The Elderkin Prophet

Scouts Honor

Ophinia shrugged as she struggled to flick the mud off the sleeves of her coat.

“This place is just horrible!”

Uul let out a short laugh.

“Trust me, this is nothing compared to a lot of other places this world has to offer. Phaera is a beauty, but it also is a wild beast. Some places on this world are worse than any nightmare imaginable, while some are just breath-taking and stunning. Rumours suggest that the Nightwell was a creation of Pagull, the shaper of our world. It was built to challenge the mortals that tread Phaera, but something went wrong, something corrupted it beyond imaginable, making it spread like a plague in the roots of this world. It must be sought and destroyed! Sadly none have ever come any close to it without being driven insane by its unnerving thirst, so is some people say. That thirst is what drives people into becoming those monsters we now call the Broken. It affects everyone, even the small and the old. It gives them unreal strength and makes them incredibly agile and chaotic. That’s why the Onxy Legion was formed. Its sole purpose was to repel the Broken and seek out the Nightwell and destroy it once and for all.”

Ophinia was intrigued and barraged Uul with a lot of questions.

“Do we know how to destroy it, if found?”

“Umm... No. Although a few centuries back it was found that the Fold had a deep connection with the Nightwell, just as many other things on Phaera. That’s why Ravenhold was converted into a fortress city where they kept people like you there, just as a mean that maybe someone could c***k into some energy or something that would give more insight on the Nightwell.”

Ophinia shrugged at the thought of Ravenhold.

“What do you think would happen if the Nightwell was destroyed?” She asked.

Uul shook his head and crackled.

“Curious soul, aren’t you? Well I can't say anything about this. Maybe there would be peace?”

Uul, chuckled.

“Peace! Ha! I don’t think that we Gulls would ever stop obsessing over petty fights that often resulted in clans waging war with one another. Besides, we don’t yet know if the Nightwell can even be destroyed yet. We are a long long way from knowing anything significant about the greater mysteries of this world.” He continued.

Ophinia observed Uul and looked at her surroundings. It’s almost light enough to see things again and it was time they turned off the slug lamps they were carrying. Ophinia looked at Uul and said.

“Hey did you know? If you fed these lamp slugs some groob-berries they'd glow purple instead?”

Uul who was still cackling from earlier didn’t seem to pay much attention to what Ophinia just said but still acknowledged her. The pair shortly stumbled across a dense shrub of Fowl flowers, a very rare herb. Ophinia notices and recognizes the shrub immediately and kneels down to collect the flowers for some alchemy research later. Uul noticed the flowers too and suggested.

“You know, those flowers would fetch a grand price with the merchant guilds for how rare they are and since it’s so difficult to obtain them.”

Ophinia looked annoyed.

“These flowers are priceless, they are the only few known substitutes having potent enough substance to fight junglefever!”

“Yea, Yea. You make a valid point.”

 Uul grunted silently.

“Mages and their stupid alchemy always come in the way of a quick buck.” He whispered.

Almost as soon as Ophinia was done collecting the last of the flowers, something rustled behind them. Uul reacted quickly and stood guard, ready with his mighty shield and spear poised in the direction of the sound. The rustling of the bushes grew closer and out sprang a tiny buga, an adorable little furry critter with a long fanned tail, excellent trackers; One of the few harmless creatures that roamed these forests. Shortly after chased behind it a pack of three horned willhogs, a small predatory creature with only two long and sharp front pincers coated in a very toxic venom, they liked hunting in packs and would often huddle together to survive the cold nights. The tiny buga ran in circles around Uul before jumping on his shield and onto Ophinia, cowering with fear. Uul threw his spear onto one of the Willhogs, killing it almost instantly. The other two willhogs roared in anger but decided to back off and snarled at Uul as he recovered his weapon. Ophinia picked up the trembling buga which was rolled up in a ball. Gently she rubbed its soft coat to calm it down. But it soon fell unconscious. She noticed that it was injured badly, a willhog managed to s***h across its right limb and the venom had already begun to spread and swell up the wound. The buga was going to die soon but Ophinia removed some salves in and some more of the leftover groundroot powder with haste and applied it carefully over the critters wound. Uul just finished wiping off the toxic blood of the willhog from his spear and looked over to Ophinia. He didn’t look too happy.

“You know that those willhogs will come back and kill it right?”

“Who said that we're leaving this poor thing here to die?”

Uul was furious.

“We are NOT possibly bringing that … Critter along with us!”

“For now until its wound heals, I will take care of it.”

“Ugh! C'mon we're wasting daylight here, Lets focus on our main objective right now.”

Ophinia carefully placed the buga on a soft cloth and cushioned it carefully, then placed it comfortably in her backpack. The two began to continue tracking the marks on the trees. The marks had started to become fresher but their amounts dwindled considerably indicating that maybe some of the scouts were either dead or got lost.

As the two pressed onwards the heat packed within the deeper areas of the forest started to increase slowly. It made it even more difficult to maneuver through the thick undergrowth. The trees soon opened up into a clearing. Beams of light were allowed to cut through the dense thicket unveiling a small muddy stream that sparkled beneath the sun. In it were growing some kind of flowers along with strange fishes. There were a few animals around the stream but they bolted as soon as they noticed the two. Ull looked around and smiled.

“Even the worst of places have something beautiful about them.”

Ophinia rejected Uul. “I still don’t like this place, it’s not safe.”

Uul sighed. “No place is safe enough, remember to always be on your guard.”

“Is that all that they trained you to do?” Ophinia snickered.

Uul shared a grim and unpleased look. Suddenly a swift breeze blew, coming from the direction of the stream. Uul caught the scent, he recognized it, it smelt of death. Soon the wind began to howl and whistle which almost sounded like a muffled scream. Uul begged Ophinia to stay close and follow the sound for how unnatural it sounded. Moments later they stumbled across an area of the forest where murr spiders seemed to have made their nests. They were tiny spiders but their silky webs were scattered everywhere. The screeching wind started becoming louder until it suddenly stopped. The smell worsened as they approached upon a mutilated corpse with its innards ripped to shreds. Almost as something chewed right through it, It was one of the legionnaire scouts.

Ophinia looked nervous and scared but her strong will only helped her push forward. She looked up to Uul and made a face.

“I don’t feel that many of the scouts are still alive.”

Uul approved of her thought.

“But we still need to figure out what happened to them, I too feel that they may be dead but we must press on.”

“Which creature could possibly have enough strength to rip through flesh like this?”

Uul slowed down, he began to tense his grip. He realized that these marks were of a Broken. He didn't want Ophinia to panic so he decided to stay silent and threefold his guard.

“We must press onwards.” He repeated.

Both of them moved through the swampy grounds of the forest further and continued to follow the marks. They reach a point where the marks finally stop and  Uul could not find any more marks nearby.

“I guess this is it. That's how far the scouts made it, but where are they? There's no trace of them whatsoever.”

Ophinia remained silent and observed her surroundings. Suddenly an idea struck her focused mind. She opened up her backpack and noticed the buga slumbering. As soon as she opens the backpack, the buga woke up and  jumped out of the bag. It took a minute to familiarize its surroundings and then stared blankly at Ophinia. Uul watched on as Ophinia removed and broke some pieces of the muskbread they had with them and offered it to the buga. It looked happy with its yellow gleaming eyes and shaggy pale white coat. Its fuzzy paws had dug into the soft mushy ground creating small prints everywhere. Its fanned tail resembled an eye as it relaxed.

Ophinia smiled back at Uul.

“I remember you telling me that these little guys were great at tracking and how the old legion would use them to find hidden food caches long ago.”

Uul scratched his head. “Well, yes... But those were trained! We just found this thing, who knows it may just lead us in circles or even a trap! What are you planning to do with it? How will it even help us?”

Ophinia dug through her backpack and smirked. She pulled out a dirty damp cloth in which something was wrapped.

“Remember this?” She breifly flashed the scout sigil they found earlier in the abandoned campsite.

“This isn't gonna to work. This thing will only run away with the sigil leaving us stranded with no proof of what happened to the scouts. What then?”

“Please trust me...” Ophinia hummed.

“I trust you, but not that critter.”

Ophinia disregarded Uul and walked closer to the buga and placed the sigil on the mud.

“Can you help us find its owner?” She spoke to the buga, hoping it would understand.

The buga looked confused but slowly approached the sigil and lifted it up. It sniffed the sigil intensly and suddenly ran off with it.

Uul got angry. “THERE GOES OUR SIGIL!” He began laughing hysterically.

Ophinia’s emotions dampened but suddenly the buga jumped out the undergrowth and stared at the two, expecting them to follow. Both Uul and Ophinia looked at one another with raised expressions and began chasing the critter. It ran through the shrubs and jumped onto a ledge boosting itself high onto a tree. It started to quickly jump across the branches quickly making it hard for the two to keep up. The swampy forest bed slowly starts becoming marshier and the smaller pools of water soon became larger ones. There was muck and grit flying everywhere but this time, Ophinia didn't seem to care; She was excited! Uul on the other hand was skeptical and worried for he was aware of a Brokens presence from before. He was incredibly protective of Ophinia since he lost his family not long ago. He missed his wife and daughter and Ophinia reminded him of his daughter. He was old but yet remained tough and healthy, all those years in battle had transformed him into a tactical genius and a force not to be reckoned with on the battlefield.

The bugas movement slowed down as it perched down from the branches and lept onto Ophinia’s shoulder. It sat there panting and placed the sigil back onto her hand. The buga led them into another much larger clearing, similar to the one they had come across before. There were large boulders and multiple hot springs  flowed through the fields as steamy and bubbly water flowed into the smaller pools of water forming a lake. The sky shined bright and reflected upon the shifting waters, making it glitter. The dark grey color of the forest receded into lusher greens and warm yellows. As the two drew closer the air suddenly thickened and turned foul, worse than before. There was a battle that took place here. Multiple corpses lay stretched across the pools causing some of the pools to turn bloody. The smell of death was running rampant. Ophinia began to feel sick but maintained her guard as well. She inched closer to Uul almost hugging him as they approached the corpses.

Suddenly growling and screaming were heard, a battle was underway! Amongst the corpses of the battlefield lay a Brokens dismembered body. It looked impaled with its head crushed under a rock. Not far from it were three legionnaire scouts, fighting what looked like another tall broken. Uul immediately rushed to their aid while Ophinia stayed back to help from a distance. Before Uul could reach the scouts, the oversized creature had already cut clean through one of the scouts.

Uul charged the creature and rammed into it with his big shield, knocking it down onto its knees. One of the scouts took a nab at the creature’s face, pushing his spear cleanly through its hard fleshy skull until it emerge out from the other side. The creature groaned with pain but stood up again, still having the spear lodged into it. It easily broke the wooden shaft of the spear and used it to impale the very scout that stabbed it. It held the scout high in the air and as his screaming deafened anyone listening. It crushed his skull with its other hand, and then tossed him into the distance. Uul took a swing at its knees. The other scout was shaking in fear. Uul noticed this and yelled.

“Hang in there! Do not be afraid. These things only get stronger if they sense your fear! C’mon! You're a trained scout of the Onxy Legion.”

The creature screeched and snarled, taking a swing at Uul. He blocked the hit but its impact sent him flying. The scout removed a throwing spear from his back belt and threw it precisely at the creatures chest. The creature roared and took a few steps back only to return with a speedy lunge towards the scout. Quick on his feet, the scout dodged the swipe and immediately pinned the creatures hand into the ground with this dagger. The creature took another swing at the scout who is now defenseless. Uul ran towards the scout and pushed him aside to block the hit. The scout used this opportunity to unsheathe his sword and took a powerful swing at the creature, with one swift strike he cleanly sliced off its left hand. Blackened thick blood spilled everywhere across the battlefield as the creature screamed in pain. It roared and tried to run away but Uul quickly unhooked the metal chains he ties around his waist. He hurled it towards the retreating creature and it wrapped around its legs. Together with the scout, they pulled the creature behind causing it to fall face first. Ophinia used this opportunity to control her fear and quickly whisper an incantation. Suddenly Uuls spear gets enveloped in a green mist which instantaneously caught fire and glowed brightly. He shoved the spear through the creature’s back causing it to twitch rapidly in pain. The flame quickly spread across the entire creature as it gave out one last feint growl. It’s dark beady eyes didn't seem to even reflect the light of the sun. Dark whisps of energy started to dance atop the broken as its flesh burnt, corrupting everything is touched. Uul offered a hand to the scout and helps him off the ground.

“Good work.” He patted his shoulder while giving it a modest handshake.

Ophinia slowly walked towards them. Uul and the scout watched the corpse burn for a few minutes. Uul then asked.

“What's your name?”

The scout replied.

“I am Kin’uel, part of the fourth ascended scout unit of the sixth Onxy Legion...”

“And... how many scouts were under your unit?”

“There were Twelve of us. Umm... sir?”

“Call me Uul Accai.”

“Accai, wow... a long lineage of warriors. Your name, I remember. You were in the frontlines with the fifth Onxy Legion alongside the other ancient Gull houses! The 8th Ravage! It… It’s an honor to meet you.”

Uul observed the scout and chuckled for a brief moment but his expressions changed again.

“Tell me, what happened here. What happened to your unit and why did you come to Horger forest?”

Kin'uel looked around himself and at the blood which darted the battlefield. He is filled with sadness.

“Our unit was in search of some kind of relic or artifact that was rumored to reveal a way to seek the Nightwell. We didn't have much knowledge of what the relic would do or where to look for it. We were in these woods for an entire bloody season! But we couldn't find anything. And now, we're being hunted and chased by the Broken.”

Uul fixed his gaze. He began wondered how and why...

“How'd the Broken come upon your unit? As far as I know, the Broken never come out during daylight especially they weren't ever sighted in these woods. There were no records of them coming so deep into Gull territory unnoticed without attacking any settlement. Especially now, It’s gonna be an entire decade till another Ravage. There's something you aren’t telling me...”

Kin'uel hesitated. He tried to evade Uul’s question. He turned back to look at Ophinia who was feeding the buga some more muskbread.

“Who's she?”

“She's with me, my apprentice, she is Ophinia.”

“Her… hands.”

“Yes…” Ull pauses.

Suddenly a shift in wind caused Ophinia’s buga to catch a scent. It began to tremble and disappeared into her backpack again. Uul caught the scent as well but before he could turn around Kin'uel already had started running towards Ophinia with sword in hand. Uuls body froze, eyes widened as he watched in despair...