Enna Is a Land God- Book:2

Specter

Without a doubt, we were being herded in what ever direction the Specter wished us to be. I could clearly hear at least two of those massive minions out in the dark now, neither allowing us to stray off course. And I was not the only one feeling nervous about it either. Lagdon had a death grip on his club, his large body almost pressed protectively at my back and his eyes scanning from side to side. Kishi followed behind us, stopping every dozen or so steps to glace at the rear before trotting at our heels once again. And at the front strode Reihekiu the halfling. 

None of us questioned the fact that the elderly- possibly insane-  elf was taking the lead. Even old, it was clear that she had the most experience among us, not to mention the keenest senses in this mist addled woods. And that was including Kishi who was supposedly about two thousand years old.

In the end, it probably didn't matter who was in the lead. Its not like the Specter was going to hop out from behind a bush, after all. He had his minions forcing us where he wanted us, no need for sneaky traps, we would be standing before the nightmare of the Dark soon enough.

I felt my nervousness increase as we drew nearer our enemy. I could sense that we were drawing close, and the forest here didn't feel like it was mine any longer. Now that, that familiar sensation was gone, I could truly recognize the absence of it. Like dipping a hand into ice water. It made my chest tighten and my breath catch. And I felt both watched, and blinded. It was the most unpleasant feeling...

"We're here." Said the elf in a low, yet traveling voice.

I was confused how she knew that till five steps later I walked out of the thick mist and found myself in an expansive clearing. I gasped, not just from the sudden absence of fog, but from the view that met my gaze.

We had exited into what I could only assume was the center of the Dark- I mean, where else would the main boss hide out after all?- and not only was the area devoid of mist, but of life as well. For at least the length of a football field I could see that all the trees were rotted and lifeless, many of them no longer standing, their trunks nothing more than blackened husks, eaten away by bugs or wood rot. The ground was devoid of grass or ferns, littered with brittle twigs and the bones of any number of animals and monsters. And all this darkness and gloom was offset by the very first clear view of the sky I had had in days.

And what a view it was! The night sky sprawled above us, the moon nothing but a sliver and the stars to numerous and bright I could almost believe that this was the first time I had ever really seen them. The startling vibrance was such a stark contrast to the death and decay of the land around us, that it sent shivers over my skin.

"Welcome..." Said a deep, slow, rolling voice. The very sound felt like oily fingers on my skin and I felt all the hair on my body begin to stand on end. My eyes scanned around but I could not see the source of the voice at all. It chuckled. "So you are what is supposed to be a land god... Pitiful."

Irritated and afraid, my lips pursed and I glared off to the direction I thought the sound had come from. "I am not the one hiding in the shadows though, now am I?"

Lagdon's four fingered hand gripped my shoulder in warning, probably asking me not to provoke the disembodied, wanna be, land god. Kishi strode up so that she was pressed fairly close to my side, while Reihekiu drew her mysterious blade once again.

" I am the shadows." Rumbled the hidden enemy, now sounding amused. It clearly did not fear us the same way we feared it. And that annoyed me all the more, even though, before now, I had never wanted anyone or anything to fear me before. "And you... you really are just a human. How curious. How disgusting." That last sentence was spoken with not a shred of amusement in it. It had been clear disdain. "Humans pretending to be gods, Demi-humans living within these borders... there is much in this once great nation that needs purging."

"Oh, and you are the one to do it then, I take it?" The elf spoke up, moving ever so slightly so that she was blocking me from direct view, where the other two could not.

"I am the true heir to the great dragon." Said the invisible specter, voice still a dangerous calm while also starting to sound a little fanatical. "Born of his mana and life force. It is my right. My duty!"

"Oh, and the old lizard told you that himself did he?" Taunted the elf, and I could hear Lagdon make an irritated noise at my back. Clearly he did not apricate Reihekiu's attempt to get the Specter to rile itself.

Ill advised it may have been, but it appeared to have worked. From the edges of the clearing the mist began to stir, slowly leaking across the forest floor to a point a few yards ahead of our tightly packed group. As I watched I saw a vaguely humanoid form start to take shape.

"Give me some space." I snipped at my protectors. I appreciated their want to keep me from harm, but all of us clumped together like this was just inviting trouble. One strong strike or spell could kill the lot of us as it was. Lagdon should be aware of it, he was the one who taught me that in the first place.

Kishi and Reihekiu took a few steps to either side, but Lagdon was more hesitant. He squeezed my shoulder on last time before taking a step back, the very picture of reluctance.

The Specter was not as scary in shape as I had though he would be. I had been expecting some massive black shadow, like his last minions, but that wasn't the case. In fact, the Specter looked smaller than Lagdon. It was painfully thin, its arms almost dragging on the barren ground and its legs bent so that it almost looked like a kangaroo in the lower half. Its chest was only slightly larger than its waist, and attached to it was a neck too long, and a head without a face. Indeed, the whole creature was without substance, seemingly made of black mist and nothing else. As I watched, two dark purple lights seemed to light where eyes would have been had this ghostly being been a human.

"You are nothing but a hinderance to my plans. No-" Said the ghostly creature, seemingly rethinking his train of thought. "Food, for my growth. Once I add your energy to my own I will be able to force my evolution, at last becoming the land god that I was meant to be."

Yeah... hard pass on the creepy villain monologue, thanks. At least the specter's was short and sour and I wasn't forced to sit though a long winded master plan. I could almost apricate the "I'm just gonna kill'em" mind set he seemed to work under. Monsters we pretty base creatures in that way, not prone to too much over thinking. Could the Specter be considered a monster? I'd have to ask if I survived long enough to do so.

I was about to retort with something witty- I really was!- but the Specter wasn't about to let me get a word in edge wise. As soon as the last word left its misty substance, its head flipped up ward and it let out a horrible, wailing, nails on a chalk bord screech. I and the others covered our ears as best as each of us could. It had never come across sound that actually made me feel like my ear drums were about to rupture.

But at their master's call, the minions that had been hidden in the ring of mists, began to make them selves known. As the echoes of the scream faded I watched as at least a hundred small, stump like minions and close to twenty of the huge ones stepped into the clearing and steadily made their way toward our small group.

Now that they were not hidden, I could see that the larger minions were even bigger than I had thought. They were easily twenty feet tall, with thin arms dragging to the dirt, legs like stilts, and bodies bent like their small, round and smooth heads, weighed about a hundred pounds. their entire bodies were as black as their master's, but instead of being made of shadow, they looked more like giant, walking, oil slicks. A slit in their heads opened, revealing a disjointed line of black, razor teeth.

"Well, this is problematic." Grumbled Reihekiu, glaring at the swiftly approaching minions, her sword gripped tightly.

"To say the least." Replied Kishi. Her fur was on end, causing her to look even larger. "Prepare for battle. There is no escape now..."

I took a deep breath and lifted my hands. One was wreathed in the versatile fox flame while the other held my gifted dagger. It looked like a toy before these massive, grotesque beasts, but its what I had and I'd be damned if I let the Specter just eat me. It was more than just my life at steak this time around. If I were to vanish now- permanently or not- then all the people who rely on me to grow and care for these lands would suffer. They would be consumed by this Specter just as surly as it had taken the lives of the kobolds in the night. I may be a paltry wall, but I was all that stood between this decimator and the people I cared about most.