Ranger
"Where I come from, we are often summoned by nature. Like his father before him, Ardelis was summoned to a forest far away. I was proud that he had been called upon."
- Lutra, Ranger of the The One River
The summer heat drove off what little water there was left in the river but somehow mosquitos still found a way to bite. Dried earth cracked under the brambles of desiccated mangrove. The land ached at the loss of the river as much as the people. A thin wisp of smoke broke among the tangle roots and branches. Hidden under the mangrove a small campfire burned while two rangers finished a meager meal.
Each carried a bow and shortsword. They ate and slept in their custom-fit leather armor. Worn boots were the only thing to come off during the afternoon break. With their hunt completed and they now needed to retreat to the safety of the One River. Well, retreat to what was left of the One River.
The climate changed twenty years ago. The water at the source of the river dried up and the rains barely reached the mountains anymore. The broad river that had once inundated hundreds of miles of land disappeared. Bandits and mages from the surrounding lands pounced on the opportunity to invade the once rich land. They claimed the One River as their own. Rangers challenged them but each year the invaders chipped away more land.
The younger of the two rangers wiped his blade clean. The scent of mineral oil filled the camp site as he worked it along the blade. His face grimaced. Across from him, his mother, the other ranger, wondered if that was from the smell or the memory of the mage he had struck down. She tossed a bundle of tightly wound lemon grass on the fire before laying down to rest. The smoke and scent of lemon washed away the oil's smell. It would keep the mosquitos away and maybe help ease her son's heart.
The younger ranger's eyes grew heavy too. He pushed himself to finish cleaning his sword. They had kept moving all night to get away from patrols and exhaustion was a mighty enemy. His eyes closed just for a moment.
The sword squelched as it entered the wizard's body. The memory of that moment flooded back to the younger ranger as he fell asleep. The sword slashed out to the side, blood and gore splashed onto a nearby tree. Wolves gnawed and tore at its limbs.
Wait, there weren't any wolves before.
Lightning crashed into the blood-soaked tree. A large limb cracked and fell to the ground. Another wizard chanted nearby then reached into the heart of the tree. Every tree in the forest screamed, for miles and miles. The ranger could sense where the tree stood far to the West. The pain seethed across his body.
He gasped as he woke, sword still in hand. Feet pounded on the ground behind him. Mud covered, vengeful men rushed under the mangroves, their own swords pointed toward the younger ranger. His sword squelched as it entered the first body then slashed out the side into the second body. The third man in the patrol fell as an arrow pierced his skull.
Lutra lowered her bow. Something had changed in her son. For a moment her heart dropped, she felt the same panic when her husband got called away.
"Ardelis, what is it?" She hardened herself for the reply. She felt nothing for the dead patrol.
"A mage. He stole the heart of a forest to the West. Mom, what do I do?" Ardelis looked at the three bodies around him and staggered back.
"Get your pack together. Turn your eyes away from them. They are not important. You must leave for the forest now." Her voice wavered for just a moment. She turned her son toward his backpack and gear.
"I will take care of the bodies."
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Author's Notes
I aimed to write this article in a Sword and Sorcery style, Ardelis and Lutra's senses set a dramatic stage and a simple personal task of cleaning a weapon spirals into a life changing encounter. Like the Mother's Maul article this article circles around the events of Wildlands Unleashed.