"Hail be to the glorious victors of our day, may light bring forward the sword of day upon the enemies of the crown" - Recollections of the First Age Volume 3:2
Day casts its long light once more on the forest. The skeleton has no need for any meaningful rest so it has only traveled more and more in the night. The forest is very large, unimaginably so. A few days have passed since the battle with the hounds, and since then the skeleton has slain a few more, improving its tailoring and butchery by a wide margin, now dawning a primal fur armor on its body. It has even managed to use sinew to make a crude bow which has exponentially increased its effectiveness in combat, even if it has no idea how to use a bow the weapon still has quite a force multiplier when used incorrectly, being only half drawn or poorly aimed it has about the same effect as the javelins.
A true ranger of the forest, the skeleton has adapted quite well. The unusually large forest is still vexing the skeleton, it had assumed it would have exited the biome by now but the sprawling trees go on like an endless hallway, inviting all manner of creatures to delve further into its grasp.
Maybe it is best I stay in the forest and gather my strength, the true outside world may very well be more dangerous than anything I have faced. With these shanty weapons any man could kill me with ease, I am still nothing more than a creature of the forest.
The long trek continues, a long journey has elapsed so far with fruitless rewards, the skeleton only finds more trees and more brush, and it begins to worry that it may be stuck in some type of infinite forest.
Its worries continue as some stomping sounds in the distance.
More hounds? Great. I am well beyond prepared for a group of 2, come now and attack already.
The rustling continues, but it actually goes further from the skeleton, echoing past it.
That noise. Whatever it is it certainly isn't forest hounds, it sounds as if there are multiple beings. I should follow behind and see what it is.
The skeleton crouches low, keeping its bow held tightly. As it travels it finds scraps of clothing and bits of leather strewn among the forest floor.
It's like a large group of clothed creatures has passed through here. Men? No, this material is too crude to be from the hands of men. A more intelligent species lurks in this forest, I must be careful in following them. But the items they possess will surely be worth taking if I can corner one alone.
The skeleton continues trailing the small party, and eventually, they halt, in turn, the skeleton swiftly climbs up a tree and sets its sights forward.
This looks dangerous.
The trail had stopped cold, smoke rises from a few campfires, and small straw huts lay strewn about in a semi-circle. Small green creatures wearing crude furs and leather gather around, dropping their days' loot down onto a pile, chipped axes, swords, spears, pieces of rusted armor, and random furs and chunks of leather. In all about 15 green creatures are gathered in the village.
Impressive, they must have been raiding villages of men to acquire those.
The skeleton hones in on the weakest looking of the group, an emaciated little cretin with lanky arms, it wields a rickety wooden spear and anxiously guards some chunks of leather it looted.
{Cobul Light Guard}
Cobuls? I can't recall these creatures in my memories. That one there is quite concerning.
Another cobul adjacent to the light guard casts his shadow over the scraps of leather.
{Cobul Guard}
It has some semblance of armor equipped, and a rusty hand axe, the armor is made of sewn leather and hides, and scratches and cuts cover the surface from many hard-fought battles, this cobul is higher ranking in their society.
These ones are out of my scope, I should only try to attack the 'light' types of cobuls for now, and only when they are alone.
The skeleton stalks the camp for a while, observing every slight movement. Every 2 hours the guards are switched out, and the rest go inside their huts to rest. At least 6 guards are stationed at all times. They are scattered throughout the village sparsely, each hoarding over their own pile of disfigured items.
That one is the weakest.
A cobul half the height of the others, even lankier and ill-equipped than the other light guards. Only having a wooden club to its name.
When night falls I will move in and target that one. I should approach from the east since there are the least amount of huts there, then I will loop through the first and second hut and strike the guard down, then the loot will be mine.
The skeleton continues its scouting, dawn casts over the cobul village and the guards swap once more.
With a still stirring night is here, it is time for the skeleton to strike.
Here I go, poor cobuls, if only you had not been discovered by the likes of me.
With a light whoosh, the skeleton drops from the tree, landing softly onto the floor. Unstringing its bow, it lightly places it on the ground taking its wooden club up in its hand.
The dawn of the Cobuls has come.
The skeleton crouches and shifts through the brush as quietly as possible, it arrives at the east end of the camp and peers silently at the tiny cobul on watch duty.
After swiftly passing by one of the straw huts under the guise of shadows, the skeleton arrives on the backside of the cobul.
Say goodbye pathetic Cobul!
With a mighty swing, the skeleton brings the wooden club down onto the cobul, smashing it into the ground, it squeaks in pain and turns to look at its attacker but before it completes its last attempt at fighting back the club smashes into its spine, ending its life.
{Strength +1}
{Feat: Cobul Slayer}
Ha! Now all your precious loot is mine!
The skeleton peeks around to make sure no other Cobuls had witnessed the murder of one of their own.
Now it's time to pick the precious scraps from the horde of the Cobuls.
With greed amiss, the skeleton reaches into the pile and begins extracting goods, leather straps, belts, a hide helmet, and a rusted hand axe. A good haul.
Now I am the armored skeleton ranger... The poorly armored skeleton ranger.
Not long after the looting session another cobul opens its huts straw door to take guard, another light cobul. The skeleton and the cobul make eye contact, the cobul freezes in absolute fear, even for a lesser denizen of the night it still fears the undead greatly as all creatures of flesh.
Poor cobul! Now you must die aswell!
The skeleton rushes forward with newfound strength and courage, taking the rusty bearded axe into the grasp of both of its bony hands, the cobul brings its wooden spear up to block, but not quickly enough as the axe is brought down upon its neck. The cobul screeches in agony before being sliced once more and brought to death.
To think only some days ago I was battling wretches and rats in the depths of a cavern, now I am the powerful lord of cobul slayers.
Before the skeleton can continue its spree an abrupt whirring trumpeting sounds in the deep forest.
A horn? Or some type of animal? Or both?
Cobuls scatter out of the huts with armor and weapons dawned as quickly as possible, many not noticing the skeleton, and those who do decide now is not the time to worry about their own hallucinations. The horn once more sounds in the deep. This time its much closer.
I think this means its time for me to leave.
A large cobul with a 2 handed club heads the line of poorly equipped cobuls.
"Gro grok un Skez!"
The lumbering beast barks an order and the cobuls fall in line, they hold their shields up in a wall and cobuls behind form loose ranks and prepare javelins and throwing clubs.
"Skez un grok kur!"
{Cobul Chief}
Now that is a mighty cobul, with many under its command surely it lives a life of glory. Now who do they prepare to face?
A horn once more resounds, this time just beyond the tree line of the open plain.
"COBUL!"
A loud beastly roar emenates and the cheering and whooping of dozens sound out.
From the trees small figures approach from the shadows, long parallel lines draw upon their shadow underfoot.
Now the enemy has revealed itself
{Skez Light Pike}
{Skez Pike}
{Skez Archer}
The voice inside the skeletons mind rings out as the shapes become clearer, small hunched over creatures that resemble rats, stood upright like men and armed with weapons the same. Long pikes draw forward, towering over the field of battle. The skez themselves are also poorly armored with light furs, hides, and many wearing nothing but hide undergarments and wielding a knife and simple hunting bow.
The skez warband marches forward, the drumming of their feet stirs the forest. They outnumber the cobuls by at least 20. They are even larger in stature than the cobuls, so they are worth even more than one cobul each.
This is getting interesting.
The skeleton swoops behind a hut and peers from over the thatch, watching the skirmish continue.
The cobul chief orders his soldiers into a tighter shield wall, the skez begin firing arrows into the formation but the small frame of the cobuls does well to avoid them. The pikes draw closer, now some impacting into the thatch shields of the cobuls, few piercing them and catching the blood of cobuls. The cobul skirmishers pelt the skez, the initial volley of javelins kills at least 5 of the skez pikemen, and wounds even more. The push of pike continues, the cobuls are forced back, their skirmishers given less room to throw as the enemy archers format a loose half crescent around the formation and begin firing, some climbing trees and firing downwards over shields. The cobuls are swiftly overrun and many begin to flee, leaving their precious loot hordes behind in order to save themselves. The cobul chief takes action and begins battling the skez himself, pulverizing many of them into dust, but after taking a dozen arrows the chief falls. The skez force is halves but still powerful. Still the air becomes as the battle draws to a close with the cobuls retreating. Horns resounds one last time as the skez squeak and squeal in victory over their new found loot.
I think it is my time to leave now. Before they notice me.