I wake with a start, it is dark, my right arm is in something warm and moist. A smell of rotting molding leaves and earth with the metallic scent of blood is almost enough to knock me back out!

  Suddenly a pale blueish light appears from a doorway. It travels along what looks like roots on the walls, shining a cold light on different parts of the room, as it moves along the tangled roots (the roots kind of remind me of oldschool LAN parties where cables would lie in thick bundles everywhere on the floor and tables). I get my first look at where I am.

  The room is large with an open doorway (that is where the light came from), in the middle of the room there is a pit filled with dark earth mixed with, what appears to be, the deep red sap of the ghostwoods. My arm is currently submerged in it.

  As the light travels along the walls, I get a clearer look at the macabre mud bath and see that there are bodies in the mix, humanoids and also some beasts. I quickly yank my arm out of there and it makes a sickening sucking sound as I get it free from the mixture…

  The light leaves the room, and everything is dark again…

  I try to control my breathing and focus on my hearing, is there movement in the horror show of a mud bath? I can hear nothing and for a second that freaks me out.

  I breathe in 3… 2… 1… pause and out 1… 2… 3… ok, get yourself together Mike!

  I try to reach out to Stalker, emoting lost alone... No answer! Is he ok? What if something happened to him at the battle? Fuck, why did he have to be so brave all of a sudden! Nonono Mike, stop panicking! He is just out of range… yes that must be it! I am clearly back at their lair, and who knows how far that is from the camp.

  To distract myself I check my status screen, I can see that I’m at 12 HP so in ok shape, I currently have the completed Lorekeeper quest waiting, but I doubt that will change my situation right here and now, so I will hold off on turning it in for now.

  I can also see that I got credit for one woodwraith in that battle, that must be the one Stalker and I took down, but no credit for the one I took down with the two guards. which tells me that you either must get the killing blow or do most of the damage to get the “kill,” unsure which it is though. This train of thought wasn’t really useful right now, but as long as it keeps the panic away, it is worth it.

  Slowly I get up and put my back against the wall, facing the mud bath, the wall feels warm against my shirtless upper back, I slowly and methodically try to clean all the gunk off my right arm. I didn’t check my body when the light was here, but I can feel scarring and feel slight discomfort from some of the burn marks… Yay! Pain resistance!

  The light comes back! Good! That means I might have a chance to get out of here! I quickly check my body and find that my arm is as clean as I can get it, the scarring after the battle looks worse than it feels and I’m shirtless and weaponless in the enemy lair… Perfect!

  Oh, and I notice that I have lost my necklaces. This seems odd to me. I mean it is entirely possible that they would be lost in the process of me being dragged who knows how far into the woods, but as loaded with meaning as they have turned out to be? I wouldn’t count on it! At least it might solve the problem of Deggan having seen the necklaces before I was being yanked away. After all a lot was happening, there were woodwraiths, mists and the general chaos of the battle. If I play dumb and don’t have the necklaces, he would be reasonable right? Ok, maybe not…

  As I think about the necklaces, I use the light to quickly scan the room, there doesn’t appear to be anything worthwhile along the pit, but there does seem to be objects, even a few that look like functional axes, along with the corpses and beasts in the pit. How much do I really want a weapon? I mean I can’t combat a lair of woodwraiths anyway… right?

  Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

  Sighing, I try to see where the closest and best option for an axe is, close enough that I don’t have to swim in the pit, but I will have to get dirty to get it! As I take a hesitant step out in the disgusting mixture I silently pray “Please please oh please don’t have anything under the surface or make the corpses grab me!”

  I almost slip, as I step on something that slides away under the pressure of my foot and for a second my heart just stops… I look down and see that there are roots all over this hellish pit! This is possibly where these woodwraiths are born or made? It could also be that they are composting? Either way I see the light moving along the walls and I know that time is limited! I must hurry or risk getting stuck in the pit in the dark.

  Holding my breath I quickly grab the nearest functional axe and wade out of the pit as quick as I can. I manage to get out in time to rest my back against the wall, just as the light leaves the room again. Last time it seemed like it took an eternity for the light to return, but that was just the panic reaction, this time I start counting seconds (and getting this foul gunk off my pants).

  Two minutes later the light returns, and I move to the doorway to get a look at where I am.

  Outside the room an empty hallway that curves at both ends, roots bundled along the walls in both directions and more lights pulsing through them. A small blessing, but I can’t help but wonder what the light is and where it is going.

  As I stand in the doorway observing the slowly moving lights in the roots, something odd about the walls strikes me. It appears as if they are made of different kinds of materials and they seamlessly flow into each other, so I see areas where the walls look like bricks, sliding over into what looks like concrete, earth, rock and so on. I have no idea how, or why, you would construct something like that? Just another weird thing about this place.

  The lights seem to flow in the same direction, to the left. Do I follow the light, or do I go the opposite way? I decide to follow the flow of light for now, in the hope that it will lead to the exit.

  As I cautiously walk down the hallway, axe in hand. I notice that it seems to be in use, but infrequently, areas of dust, earth, twigs and leaves are all over the place, along with a semi cleared walking area in the middle of the hallway. I see another doorway coming up a few meters down the hall and I slow down and listen…

  Everything is silent, but those woodwraith had appeared almost as if by magic, so silent doesn’t mean safe! I reach out for Stalker again emoting alone lost pack save? Still no response… I am sure he is okay and, on his way, he has to be!

  Tightening the grip on my axe, I approach the doorway, timing it so the light is in the room, as I look into the room my survival instincts trigger and I manage to stagger back from a heavy branch that would have hit my head, had I reacted slower. I stumble backwards away from the doorway and reach out with a hand to steady myself, catching one of the roots running along the way…

  … Oh that lizardbrain was going to get it now! I laughed as I ran after him through the forest, trying to catch him, but not too hard. Wanting this chase to last as long as possible. All too soon I reached down and picked my little brother up with my claws, nuzzling his still soft neck spines with…

  “WHAT WAS THAT?” I half screamed, jumping away from the wall. That was not a daydream, it was too real! As if it was my own memory… It was those roots, it had to be! What the hell was this place?

  Remembering the attack, I pushed this line of thought to the background and frantically looked around for my attacker.

  From the doorway a shaken voice said “Mike? Mike is that you?” and I see a rough looking Frino watching from the doorway, holding a heavy branch in his hands… a branch he nearly clubbed me with!

  Next chapter on wednesday, as usual.