Heather the Necromancer

Book 2: Chapter 3: The forest trail

 I said I was sorry! Heather exclaimed as they walked out the door.

Youre helping us move it this time, he said.

The stairwell is too narrow for all three of us! she protested.

You should leave it where it is.

I want to put it in the room with the door for privacy, she insisted.

Lock your front door then, he suggested.

Heather put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

Youre the one who said I should add the new floor at the bottom!

I didnt know you were sitting in the edit screen this whole time.

I hadnt made my choice yet, she huffed.

How are you going to fill that thing anyway? he asked.

The skeletons can bucket the water in, she said as she folded her arms.

It will take them ten hours to fill or empty that.

So? Its not like they have something better to do? She illustrated her point by walking up to one of them. What are you doing later? Got any plans?

The skeleton only looked back at her with a blank stare.

Heather held up her hands to gesture to the skeleton as Frank shook his head.

Lets go see that well, he said and wandered off.

They walked around the tower to the side yard. Heather could see her ring of the graveyard had another row of graves and dark grass. On the north side was a round stone well with a small peaked roof made of wood shingles. It had an old fashioned hand crank with a rope and bucket.

You can have your skeletons get water here, he suggested.

Are they smart enough to turn the crank? she asked as she looked down the dark shaft. I bet they fall in before they figure it out.

I wonder how far down the water is? Frank said. I might be able to run my tunnels under this and expose the well from below.

Wont that flood the tunnels?

That depends on how deep it is. I can't see the water from here, so it must be fairly deep.

So, what are you going to add to your tunnels? Heather asked.

He looked back to the graveyard and scratched his head. I suppose I could add some more tunnels now.

You should build something, have that fun you wanted, Heather insisted.

But, I want the dungeon heart so I could wander more.

Cant I just give you another stone?

He glanced at her. You can, but it only works once per stone. If I died while we were out, you would have to come back here to give me another one before I could leave again.

We dont go anywhere far. I doubt we will be any place that I cant be back here before you respawn.

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Thats probably true, he admitted.

Then problem solved, she said. I will give you another stone, and you can spend some points on more tunnels.

I guess so. I would like to move my grave soil pit deeper in, and hide it.

Then go do it, Heather encouraged.

Lets go check the forest out first, he suggested.

Alright, but promise me you will build something later, she pushed.

I will build a little, he relented

She nodded and followed him as he led the way through the graveyard to the front gate and the forest beyond.

The forest was a maze of dark trees that reached up with long twisted branches into masses of leaves. Every tree had a broken limb or open hole, and an occasional pair of lights blinked out from inside. The leaves formed a layered canopy that blocked out the sun and made the whole forest a dark and foreboding place. Some trees had ivy or vines crawling up their trunks, and here and there were fallen logs covered with ferns and mushrooms. More glowing eyes blinked in the dark recesses of the logs.

In low places, a light fog drifted close to the ground obscuring the grass and giving the whole forest an air of mystery. Distant crows called, and randomly they would hear a twig snap or a frog croak. Now and then, the wind blew through the upper branches and caused a rustling sound from above. The forest floor was relatively clear except for the logs and clumps of ferns. It was heavily coated in fallen leaves and had a rich earthy, damp smell.

There was now a proper path of bare dark soil and stones strewn with leaves and twigs. It wound its way through the dark trees to the distant road following the route Heather had cut.

It looks amazing, Frank said as he peered into the shady gloom.

It looked darker from the top of the tower, Heather pointed out.

That's because of the angle from up there. It's only meant to be gloomy, not dark like my tunnels, he said. It has more of an overcast stormy day level of light.

The trees look ancient, she said as she stepped up to one. The bark was a thick patchwork of peeling strips.

Frank walked under the canopy a little, looking up. I like how the branches are well above our head. You can walk around the trees easily, and you can't see the sky from here.

There is almost nothing growing on the ground, though, Heather said. Just some dark grass and a few weeds.

I can add some brush when I level, Quinny said as she walked around the fence.

It looks nice, Heather said. Did you have enough points for a pumpkin patch?

Quinny shook her head as she arrived at the gate.

I spent my points to make it larger. I have one mass grave by my mound so that it will make some skeletons.

Our whole base is nothing but skeletons, Heather said.

She will have some bats too, Frank pointed out. And we have the dog.

What, dog? Heather asked.

I picked a grave hound instead of a spider tree like you suggested, he said.

We have a dog! Heather said, excitedly.

He's a scary-looking dog, Frank said. He is guarding my grave spot.

At least he will have plenty of bones from the skeletons, Quinny joked.

Ha, ha, Heather said dryly.

Does this trail go straight to the road? Frank asked.

It does. I followed the one you had already, Quinny said.

Frank walked down the trail a little and looked around.

You should make it go around the forest more and not bring people directly here.

They can just walk here off the trail, Heather said. You can see the graveyard fence once your down the hill a little.

If she turns the trail early enough, they might follow it and not come down the hill.

I could put a swampy area here to encourage people to walk around it, Quinny said.

Does anything spawn in the swamp? Heather asked.

Quinny shook her head. Just natural frogs and maybe snakes. I think I can add something more dangerous at a higher level.

It would encourage people to go around it, Frank agreed.

Is the swamp full of water? Heather asked.

Of course it is, Frank laughed.

Heather turned to him and put her hands on her hips.

And did you happen to think about how you were going to put a pool of water on the slope of a hill?

Frank stopped laughing and peered through the trees as he scratched his head. That might not work unless she can alter the slope.

Why not move the entrance of the trail further down the road, Heather suggested.

Frank looked into the trees. How much of the road is bordered by the forest?

A little bit, Quinny said.

Oh! Heather said, excitedly. Even better, can you move the graveyard gate to the other wall?

Frank looked back to the graveyard as he considered it.

I guess so.

If you move it to the north wall by her mound, they have to walk through practically the whole forest to get in. Unless they can fly over the wall.

I could make the trail snake through the forest, Quinny said. And go right past my mass grave.

See, now were making a good plan, Heather declared triumphantly.

They may still see the graveyard from the trail and try to come straight here, he pointed out. If they go around the wall by the river, they will miss most of the forest.

Thats why we move the trail and the gate. They won't see the graveyard until they're halfway through the forest.

Its worth doing if the forest spreads down the road enough, Frank said with a shrug.

Lets walk to the road and see, Heather suggested.

Heather agreed and followed the path to the road and looked down the length. From here, they could see the forest bordered the road for a good hundred feet.

See, if we move the entrance further down, they will go into the deeper forest before they even see the graveyard, Heather said.

So, I should move the trail down there? Quinny asked.

Move it, so they have to fight your skeletons first, Frank said. That way, you can get more experience. Then have the trail come to the graveyard gate.

Where do the bats spawn again? Heather asked.

Quinny turned around and pointed to a particularly dark patch under a tree. Anywhere those dark spots are, they can spawn. They will wander the forest and attack anybody who comes in.

What harm will a little bat do? Heather asked.

They are a lot bigger than normal bats, Frank said.

As if to answer her question, a giant winged monster spawned right under a tree. Its wings were pure black, but its fur was a dark brown. Its body was as big as a dog, and its wings were four feet across. It appeared out of the air and began to fly through the forest.

Thats a bat? Heather gasped.

Quinny nodded. They are giant bats. At higher levels, I can pick a few varieties. But all the really scary ones are in the builds for caves.

I can get a bat swarm for the graveyard, Frank said. It's all little bats, but they attack as a big cloud.

I wonder if I get bats at all? Heather pondered.

I would be surprised if you didnt, Frank replied.

At least we have a proper trail now, Heather said as she looked down it from the road.

I can upgrade that too, Quinny said. I can make it a rutted ditch, or a mossy stone trail, and if I have a lot of points a road like the main one here. I can even put lamp posts along the road if I build one.

Heather looked down at the cut stone roadway under her feet and tried to imagine one cut through the forest.

You really can do a lot in this place, she admitted.

Thats because they are stealing from so many games. Humans thought of all this, but nobody has the power to put it all in one game. This is a melting pot of almost every RPG ever.

I cant wait for people to play here, Quinny said.

Heather looked around and nodded her agreement. It was all coming together now, but she still wondered about being here. She looked at the tattoo on her wrist and thought about the past few days. Frank was sure there was no way out through the panel, but maybe there were other ways? What about the people who didn't respawn? Maybe that was because they got out?

She had no answers and no way to get answers. She wasnt even sure she wanted them now. She had a home, some friends, and a new adventure before her. Then why did she feel like something was missing? Something she had forgotten?

Quinny walked into the trees and started to point something out to Frank. Heather watched them talk as she tossed over the thoughts in her mind.

There was more to consider than just being here. What was going to happen when rumors of a necromancer reached this King Kevin? Several groups of people already knew she existed, and Moon knew exactly where she lived. True, Moon was reset and wouldn't be a threat to them, for a little while at least, but she would certainly be back.

Heather decided to put that thought out of her mind. What could she do? She was here and locked to her class. The only way back was to die repeatedly until she was given the option to reset. She didn't like the idea of dying once, let alone over and over in quick succession. As far as she was concerned, this world was real, and dying wasn't an option. She settled her mind to face the fact that this was her world now, and she was going to make the best of it. If Moon or this Kevin came calling, she would deal with them when they arrived.

With her thoughts in order, she turned to the others. There were a few more things she wanted to get done before the day was gone.

Let's move the trail and make another sign inviting people to come in and adventure. We will put it at the trail entrance, and hopefully, more players will explore, and we can start to earn some experience.

You think anybody will come soon? Quinny asked.

Some people come down the road every few days, Frank said.

What do we use for a sign? Quinny asked.

We have a small shield, Frank replied as she walked over to the mound of rocks on the side of the road. The shield was fallen behind it, and he picked it up to dust it off.

Thats not very big, Quinny said.

Its all we have, he replied.

Oh, I have an idea! Heather cried. We can use the cart!

Frank and Quinny looked up at her with confused expressions.

The cart the goblins carried my stuff back on. Lets put it beside the trail and write on the side.

Frank looked at the shield in his hand and shrugged. Why not. Its big enough that people will notice it.

They all agreed and parted ways to move the trail and get the cart. Frank first moved the entrance of the graveyard to the sidewall, and Quinny moved the trail. It now wandered the forest a little before arriving a the gate.

Frank then pulled the empty care down the trail as Heather walked beside him, marveling at how mysterious the forest was. They placed the cart beside the trail entrance to the road and Heather used the chalk to write a message

There, she said with a smile. Haunted forest, low-level adventurers welcome to play, she read out loud.

Will this work? Quinny asked.

There is only one way to find out, we wait and see, Heather replied.

It was then a shadow fell over them from behind, and a voice cried out in alarm.

Ghoul!