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Message: <blockquote data-quote="peteyfrogboy" data-source="post: 1480365" data-attributes="member: 5677">Alone In The WoodsThe beginning of my Test was somewhat surreal. I wasn't sure what I should believe and what was illusion. I felt it was best to take everything at face value, just in case. In hindsight, I'm glad I made that decision.***As he emerged from the portal, Auresh found himself in the forest again. For a moment he thought he might have taken a wrong turn and walked back out of the tower. His train of thought was interrupted, however, by a pair of walking corpses staggering toward him. The zombies were slow, but they were already almost upon him. He stepped back and began speaking magical syllables, and soon disappeared from view. The zombies swung their rotting arms through the space where they had last seen him, but to no avail.As he caught his breath, Auresh saw something moving quickly away through the woods. It was smaller and faster than a man, but aside from that he could make out no other details. Looking around, he could see the outline of the portal he had emerged from, still filled with swirling mist. There was a path through the woods going in the same direction the mysterious creature had gone. With no other clues to follow, he quietly made his way down the path.The sun had long since gone down by the time Auresh became visible once more. He had taken note of the two moons as they rose in the night sky, and they were not quite in the phase they should have been. He wasn't sure what that meant, but he made a note of it. Wherever he was, it was likely not simply the forest outside the Tower. The narrow path continued straight for several miles, and Auresh wondered if it would ever end. Just as he was beginning to fall into his normal habit of swearing at the underbrush, he spied a flickering light ahead. Approaching as quietly as he could, he saw a small clearing in the forest along the path. It seemed in fact to be at the intersection of two paths, with four creatures camped in the clearing itself. He could see that they were not men, though too tall to be goblins. Hobgoblins, he guessed, taking note of the sword at each creature's hip. Two were sleeping, while the other two were watching the forest around them. Perhaps most unsettling was the presence of a large wooden cage, just the right size for a single young wizard.As Auresh knelt in the underbrush, one of the watchers called out, "Are you coming out?" The hobgoblin wasn't looking in his direction, but Auresh assumed that the question was intended for him.This is supposed to be a test of my magical skills, thought Auresh. I suppose it's time to start using them. Keeping his voice as low as he could, he wove an illusion of himself peeking through the bushes at the edge of the clearing. The hobgoblin who had spoken turned toward the image. "Come on out," he said. The Auresh-image looked at the hobgoblin, then bolted around the edge of the clearing and ran down the path that ran perpendicular to the one Auresh had been following. The other guard ran off after the illusion, while the first guard roused his sleeping companions and sent them of the same way.Auresh smiled at his success, though there was still one hobgoblin left in the clearing. He started moving around the clearing as carefully as he could, but the clinging brush made enough noise that the hobgoblin began looking in his direction. Auresh stopped and began casting quietly again. He concentrated on one of the flaming logs in the campfire, trying to use it to set the hobgoblin's clothes on fire. His intended victim saw the brand coming, however, and managed to get out of the way and draw his sword. He slashed at the floating log, calling for the other guards to return. Making the most of the distraction and noise, Auresh continued around the clearing and moved as quickly as possible back to the path he had originally been following.The night wore on as Auresh continued down the path. He again saw the light of a campfire in a clearing ahead. He crept forward through the trees, again seeing two sleeping hobgoblins and two on watch, though this time there was no cage. He was still having trouble staying quiet, however, and one of the watchers looked directly at him. Auresh began weaving his magic again, this time planning to silence the guard with a blast of flame. As he was casting, however, Auresh noticed that the hobgoblin didn't seem to look like he was planning to do anything especially violent. More than anything, he looked tired and bored. Cursing his own indecision, Auresh redirected his spell at the last minute to scorch the ground near the creature's feet.The hobgoblin jumped back and drew his sword. "I don't recommend you doing that again."Auresh stood and walked to the edge of the clearing, though still just out of sword range. "What do you want from me?""We're just following your father's orders," said the hobgoblin. "We're to wait for you and take you to him.""So what was the cage for?"The hobgoblin shrugged. "He wasn't sure you'd cooperate."Auresh considered his option. All four hobgoblins were awake now. Whatever was going to happen, it looked as though he was going to have to meet with his father sooner or later. He sighed and stepped forward. "Take me to him."</blockquote>

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