Val moved silently through the ancient forest, each step slow and cautious. The dense canopy above cast shadows across the forest floor, making the task of tracking all the more challenging. He kept Elara and Aric in his peripheral vision, fifty feet to either side, their bodies occasionally hidden by the thick trunks of towering pines and ancient oaks.


    Years of ranging had taught him the value of silence, especially this close to the border of the Deadlands. The morning air carried a slight chill, typical for this part of the North Valley, but the physical discomfort barely registered. His attention remained fixed on scanning the surroundings, searching for any sign of disturbance in the forest.


    A jay''s sharp call pierced the quiet, followed by the softer response of its mate. Val paused, his hand instinctively moving to rest on the hilt of his sword. But the birds'' continued chatter suggested no immediate threat. Birds often served as nature''s first warning system against the unnatural presence of the undead.


    To his right, Aric raised a hand in the rangers'' silent code: pause. Val nodded, acknowledging the signal. The young ranger had only recently joined their squad after transferring from the regular army, but he showed promise in picking up their ways. Val moved closer, careful to maintain his footing on the uneven ground.


    "Everything alright?" Val kept his voice just loud enough to be heard.


    "Just checking something." Aric knelt, studying the ground. "False alarm. Thought I saw tracks, but it''s just where a branch fell."


    Val used the moment to assess the soldier. Despite his youth, Aric carried himself with the disciplined bearing of someone who had seen his share of combat. Still, the frontier demanded a different kind of vigilance than formation fighting.


    "Since we have a moment," Val said, "tell me what you remember about ghouls."


    "Fast. Strong. Usually travel in small groups. They retain some basic intelligence from their former lives, enough to set simple ambushes."


    "Good. What else?"


    "They''re attracted to fresh kills and can track blood for miles. The stronger ones bite can paralyze." Aric''s voice carried a hint of distaste. "The wounds they inflict often become infected if not treated quickly."


    Val nodded approvingly. "And their weaknesses?"


    "Fire works best. Life aether too, but that''s not much help to us. They''re susceptible to regular weapons, but you have to hit them hard. Breaking bones or taking off limbs slows them down."


    "Not bad. Seems the academy training''s improved since my day." Val''s gaze swept the surrounding trees. "One more thing - what''s the first sign that usually gives away their presence?"


    Aric frowned. "The smell?"


    "That''s part of it. But more specifically..."


    A sharp whistle cut through the air - Elara''s signal. Both men turned toward her position, weapons half-drawn. She stood motionless, one hand raised in the signal for approach with caution. Val gestured for Aric to follow and moved toward her, each step carefully placed.


    Elara knelt beside a distinctive mark in the soft earth. As Val drew closer, he saw what had caught her attention - three sets of footprints, deep and uneven, heading roughly northeast. The tracks showed the characteristic drag-step pattern of the undead, with gouges where dead feet had scraped through the soil.


    "Fresh?" Val asked, though he already suspected the answer.


    Elara nodded. "Within the last few hours. The morning dew hasn''t settled in these depressions." She pointed to subtle details in the tracks. "Look at the size of them."


    Val studied the prints. They were large, suggesting whoever these ghouls had been in life had been substantial. He could see where clawed toes had dug into the earth, leaving ragged tears in the soil. The gait was wider than normal, indicating the shambling, uncoordinated movement typical of the recently turned.


    "Three of them," Aric observed quietly. "All heading the same direction."


    Val traced the tracks with his eyes, noting how they wove between the trees. The path showed no signs of purpose or coordination - just the mindless wandering of the hungry dead. But that could change quickly if they caught the scent of prey.


    "What''s your assessment?" Val asked Elara.


    She frowned, studying the surrounding forest. "These might be scouts for a larger group, we should report back," Elara said. "If there''s a larger incursion forming..."


    Val shook his head. "If we lose their trail now, we might not pick it up again. And if there are more of them, we need to know where they''re coming from." He turned to Aric. "What''s your take?"


    The young ranger studied the tracks for a moment. "The drag marks are deep and messy. Recently turned, like Elara said."


    Val nodded, pleased with the analysis. "Agreed. We follow them, but carefully. If we find signs of a larger group, we pull back and report. But three fresh ghouls? We can handle that."


    Elara didn''t look entirely convinced, but she nodded. As the squad''s healer, she had seen firsthand what ghoul-inflicted wounds could do if left untreated. But she also understood the importance of containing threats before they could grow.


    They moved forward in formation, following the trail. Val took point, with Elara and Aric flanking him slightly behind, their bows ready. The tracks were easy to follow - too easy, perhaps. But the random pattern of movement suggested genuine mindlessness rather than deliberate deception.


    The forest grew denser as they advanced, the trees pressing closer together. Old growth forest like this was rare in the valley, having survived both the natural cycles of fire and the logging needs of civilization. The canopy above was so thick that only occasional shafts of sunlight penetrated to the forest floor, creating islands of illumination in the perpetual twilight.


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    Val held up his fist - halt. A sound carried through the trees ahead: the wet, tearing noises of feeding. The squad froze, weapons ready. He signaled for the others to spread out, then began a careful advance.


    The scene revealed itself gradually through the trees. In a small clearing ahead, three massive figures hunched over what had once been a deer. The animal''s carcass had been torn open, its entrails strewn across the forest floor. The ghouls fed mechanically, shoving meat into their mouths with clawed hands, heedless of the gore that covered their gray-green skin.


    Val studied them from behind the cover of a broad oak. They were as large as the tracks had suggested, all over six feet tall, with the broad shoulders and thick limbs of laborers or soldiers. Their clothes hung in tatters, probably loggers from the closest villages.


    He retreated carefully to where Elara and Aric waited.


    "Three confirmed," he whispered. "Big bastards, but they''re completely focused on feeding." He outlined his plan quickly. "Aric, you and Elara take positions on either side. Get your shots ready, but wait for my signal. I''ll move up the middle and draw their attention."


    "That''s risky," Elara said. "If they close with you before we can slow them down..."


    "Then I''ll have to demonstrate my famous footwork." Val gave her a grim smile. "We''ve dealt with worse."


    She clearly wanted to argue further, but time was critical. The longer they waited, the greater the chance the ghouls would pick up their scent. Val watched his squad members move into position, then drew his sword and began his approach.


    The clearing was roughly circular, about thirty feet across. The ghouls remained absorbed in their feast, giving no sign they had detected his presence. Val moved to within twenty feet, then deliberately stepped on a fallen branch. The crack was like a thunderclap in the quiet forest.


    Three heads snapped up in unison, gore-smeared faces turning toward the sound. Their eyes gleamed with unnatural hunger as they spotted him. For a moment, they simply stared, as if their dead brains needed time to process this new development. Then, with surprising speed, they surged to their feet.


    Val had been ready for their charge, but the sheer speed still startled him. These were fresh, strong specimens, their bodies not yet weakened by decay. They crossed the clearing in bounds, their massive arms reaching for him with clawed hands.


    "Now!" Val shouted, diving to his right.


    Arrows hissed through the air. Aric''s shot took the leftmost ghoul in the knee, sending it sprawling. Elara''s arrow struck the middle one in the shoulder, but the creature barely seemed to notice. It redirected its charge toward her position, while the third continued after Val.


    Val rolled to his feet, sword ready. He pushed aether from his core and poured it into his muscles liberally. The ghoul pursuing him was particularly massive, its face a mask of dried blood and rotting flesh. It lunged with surprising coordination, trying to grapple. Val sidestepped, his blade opening a deep cut across its forearm. The wound would have been crippling to a living opponent, but the ghoul simply swung its other arm in a backhand that would have taken Val''s head off if he hadn''t ducked.


    More arrows flew. The ghoul Aric had hit was trying to rise, but a second shot to its other leg kept it down. The one attacking Elara had reached the treeline where she had been stationed, but she had already moved, firing another shot as she circled to get a better angle.


    Val''s opponent pressed its attack, its movements becoming more frenzied as its hunger overwhelmed what little tactical sense remained. Val gave ground carefully, letting it overextend. When it lunged again, he stepped inside its reach and brought his sword up in a precise arc that nearly severed its arm at the shoulder.


    The ghoul staggered but didn''t fall. It tried to grab him with its remaining arm, its jaw snapping at his face. Val twisted away, but not quite fast enough - claws raked across his leather armor, leaving shallow scratches. He responded with a quick thrust that pierced the creature''s throat, but the wound that would have killed a living opponent merely inconvenienced the undead.


    A cry of pain drew his attention. Elara had been caught off guard by her target''s sudden change of direction. The ghoul had her pinned against a tree, its teeth snapping inches from her face as she desperately held it back with her bow. Aric was still occupied with the crippled one, which had begun dragging itself toward him.


    Val didn''t hesitate. He ducked under another wild swing from his opponent and sprinted toward Elara. The ghoul attacking her sensed his approach and started to turn, giving Elara the opening she needed. She kicked hard at its knee, creating space to slip away. Val arrived a moment later, his sword taking the creature''s head from its shoulders in a single powerful stroke, powered by surging his aether.


    The headless body continued to move, arms groping blindly. Val kicked it hard in the chest, sending it sprawling. "Help Aric!" he shouted to Elara, then spun to face his original opponent, which had followed him across the clearing.


    The one-armed ghoul was slowing, its movements becoming more erratic as its body began to realize it should be dead. Val pressed his advantage, driving it back with a series of quick cuts. He hamstrung its left leg, then took the other arm when it tried to counter. The creature toppled, still snapping its jaws. Val''s sword ended its struggles with a thrust through its eye socket.


    He turned to find Elara and Aric finishing the last ghoul. The crippled creature had managed to grab Aric''s leg, but Elara''s arrows had pinned its other arm to the ground. Aric brought his sword down again and again until the ghoul finally stopped moving.


    Silence fell over the clearing. Val did a quick scan of the area, alert for any signs of reinforcements attracted by the noise. But the forest remained quiet except for their heavy breathing.


    "Everyone alright?" Val asked, moving to check on his squad.


    Elara nodded, though she was favoring her right side where the ghoul had slammed her against the tree. "Nothing broken. Might have some impressive bruises tomorrow."


    "Scratched up a bit," Aric reported, examining shallow claw marks on his leg. "Didn''t break the skin through the boots, though."


    Val felt the sting of his own wounds. Shallow cuts marked his chest where the ghoul''s claws had caught him. His armor had prevented serious damage, but he''d need to clean the scratches thoroughly. Ghoul-inflicted wounds were notorious for becoming infected.


    "Let''s get these bodies burned," he said, "then we should head back. The captain needs to know about them."


    As they gathered wood for a pyre, Val studied the dead creatures more carefully. Their clothing, while torn and bloody, was of good quality. More importantly, what had turned them? Ghouls were usually created when people died in areas saturated with death magic, or when killed by other ghouls.


    "Val." Elara''s voice pulled him from his thoughts. She held up a scrap of fabric, a merchant''s guild insignia. "Look at the marking. They''re from Riverbend."


    That was troubling. Riverbend was the largest settlement in the South Valley, far from where these ghouls had been found. Had they been turned elsewhere and wandered this far? Or was something drawing them north?


    The pyre caught quickly, aided by oil from their packs. They stood watch until the bodies were fully consumed, then scattered the ashes. Val made careful notes of the location and their encounter in his field journal. The council would want every detail.


    As they began their journey back to the rendezvous point, Val caught Aric studying him.


    "Something on your mind?" he asked.


    "Earlier, when you asked what gives away a ghoul''s presence, what''s the answer?"


    Val smiled grimly. "The silence. Birds stop singing. Small animals flee. The forest itself seems to hold its breath. Remember that and it might save your life someday."


    They moved through the deepening shadows of the forest, alert for any signs of further undead activity. But Val''s thoughts kept returning to the merchant''s insignia. Something about this incident felt wrong. Three travelers from Riverbend, turned into ghouls far from any known source of death magic. It hinted at darker possibilities, possibilities he wasn''t sure he wanted to consider.


    The forest watched them pass, ancient and indifferent to their concerns. Somewhere in its depths, Val knew, other dangers waited. But for now, they had a report to make and wounds to tend. He quickened their pace slightly. The sooner they reached the rendezvous point, the sooner they could begin unraveling this mystery.


    Behind them, the last wisps of smoke from the pyre drifted through the trees, carrying the scent of burnt flesh into the gathering darkness.