176 - “Who Are We?” - Eddiwarth - A Tale of Heroes

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Finding the road had been simple enough. They had merely followed the edge of the forest eastward until they came to it. In spite of a year of lessened use, it was still not fully grown over. The sun was sinking by the time the company entered the forest, and the cluttered arches of branches and leaves above blotted out even more of the fading light of day. The wheel ruts in the path that the years of caravans had worn were wide enough to walk down and it was pretty obvious which of the low brush plants were the sharpest ones. The tree trunks by the side of the road were bigger than any that Eddiwarth had ever seen, even in his time in the western reaches of the forest, around the monastery. They couldn’t see the upper branches of the trees, but the leaves from them were falling all around them in a steady blizzard of brown and red.

There wasn’t as much wind in the forest, so Eddiwarth undid the buttons of his cloak and let it hang open. “Oh, wait. It’s still cold out here!” He re-attached the top clasp.

Karendle laughed at him and rolled her eyes. Their feet crunched and swished in the leaves that had fallen as they stepped through the brush. Birds were calling in the branches. What’s so scary about this place? It’s a bit dark, but the sun still gets through.

“What we need,” Eddiwarth declared, “is a name.”

Parith cocked his eyebrows in skeptical surprise. “A name?”

“Yeah. A name.”

“A name.” Parith laughed. “For what?”

“Why, for us, of course! Who are we?” Eddiwarth gestured to everyone. “We’re all on the same quest, right? An adventure. Aren’t we a team? It’s like we’re a new adventurer’s guild! Heathrax’s Heroes!”

Karendle gave him a look of disbelief, then exchanged headshakes with Thissraelle. Parith rolled his eyes. They continued walking.

Eddiwarth held his hands out, hoping for a response. “Eh? Anyone?”

“How long did it take you to think of that one?” Thissraelle said.

“Just now!”

“Well, keep trying. Come on.”

“The Dark Forest Guild? Whatd’ya think? Korr?”

Korr just walked on, leading the donkey. “Perhaps we should wait until we actually complete a quest before we decide what we are called.” Eddiwarth just humphed.

As they walked, Parith unpacked a short bow and a few arrows from one of the donkeys.

Thissraelle looked concerned. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to climb up a tree and shoot him if he comes up with any other silly ideas.” He slung the bow over his shoulder and slid the arrows through his belt at his hip. “Seriously, though, you guys keep going on the path, and before long you’ll get to the waypoint. I’ll probably catch up before then, but otherwise just wait for me there.”

“Where are you going?” Thissraelle asked.

“Like I said earlier, I’m going to go see if I can hunt something up for dinner.”

“Are you sure? We have some hard bread, fruit, and water.”

“Yeah, but we might as well save that for other days when we can’t find anything else. Don’t worry, I’ll be right back. You won’t even miss me!” He winked at her.

Thissraelle drew her head back a bit. She tugged her cloak tighter against the cold. Eddiwarth bristled from behind her. Parith smiled at him, then jumped several feet up to grip the thick trunk of a nearby tree. He scurried up to a low, sturdy branch. “Just stay on the path to the waypoint. Start a fire. I’ll join you there.”

“What if you get lost?” Thissraelle called up to him. He just laughed as he scampered along the branch and jumped into shadows. She threw a concerned look back at Eddiwarth, then Karendle.

What if we get lost?

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This continues the story of the heroes in Wynne, in Twynne Rivers, in the world of The Hero's Tale, Family Friendly RPGs. Here's more info on The Hero's Tale, and family friendly RPGing. If you like this story, support us at our Patreon!
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