On Death and Locals

They were dead. They died right in front of her eyes. It happened again, and again she did nothing to prevent this. Lucy wailed, and yelled, tears slathering her eyes like never before. Her wails blended together with the painful screams of Grognark, who was desperately yelling out his friend’s name, who was barely more lucky than the barbarian on the dirty ground. She didn’t know what to do, how to help, how to prevent the awful scene right in front of her eyes, as the dead and dry earth was slowly soaking in the blood of the giant blade victims.

After agonizing minutes passed the screams became softer and quieter. Grognark has finally passed on, and Lucy simply ran out of strength to produce any sound or look at her dead friend. She had half a mind to climb down the tree and get away from here as far as she physically could, but her body refused to respond. The young woman could only convulse with silent sobs.

A clacking sound reached her ears, and she finally looked up, releasing her face from the grip of her hands, wet with tears and snot. The hole Grognark and Tim were standing before now was occupied by reanimated skeletons. They surrounded the two bodies and seemed to communicate with each other, each producing a click and a clack as a sort of word replacement. Lucy could not understand anything being potentially discussed here, but the truth of the matter was she didn’t need to. She realized that attacking now was pointless and would only get her killed so she watched them carefully, trying desperately to remove her mind from the thoughts of the two corpses by concentrating on the undead abominations. When a conclusion was seemingly reached in the skeletons’ conversation, they divided into four groups: five of them were tasked with carrying Grognark’s torso, four more with his legs, and two for each of Tim's body parts. They clacked as if grunting with the weight of the two bodies and carefully brought the bodies back into the hole, as the corpses’ guts left a red bloody trail leading to the entrance.

Lucy continued staring at the trail for what felt like hours, quietly and unconsciously sobbing as tears were streaming down her cheeks and onto the dry ground far below. When she finally came back to her senses, she climbed down the dead tree, turned away from the skeleton hole and ran. She ran for as long as her weakened body would allow and some more after that, tripping over protruding roots, disturbing local wildlife. The young lady could barely see where she was going, but she could not care for that as the only voice inside her mind was repeating that she had to get away as far as possible from the place of death and sorrow.

Time passed. Lucy knew not what was happening around her. She stopped running and realized that darkness had overtaken the skies, as the day was replaced with night. She could no longer stand, or cry, or think. She slumped down on the earthen floor unable to keep herself awake and quickly lost consciousness. Her sleep was unrestful but deep, as she rolled around getting dirt into crevices unknown even to her. Her dreams were just as horrific as her day was. Her mind showed her images of fire, destruction, death of her village, friends, parents, and finally her short-lived friends. Grognark and Tim were repeatedly torn apart in front of her eyes by every undead minion imaginable: from skeletons and zombies to horrific abominations of animal flesh and bone, she knew were stitched together and reanimated inside the evil lair.

When Lucy finally woke up, the sun was shining high above, its rays penetrating the thick foliage. Unconsciously she ran so far away from the necromancer’s lair that the death and unholy spirit of the surrounding lands was left far behind. A couple of birds chirped on the branches of wonderfully white birch trees, a woodpecker was trying to get through bark far in the distance, squirrels and hares ran nearby playing amongst each other. It was peaceful, and Lucy’s soul felt that. Last night’s dreams were slowly fading away, replaced with the admiration of her surroundings.

She slowly stood up, when a sharp feeling in her stomach forced her to clutch it. Her hunger was overwhelming as she had not eaten anything since yesterday morning, and the body reminded her of that. Lucy looked up in search of a fruit or a berry, but only grass and birches surrounded her. She took a deep breath and made the decision to ignore the feeling until it went away, for although she just woke up, her mission was still on her mind, giving her what little strength she could master. She had to find a solution to exterminate the necromancer and get rid of his evil influence on these lands.

But that determination quickly changed into uncertainty of what the solution was. She knew that she was alone and not as strong or capable as the two late adventurers. She also knew that going back to her village would raise questions she could not answer, especially about the fate of Grognark and Tim. She could lie and tell them that they were waiting for their help in order to overtake the necromancer with numbers, but it was even more risky and would bring sacrifice that neither she nor Wallace were ready to make. The young lady was torn apart by this decision, as she liked neither option, and at the same time the choice had to be made as soon as possible, for she only had at most another fortnight before the necromancer commenced the next attack, if previous experience was to be believed. Her mind was overwhelmed and she barely managed not to burst back into tears as thoughts of her dead friends and village occupied her head, so her first decision was to forget about the current decision and look for some food.

Lucy began her march through the forest in search of sustenance. While she possessed a short bow and a quiver of arrows, killing another creature did not even cross her mind, as she never had to hunt before, for the village crops and cattle were never in shortage during her life. She looked for berry bushes, for trees with fruits, but she came empty handed. Occasionally, Lucy would stand still for a moment, to rest and gather what little strength she had left, and during those moments a sound of a breeze would penetrate her mind. She took no notice of it, for it was nothing but wind for her.

When some time passed and the sun was getting closer to the horizon, another sound made Lucy stop in her tracks. It was a soft thump of something ripe hitting the grass floor. She turned around and there it was: a bright red apple. She cautiously approached it, looking left and right in search of the unseen benefactor, but nothing except for grass, trees, and foliage was visible to her. Lucy picked up the apple, and had half a mind to sniff it. The aroma hit her with the most sweet smell she ever had the pleasure of experiencing. She bit into it and it was just as good. She took more and more bites, forgetting about manners and common sense, as she tried to eat the fruit in what seemed record time. Juices flowed everywhere, over her cheeks, clothes and ground, yet she continued biting, barely chewing, and swallowing the delicious treat.

When she was done, she had to take a couple of deep breaths, as she almost forgot to breathe during the ordeal. And then another thump penetrated the sound of her quickly beating heart. There it was, another apple, just as red and ripe as the previous. This time, her stomach was complaining just a bit less than before, so instead of devouring the fruit in front of her, Lucy cupped it in her hands and held it close to her heaving chest. She looked around, but still no one was there.

“He-... Hello?” she quietly said, her voice raspy and barely recognizable. No answer came, but it seemed as if the forest itself held its breath in anticipation. With uneasy feeling, she continued: “Thank you, whoever you are. I know not who you are, but it is clear as day that your kindness knows no bounds. You saved my life, and so I owe it to you”. With that said she bowed deeply down filled with gratitude. Before going back up, she added: “Please, if you are listening to me, please, tell me the way back home. I left it in search of revenge for my dead mother and father, but lost even more close ones along the way. I beg you to show me your kindness once more and let me know how I can get back on the track of a kind and right life”.

Only the evening breeze came in response to her. Its cold refreshing touch brought to her the realization how tired she still was. She had to look for a place to sleep, to rest her mind and troubled soul. So Lucy put away the apple behind her garments and went in search of something that could accommodate her small frame. It did not take long, when she found what must have been a fox’s hole. Looking inside it was abandoned, empty, but quite spacious. Lucy meagerly climbed inside and hugged her knees. Thoughts of her family, Grognark, and Tim still disturbed her, but a somewhat full stomach and overall lack of rest did their toll on her, and soon she was sleeping once again, with nothing but blackness in her dreams.

When the next morning came, and the early sun rays hit her face, Lucy woke up. It was early, as the dew covered every bit of grass her eyes could see, which was not far, as the morning fog clouded her vision. Getting out of the hole was a bit of a challenge as last night’s stiffness and how low the earthen roof really was did make any movement more difficult. The young lady managed to leave her place of rest, and stretched the aforementioned stiffness out of her limbs. Now, after a good rest, the time has finally come to answer the question she delayed answering: what was she to do? Her dilemma did not become more or less clear since yesterday, and even a good night’s sleep did not make the choice any easier. Both options seemed to her equally unsatisfying and dangerous.

It was hopeless. Lucy slumped over, her back against a nearby birch tree, and sat on the ground with a body-shaking thump. She closed her eyes and put her hands over them, but no tears came. There was nothing to cry about anymore, and there was nothing to cry with. She simply took steady breaths in an attempt to find a solution to all her problems, which simply refused to come. During this time a small hare appeared from the fog. It was a bit injured, as it trembled with every jump. When Lucy put her hands away from her face and opened her eyes to take a deep breath, she saw the small animal. She immediately recognized that it was injured, unable to properly take care of itself, and probably too old to continue living after a week or two, and pity overtook her soul. Yesterday’s apple grew warm and heavy against her chest, and she gingerly took it out. Her stomach yelled at her that she should eat it, but her sense of goodness won over.

The young lady made the decision and decided to give the apple to the poor hare before her. To ease its meal, she finally remembered the quiver of arrows on her back. Reaching around she realized that only a single one was left after all she went through. Nevertheless, she brought it before her, took the apple from under her clothes and started cutting it with the metal tip. It was not as sharp as she’d imagined arrows would be, but the process was simple enough for her to get a good rhythm with. Soon she began throwing the apple pieces to the hare, which barely nibbled on each new piece in front of it. One by one they disappeared inside the small critter’s stomach. The hare blankly stared at Lucy, who looked back at it with great sorrow and sympathy. A moment or two later, it made up its mind and continued on its unknown last journey, limping with every movement.

The girl took solace in her heart that she could at the very least help this poor animal in its last days. She watched it go deeper and deeper into the fog, its features becoming more obscure, and finally disappearing in it altogether. She knew no more of the beast’s fate than of her own, so she could only pray to what Gods she knew to give her a sign of what to do. And they answered.

“We hast seen thy gen’rosity, bawbling child”, a deep authoritative voice called, as if the wind itself blew through the treetops. Lucy jumped a little and looked forward. A dark figure was approaching her from the fog, the outline first vague, but recognizable. It was tall with limbs long, and short antlers seemed to be protruding from the top of its head. Lucy knew that she could do only one thing and kneeled before her adversary, burrowing her face into the wet soft grass underneath. She did not get back up, when she heard a rustle before her, but slowly raised her gaze and what she saw eliminated any lingering doubts of who was her unseen savior. Green legs and feet stood before her, wrinkly with age, and moss covering them as if hair. While Lucy knew not the specifics of how the creature in front of her looked, she knew who it was and dared not look back up without his direct permission. She dropped her head back into the grassy ground and closed her eyes in an attempt to silently apologize for not knowing who was helping her all this time.

“Behold us in the visage, village peat”, Leshii spoke. Lucy slowly looked up, squinting, hoping that she was not acting disrespectful to the forest spirit. When no punishment came, she finally took in the ancient creature’s look. Long vines of braided grass replaced its hair, wet from what could only be the morning dew, and from time to time a flower sprouted from them as if on the forest floor. Short wooden branches grew from its forehead, and a small bird’s nest was nestled on one of them. The face was just as ancient as the woods surrounding them, with deep wrinkles and eyes full of long forgotten wisdom and fraternal love. His green beard was long, craggy and reached his knees. The arms and legs of the forest spirit were too long and a bit too thin, but Lucy did not dare to question their strength, for she knew that the spirit’s powers were great and unfathomable to her mortal mind, and Leshii existed long before her birth and would exist long after it. As long as the woods stand, their spirit would protect them.

“Speaketh to us”, Leshii commanded.

“Oh great spirit of the forest! I bow to you and you only, for your powers and wisdom are great! I humbly thank thee for gracing my humble adore with your presence! Tell me what you wish of me, and I shall follow your every command!”

“Lief child, doth not beest afraid. We art none if not be true just to thy kind. We hast kept watch over thy band. Yet thy companions art not with thee. Bid us the reasoneth?” Lucy told Leshii about the gruesome fate of Grognark and Tim, and that shocked the forest spirit. His eyes went wide with surprise and rage, as he spoke: “Art thee telleth us a necromanc’r tooketh refuge in our own woods?”

Lucy was surprised that this was a revelation to the ancient creature. She spoke: “Y-yes. A necromancer has been living in your forest, oh great spirit. For months it has been terrorising my village, stealing our treasures, killing our men, increasing his army in numbers and strength. The monster has killed my parents, and my prayers have been answered when the two heroes came to us, promising the end to the necromancer's tyranny, and I joined them on this quest. I could not have foretold what horrors would come of this decision”.

The forest spirit gaze was focused on the young lady spilling her soul to it. It listened carefully, and when her monologue came to an end, it took long time of thought before it spoke again. “Thy quest is noble, mistress. Thy forceth not so. We hath gazed upon thee travels and deeds. When thee couldst endeth a life of beast, thou choseth t. Brave thy art and soul. We shalt holp thee rid the necomanc’r away of our woods, but expecteth nay more of us. Thee art lonely amongst lake of village ign’rant men, and they shalt not receiveth our gen’rousity”.

“And I shall ask no more!” Lucy reassured it.

Next week of Lucy’s life became a shriveling existence in hopes of appeasing Leshii’s wim and not gaining its wrath, but it asked for no more than simply not interfering with the forest animals' lives beyond what little she had to use for her own survival. Of course, the girl knew not that it would not ask her to do menial tasks just for its own amusement. Leshii was infallible to her mind, and infallible it will ever be, but stories of it were known everywhere, where a forest stood. Many thought of it as a ruthless protector of the beasts and trees, others were convinced it was a mischievous trickster, some told that it would kidnap and bewitch any young mind, especially a female one. None knew if it had a family or lived alone. But all, be they kids or adults, knew to stay away from it.

An ancient creature, the forest guardian, none could tell what it really was, be it a spirit of another world, or the manifestation of the forest itself. Leshii’s powers were not fully known, except the obvious ones. It lived everywhere in the forest and knew much of what happened in it. The obvious question was stuck in Lucy’s mind, and on the third night, right before leaving to continue her investigation of the necromancer’s influence over the forest lands, she asked Leshii this question. “Oh great Leshii, allow me to ask one question”.

“Speaketh, peal”.

“I know your powers are great, and so is your knowledge and wisdom. And yet I am left wondering, how you were not aware of the necromancer living within your domain?”

Leshii glanced at her long and thoughtfully and replied: “For thee these lands art home. For us, they art nay m’re significant than lands far ‘broad”. It solemnly moved its gaze to the nearest birch tree and lovingly stroked it, the wood creaking in an attempt to lean towards the spirit. “Verily dost we love every parteth, blade of grass, mushrump, birch, hare, wolf, owl. But ‘tis sore to gazeth upon the whole of it. Confined by boundaries of own corporal, we only feeleth yond which is closeth. Fate hast been kind to us and thee, as nigh a week passeth, at which hour we hath met. We did note change, but significance wast mask’d from us by the necromanc’r. The deviousness of the wizard knoweth no bounds and must beest punish’d”.

Lucy’s question answered, Leshii has reminded her that she was to come back with more news of how far the necromancer’s influence has reached in the forest. For her it was task most daunting, forcing her to go back to the place of disturbing memories, where undead would walk and at any moment could end her life. The forest spirit words did make her feel a bit more calm, as it promised to keep a watchful eye over her, but at some level she wasn’t sure how to feel about it. She heard many stories of Leshii most disturbing, but she also knew that it was not benevolent or all-knowing. It keeping an eye on her seemed in some way incorrect, as if she was a baby hare stalked by an old wolf. She has decided to keep it to herself for the time being, as Leshii has become her only hope to stop the necromancer from further terrorrizing her village and most importantly get revenge for her parents and friends, murdered by the evil wizard.

The rest of the week passed and Lucy continued scouting for Leshii. It told her all about how the evil undead influence was interfering with its control over the woods, for only living things were subject to the spirit’s will. And so she marked every tree where the death and decay reached, where the grass began to dry, where branches were falling due to rot, where birds plummeted to the earth, no longer able to take a single breath. The young lady was careful in her travel around the wizard’s lair, hiding, whenever a small patrol of undead creatures would pass, making sure her marks would blend with the surroundings but stay unmistakable. She usually opted for a branch leaning against a tree trunk, but she left an occasional half-eaten apple or dug a small hole. All of this was to let Leshii know where its influence ended and the wizard’s began.

During the last day, Lucy came across a mark she recognized as her own. She rushed back to let Leshii know that its will was done, but she had no need to do so, as the forest spirit emerged beside her. She stopped, startled out of her excitement, and after a moment dropped to her knees and bowed. “Great Leshii, I have finally completed your task! The deed is done, and…”

A tremble began underneath her. The earth itself rumbled making it impossible for her to think straight and continue talking. When she looked up at Leshii, its gaze was full of fury and a determined look overtook its face. Its arms were slowly raising and the intensity of the trembles did so as well. As soon as it came to her, Lucy looked in the direction where the necromancer’s lair laid, and there she was overtaken by awe. The trees themselves were slowly stretching more and more thin. Earth itself was moving in the same direction. In some places the dirt shifted revealing streaks of roots underneath, all rushing towards the center, where Lucy presumed was the necromancer’s lair.

Slowly the rumble subsided. It became more quiet than ever before, as if the forest itself held its breath in anticipation of what was to come next. Leshii’s arms were at the peak right above his head and then he dropped them. The trees went back to their original positions, but the earth was overturned. A tremendous boom muffled by distance echoed to where Lucy and Leshii stood. She looked at the forest spirit, whose stoic demeanor returned. It looked at her and spoke: “The deed is done. The necromanc’r hast been expelled from these lands. None shalt worry us from anon”.

The forest spirit took a step forward Lucy and extended its hand towards her. She gingerly took it in her own, and it lifted her up. Its old eyes looked into hers, and she stared back confused and unconvinced at the gesture. When Leshii wrapped his other hand around her shoulder, she finally understood what was going on. Her head sounded the loudest alarm she’s ever heard, and once again began her prayers to Gods known and unknown that the stories of the spirit were false.