Chapter 10 - Shadow sounds

G'day readers. Here's chapter 10 - Shadow sounds. If you want to read from the start, chapter one is here.

AEgon moved to the front of the marching order with Jarrod, finding that today the long and dreary march tired him not at all, despite the lack of sleep the night before. Iryl was walking next to Marie, renewing her hold on the physical world with a charm. "I know you haven't showed any signs of fading though yet, however I can't promise that I'll be with you when you do start to fade. This should keep you here until you are ready to go on. This magic will draw mana from the world around you - so if you start to fade go to a graveyard or a crypt and rest there for a few days as the charm builds strength again."

Turning to Bjorn he continued "Now, I couldn't re-create what I did with AEgon here, there were other forces in movement, and to be honest I'm not exactly sure how I did that. But this should help you instead. You haven't faded since your time - and if AEgon is correct you're an ancient ghost, much older then any I have met. I can sense some kind of magic already in play upon your spirit, although I can't tell what. Rather then tamper with it, I have added a layer of magic over it, that will take excess mana from that spell and allow you to use that to become corporeal at will." Iryl happily bubbled on about magical theory and the new spells he had placed upon the pair.

AEgon and Jarrod kept an eye out for the rest of the group, still worried by the events of the night before. Although the forest was thick they were traveling on a scrub path though the forest - not easy going by any means, but infinitely preferable to wandering through the forest at random, and much easier. The maps they were supplied with had no directions concerning the inside of this forest, but they were going roughly west, which was a good sign. Occasionally the forest crown would break, and they could see the sallow sunlight steaming in from behind them. The group would stop momentarily at these rare glimpses of light, before setting their shoulders and marching back into the silent shadows of the forest.

A low mournful sound wailed, causing the group to halt again, before stopping as suddenly as it started. "You hear that?" Jarrod piped up, breaking the eerie silence. Unconvingly Iryl dismissed it "Probably just a wolf, best to keep moving." They started their march again, this time with a watchful silence settling over the group. Even AEgon felt nervous, despite the fact that being already dead, whatever it was probably couldn't do any more to him.

The noise sounded again, this time the group sped up, nervously picking up the pace. Their watchfulness became jumpy, every forest noise made them jump. Again the noise sounds. It starts to become more frequent, every few minutes it echoed out through the forest, always from a different place; sometimes as if from nowhere, other times as if from everywhere. Like an invisible chorus it sung its mournful howling dirge from around them.

Soon it was calling out in a matter of seconds after it stopped, and then started to overlap itself. It had a sense of a predator closing in on helpless prey. The group began to run, but then Bjorn called out reassuringly, and commanded them to hold. They gathered into a circle, facing outwards, and watched, waiting for whatever it was to show itself.

The sound began to rise in pitch, becoming a scream, then a screech, then cutting out altogether. Jarrod went to talk, but found that he couldn't hear himself. Either could anyone else. Panic ensured. AEgon and Bjorn stood like levians above the panic, as the group screamed soundlessly to each other, desperate to be heard.

Bjorn began to stride forwards, an ethereal axe appearing in his hand. AEgon peered into the darkness, and then saw it, a ghost amongst the trees. Almost invisible in the dark, its ethereal form was like an un-shadow. Following bjorn, he drew as much mana as he could from the area around him, and willed it into a short sword in his hand. As he approached, he could see it was a woman. She turned as gave out a screech. AEgon heard a cry behind him, and looked back over his shoulder to see Jarrod and Iryl spasming on the ground, Marie kneeling over them, trying to calm them. He turned back, and it was gone.

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That evening a recently recovered Iryl revealed what he had surmised about their attack. "Basically, we're dealing with a banshee. A spirit of a a person, usually a woman, who has been killed in childbirth." Marie giggled and asked "Ummm, how can a man die in childbirth?"
"It's happened before, mainly magical pregnancies. Backfiring fertility spells and such. Irrelavently, the spirit will remain near the mortal plane, unless it is banished, destroyed or its child is burried propperly. If the child is alive, they are peaceful, and don't have much to do with the mortal plane, but once the child dies, it is a different story. Which is part of the reason orphans are sought after by unscrupulous aenecromanc-" AEgon coughed loudly, interrupting Iryl's flow. Iryl stuttered and then continued "But that is something to be explained another day. In order to eliminate it if it attacks again, we need to banish or destroy it, since the alternative is largely inconvenient. I propo-" Again AEgon interrupted, with a loud and altogether fake fit of coughing.

"I was getting to the heart of the matter AEgon, so be patient. We need one of you three ghosts to kill it. You'll need to find the correct spectral resonance dep-" This time Bjorn interrupted.
"We need to kill it, by hitting it. AEgon, you know how to touch another ghost, right? Good. Plan is, if it turns up again, we hit it, until it goes away, since Jarrod or Iryl won't be able to do much if it turns up. Marie, make sure if they're 'urt that you look after them. Talking done, now get ta sleep. I want to get out've this forest tomorrow if we get the chance. AEgon and I will take care of the watch."