When we entered the forest. We Immediately saw a hooded figure gripping a scythe walking in the distance. He disappeared behind a tree. We kept our weapons drawn just in case. We saw or heard anything. A white owl circled us from above. Isic looked up and smiled at it a little. Hreg led the group through the forest. As they walked a the grass would split and die making a path for them. Hreg explained he prayed for a path there from God. They traveled for about half the day then Hreg called for a break. Yeven had the first watch as the others set up camp. The tents were facing each other with a small fire in the middle and all of their things inside.
Yeven circled the camp as the others sat around the firepit talking,
"So, Hreg, what exactly are we doing. You say killing the demon or-" started Noviah
"Killing a demon. Simple." Hreg sipped water. "Drive your sword through his heart."
"After this I'll be a hero. No longer a criminal." stated Calogne. He was playing with his sword watching the distance. The lighting never changed. It was always the same amount of light all the time.
"How others see you isn't important, Calogne. How you see yourself is everything." Noviah grunted at him.
In the distance Calogne could see a man walking towards him he stumbled.
"There's a man over here." Calogne alerted the others. They rushed over to see him. The man faded to ashes as he fell in Calogne's arms. They looked at each other in confusion. Yeven spotted the reaper in the distance first and pointed him out. The reaper turned towards them and pointed his scythe in their direction. A rumbling in the trees frightened the group. Skinny black figures with no faces were jumping from tree to tree chasing them. A path began to open up to lead them away, it was opening as fast as they were running.
All of them took off running trying to follow the path and get away. The deeper they went in the woods the thicker the woods became. The trees were bigger and the space between them were getting narrower. Isic had to start squeezing through the trees. A black arm reached around him and grabbed him. He tried to break away but he couldn't. The hand gripped his shirt and pulled him back. Yeven grabbed his leg and tried pulling hi though the trees. They were surrounded.
Hreg stood there confused and dazed. Yeven pulled Isic out and immediately switched to his bow to take out as many as those dark things as he could. Noviah helped Isic up and they stood back to back assisting Yeven. Calogne threw his shield at one, knocking it down, and making it smash its head in a tree. Hreg couldn't focus, when he pulled out his sword nothing happened. He was frozen, he couldn't move. To Noviah it looked like he wanted to be taken by the creatures, and to Yeven it looked like he was scared. But to Calogne, Hreg seemed to be waiting for the right moment to strike, but what stood out was how the creatures went around him. Calogne was distracted by watching Hreg that a creature jumped on his back and took him down. He fell to his knees first and shook the creature off of him and threw it down. Its claws dug in his back to hold on and bit his shoulder. Isic ran over and kicked it off of him. Behind Isic was another but Yeven shot it in the head.
"We gotta get out of here." Yeven shouted while shooting.
Calogne's blood boiled and burned as it rushed out of him. He gripped his shoulder and cried out in pain. His cuts and bites were poisoned, a light green mist rose from his wounds and a green foam bubbled around the edge of his cuts. Isic tried to held cover it but the poison burned him. A creature tackled him away from the Calogne. Isic defended himself by putting the sword to the creatures throat and blocking it from trying to bit him. One hand held the hilt and the other held the blade. The creatures yellow teeth dripped saliva on Isic's face and it burned a scar on his face right around his eye.It bubbled and burned in his eye preventing him from opening it. Yeven ran out of arrows and used his bow as a weapon to stab one then pulled out his sword. Noviah shouted the Our Father as he swung his sword. It reminded Isic of Gabriel. So he screamed his name "Gabriel!"
A great flash of light shined upon the area. The creatures scattered and burned. A person in all white slammed the ground with their shield and lifted their sword. More followed. They dispersed killing the creatures swiftly and smoothly. Isic jumped up and ran to Calogne helping him up as they took off down the path. Yeven ran over to help as Noviah led the way with Hreg. The end of the forest wasn't far. Once they ran through they fell to the ground in the tall grass and watched as the people in all white slew the creatures and disappeared.
"Fuck!" Yeven shouted. He helped Isic prop Calogne up against a rock. Gabriel appeared from the forest dressed in battle armor. He knelled in front of Calogne and placed his hand on his shoulder. Calogne felt a brief pain then his wounds were healed. It left a scar on his shoulder and back. Gabriel did the same thing to Isic with his face. Isic's face was healed but some of the burned and mangles facial tissue left a large burn looking scar on the right side of his face around his eye. Gabriel flew up in the sky and vanished.
Ahead of them was the gate to hell. At the top of the mountain was the Horse's path. The edge of a a mountain was shaped like a horse facing another horse with a bridge in between. Yeven sheathed his sword and looked at the forest. The reaper watched him. Noviah found a quiet spot in the grass to pray. Calogne told Isic what he saw Hreg do. Hreg sobbed quietly.
