Threat After Threat

I pulled Aspasia to her feet and helped her along as we ran. She obviously didn't know about the different colored fogs. I was following Lariss as she altered our course to the dead spirit tree in the center of the village. Knowing that the fog was moving faster than we could run, she led us up the branches.

"Why are we running?" Aspasia followed up the tree without understanding our fear.

"I don't know the specifics. No one would tell me what the blue fog does, just that you die if you get caught in it. Thankfully it doesn't rise, so we just need to get higher." Lariss reached about ten feet up before she stopped and reached down to help us higher.

As the fog floated under us I saw a squirrel try to climb up a nearby building. It was enveloped before it could get too high. We could hear little cries and it sounded like two squirrels fighting. When the noises stopped a squirrel climbed out of the fog. After a few feet its form began to dissipate into blue mist that fell back into the fog. The same squirrel climbed out again only to dissipate once again. This continued a few more times with the distance it could get before turning to blue mist getting less and less until it stopped.

"Umm Wilmaer." Lariss said.

I had been paying so much attention to the squirrel that I didn't see what the fog had been doing below us. Forms of blue mist kept reaching out towards us from the top of the fog bank. Various monster claws scraped against the tree taking bark with it. What was more disturbing were the vague humanoid arms and faces that reached towards us.

With every swipe they got closer and closer. Even though we were in danger I didn't have a warning chill in my heart. Thinking of all the times it had come there had been intent to harm me from the threats. This fog didn't have intent.

Lariss sent a Fire Arrow into the reaching fog and it dissipated when struck. Aspasia followed with Bolts of Holy Light. I had been thinking for a long time about how to hide my Lydos aura. As I circulated the Lineage, I also rotated my lighting mote. I would disguise my Moonlight Slash with what looked like a Lighting Slash.

I had the most limited range with my 'Lighting Slash' so I handled only the attacks that came higher up. We did have to retreat further up the tree as the mist came closer and closer. Aspasia grabbed onto a weaker branch and started to fall as it broke away. I was able to grab her arm and pull her back up but not before a hand from the fog grabbed her. She screamed in pain from its touch.

As she was pulled higher so was the hand. A body began to form and the longer it held on to her the more solid it became. Not only was it becoming more solid, but its form was changing from an indistinct man to one similar to Aspasia. A flaming arrow then dissipated the misty figure.

Aspasia looked visibly weaker from being touched. Having to hold her with one arm and the tree with the other, it left Lariss to handle the attacks coming from the mist. The priestess chanted a prayer and the color started to return to her face.

"I'm too tired from running all night. I don't have much energy left." Aspasia said.

She was at least able to heal herself enough to grab onto the tree without my aid. I was then able to join Lariss in keeping the fog at bay. The mist form of Aspasia continued to climb towards us and with each attempt it took to get to us, its form became less distinct. Within a few minutes it was the form of a vague female human.

Soon the blue fog floated past us, the entire encounter lasted maybe ten minutes. We waited in the tree for close to an hour before we made our way down. I had to help Aspasia and Lariss gave her some more energy pills. The body of the squirrel was lying next to the building it had tried to climb up. It was stiff with faded color and had small claw marks on its body.

"I'm not sure we're going to be able to get much further today." I said.

"Agreed. Should we stay in the trees in case it comes back?" Lariss asked.

"It didn't have intelligence or it would have stayed until it exhausted us." Also my warning chill would have activated if it had any sort of sentience to threaten us.

We debated setting up camp inside one of the better maintained buildings but that would block our line of sight if any of the colored fogs rolled in. Instead we set up around the dead tree. It had been over 50 years since it had brought any protection to others. I walked around the perimeter setting up wards with my air and earth motes. Lariss put up her bell and Aspasia attempted to cast her own warding prayers but was still too weak. She instead knelt and held out her medallion as she began to pray.

As night started to set in I dug a pit and started a small fire. We threw in the herbs to help keep monsters away. Lariss and I took turns walking the perimeter. A few hours after the sunset, Aspasia ended her prayer. She looked much more refreshed.

Towards midnight a normal looking light grey fog rolled in. With the blue fog we couldn't see more than a foot through it. This grey fog was light enough that we could see almost ten feet away. Lariss hadn't been told anything bad about grey fog. Aspasia said they had encountered grey fog almost every night since they entered the forest. We tested the edge with aura and magic without any negative results. Since there didn't appear to be any danger we stayed put.

It wasn't too much after the fog rolled in that the voices began.

"Robert, Where are you Robert?" A voice came out of the fog.

"Wilmaer what is it?" Lariss asked. I had stopped and my face had gone pale.

"I'm hearing the voice of someone that can't possibly be here." I said. Sara was on Earth.

"Wigand. Where are you?" Aspasia called out.

"It's not real. Just ask them nonsense questions and you'll see." Lariss said. "Like this. Father, what color doesn't taste like butter?" She was quiet, listening to the answer.

"Wigand, why do turtles prefer silver over gold?" She shook her head as she heard the answer.

"How are you?" I asked.

"I'm well. Come towards my voice." The voice replied.

"Wilmaer don't listen to it. They aren't real." Lariss said.

"I know. Like I said, they can't possibly be here." I replied.

I couldn't just ignore it completely. I just wanted to hear her voice again. Seeing my expression, Lariss placed a hand on my shoulder and I placed my hand on hers. For the next several hours the voices came. Over time they changed to other people; both my fathers, my children, my siblings from both worlds. The woman continued to ask nonsense questions, while I asked the same one over and over. 'How are you?'

When the grey fog rolled away, so did the voices. I heard skittering coming from the edge of the fog as it passed. I tried to catch sight of what was in the fog but it was gone.

"Did you see that?" Lariss asked.

"No but I heard something move." I said.

"I think they were spiders. Big ones too." She said.

"The only spiders that Raginhard mentioned were the size of large dogs. They were supposed to stay near their webs." I said.

"It's possible they use the fog to lure their victims." She said.

"If they cause the voices. Maybe they have Dagfinnr? There was a similar fog when he heard his brother's voice." Aspasia said.

"Even if they did, chances are low that he'd still be alive." Lariss said.

"Spider monsters don't always eat their prey right away. They often keep them encased for days, slowly draining them." Aspasia said.

"Based on the information the Union has, the area the spiders are in is full of webs. No other monsters or animals go near the area. Even if we can find him, the chances of us being able to retrieve him is low." I said.

"I have a ritual that will guide me towards him. By morning I will have enough energy to cast the spell." Aspasia said.

"We need to be careful not to put ourselves in an inescapable situation." Lariss said.

"Until we get there we won't know if it's inescapable." Aspasia said.

"We can discuss going after him in the morning. Right now we have company." A few of my wards had gone off and shortly after, a chill went through my heart and Lariss' bell started to ring.

"Help me. Please help me." A soft woman's voice called out to us.

A woman with long black hair in a tattered white dress came around one of the buildings. She leaned against the building, seeming to be unable to stand properly. There was a pleading look in her eyes as she continued to call out for help.

"Should we ask her a nonsensical question?" Lariss asked.

"No need. That's the thing that killed Otho." Aspasia raised her hands and a blast of Holy Light leapt toward the woman.

She fell back behind the building when it hit her. When she pulled herself back around, her head was partially burned and tilted awkwardly to the side. Her mouth opened into an enormous smile. From there the human appearance began to twist and fall away.

The thing that was before me was something out of a Cronenberg movie. The face began to bulge as it rose higher. The ears and eyes came out of the head on long stalks. The flesh on its body widened and unfolded into tendrils. Its legs melded together and stretched out into a slug-like body. From its back thick fleshy wings unfolded, various eyes and mouths opened on the wings. The mouths began to open and led out a number of different sounds. Laughing, screaming, crying, all sorts of human sounding emotions came at us.

This day was just one thing and another.