Chapter 1: Damsel in Distress?

The young girl was surrounded by what appears to be 12 undead skeletons! The young black haired hero, clad in his adventurer’s garb could not let this stand. After a brief plan of attack he leaped out of the forest bushes towards the little girl in the clearing.

“Unhand her fiends!”

The hero seems to have taken them by surprise and using his bastard sword he swings at any in his way, seeing how the force of his blows knocks their skulls off their bodies.

“Stay back damsel, I’ll finish these wretches off!”

The young man plants his feet in the ground to protect the girl, daring any of the skeletons to hurt her. One approaches and the hero raises his sword for a vicious blow.

“STOP! Don’t hurt him!”

The young lady steps in front of his target, making him stop his sword a hair width from her body. The strength it took to stop that blow led him open for a smack on the head with the butt of a sword.

He collapses on the ground, looking up at the poor girl who must have been so confused and hysterical for getting in his way like that. Darkness fills his eyes as he faints.

“Oh good, you’re awake.”

The supposed knight in shining armor was coming to, and realized him and the girl were still surrounded by these monsters. He tries to leap into action again, but realizes he’s been tied up.

“Oh no, we won’t be having any more of that. Please set the table for us!”

The little girl claps her hands and the skeletons get to work, grabbing a collapsible table from the storage of an ornate sedan chair along with all the trimmings to set said table. In less than a minute the hero had been picked up off the ground and placed in a fancy chair in front of a full spread of pastries and recently boiled tea.

“I’d offer you some of this but I can’t risk you harming my servants”.

“Servants? These…things are your servants? Who are you?”

She takes a sip of her tea.

Now that his adrenaline has gone down somewhat he’s making a note of the girl beyond a victim. She’s a short girl, around 10 years old, with blond hair in pigtails. She’s clad in a very fancy red dress, coming down just far enough to not obscure some incredible leather boots with high heels. He would also be remiss to not notice a necklace adorning her, made of precious metals and showcasing what seems to be a macabre coat of arms, depicting a human skull and a living hand beneath it.

“Is it not customary where you’re from to give your own name before demanding someone else’s?”

“…Guinefort, my lady.”

“Much better. As Lady Sharon of House Acheron I can’t allow you to leave my servants with broken bones.”

“But, they’re monsters!”

“You have a penchant for being wrong, don’t you? Since you seem to be new to these here parts, so I’ll forgive your insolence just this once. House Acheron is a clan of necromancers who have for generations provided the kingdom with these impressive skeletons for the safety of our borders.”

The skeletons raise their fists in a cheer motion. No words but the clacking of their teeth.

“Wait, so you raised these people from the dead!?”

“Heavens no! It’s why I tell my father we really should be more instructive about the practice to quell such dirty rumors! We do not approve of any grave robbing! In fact, grave robbing isn’t even a viable method for creating these warriors.”

The word ‘warriors’ made the man check out these crimes against nature and noticed that while they were ‘naked’, they did have sword belts attached to them through the holes of their hip bones, while some had a quiver and bow around their torso.

“I can’t give you all the secrets of the trade of course, but we run an ethical operation. We have volunteers who in exchange for a generous sum of money for their family become these skeletons for us. It can’t be forced on anyone, they must willfully choose.”

“I see… I think I understand now. Pardon my mistake. I’ve recently crossed the border from the south and am unfamiliar with the customs here. Would you mind untying me?”

Sharon raises an eyebrow.

“Do you promise to behave?”

“Of course! Now that I know, how could I possibly be acting so…uncouth in front of a noble lady?”

Sharon smiles and motions for a skeleton to untie the captive.

“Thank you. Again, I’m sorry for my outburst.”

“I suppose it’s what to be expected of the less fortunate.”

“But if they aren’t going to hurt you, what are you doing out here with these…skeletons?”

“Oh, it’s quite silly really. My father thought it was time I showed some independence and made my presence known to the major lords and whatnot in the region.” She took another sip. “I’m to deliver some gifts and the like. My father’s servant Marcus even asked me to deliver this little satchel to the Tollmaster once I see him.”

“Very interesting. Oh! May I have some of these treats too?” he asks as he reaches for a pastry.

“But of course. But don’t pick the raspberry caves! Those are my-”

Sharon was interrupted by the table being flipped over by Guinefort, expertly having it slam into the nearest skeletons. He then grabbed Sharon by her waist and ran off towards the forest, holding her tightly to his side as she looked backwards, kicking and screaming!

“Unhand me you brute!”

“You’ll thank me later little lady! Once we get you to a cleric he’ll have this curse of yours lifted! To think those skeletons have brainwashed you so!”

Sharon just groaned at the man’s stupidity.

“If you don’t let me go in 5 seconds, you’ll be sorry!”

The man was running incredibly fast, doing his best to escape the fearsome monsters, ignoring the poor deranged girl’s warning.

“AAAAAARRRGHHH!!!”

Guinefort felt a hot piercing pain in his left thigh that made him stumble and fall, holding his hands on his wound, noticing the blood. He looks up from the pain and sees Sharon stand up, brush herself off and then reveal a ceremonial dagger dripping with blood.

“Y-you terrible child! I’m trying to save you!”

“Trust me, ‘adventurer’, you’re my biggest danger I’ve come across all day.”

“You sure about that, little girlie?” said a new, raspy voice.

The two looked around and saw many strange men emerge from behind the trees, each one looking more sneaky than the last.

“Brigands! Get behind me young lady!” said Guinefort as he worked against the pain and stood up between the men and her. He meant to draw his sword but realized that he had been disarmed after being knocked out previously, so in desperation he pulled loose the scabbard and wielded it as substitute.

“Can’t be screaming at the top of your lungs out in the forest like that if you don’t want company” grinned the leader. He was a bald man with scars adorning his face, some worn but functional leather armor while wielding a short sword that’s clearly seen some use. “He’s not worth anything but this little lady will certainly fetch a pretty penny for when her daddy pays through the nose for your safe return.”

“Stay back!” yells Guinefort as the brigands approach them, managing get a strike on one of them before the rest pile on him, giving him some beatings for good measure.

With her one ‘hero’ out for the count the leader approaches Sharon, sword at the ready.

“My oh my, you have some fancy threads! And this necklace! You wouldn’t mind giving me this, would you girlie?”

“Eww, you smell terrible! Sorry, but I don’t give handouts. You’ll have to beg on the streets with the other vagrants.”

The leader twitched at this.

“Mmm, a big mouth on such a little girl. How abouts you shut it before you say something you’ll regret?”

“Oh please, the only reason I’d keep my mouth shut would be to prevent even more of your stench to enter my orifices.”

“Dang nabitt! I don’t need to take this from a prissy little girl!”

Not standing for this entitled brat any longer, the leader raises his hand up to give her an incredible slap.

“AAAAAARRRGHH! DANG NABBIT!”

The leader bellowed in pain as he saw an arrow penetrating through the palm of his hand.

Mere seconds later, like the brigands before, skeletons emerged from the forest, surrounding everyone. Panic ensued among the brigands, with many fleeing at the sight of them, and the few who mustered the courage to fight did so with low morale.

One brave brigand grabs his spear and runs thrusting it into a skeleton, only for it to go between his ribs and out his back, with the man just arriving face to skull with his enemy. As he grins the skeleton stabs him.

The leader tries to bring order, but the panic is too much, and with his gang dispersing he too is forced to do so, escaping with a look of contempt on Sharon as she just smugly waves him off.

“I’m not going back to that camp, dang nabbit!” he yells as he disappears into the green.

Calmness returns to the forest, with the last gasp of breath from a murderous brigand escaping as a skeleton twists its sword in his heart.

Guinefort looks up from the ground at all the carnage, then up to Sharon who looks down at him smugly, arms crossed. He struggles to get up, holding his thigh in pain.

“Alright, I guess you aren’t in any danger…”

“Oh my word! He can learn!”

“Look, it’s not every day that I see skeletons in broad daylight like this. I just saw a cute little girl in danger and went to save her.”

Sharon smirked.

“Well, at least your heart was in the right place, even if your brain isn’t. Galen! See to his leg please.”

She clapped her hands and a skeleton came with a medical satchel and started treating Guinefort’s leg.

Meanwhile other skeletons approached Sharon. They did some hand signals and pointed towards a thicket.

“Baden here says the brigands’ camp is up ahead. They seem to have loot they’ve gathered along with some captives. You should go free them.”

“I-I couldn’t! I didn’t do anything! You’re the hero!”

“You’re absolutely right, but they’ll just be aghast at my entourage like you are, making it more trouble than it is worth. Besides…”

She puts a hand on his head, almost patronizingly.

“If you hadn’t been so foolish, we’d never have come across these brigands or their victims. So take the credit.”

Guinefort frowns over a kid half his age being all wise and kind to him, but he lets out a sigh and smiles. He stands up, his leg already feeling much better.

“I suppose you’re right. Thank you, Lady Sharon of House Acheron.”

He bows to her. Sharon raises her hand to her chin and laughs haughtily.

“So the brave knight does have some decorum! I guess you aren’t a hopeless cause as of yet! Servants!”

She claps her hands and out from the forest arrive the remaining skeletons carrying the ornate sedan chair. They open the door and help her enter it.

“Don’t forget this, hero.”

A skeleton hands him his sword that he lost in the clearing earlier.

“Now onwards! We still need to get to Vinebridge by morning! Chop chop!”

The skeleton entourage and their bratty lady speed off, while Guinefort rubs his bandaged thigh before making his way towards the brigand camp.