-16-
The Missing Child

Hello again my imaginary audience, who have  the pleasure of joining me again on another round of shenanigans as I once more try to prove myself as an adventurer! I'm glad you guys managed to show up. So what is going on? Well right now I'm in the Woods of Mist. A thick overgrown forest that is filled with wild monsters, wild animals, and last but not least biting flies. It's a few minutes past the noon hour and the humidity in this forest is making my pores sweat like heck. The air is thick, like breathing in soup, I can feel things crawling on me. My pristine ponytail is now a bird's nest of dropping hair, with all manner of sticks and vines sticking out of it. I'm panting like an old hound dog, and last but not least I'm pretty sure I've developed a rash between my legs from all this sweat.

In other words, I'm going through pure hell. This is nothing compared to the caves, the caves were tame when compared to this shit. Yes, I know I should have my mouth washed out with soap for swearing. And if Marian was here, she would no doubt do just that, but she did not. So for now I beg your pardon. Anyway let me catch you guys up. You see this morning one of the children of the village, the mayor's only son went missing. According to his distraught mother, he and his uncle went camping in the Woods of Mist a few days ago.

His uncle turned up drunk as a skunk yesterday afternoon, the boy was not with him. According to his drunk uncle, the boy had been asked to collect some firewood for their cooking fire. It seems his uncle then decided to hit the white mule because he lost all sense of himself. The boy never came back from collecting firewood. And the uncle, being the upstanding man he is, decided to get drunk, before going searching for him, only to give up after an hour and stumble his way back into town. Do you know how to bring in reinforcements? And to report that the mayor's son was missing in action.

Now normally the town's soldiers would be called out to deal with this matter. But the Captain of the Guard, a tall, lean man with steel gray eyes and short cropped salt and pepper hair, told the mayor that he could not spare any extra soldiers to go out and search for his missing son. That every one of his men were needed to defend the town in case the bandits in the Sand Hills decided to attack.

And so the may had no choice but to call upon the town's militia. Now the town's militia is a very comical sight to behold. It's mainly made up of apprentice smiths, students, the town's drunks, and farm boys who desire the glory of war and battle without really signing up for the main defense force. The pay, two crowns a week also lures men in. I'm ashamed to say that I sighed up when I first came here. Because of this, I needed the money.

Anyway the town militia gathered in the old barrack yard, outfitted themselves the best they could, promised to return the mayor's son or die in the effort and then marched away as proud as peacocks. They made it to the edge of the Forest of Mist and paused to collect themselves, then a lone wolf howled for its mate and the force scattered to the four winds. They abandoned their shields, their swords, their spears, bows and quivers too in their mad dash to safety.

Being a woman, I'd not been allowed to join in this search, despite having proved myself by slaying the goblin king. So instead I'd been at the inn, serving mugs of brown ale and plates of roast chicken when the routed militia came stumbling into the inn, quivering like a bunch of lost boys. They then started to drown their sorrows and tried to restore their pride by guzzling gallons of Sea Breeze's famous brown ale.

That is where I come in, you see after the militia had melted away like snow in spring. The mayor, pestered by his wife, posted a large reward for anybody who could find his missing son and return him either alive or bring back at least his body. It was assumed at this point the lad was dead. The reward was around six hundred golden crowns. Now Adventuring is not cheap, no matter what you read in those cheap, paperback books. Healing potions cost money and I mean a ton of money, and so does food, and you're always in want of arrows and other odds and  ends. And well fishing, forging, and working as a barmaid brings only so much money. And with Autumn starting to close in, trying to save up as much money as I can. And six hundred crowns is nothing to sneeze at.

I mean I earned roughly around twelve hundred crowns for my last adventure And half of that I spent trying to replenish my stock. Anyway the heart of the matter is this, six hundred golden crows for the safe return of some teenage brat who has gone missing. Six hundred crowns to put into the bank or put toward funding another big adventure that will net me more money and treasure. It was like taking candy from a baby. It was a simple quest, kind of reminded me of one of those fetch quests from those JRPG's I used to play back in my old life. I mean how card could it be to find some rich, snot nose brat that got himself lost in the woods? A verbal walk in the park right? Or so I thought, so with that in mind, I got my gear together.

You know, my leather armor, broadsword, sling shot with a leather pouch that was filled with small, round iron ingots that I used as ammunition. Plus a few loaves of bread, dried beef, some cheese, a few extra canteens of water, plus some healing potions, and last but not least some antidotes. My gear gathered, I started toward the Woods of Mist. That was at six o' clock this morning. A full seven hours ago. Now I'm here deep in the Woods of Mist, swatting mosquito's and black flies that are swooping and dive bombing my neck and arms.

Now let me tell you guys a little something about the Woods of Mist. The Woods of mist are a seething, lush, green hell. The trees here have grown so close together they block the wind, the air inside the forest is thick and dusty and filled with pollen. Huge clouds of mosquitoes, black flies, and gnats fill every nook and cranny. The ground is covered with broken tree limbs and twigs and fallen leaves. Mold grows thick on fallen branches. And thick vines, the size of a man's arms hang down. And the only sources of water I've seen so far are stagnant pools of black and green slime that smell to high heavens.

And speaking of water, I was quickly running out. I mean I've been hitting my canteen pretty hard since I entered this forest. And with the afternoon sunshine streaming down through the broken branches of trees, bathing spots of the forest floor in strong sunlight it seemed soon I'll either succumb to dehydration or heat exhaustion. For a moment I started to wonder why anyone would want to camp here.

Anyway I took a deep breath, and swallowed some water. And tried my best to gather my wits about me and so feeling slightly refreshed I started to push on through the brush. It was hard going, I had to chop through a lot of thick vines. I soon found myself dealing with another minor, yet more painful annoyance to deal with beside the biting flies that seemed attracted to my flesh and blood. Thorn bushes with thick thorns soon started to cut at any exposed skin. It was hard to tell how far I'd traveled, being on foot and all, but the bright sunshine shone overhead and caused a steady stream of sweat to trickle down my face. As I paused to wipe the sweat from my forehead I started to wonder for the millionth time that day were in the world could that boy be.

I mean, if you look at any of the maps of this region, that is if you can find them, because to be honest there more scarce than hen's teeth, you will see a massive forest, a massive forest that was suppose to house the crumbling remains of a might castle somewhere in the center. The castle was suppose to have been a stronghold for Lord Ross and his one hundred and eight knights of the realm. But the castle had been abandoned following The Battle of Sunflower Field in the War of The Pretend King. Or so the history scrolls told me. Anyway, I had a theory that the boy had gotten the harebrained idea to rush off and leave his uncle and try to find the ruined remains of the castle. And according to the rumors I've heard from trappers, hunters, woodsmen and hermits that make their living in these woods, and sometimes even their homes, the cast was suppose to the breeding ground for huge spiders, as big as a barrel of ale, who spun webs as big as cottages, web that were strong enough to entrap and horse or a man. I often wonder  about those rumors and tall-tales. Most of them I jotted down as the raving of drunken men or men who've been out here in the woods too long by themselves. Really they should get laid more often.

Not that I minded being out here in the woods, but the Forest of Mist were not the kind of woods one could trust themselves too. There were no well worn trails one could walk down and admire the beauty of nature from. No babbling brooks of clean water, no these woods were the kind of woods one could get lost in. The ground was soft and muddy and my tall leather boots struggled to find purchase as I struggled through the almost maze like undergrowth. I had to battle for every inch of ground I gained, by that I mean I had to hack through thick vines and stumble over fallen tree branches. I was just about to give up and assume that the boy was dead when I heard something, just over a small rising I heard a scream. The scream was followed by a long, drawn out howl.

I tightened the grip I had on the hilt of my sword and started to push myself up the rise. After a few long seconds I reached down the top and there below me I noticed something that sent chills up my arm. In front of me was a clearing. Okay it was more like a meadow. It was this wide open space, one that was filled with tall whistle grass and dandelions and other such wildflowers, it would make a pretty picture if not for the fact that in the middle was a half starved boy who was wearing a tattered leather jacket, a tattered pair of brown woolen trousers, and he was wearing only one leather boot. The other one I'm going to assume had been lost or abandoned, his one bare foot was covered in thick blue mud and his face was scratched to hell and back.

And right now he was hunched down and cowering in fear while a huge brown wolf looking creature hovered above him. The Wolf creature stood on its hind legs and had its muzzle pointed into the air, its coal black eyes seemed to almost shimmer in the later afternoon sunshine. Its claws were raised to strike and the boy seemed to have just accepted his fate and was waiting with trembling knees for the creature to finish him off.

“Fuck!” I said taking a deep breath as I drew my sword. “I gotta save that kid!” I muttered as I pushed my sword into the soft ground. I could have charge headlong into battle, and that would have the most heroic thing to do. But I decided that since I held the high ground at this very moment that attacking with a rang weapon first would the most prudent of actions. I was sure I could get off at least three or maybe even for good aimed shots before the creature closed the distance between me and it. Then it would blade on claw.

So drawing in a deep breath I reached down and fished out my trusty slingshot, I then unbutton the leather pouch that held iron ingots. Quickly I withdrew the first one that touched my hand and thankfully it was one of the biggest ones in my collection. I quickly placed the iron ingot into the sling and started to draw back.
Once I had drawn the sling as far as I could I took careful aim, released my breath and eased my grip. A second later the iron ball was speeding toward the creature. The battle was on it seemed. There would be no turning back now.

-17-
The Rougarou

About two seconds after I released the rough iron ingot, the ball made contact with the head of the beast. It turned around and locked eyes with me, I could see a stream of blood running down its head where the rougher edges of the iron ingot had cut into its rough, leather like flesh. The beast then threw its head back and released a blood curdling how and a moment later it was down on all fours, charging directly at me!

Instead of giving into a panic like I'm sure most people would in my shoes, I stood my ground and took a deep breath as I reached down into my leather pouch and fumbled out another ingot, I took a deep breath and once more pulled the string back and let the small iron fall fly once more. A moment later I saw the beast stumble backwards as the iron ball smacked right in the middle of its eyes.

At this point in the fight I decided that it was time to finish off the beast. I quickly returned my slingshot to my pocket and reached down and pulled out my sword. The wolf creature at this point had recovered from its latest wound and was once more charging toward me. I braced myself and started to charge toward the creature a moment later when we had entered into a fearsome melee.

The clash was short and fearsome, and by that I mean it last less than four four minutes, the wolf creature once it reach me, raised itself on its hind legs and raised its massive paws, and was about to strike me, but before it could I pushed the tip of my sword through its rib cage, I then drove my blade to the hilt and then pulled it out again, a sudden red flood of blood came gushing out of the wound and the creature stumbled back. I took this chance to bring the edge of the sword across its neck and a jagged cut appeared, steaming hot blood poured out of the creature's neck and matted its fur.

A few seconds later it fell down in front of me, and without thinking, I raised my sword and hacked off its head. It was luck, I had taken the poor creature by surprise. And my first strike had been from afar. As I watched its blood seep into the ground. I knew just how foolish I had been and how careless I had been. I had been stumbling through the woods like a lost girl scout. Had not this fearsome creature been focused on making a meal out of the boy cowards not more than a dozen or so yards from me, it could have easily ambushed me from behind and it would have been my lifeless body laying there on the ground. With my own blood watering the ground.

I have so much to learn.” I said with a sigh as I peered down at the slain. Then it dawned on me, there might be others around. And as the seconds started to tick on by, then I noticed how humanoid the shape became. It chilled me to the bone, the facial features were a mix of wolfish features and human. His chest seemed almost too human. I sighed as I reached down and pulled from my traveling kid a rag. I used the rag to clean the blood from my blade. Once my blade was clean I tossed the rag down on the ground and then I returned my blade to its scabbard.

“Hey kid.” I called out. “You okay?”

I called out as I started walking toward him. A few moments later I reached him, and what I beheld softened my heart. Resting at my feet was a shivering teenage boy. Who looked like he had been through hell? The noises he made told me he was alive. I bite down upon my lip.

“Hey kid.” I said kneeling down. “Hang in there.” I said as I eased my knapsack down upon the ground. “Just keep fighting,” I said, sighing as I started to fish out the various healing potions, ointments and a roll of bandages I kept on hand. I paused, could I really do this? I mean I had worked on myself before, but I had never worked on anybody else before. I should have my head, no, I had to act, and each minute I wasted debating with myself was another minute that old enemy of humanity called death stalked ever closer to the wounded lad who lay shivering at my feet.

“Hang in there kid.” I said kneeling down as I started to remove his tattered coat from him. “We'll get you fixed right up.” And with that I started to work.

-19-
First Aid

It's a strange feeling to hold a life in the palm of your hands. First things first though, I gently cradled his head in the crook of my arms and uncorked one of the healing potions I'd brought with me. I held the lip of the bottle up to his trembling lips. His eyes opened and he looked into mine, almost like he was pleading with me not to let him die.

“Drink” I command softly. “It's a healing potion.” I said and with that I brought up the bottle to his lips and gently he slowly started to drink. “A little at times, this stuff is strong.” I said. And he swallow by swallow he drained the potion. A moment after the last drop had been drained from the bottle, I noticed the color was starting to return to his face and warmth to his body. “Good lad.” I praised.

Without thinking I placed my bedroll under his head to support it. I then started to remove his cloak. A spider the size of a crown left the coat. My eyes went as big as saucer plates as I noticed what appeared to be a red hourglass on its back. I watched the spider skirt across the clearing and into the safety of darkness of a hollow out stump. Quickly I reached down into my bag and quickly I pulled out two bottles.

“Boy,” I said. At this point his face was starting to turn red and his breathing was increasing. A sign that the healing magic of the potion was starting to take effect. “You would have been dead in a matter of hours no matter what happened.” I said as I got another bottle of my pack. I was thankful I'd had the foresight to bring with me a few bottles of antidotes with me. I unscrewed the bottle and gently held it to the boy's lips.

“Drink this, drink it all, and in one go too. It's going to taste horrible. But trust me, if you want to live. You'll do as I say.” The boy's eyes fluttered open and slowly he opened his mouth. Once again I held the lip of the bottle up to his trembling lips and this time the boy swallowed everything in one go.

A moment later the boy started to cough and small beads of sweat started to appear on his arms and his forehead. The sound of his coughing echoed across the meadow. It was a horrible sound. But soon it passed and the boy fell back down onto the forest floor, his breathing was harder and deeper than before.

“Good. The potions magic is starting to fight the poison from that spiders bite.” I said softly, “Ride the wave, it's going to be one hell of a wave. But all you can do is ride it out.” I said as I started looking over the rest of the boy's body. Thankfully the only thing I saw was a number of minor cuts and scratches, nothing really deep.

“Okay,” I said, sighing again, I kept sighing because this was totally out of my league. The sweating had stopped for now, alone with the coughing and finally the boy's breathing was starting to return to normal. “Looks like you're going to live.” I said fishing out another bottle. This bottle held a bottle of purple liquid. This potion was a wound cleaning potion. Taking a deep breath I poured the potion all over his face, his arms and pretty much anywhere he had cuts, even though those might have minor cuts.

Once the wounds had been cleaned I started to bandage them. I wrapped the cloth bandages tightly around his leg and his arms. And once that was done I decided I'd done all I could do. “Right young man.” I said walking toward him. “I'm going to need you to walk for me, we are in the middle of the forest. And while I'd somehow manage to kill one of them wolf creatures. I'm sure there must be at least a baker's dozen or more lurking around here in the shadows. I'm afraid we can't afford to linger.” I said, sighing as I walked over to the boy. I held out my hand.

The boy took a deep breath and held out his hand. I smiled and reached down and took his hand into mine and slowly I hauled him up to his feet. “Good lad.” I praised as I looked at him over. “Think you can walk?” I asked.

“Yes ma'am.” He answered, swallowing hard.

“Can you use a blade?” I asked as I reached down to my side and unhooked the short sword I carried as a back-up weapon.

“Yes ma'am. Sergeant Sharp, Richard Sharp has been giving me lessons. He's the town's drill master ma'am.” He said as he stumbled as he tried to gain his balance. “He said he can't turn a wimp like me into a blade master but he could teach me enough to keep from cutting myself.”

“Good.” I said, “Here take my sword then, but only draw it as a last result.” I said, sighing. I knew what awaited us. An eight hour force march through the woods and then through the night. Hopefully by sunrise we'll reach Sea Breeze. We had many hard miles to cover till we reached the safety of town. But those were miles we had to make, I would have loved to make camp, and allowed the boy a chance to fully recover and to give myself a chance to rest too. But right now that seemed almost impossible and better yet it sounded like a death wish. The woods that surrounded us could be lurking with enemies.

The boy nodded his head and seemed to understand. Good, taking a deep breath I reached down and pulled out a small bottle. The bottle held a bright red liquid. It was a potion, a potion that would help recover some of my lost stamina. I uncorked the stopper and took a swallow. I then took another swallow and it was half gone. Then I handed the rest to the trembling boy behind me.

“Drink.” I commanded.

He finished it off in one go.

“That potion you just took will restore some of your lost stamina.” I said in a flat tone of voice, “You'll need it for the walk ahead. Alright my novice adventure, get your gear together and start moving those legs.” And with that we started to make our way out of the forest. It was well into the afternoon judging by the position of the sun. And I'm afraid we face a long road ahead of us.

To be continued.