“Do you think the rope will actually still be here when we get back?” Tom asked as he finished pounding in a stake on our side of the river.
The goal was to string the entire rope across and use that to bring the boat back and forth so we didn't have to leave it unattended on the other side of the river while we explored the woods. The real problem was that stringing a rope across something that was at least a hundred feet wide wasn't the easiest thing in the world, especially when we knew there were monsters somewhere deep below the water.
“With a bonfire on this side, it's possible anything will be a little too afraid to come near. Hopefully, we've made an impression on just how scary this neighborhood actually is, but that's also part of why we want the rowboat back on this side of the river. If something does destroy the rope and takes the rowboat with it from over there, we're going to be in a little bit of trouble trying to transport any sick people back,” I replied.
“Dad, how much do you think we're gonna have to fight over there? I don't have a lot of arrows left, with how many I've had to use on the acid slugs. Emma hasn't been able to keep up with making new ones, and I haven't had any downtime either.” Ash sounded nervous, which was understandable considering we were about to head right back into the unknown.
“A lot. You still got the baseball bat, right?”
“Yeah, I was just hoping to stick to the bow if I could.”
“Things will eventually get easier with arrows the more you train in it. There are some special things you'll probably unlock,” I said, trying to calm her down a bit. And then I looked to the others.
“Everything I've said before about listening to me stands. I'm likely taking you into some of the biggest dangers we've faced so far, and that possibly includes the battle we were in. The goal is to find Jimmy's family. Floof already had a good sniff of him, so if anyone can do it, it's going to be him.”
“Just what's over there? Not big in the whole fighting monsters thing, if you haven't noticed. Don't get me wrong, I'm coming. There are people who need my help over there. So I certainly won't say no, but man…” Norm asked, trailing off the end of his worried rant.
“Honestly, I don't know. I've seen the big red thing a few times, as have most of you. The smaller undead that I fought today were relatively weak, but whatever else is in that forest, assume it's going to be a problem. If Jimmy's family has been out there since the integration started, I bet they all have classes, and they're still in trouble, so that says something,” I replied.
In truth, it didn't really mean that much whether they had classes or not. If they had been pressed on supplies with nowhere to go and no way out, that made it very difficult to learn and cope with the new world. Classes can only push you so far. You still had to learn to fight.
“I wouldn't be surprised if they are tough suckers. Families that pull through integrations alone ain't nothin' to underestimate,” Grimbleflork added as he dropped an armload of kindling nearby. Three more goblins followed behind him, carrying similar amounts.
“He's right. Some of the scariest people out there are those who spent early integrations taking care of others. When you got someone you care about that you have to protect, it will push you past limits you didn't know were possible. That said, let's get going. We need to find these guys as soon as possible.” I knew my words had embarrassed Ash a bit, but it was the father's right to embarrass his kid.
The rowboat wasn't big enough to take us all across at once, which was another reason to get it strung up and attached to the rope. It was a simple enough mechanism: just a looped rope through two poles, one at either side of the river. The boat could just be pulled back and forth by anyone at either side as long as no one on the other side was trying to stop it.
The first trip to the other side was me, Tom, and Floof. Tom went to work finishing off the mechanism while Floof and I took a look around the area. I hadn't had time to get a good sense of this side of the shore earlier, making it hard to tell if anything had changed, though there was one glaring, obvious difference.
The bones of the creatures I had killed were gone. And while they were surrounded by tons of what I thought were footprints, I couldn't be sure those weren't there before. But clearly something had reanimated them again. That meant we're going to have to find a way to put these things down harder than normal. I didn't need monsters standing back up to fight every time we took them down, especially in the middle of a rescue mission.
“Find Jimmy's scent if you can, Floof. We're gonna try to make this as quick as possible. I've got a bad feeling about these woods,” I said scratching behind the large dog's ear as he stared into the dark trees ahead of us.
Floof pulled his head away from me, taking several steps towards the forest. The noise of the rowboat reaching the shore almost hid the deep sniffing sounds of the dog. His large head, moving back and forth, trying to catch something in the air, couldn't be masked, though. And within a few seconds of his attempt, he froze and pointed straight ahead, giving a small bark.
“Come on, Floof's got the scent already. Let's get going,” I called back to the others as they stepped out of the boat. “And stay close. Those things I took down earlier are already gone. Something is almost certainly watching us.”
I let Noah and Ash lead up the front behind Floof while I took to the rear. As usual, it seemed stealth was already out as an option. At least it did for us, and that meant I needed to keep an eye on everyone. So while I trusted Floof to keep us on the right path, I needed to stay back enough so that nothing could pick us off in the rear.
“Something feels off out here,” Ralph whispered to me as we moved deeper in. The trees had grown thick enough that sunlight wasn’t fully penetrating the canopy. The shadows were much deeper than on our side of the river.
“Yeah, I feel it too. I think it's necromantic mana. I've been on a few worlds, totally subsumed in the type before. This whole uneasy feeling, like something wants to suck the life out of you, was the same there. I've heard it's similar to how undead beings feel in several kinds of life mana-heavy areas,” I replied also, keeping my voice quiet.
Necromantic magic sounded more dangerous than it actually was. Every type of mana out there had its own creatures aligned to it, and honestly, there were many worse types we could be walking into. Taking down undead monsters at our current power level was at least possible. That was much less likely to be true with fire or light-based creatures.
“I hadn't really noticed until we were out here, but there is also an almost peaceful feeling back in the neighborhood that was there even before it became our stronghold,” Ralph added.
I nodded at him, both understanding and agreeing with the sentiment. I had started to realize that during the battle. But now, thanks to the exposure of that crystallized mana, I at least had a few ideas as to the source. Even if we still had no idea what the true implications of it were, it did appear to be benefiting us for the moment.
Something was watching us. And whatever it was was doing it well enough, and I wasn't able to find it despite the Area of Observation spell from the Cognizance mana orb. Either it was far enough away, using some spell or effect to see us from a distance, or its own concealment was powerful enough to get around my abilities. Neither possibility was a good sign.
Norm's silence held for the first hour of the hike. But finally, he slowed enough to ask me a question. “I thought you said this was going to be dangerous. How come nothing has attacked us? I mean, I can feel them out there. Why aren’t they doing anything?”
“Hard to say. Since I don't fully know what exactly they are, I couldn't tell you what their plans or tactics could be. But no matter what, we need to stay on our toes because the fight is probably coming.” Despite the reassurance of my tone, what I'd said wasn't entirely true.
I had a feeling I did actually know what they were plotting. Fighting us right now, got us at our full strength. Instead, if they waited until we were transporting the injured people, it would put our backs to a wall as we fought to defend them. It would make the fight all the harder for us and give them easier access to their prey.
That worried me less than it would most people. I'd fought countless times in much more desperate situations. While it was entirely possible they were aware of my strength if they had seen enough of the Battle of the Neighborhood. I doubted they understood just how strong Floof, Ash, and Noah had grown. Floof was quickly becoming a one-dog wrecking ball all his own.
It was also looking like there was no chance of us getting back before nightfall. That potentially left a new question for us to figure out. And was the reason I made Tom come along. It was possible that fortifying their house for the night was actually our best option. But that all depended on what kind of shape it was in and how wounded they were.
And the further we went, the more oppressive the trees felt. While the forest near us was a thick tangle of differing shades of greens, several of the species out here had leaves bordering on black. Intermixed with them were various smaller shrubs sporting blood-red foliage.
Even the insects I could spot all had a much more malicious look about them. Grasshoppers with exposed, sharp fangs leaped from various plants as we disturbed them. What looked like mutated house flies dripped something from large stingers as they flew past. This was something beyond just the necromantic mana source. This whole forest was alien to Earth.
The undergrowth grew even denser the longer we walked. After three hours, it was becoming a slog to push forward. Even Floof was having trouble darting through the mess. But finally, a lone house came into view in the distance.
Boards covered every window, and bones littered what little yard remained. It was obvious the house had been under siege. Hopefully, we'd gotten here in time.
“Everyone, be very careful about this. We have no idea what we're going to find in there,” I said as we all pushed through the last bit of thorny bushes standing between us and the house.
Floof let off several barks and sped up towards the door. Ash and Noah chased after him. He had smelled something inside that house that set him off.
“If there's anyone who can hear me inside, we've come to help. Jimmy found us and told us what had happened. We're here to get you back to safety!” I called out loudly. The feeling of something watching us intensified.
The door slowly creaked open.
There was a sound of several things moving from behind the door before it swung open. A severely battered old man holding a baseball bat, wearing a cracked pair of glasses, stared at us in shock. “Quick, get inside!”