Ember Wind: Online

Swampmaw

Daylight came quickly to the marshes of Reaper's March. The ripe smell of decay livened up the treehouse. Tangurple jerked awake, a trail of drool dripping from his chin into a puddle on the digital book. He wiped his chin and tried not to breathe. "Falcher," he said in an offsetting voice. He let go of his nose and gagged "Falcher."

Falcher awoke with a grunt. "Hmm? Who did what to the toilet?"

Tangurple raised a bro in a curious disgust. "I don't even want to know."

Falcher sat up and scratched his head. "Why'd you wake me?"

"Because..." Tangurple paused to think about it. "It's morning... and um, I wanna check on the town"

"And you need to tell us why?"

"So you know where I went"

Falcher sighed and stood up, stretching his back in the process. "I might as well join you, now that I'm awake."

"What should we do about Mia?"

"Drag her along with us." He said, walking over to Mia and nudging her awake. "Mia, wake up. Time to go"

Mia groaned and rolled over trying to go back to sleep. "It's too early..."

"Mia" Falcher pulled on her arm, making a nuisance of himself.

Mia rolled with the pull and fell onto the floor which forced her awake. "I'm awake!"

"Tangurple has decided he wants to go check out the town and I'm tagging along with him because he'll get himself killed without me. I also don't want to leave you behind in this nasty swamp, so you're coming with."

Mia sighed and shakily stood up. She looked at falcher and stumbled her way to the door. Tangurple tried to stifle a laugh. They left the swamp hut and got back on the road heading towards town. In broad daylight, the outlines of the town were very different than they were last night. It took roughly an hour of hiking down the ruined cobblestone road before they finally reached the outskirts of the town.

The outskirt buildings alone gave a sense of abandonment. Everything was in shambles, crumbling into ruins. Nature began to retake the place, encroaching onto the old structures. Saplings and vines laid in spots where furniture, floor tiles and chunks of road used to once lay. Despite the newly forming life, the eerie appearance of abandoned homes and gathered cobwebs lingered. Tangurple watched each building, nervously and fearfully as he ventured down the road. The slightest noise from the shifting rubble made him jump. Most times it was merely wind that knocked a stone or two over.

Falcher followed behind Tangurple, less spooked but more concerned. He wasn't fond of the silence nor the bleak look of the place. He was expecting some sort of fire party, much like what he saw last night. There was no sound of flames, no smell of smoke, just mold and silence.

The wind whistled around and through the cracked bricks. It put even more fear on their nerves. They reached the front gates of the town, or at least what was left of the charred wood. Inside the walls were nothing but more silence and crumbling ruins. Falcher grabbed Tangurple's shoulder. "I don't like this." He said, watching his peripherals.

"I don't either. It's got me on edge." Tangurple replied.

"Head down the center street, Mia and I will cover the left flank"

"Wait what? No. no, no, no, no, no..." Tangurple turned to face Falcher. "That's a horrible idea"

"We need bait and you're the only one with enough endurance."

"What makes you think this is even an ambush?"

"Just look. You've got windows on either side of the road, high places with hiding spots for archers. You've got dozens of buildings to hide people in and it's quiet. Even the old ruins up in Scotland were never this quiet."