“Bloodstone.” Jody spat. “The swine probably found a Conjured hiding.” He grabbed a burnt plank from what was once a house, reduced to its destroyed foundation.

  “By the Old Gods,” Erik said, grabbing a scarred copper plate.

  The soot-covered earth mushed under his feet, walking next to Reina until she picked something up and held it to her chest. She sucked in a breath and brought it close to her chest. It didn’t take long for Rook to identify the small bloodstained horse doll before his vision grew blurry with moisture.

  “What do they do with the others who are not conjured?” He asked shakily, already suspecting the grim answer.

  “They’re killed. All of them, some by griffins, others by their weapons and blood magic.”

  “Dwarves live a long time,” Jody said, placing a hand on Reina’s shoulder. “I was in the wars, a Sentinel detachment, sent to the front lines to fight the Orcs. We weren’t prepared for the Bloodstone to support them. They do this, killing everything, their foul magics making it so nothing will grow.” He crouched down and picked up a small pair of child-sized shoes. “Scum.” He dug a small hole and placed the shoes inside. With three careful scoops, he covered them and said something in Dwarvish.

  Rook kept walking, he couldn’t linger in the town. His mind wouldn’t let him see anymore.

  * * *

  They continued for a long while, walking in silence until Erik stopped them at the opening of the forest.

  “We should make a small camp here,” Erik said before taking a knee. “The path ahead through the thicket of trees will lead us directly to the temple.”

  “Good.” Reina set her pack down and wiped stray strands from her sweat-slick forehead with a handkerchief. “Want one?” She asked Rook, pulling another from her pack.

  “Please,” He graciously accepted it and wiped the sweat before placing it in his pocket.

  “Allow me to take the first watch,” Erik said, before noticing Rook’s frown. “I need to pray.”

  “So do I,” Jody said, walking to a tree and leaning against it.

  “I’ll watch with you. Better to have two up, one down during a watch.”

  “I have my spirits, you get some rest,” Erik said, clapping Rook on the shoulder.

  Rook set out into the woods to gather an armful of dead branches to start a fire. The last time he was in the woods like this was in the Wood of Sorrow. Much different than giant mushrooms. He didn’t like how unfamiliar he was with a forest, especially making camp in a forest without proper security. Hell, they could be right next to some weird monster’s den. He took a knee and conducted a SLLS check. The only noteworthy thing was the burbling of a nearby stream.

  When he returned, the camp was made in a triangle, each sleeping bag taking a side. Erik was seated on a log, while Reina lay in her roll, trying to get comfortable.

  “We should hurry, the night is going to come quicker than we’ll expect,” Erik said, looking at the sky.

  Rook smirked and gave a sidelong glance towards her, which she regarded with a sharp shake of her head no. Guess not the time for a dick joke. She’s learning my humor fairly quick. He yawned, rolled to his side and closed his eyes, sleep came quick.

  His heart beat like the piston in an engine, quickly in his chest and throbbing in his ears. Rook tried to keep his breath from hissing out, failing miserably. A figure came into focus against the dark background, feminine and familiar. Her body, the background, despite its familiarity, was blurred, like he was wearing prescription glasses.

  She was holding her hands up in a defensive posture. She kept jerking her head up at Rook, then back to something in front of her. She’s pleading. The figure of a man, not small by any stretch walked towards her from the background, coming into the same blurred focus, bellowing something incoherent. My dad’s gonna come and get you, just you fucking wait, dude. He’s a cop.

  All the sound was muffled, except the beating pulse in his ears. It was so loud, he willed it best he could to stop, but the beating only grew in tempo. The man held something up towards the woman’s face. Dad, save her! Rook tried to scream, but nothing came out. The woman stared up at him one last time, placing her hands over her eyes like she was playing peekaboo. You want me to do that? His eyes were covered by small hands; he could feel the fat pads of tiny fingers covering his eyes. Then there was a bright flash followed by thunder in the house, cracking over and over.

  He opened his eyes to look at the woman again, and his heart felt as if it had been torn open. His vision grew blurry with tears, and he gripped the bars of his wooden prison, unable to shake the paralysis. Daddy why? The male figure looked up at him and paced back and forth, pulling at his hair. Rook’s vision cleared to see his father, holding his service gun he wasn’t supposed to go near. Dad, someone got hurt. You have to help her. In the horrible moment, Rook came to the realization that the woman with the bloody face had the same neo traditional tattoos sleeves as his mother had. His vision blurred as he focused on the skull with a dagger tattoo on her forearm. His father, his protector, lay down next to the woman, his mother, put the gun beneath his chin, and pulled the trigger.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Who’s gonna read to me at bedtime now?

  Firm hands shook him until the dream faded. Dreaming of the past again. Thanks, Dad, you sadistic fuck. He peeled his eyes open to see Reina’s sympathetic face in front of him.

  “You were having a nightmare, I think,” Reina said, softly patting him on the shoulder. “I didn’t want to wake you, wanted you to dream of something happier. But the watch.” She pointed at Erik.

  He gave a tired wave and settled down to his bedroll. By Rook’s guess, it had to be early in the morning. The moist air tickled his face, leaving behind a damp film.

  “Do you wanna talk about it?” Reina asked, taking a seat on the log beside the dwindling fire. “I’m a good listener.”

  He genuinely thought about it. Tell her his fucked up past, give her the reasons why he has such bad trust issues? He shook his head and smiled. “I’m okay, thank you for the offer though.”

  Reina nodded.

  They gently discussed the plans moving forward, the Sentinels, and tried to figure out why they call the Dwarf “Iron” Jody.

  The forest path curved with the rising slope of the mountain. Shit. Rook looked up the rocky path, shading his eyes from the sun. That’s gotta be eight hundred meters. The top of the stone spire poked above the mountain top.

  “Say, what if something worse is occupying the temple?” Rook asked, piling into Reina as she stopped to face him.

  “Hey, damn it.” She stumbled backward a step before Rook grabbed her hand to steady her. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m just saying.” He adjusted his scalemail cuirass. “I’m just saying that Imodor and his harpy minions exist in the world, and he’s the third guardian beast. What happens if there’s something worse than a couple of goblins at the temple?”

  “We should keep moving,” Erik said, with a grimace. “This hike kills my legs.” He rubbed out the back of a hamstring, bracing himself against a tree.

  “That’s because you didn’t eat anything at breakfast,” She said, biting a piece of her ration bar and then handing it to Rook.

  You cruel woman, after my own heart. The ration bar was blocked to track how much you ate for the day. He bit off the rest of the half block she left for him, then passed it back. He chewed the fruit and nut-pressed block.

  Rook swallowed, glad the ordeal was over. It wasn’t the best thing he’s had, but his hunger bar filled back up, as did his stamina. Reina and Erik started walking up the path again. He adjusted his armor and followed. The wilds they were in hours ago were a stark contrast to the thick vegetation they had trekked through. Growling, Rook swiped at a fern after stumbling on an overgrown root.

  Rook focused on the path and walked in silence for another half hour until they reached the end of the forest, and the tower was in sight. He opened his map and laughed to himself, there was a little icon of a tower, the same that was in the Wood of Sorrow was just ahead of them, marking the Temple of All Power.

  “I’ll scout the area,” Erik said, rubbing at his hamstring.

  “You look like you’re more ready to nap. Reina and I can do it.”

  “Too late, I’ve already called for my spirit.” He put his arm up in front of him.

  Rook’s mouth dropped when the ghost form of a falcon perched on his arm. It was as big as his torso, with two very sharp, very red eyes.

  “Go, my sweet, scout the area, I need enemies and weapons.”

  The falcon disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and Erik jerked his head to the sky, his gaze following his bird through the canopy above.

  “That’s impressive,” Reina said, closing her journal and placing it back into a buttoned pocket.

  “Do you always write and sketch everything you see?” Rook asked. “It’s gotta be tiring.”

  “Yes, I keep a detailed record of everything. My mother did it before me, and hopefully my child will as well.”

  Several moments later, Erik raised his arm again for the falcon to perch. He stared unblinking at the bird, which cocked its head to the side. “Okay, thank you, my lovely.” He closed his eyes, and the bird disappeared.

  Sucking on his teeth, Erik puffed a breath of air out. “Not good,” he said, shaking his head. “They have nine goblins and that monster on the upper floors.”

  “Describe it,” Jody said.

  “It looks like a golem with human skin,” Erik said, turning slightly green.

  “A morgon?” Jody said, shaking his head. “You two really go the business end of bad luck.”

  “What’s a Morgon?” Rook asked, his question largely ignored by the party member.

  “How? This close to Ollar?” Reina pulled her journal out and flipped through the pages until she landed on one.

  Rook shrugged, slumping down on a fallen tree beside the path. In the tense moment, Rook eyed Reina curiously, as she regarded that book of hers once again. Her memory is damn near photographic, yet she doesn’t trust herself.

  “So, is anyone going to answer me?” Rook asked, his heart beginning to pound like a hammer in his ears. “You’re starting to freak me out.”

  Reina, still facing Erik, handed Rook the open journal. Now everything made sense to him. “shit,” he muttered, looking at the abomination on the page. According to Reina’s accurate journal, the morgon is a flesh golem construct that can silence magic users. Goblin mages are able to control the beasts using forbidden methods.

  Jody nodded towards Reina, appreciating her documentation.

  “Now do you see?” Reina asked before grabbing the journal. “It eats mana. If I try to buff you, there’s a chance it will sap me.”

  “Do you have to cast for it to silence you?” Rook asked, picking himself and a stick up from the ground. “We need to wargame; if we go in there blind, we’re probably as good as dead.” He handed the stick to Erik. “Draw the outline of the building, to the best to your knowledge.” He looked over to Reina. “Can you gather nine rocks?”

  He crouched beside Erik, watching the spirit summoner work. He drew four floors, three boxes for rooms on floors two, three, and four.

  “Okay, done,” Erik was finished drawing the layout from his falcon’s description. “Unless there are any rooms we missed, these are the floors and where the enemies were.”

  Rook nodded in appreciation, holding his hand out for the stick. His initial inclination to draw a penis in the dirt died. “No time,” he muttered.”

  Several moments later, Reina returned with nine rocks. “What are these for?” She asked him.

  “You’ll see in a sec,” Rook said, holding his hands out. Time to get set up. He grabbed the rocks and placed them in the marks. “Alright, Erik. Your bird told you that three or four goblins hang on the bottom floor, two hang out on the second floor, and the last two, including the Morgon and the goblin controller, are on the third.”

  “Yes.”

  “Perfect. Everyone knows that plans never survive first contact, but that’s where I will try to come in. I feel confident that I can use my Attramancy to take at least two or three of them out. Then handle the other.” He traced the low wall that separated the middle of the bottom floor with the end of his stick.