Campfire Light
A D&D fantasy styled short story about the little talks that are often skipped over between exciting adventures, and the psychological strain of adventuring that is rarely explored.
The campfire blazed with gentle crackles as it emanated it's orange glow across all our forms, sleeping or otherwise. A single point of light in an abyss of darkness, a single candle of hope in the despair. Though we longed for it, the moon did not bless us with it's presence, and staring into the fire was all I could do to keep my mind off the events of yesterday. I eventually broke my stupor, and looked around the camp. The sleeping forms of Seri and Arrayr caught my attention. Arrayr was always a little clueless, and was usually able to shrug off even the most horrific of encounters, always getting her sleep somehow, and always bright eyed and bushy tailed the next day. I envy the comfort the wilds bring to her. Seri on the other hand, was usually a little more paranoid, she had to be, after a life like hers, growing up on the streets and stealing to survive, but despite this, she slept soundly.
My turn on watch had only just began, and already I could feel the shadows creeping in at the edges of my vision, tendrils of malice seeping out from the darkness towards the campfire, threatening to snuff it, and plunge me into the darkness I had just escaped from. Blinking, I noticed movement, I almost went for my sword until I saw it was Barys, shifting in his bedroll, the light dancing off his black scales comforted me, and gave me the distraction I needed from my troubled mind. I then saw a different glint, the shine from his green eyes, as one slowly looked at me.
"Can't sleep, old friend?" I said, offering him a cocky smirk to hide the unease that I buried within, if only to comfort him with some of my confidence. He sat up slowly, shaking his head and let out a deep sigh.
"How can anyone, after seeing the things we saw?" He asks, though his gaze was directed towards the two sleeping women, it lingering on Seri's form a little longer, though there wasn't admiration in his eyes as most might have towards her, but fear. I stood up from my perch on a particularly comfortable log and went over to him, sitting beside him and putting an arm around him to comfort as best I could.
"I guess they make up for what they lack in physical fortitude with mental. You know her to have led a rough life, maybe she's seen worse? And, honestly, I'm sure little Arrayr forgot about it all as soon as she saw the woods again." I looked towards him again, offering a smile. "We did what we had to do, and whatever we saw down there, is going to stay down there, okay? We are safe now." He said to the scaled one, meeting his eyes as he offered the wise words, in part for his own reassurance, as it was a mantra he had been repeating in his head all night. The black scaled dragon gave a slow sigh, and closed his eyes.
"Thanks Timalt, you're right, I'll...try to think of something else." He mutters, laying back down. I stood back up and stretched my back for at moment, before heading back to that log to continue my sit down, and finish my watch. "Get some rest, it's your watch next." I finished with a laugh, taking a sip from my waterskin and trying to enjoy the night.
The next day of travel went by uneventfully. Arrayr was at home in the wilderness, and navigated her way around well. She climbed the first tree we saw and leapt from tree to tree like the floor was lava, squirreling away any nuts or berries that might sustain us for the next day. Seri was unusually quiet, perhaps I spoke too soon in thinking she was okay after the horrors beneath. I wanted to talk to her but, how does one broach a conversation about things we only think we saw, and most of the time she kept a wide berth from the rest of the party anyways, claiming she was scouting for any dangers, so I let it go.
It soon became nightfall again, and the same order of watches started up again. A tedium, but I felt more and more at ease with each day of travel away from the temple. In two more days we were to reach the town of Talun once again, and finally drown our fears at the tavern. Tonight to entertain myself, I had found some wood in the forest, and was carving...I'm not quite sure what, idly by.
However, a sudden movement and a gasp shook me from my carving trance, it was Barys again, this time startled away, breathing deeply, in a cold sweat. My sword was already drawn from the surprise, and as I looked around, seeing no danger, I slowly slid the weapon back into it's sheath.
"Are...you alright, Barys?" I asked, hesitantly. Not once had I seen the usually stoic spell caster so startled by anything before, and especially so in the comforts of the camp. He turned to me and jumped again, his gaze darting to the left, towards the girls once more, before his head looked around fearfully.
"It was...just a nightmare...?" He muttered to himself, catching his breath back slowly. I gave a deep sigh and this time, decided to keep my distance from him, lest I spook him any further.
"I suppose so. Is there not some magic that can help you sleep through this?" I asked, ignorantly no doubt. That was always a good way to work him into a fervor, and it just might serve to take his mind off the shadows he was jumping at so much. He frowned at me, as expected, sitting up cross legged in bed and facing me.
"No, of course there isn't, not for very long and not very restfully at least. Or, at least not anything I know." He says. Huh. Barys saying he didn't know something? He must be considerably shaken indeed. "How are we just expected to move on from things like this? Such close calls, brushes with death...we could have met our end down there and no one would have known. Worst of all, that thing could have gotten out, and then what?" He raised his voice slowly, but as Arrayr stirred, he lowered it again, frowning and looking down to the ground. I empathized, though I wasn't sure if I should let him know I felt the same way. I looked down at the carving. What was I even carving? Why was I doing this?
"I..." A long moment of hesitation once more. "I understand how you feel. I put on a brave face but, being in the front line, facing down these things...it scares me sometimes. I don't know what I would do if I didn't know you three had my back." I admit, finally, and smile towards him. He smiles back and glances over to the other two.
"We know. You're easier to read than you like to think, young wolf." He says, cheered up a little, but I notice his smile creep away from his face, and back to that expression of worry once more as he glanced over the other two.
"Well, what happened in your nightmare? Maybe talking about it could clear up some of these feelings?" I offered carefully, since it didn't seem like he was going to try to go back to sleep very soon. He closed his eyes and sighed, ready to unload whatever this was.
"It was back at the temple, when everything went dark, remember? It took me a while to get the lights to work, because it was some...kind of magical darkness. We remember the sounds, and the screams, but, in the dream I could see, when everyone else couldn't." He begins to explain, a troubled look on his face beginning to grow grimmer and grimmer as he recounted the events in his mind. "I could...see it, a formless and great mass of black, and white, it's only desire to consume and grow. But in the dream I saw it strike, I saw it attack Seri." He paused and swallowed deeply. "I saw...her die." He slowly says as he looks at the sleeping fox, fear returning to him, even after the pep talk. I glanced to her as well, doubt appearing on my face.
"Well she's obviously fine Barys, if a little shaken. Maybe this is just...conjured up from all that fear of dying down in that pit, left for no one to find and all that." I point out, it did appear to be some small manifestation of those sorts of fears he expressed earlier. "Though, I am glad to hear your thoughts were for someone else." I smirk slowly and lean forward towards him. "I hope you're not developing any feelings for her." A grins spreads across my face as I tease him, hopefully further distracting him. He looks taken aback, insulted almost from the mere suggestion of such a thing.
"What? No of course not! Perhaps she was the subject of the dream because she's often putting herself in reckless situations." He counters, crossing his arms from the indignation he suffered under the teasing. "Besides, she's not even my type." He adds, as it to further defend himself. I simply laugh at how awkward I've made him, and glad that the situation had been reduced so. I ponder what time it could be, and think to look up at the sky. Still no stars. A little disappointed, I look back down towards him. "Hey think you can go back to sleep then? I'll take my watch a little longer so you can catch up. You didn't sleep so well last night either." I point out. He nods, giving one last look towards Seri and trying to settle back down.
"Alright, good idea, goodnight Timalt." I just reply with a nod and continue whatever I am carving, the night going along silently, uneventfully, and calmly. We'll be rid of this soon, I think to myself. Time heals all ails.
The following day, the walk is quiet. The weather is rainy, and the sky is dark. We hold our cloaks around us to keep the rain off as best we can, but eventually we are totally sodden from the downpour. Arrayr elects to keep on the ground this time, with the branches so slippery, and trudges along through the mud with us. Seri has grown more distant, and makes this distance quite physical in just how far ahead she scouts, only occasionally appearing from a bush to report an owlbear or some other beast in our path that we should go around, and giving little else before disappearing off again.
We managed to find a cave to camp in out of the rain, somehow it was even darker in there that it was outside at night. Finding wood for a campfire was difficult, but with the help of Barys' arcane abilities, we were able to dry some enough to get some warmth and light, finally able to slowly dry off. The caves shape was jagged and harsh, but at least it wasn't wet, as it was uphill so no water flowed into it from the down pour. The party slowly figured out reasonably flat areas to sleep on, and soon as people got comfortable, once again I was alone and awake in the darkness. The wind softly caught the edge of the cave mouth and occasionally made a deep, harrowing howl that I had to get used to for a while. The carving continued, still beyond my comprehension. I wondered why I was even carving anymore. I glanced over from the wood towards Barys again, expecting him to be awake like the previous two nights, but things seemed okay tonight. I smiled softly, and checked over my other soundly sleeping companions. Seri's bedroll was empty. That was strange, I thought. But I went back to carving. It was taking shape. Seventeen arms. Thirteen eyes. Mouths...too many mouths. What...was...it?
My mind was cast back to that temple, the strange effigies, statues to some unknown being all broken, defaced, in pieces, somehow in my present lucidity, with the storm raging outside and the depths of my mind awakened by the howl and dark of the cave, I had pieced things together. I stared upon the wood carving in my hand, and turned it over slowly, fear of what I had not seen melted away as I saw what should not be seen. I felt a deep black dread lurking up from my stomach, my eyes widened, my body unable to stand what my mind was comprehending from this.
I could hear the deathly, familiar sounds behind me, my whole body slowly turned towards it, expressionless, pacified from the visage I had carved somehow. There was Seri before me, standing to her full size. Her mouths were all agape, and her eyes all fixated on me. This...wasn't her, was it? My mouth opened, trying to will an instinctive scream from the depths of my very soul as the monster loomed towards me, but nothing came out. I could not help but stare, fixated, as my hand reached for my blade.
The camp fire gave it's last crackle, and snuffed out.