Gase watched as Aesmin crouched down next to the short, stubby plant. She grabbed onto one of the leaves that spread out in a crown on top of the stem and turned it over.

“You want the leaves to be entirely deep green like this. If you can see red veins, leave it,” She said, turning towards them.

“You want us to eat leaves?” Asked Enmon with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, you can if you want. I won’t stop you,” Aesmin said. She grabbed onto the base of the plant and slowly pulled it up. “You want to ease it out. Pull too strongly, and it’ll just break off. Then you’ll have to dig out the root by hand.”

True to her word, the plant was slowly pulled loose from the earth, revealing it’s thick root. The root was a little longer than Gase’s hand and about the width of three fingers at its centre, with small roots branching out from it.

“This is what you are looking for,” the woman said, breaking off the branching tendrils and the plant itself, leaving only the main root. “It’ll soften up if you boil it. Doesn’t taste like much, but it’ll keep you going.”

She held out the root and Gase took it, inspecting the gnarled, brown texture.

“You said if the leaves have red veins, we should leave it?” He asked. He didn’t quite like the idea of eating something that might be poisonous.

“Well, it won’t kill you. But it will flush out of your stomach soon after eating it, along with whatever else was in there,” She said with a grimace. “It’s not pleasant.”

Gase handed back the root, and Aesmin stood up. She glanced towards the path that was just visible through the trees. The procession of people was thinning out. They were moving a lot slower than those on the road. Both because of the undergrowth of the forest and because they were looking for food.

“I’m moving up a bit,” Aesmin said and gave them a glance. “Don’t want to be at the back of the line.”

The four of them continued on. They spread out a few steps of each other with the woman sticking closer to the road and Gase and Hadi the furthest away from it. They received a fair share of strange looks from those on the path, but ultimately, few had the energy to spare worrying about what others were doing.

“I see one,” Enmon said after a while and hurried forward towards another of the stubby plants.

“Hold up,” Aesmin said as she walked over. She looked at the leaves of the plant and turned one over. “Look here, see those lines? This one’s no good.”

Gase moved closer and broke off one of the leaves himself. It had a waxy feel to it and was about the length of his forearm. Sure enough, when he turned it over, he saw faint red paths on its underside.

“So what are these red veins?” He asked. “Some type of disease?”

Aesmin looked over and shrugged. “Don’t know, maybe? Doesn’t matter, just don’t take them.”

He quickly learned that the woman’s knowledge extended only to what was practical. At one point they came across a strange grey mound growing out of a fallen tree. When a person approached within a few feet, some type of glowing dust was released into the air, glittering as it caught the light.

Why it did this, how it knew something was nearby, or what was the point of the dust; these questions went unanswered. What Aesmin did say was that the dust could be used to stop bleeding for small cuts by spreading it over the wound. It would mix with the blood and bind together to form a barrier of sorts.

The walk continued throughout the day. And they regularly found themselves falling behind the long line of people travelling on the path. They would then have to hurry forward to gain some ground before spreading out again. It was hard work. The forest floor was uneven, and the undergrowth often grew thick enough that they were forced to search through it for anything it might hide.

A few times Gase also saw some of those two-tailed lizards that the mercenaries were eating the previous night. They ran across the trunks and branches of trees. He and Enmon took to throwing stones at them, trying to knock one off. They gave up after it became clear that they weren’t accurate enough and that the lizards were far too agile. They never even got close.

They found a few more of the root plants, which Aesmin didn’t know the names of, collecting a total of six of the roots, varying in sizes. Aesmin also showed them a tree that had bunches of small yellow fruits hanging in clusters. Unfortunately, they weren’t ripe as they apparently turn red when they were. Gase tried one anyway, after he confirmed that it was safe, and immediately regretted the decision. It was hard and sour enough for him to spit out the piece he had bitten off. The taste stayed in his mouth for a long time after that, refusing to go away.

It was well past midday when Gase had had enough. His legs were beginning to pain, and his hunger was rising along with his irritability. He no longer searched through the undergrowth. Instead, he just stepped down everything in front of him, pushing it flat under the heel of his boot. His reasoning was that once everything was even, he could see it better. On one of his steps, the plant in front of him was flattened and, along with it, a couple of mushrooms that were hiding unerneath.

He stopped and looked at the patch in surprise. They had white stems and black tops, growing together in clumps. There were a lot of them as well. He smiled and turned towards the others. Enmon was busy digging something out of the ground so he called over to Aesmin. She walked over but stopped in her tracks when she saw the mushrooms.

“Don’t touch those!”

Hadi, who was reaching down, quickly stopped and stood back up. Gase looked questioningly at the woman.

“Those are blackcaps.” She said and pulled the boy away before carefully kneeling down next to the patch. “Look at this, see those little drops on the cap? Those are poisonous. You touch them, and you’ll lose all feeling in your hand for a day. If you get enough of it on your skin, you can even paralyze yourself. The stems are edible, but it’s not worth it. Just leave them.”

Gase scowled. Of course they were.

A sharp squeak reached his ears, followed by a loud curse from Enmon.

Both Gase and Aesmin turned to see the man pushing himself back up off the ground, scanning the nearby bushes.

Gase frowned and hurried over. “What happened?”

“Found one of the plants and pulled it out. Then some fucking animal came leaping out of the hole, straight at me. It ran off.”

“Why didn’t you catch it?” Aesmin demanded, looking at the surrounding bushes.

Enmon looked stunned for a moment before he glared at her. “What?”

She ignored him and went over to the plant lying near him. Its root was partially eaten, showing tiny bite marks and having chunks missing. She scanned the ground and pointed at a circular hole about the size of her palm near the pulled-out plant.

“It was a tunneler. They dig through the ground to eat the roots of plants and trees. You sometimes find them if you are lucky. You had one, and you just let it go,” She said in accusation.

“Maybe you could have mentioned them before one jumped at me, scavenger. Isn’t that what we pay you for?”

“You want me to hold your hand as well?” She retorted, the sarcasm thick in her voice.

“I think we’ve all had enough of this,” Gase said before Enmon could respond. “Let’s stop for now. We’re already falling behind again.”

The other two looked towards the road and saw there were only a few stragglers still walking along. The rest of the day was spent trudging along the path, after the crowd, as the sun moved across the sky.

Next to him, Gase saw Hadi stumble for the second time in twenty steps. His resilience surprised Gase. Given his age, which would be around eight terms by Gase’s measure, the boy had done much better than he had expected. Hadi had kept up with them through the forest and was keeping up now as well. He never complained, never said anything, really.

Gase would have been more worried, were it not for the small things. He had seen the wide-eyed stare the boy had given the glittering dust that plant had given off this morning. And twice had he felt the boy tugging at his clothes to point out one of those root plants he had missed.

Hadi’s strength didn’t last much longer though, and eventually, Gase picked up the boy and carried him on his back, like he had done before. It was more comfortable now that he had a scabbard for the sword at his side, at least.

The sun was hanging low before they reached the spot where they’d spend the night. There was no clearing this time, just a widening of the path and a stream running across it. Already those who had arrived before them had claimed their places. The noble carriages taking up most of the area next to the stream.

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A few people could be seen foraging through the nearest trees, like they had done earlier. Possibly hoping to find food or firewood before the day ended.

“We should cross the stream now,” Gase said.

The other two turned towards him.

“Fewer people on the other side,” he explained. “We need to cook those roots, right? So we’ll need firewood. Better chance to find some on the other side then. Won’t need to start off the morning with wet boots either.”

The other two agreed, and they found a spot not too far away from the stream to stay for the night.

“Right. So, firewood, water and a pot?” Gase asked, looking at Aesmin. “Is that all we need?”

“And the rest of my silver,” she added.

“Don’t give her anything until we see her actually eat those roots,” Enmon said. “I wouldn’t put it past her to simply pick any random plant and make up some story.”

“You are confusing me with yourself, street rat.”

“Not likely, scavenger.”

“Alright then!” Gase interrupted. “Let’s get to it.”

“I’ll get us a pot,” Enmon said, still looking at Aesmin. “You pay more than its worth, Yri.”

Gase sighed as the man left.

It didn’t take him and Aesmin too long to get the firewood they needed as they were lucky enough to find a dead tree near the camp. A lot of it had already been stripped away by others, but there was still more than enough left for them.

While they waited for Enmon, Gase lit a branch from one of the other campfires and used it to build their own. It wasn’t pretty, and he doubted he could have started the flame if he had to, but at least it burned.

Aesmin also picked something she called rivergrass that was growing next to the stream. The blades of the grass curled over into thin hollow tubes. Apparently, it would add at least some taste to the otherwise bland roots.

“Did you steal that?” Aesmin called out. Gase turned and saw Enmon walking over with a black pot.

“Had to pay to use the pot. That’s after I convinced the woman we didn’t have any food to share. Of all things, I never imagined I’d spend coin on that.”

“Better than starving with a full purse,” Aesmin commented.

“That’s for sure. Did you notice how few people thought to bring food along? Most weighed themselves down with all manner of shit they thought they’d need in Lok.”

Aesmin laughed. “Of course. Why think of the present when you can worry about the future?”

“Right?”

At least they aren’t insulting each other anymore.

Gase shook his head with a small smile. Now they were just insulting other people.

----------------------------------------

An ashen landscape stretched in front of him, for as far as the eye could see. There was no sun, only grey skies, yet everything was clearly visible.

Where was-

The thought died half-formed in his mind. Around him, he saw things move. He called them things for he had no other words. They were completely white, glowing faintly with some inner light. They were of all shapes and sizes. Some were blurry, some were defined. Some were shaped like humans, while others were much stranger.

He looked on, stunned as a creature twice as tall as him strode past on four thin legs. Above the legs was a torso that had two long arms attached and a neck that held a conical head encircled with eyes.

The thing didn’t move its head, it didn’t need to, but he was sure it looked at him for a moment, before dismissing him.

Gase swallowed and took a step back. His foot struck something, and he tumbled to the ground. His eyes locked onto the thing he had tripped over. It was one of the white figures in the shape of a person. A man perhaps, but he couldn’t be sure as it seemed… faded. The figure was lying face down on the ground unmoving. The grey earth seemed to have been pushed up against it, covering it in places. It was as if the figure had lain there for an incomprehensible amount of time.

As he watched the figure slowly opened an eye and glanced at him. Unlike the rest of it, the eyes were still clear. That only made it worse. A weariness so deep and heavy rested in those eyes that Gase couldn’t look away. It felt as if a world’s weight was pressing down on his shoulders.

Then the being slowly closed its eye again.

Snapping out of his trance, Gase started to push himself up before freezing. He looked at his arms. There was no skin, no flesh, no bone. Only white. He ran frantically looked over himself and ran his hands over his body. He was the same as the beings that were around him.

Gase woke up with a gasp. He sat up, breathing heavily, his body cold with sweat. He looked around him and saw Aesmin sitting next to the ashes of the campfire, eyeing him with a raised eyebrow.

Just a dream.

He didn’t answer her unasked question, taking a moment to calm himself. Slowly his heartbeat evened out, and he pushed a hand through his hair. He had been almost excited when he went to sleep, hoping that another memory might be made clear. Now, all he could think of was that gaze of the figure he saw in the dream. A shiver ran through him.

He moved closer to the ashes himself. They still gave off a little bit of heat as he sat down and held his hands over them. Dawn was just breaking, and the air was cold, colder than the previous day at least.

“So, what are you going to do?” Gase asked the woman, trying to distract himself.

“Hmm?”

“Today,” he clarified. “I was hoping you would stick with us. We’ll be looking for more food along the path. We could use your expertise, like your warning about those black mushrooms.”

Aesmin smiled. “You going to pay me?”

“No, I can’t keep doing that,” Gase said with a chuckle. “A partnership. We collect everything we can then spilt it evenly after we make camp.”

“I could get more if I work alone.”

“You probably could,” he conceded. She had been doing this for a long time after all. “But then you’ll have to do everything yourself. It’ll be easier with more hands… safer too.”

Aesmin was silent for a moment. “Who are you?”

Gase looked at her in confusion.

“You’re not like your friend. He has the look in his eye, like he is expecting a knife in his back. It’s something everyone in the slums has. But I don’t get the same feeling from you at all. Yet he said you’ve known each other for a long time. You carry the fading signs of a beating, but your clothes don’t look worn. They might have even looked new, were it not for the bloodstains. And the sword… its a contradiction upon contradictions.”

“…My story is complicated,” Gase said after a while. “I won’t tell it to you, and I won’t ask you for yours. As for the look. I don’t look like I expect a knife in the back because I suppose I don’t. Are you planning on proving me a fool?”

She held his gaze before shaking her head slightly. “What about the boy. He’s too old to be yours. A brother?”

Gase looked over at Hadi who was still sleeping. “No. I found him on my way out of the city. His people are gone, I don’t think he has anyone left.”

The woman was silent as she seemed to consider his words.

“So?” Gase asked. “Are you going to join us?”

Aesmin looked over at the camp and nodded. “For now.”

Gase smiled.

“Good,” he said, standing up. “Then keep an eye on these two for a while.”

“Where are you going?”

Gase picked up his swordbelt and strapped it on. “I have someone I need to go see.”

Finding one man among the crowd turned out to be harder than he had thought. Eventually though, after asking for directions a few times, he found Holin further upstream splashing water across his face. A bit further away he could see the beastblighted camp where a few of the hunters were moving about, including the spearman he spoke to before, a woman with light hair and a dark-skinned giant.

“You’re late,” Holin said as he looked up, water dripping down his face.

“I don’t think we had set a time?”

“And yet you still managed to be late. It’s a bit impressive actually, kind of like seeing a bird born without wings break its neck by tripping on the ground.”

The hunter stood up and looked him over, his eyes landing on the scabbard with a grin. “I see you kept the sword. Why? Why not get a spear, a polearm or an axe?”

Gase frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“Why a sword?”

“Because I had it?”

“Not good enough. Give me a real reason or fuck off.”

“I don’t- “

“You do,” Holin said and waited.

Gase thought about it, and only one thing came to mind. “…Because it felt right.”

Holin was quiet for a moment and tilted his head slightly. “Explain.”

“I can’t,” Gase said with a shrug. And looked down at the sword at his side, finding his hand already wrapped around the grip. It felt right. The best explanation he could think of was his previous life. But it was a flimsy explanation at best.

“I could have sold it and bought something else,” Gase said. “The merchant here did have spears and polearms. But I didn’t want something else, never even considered it. I wanted a sword. I wanted this sword.”

A grin spread across the hunter’s face. “Good. Also, I would have accepted ‘because swords are fucking glorious’.”

Holin turned around and walked off. “Come on,”

Gase followed the hunter a short distance to a natural clearing. The man stretched out his back with a pop before sitting down on a rock. He looked up at Gase with a thoughtful expression.

“What is it you want to kill?”

Gase frowned. “I want to protect-”

“Don’t fool yourself,” Holin interrupted. “If you wanted protection, you’d have bought a shield. A sword is a weapon. The only protecting it does is the bloody kind.”

“Beasts,” Gase said as the answer came to him. “I was on the wall during the horde’s attack. I saw what they did to people, what they made people do to each other.”

“People would screw each other over regardless of beasts,” Holin said. “But I know where you are coming from, trust me. You see, the reason for my earlier question is because of this. Swords weren’t made for hunting beasts. They were made to kill people. When fighting against beasts, reach is probably your best friend. A spear or polearm has that. That’s why most hunters if they do carry a sword, it is mostly as a sidearm. Usually a shortsword.”

Gase was reminded of what the merchant had told him about longswords being more specialized weapons. He tapped the hilt of the bastard sword at his side. “But what about this? The Blackguard all carry these, and they’re certainly not shortswords.”

“Blackguard?”

“The knights in the blackened armour, the citylord’s guards.”

“Oh, those. Well the answers obvious, isn’t it? They aren’t there to kill beasts. That’s what hunters and, if need be, the cityguard are for. The knights are there to kill other people, should anyone try to take the city from their lord. Most citylords have something similar.”

Holin laughed. “Honestly, those knights of yours are about as poorly outfitted for hunting as they could be, given the worth of their equipment. That plate armour of theirs is wonderful for stopping blades, or even the fangs of animals like steelwolves. But how about the hand of an ald? Or the breath of a rish? The armour that had cost a fortune would just slow them down. Make them easy targets.”

The man shook his head. “But I was talking about swords. Swords take longer to gain any proficiency in, are more expensive and are worse for hunting beasts. Even if you take an equally skilled swordsman and spearman and pit them against each other, my coin would be on the spearman. Simply because of the reach advantage.”

“So why do you use a sword then?” Gase asked.

“Two reasons. First; swords can carry inscriptions. You see, runes barely work on organic material, but they work very well on metal. You can inscribe a spearhead, but you won’t be able to reach it, so there is no point. And an entirely metal polearm would be unwieldy. Swords, on the other hand, they allow for some really… fun… possibilities.”

Holin’s eyes glinted as he spoke. Much like the merchant’s when he was talking about the mage’s gold.

“And the second reason?” Gase asked.

Holin grinned. “The second is because swords are fucking glorious.”

He stood up and walked to the other side of the clearing before turning back. “Unless you were lying before, I take it you are still set on wanting to learn the sword?”

Gase looked down at the bastard sword – at his sword – and closed his hand on its hilt. “I am.”

“Good,” Holin said before unsheathing his own sword. It was a longsword a bit bigger than Gase’s with a more aggressive taper closer to the tip and a longer hilt. On the blade a long line of symbols was etched, merging into one another as they ran towards the guard.

His pale red eyes caught Gase’s. “Let’s see what I have to work with.”