The Arcane Archer - Chapter 57 False Nigh

Leaving the city was really simple.

With the plumes of smoke rising, everyone was either freaking out, getting raided by soldiers for one reason or another, or doing their best to put out any fire they could see, us leaving through the sewers was incredibly easy. My companions, Vanchu a half-orc, Dentratha a green dragonborn, and Graal the goblin. The three of them seemed to have already known each other for quite a while as they talked with each other as if they’ve known each other for years.

Outside of the city Graal took a map out of his bag and started recommending directions. One of the directions was a town called Smeltersburg which was their main place for rapidly producing and making gear.

It was quickly agreed upon that it would be best to either disrupt and or destroy Smeltersburg as to hinder its production. Graal took the lead as he was the one with the map and quickly guided.

Eventually, the sun started to set as we stated making our way into an area with lots of trees and rocks. It was quickly planned that while the others set up camp, Vanchu and I would hunt for some food.

After walking for a bit, I eventually found some tracks that indicated some sort of deer.

“Vanchu, if we head in that direction, we should encounter some wild-life” I said while indicating the direction the tracks went.

Nothing was said as Vanchu stared off into the distance.

“Vanchu?” I called out.

After she didn’t respond, I reached out and grabbed her shoulder. Instantly, she put her hand over my mouth even though I didn’t say anything.

“Something is watching us.” She said while continuing to stare off into the distance.

I tried looking in the same direction but didn’t find anything that would indicate us of being watched. But I wasn’t an idiot. If Vanchu thinks we’re being watched, then there must be a reason for thinking that.

Putting my arm out to the side, I summoned Bell as he had much better vision than me. With a small telepathic signal, I sent it on its way to look around the area to see if it could find anything. I also decided to look through my familiar’s eyes to try and see if I could spot anything as well.

After a few minutes of looking, I stopped looking through Bell’s eyes and cast detect magic as a last resort.

Another few minutes of that returned with nothing and Vanchu kept looking in the same direction.

“Let’s go in a different direction, we still need to gather food for tonight and can continue looking for whatever is out there while we’re moving.”

Eventually she looked away and agreed to my plan. From there, it was quick hunting as we found a simple deer that I easily picked off with a single arrow. Though I could carry the deer back with my own strength, we both decided upon carrying it as to make it easier. When we got back to camp, we told the others to be on the lookout for anything as Vanchu believed there to be something watching us and it was never bad to be wary.

Sitting on a fallen tree next to the fire, I started working on the deer and removing the skin and such. As I wasn’t the best at it, it took quite a bit of time just to get out parts we wanted to eat and such. Once that was done, I gave the meat to the others to cook while I left to go “Throw away” the rest of the deer but in reality, just put it into my inventory once I was a bit away.

From there, as I started making my way back, I heard something akin to a music box playing in the far-off distance. I wasn’t able to tell exactly what direction because as I continued walking, it sounded as if it stayed the same distance the entire time.

I started to speed walk my way back to camp as I didn’t feel threatened but still wanted to get back earlier than if I was to just walk.

At camp, I saw that Dentratha was working on dinner and taking her time making sure it was edible. Graal was reading out of a thick book and muttering random nonsense. Vanchu was dealing with a wound on her shoulder.

All in all, it seems like a wonderful nig- how did Vanchu get that wound?

I didn’t have any healing spells but I did have some healing potions. Rushing over, I quickly inspected the wound as Vanchu explained how she must’ve got it from when we were hunting earlier. Quickly thinking, I verified to myself that nothing of that sort happened.

Assisting her, I continued to think about what might’ve happened while I was gone to cause this. Dentratha and Graal didn’t look the least bit worried. Vanchu didn’t look too badly hurt but whatever caused this without them even knowing must be dangerous.

Thinking this through would be so much easier without the creepy music box music I was hearing…

Moving away, I went to sit on a fallen tree close by. Slowly, I moved my hands up to my ears and covered them to drown out the noise. A second later, I felt a wound on my shoulder that I didn’t notice earlier. Don’t know why I didn’t notice it to begin with though.

I stared at the message and questioned why I could’ve gotten this. Was there someone trying to make me see something? Hear something?

I covered my ears and saw a hint of something black but then was tending another wound I got earlier while hunting.

I remember covering my ears and seeing something but after that I was suddenly just tending to a wound I got earlier? Something between covering my ears and tending my wound is altering my mind to forget it. How many times have I done this?

Taking another look at the others shows that they had some more wounds on them but continued to act as if everything was fine. The meat that was only starting to be cooked what seemed like only a few minutes ago was not burnt and nearly ruined even though the flame wasn’t that big.

With a sigh, I went to go cover my ears once again but stopped right before doing so. Mentally, I started going through my spells to see if I could use any of them. After a minute of thinking and tending to my wounds, I came up with what I think was a good idea.

The sad part about this spell is that I can only cast it on myself meaning I can’t share it with the others.

Looking around, I saw this large shadow like creature with wide white eyes holding onto this very ornate music box. Its shadowy claws were slowly turning the little crank on the side of the box and the creature itself seemed to be staring at Dentratha, drooling.

The next spell I was going to cast was a ritual, meaning I couldn’t just cast it with mana and had to have a material component to cast the spell. The material component this time was a small crystal bead that I sadly did not have. But we do have someone who should.

“Hey, Graal!” I called out to our small goblin with the large book.

Graal looked up from his book but didn’t say anything and just looked at me.

“Do you have a small crystal bead?”

He looked at me for a second before closing his book and putting it between his legs. From there, he started going through a pouch on his left side that seemed to carry various items from the sound of it.

After a bit of looking, he eventually pulled out a small crystal bead just like I asked for.

“Thank you very much!” I said while making my way to the center of the camp.

Sitting in the center, I quickly looked around to make sure that everyone was within 10 feet of me and that the creature itself wasn’t. From there, I held the tiny crystal bead in hand and started slowly putting mana inside of it while chanting some words in the Ancient language while also using my other hand to do some hand signs in the air.

As a minute passed, the bead in hand started to slowly glow with my purple mana until it glowed like a molten piece of metal. Once it was at this point, I stood up and held it above my head and let it go.

When my fingers were no longer touching the bead, an opaque purple light moved outwards of the bead till it formed a 1- foot radius hemisphere around us. Inside this hemisphere the walls are transparent and allow us to look outside but make it so that people on the outside can’t see us.

Nine other people or creatures can fit inside with me but the spell fails if its area includes a larger creature or more than nine people. Creatures and objects within the dome when I cast this spell can move through it freely. All other creatures and objects are barred from passing through it. Spells and other magical effects can’t extend through the dome or be cast through it. The atmosphere inside the space is comfortable and dry, regardless of the weather outside. Until the spell ends, I can also command the interior to become dimly lit or dark.

Overall, it’s a really good spell to help ensure that we get a good night’s rest. But if the enemy is dumb enough to let us cast it, well then it means we’re safe from them AND can attack using ranged weapons. Like my bow.

What I whispered was, “There’s a shadow creature following and making us forget. The hut should protect us but stay quiet. The music is making you forget and the creature can’t see you, but can still hear us.”

He looked up for a second before looking back down and continuing to cast some spells, a bit different in nature this time. After that, I sent the same message to the other two and watched as they silently moved around and covered their ears.

It was still drooling but seemed to look angry as well now. It was tapping around the hut looking for a way in but couldn’t which seemed to make it angrier and angrier.

I continued to enhance a few arrows until I had 10 total enchanted arrows each with a mana mark on it. I signified to the others that I was about to shoot arrows at it but was signified by Dentratha to wait and watched as she then blessed all of us with a spell.

Slowly, I pulled back the bowstring after knocking an arrow and aimed it at the head of the creature as it made its way around the hut. Once it was nearly face to face with me, I put my arrow right at the edge of the hut with it aimed at its head, and let the string go.