve got a gun.
The rain started in. It came down in sheets, but it smelled sickly sweet. Betta could feel her pace quicken and she drew her sword.
“What is the matter?” asked Kailin.
They stood and took a step back from the orc. Their eyes focused on the weapon in her hands.
“You don’t know what this is?” she said.
“Can’t say that I do.”
“Well, we’re all the closer to narrowing down your nationality. You’re not of Treason or France. This is an Atlantian Typhon.”
The wizard took their long fingers and dragged them down their eyes. Leaving small, bloody trails. This was only highlighted by their newly glowing eyes. “It’s a weapon of some variety, yes?”
“That’s right.”
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What none of them could have known was La Brenne as no longer a part of France. At least. That’s what the armies of Atlantis thought. They had engaged the armies of the Holy Roman Empire in a land dispute over the territory and neither side gave a fuck about whoever was present.
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