By setting out just as a blood moon ended, one could be assured that the road ahead might be “safe” for at least a moon, before the next harvest began.
After all, even if November’s end signaled the last and weakest blood moon of the year, getting caught in the open while countless hordes of banes closed in would be no different from having a death wish.
That aside…
It would take at least three months to make the trip up north.
Nearly two moons would be spent carrying supplies through the sea of endless green, all while moving at a breakneck speed. Once we got past the border that separated Wyld Land from the North, it might be possible to take our sweet time. Before that, however, any long rest or detour might actually put the expedition at risk.
After all, this was not just a timed endeavor-
*Rumble*Rumble*
“MIDDLE GROUP! ON YOUR RIGHT!”
“INCOMING!!!”
-but also a treacherous one…
*BoOOoM*
“STATUS REPORT!”
“WE MANAGED! ONLY 2 COULDN’T MAKE IT IN TIME! THE SUPPLIES ARE STILL SECURED!”
Without breaking formation, our pace remained steady. Even as the burden we had to carry shook as we jumped from trunks to trunks, even as the blades of grass closed in ever closer on our tail… There was never a seed of doubt at our success.
*Clang*Clash*
And thus, a symphony of steel made itself known as wanderers joined the fray, slicing and dicing their way through the overgrown ambush.
*Bash*Bang*
Soon enough, from the sharpest of roots to the most wicked of vines, everything was chopped to pieces. These vegetations had failed to ascend the food chain, and now their lifeless husks would instead turn into meals for other wildlife.
Yet, despite such a crispy outcome, all of us knew better than to let our guard down.
After all, when the wyld cried, rains turned to floods…
“MORE MOVEMENTS! ABOVE AND BELOW!!!”
“AMBUSHHH!!!”
As if finally having us in its grasp, the lively green decided to reveal its true color. Soon enough, a vivid canvas invaded our vision as countless flowers began to bloom, spreading their spores throughout the entire caravan. A wave of intoxicating fragrance soon washed over the mind, numbing our senses and selves. From fierce red to pretty pink, all kinds of deadly hues were now united with a single goal - to snuff out every life that they had latched themselves onto.
What came next could only be described as nastiness taken form as hundreds upon hundreds of minuscule sprouts began to grow and take root within their host.
“THEY ARE INSIDE US!!!”
The horrendous sensation crawling all over one’s skin aside, if this kept up, there was no doubt that not a single drop of blood would be spared. In fact, based on the incessant twitches from my blurry eyes, it might take less than a minute before new greens started shooting out of soon-to-be empty sockets…
“Everyone, steady yourself! Our will must not falter!”
A calm voice rang out, before the sound of two huge staves hitting hard ground resonated with our entire being. Knowing what was to come, I gritted my teeth, ignoring the aches from days of constant marching with so little rest.
In an instance, the air, which was trying to suffocate us just now, slowly turned warm and heated. Barely visible rings of wyldfire started rolling out of the watcher’s staves in waves, and it was not long before a sizzling smell of burnt furs and flesh tickled our nose.
“Pain”, “boiling pain”, “boiling pain that aims to boil someone’s inside completely”... Such words could only be called crude, just like a wylder’s affinity for magic… Indeed, while mages would have cast a delicate flame to purge and shield allies from the invisible foes, wylders, on the other paw, could only taʊr their way through the problem.
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And yet, despite such a weakness… there was never any doubt that our will alone couldn’t make up for it!
“No pain, no gain! Onward!!!”
A single, determined cry quickly turned into a chorus, drowning out even the skeletal shrieks flying far above our head. The wyld had failed to crush our resolve, and the banes lying in wait would definitely not have an easy meal this day.
Of course, like the generous bὕnny that I was, I could not be so heartless as to leave the poor birds scrapping for food~
“CONSIDER THIS MY PARTING GIFT, YOU STUPID BEASTS!”
*whooosh*
*whack*
*RARGHHH*
A cheap shot, aimed for the slowest mocking monstrocities on the sky. Such an act had earned me a reprimanding glare from the leader of our caravan. And yet…
Ahhh… The scream of a wingless bird, getting torn apart by its own “flock”... What wonderful music to my ears!~
It was, without a doubt, so worth the trouble!
•ㅅ•
♫ 99 groves of beasts from afar, 99 groves of beasts
Take one down, pass it right now, 100 groves of beasts from afar… ♪
•ㅅ•
It must have been days since then.
As much as I hated to admit it, going on an expedition certainly had a way to mess with one’s head.
A quick glance to the far end confirmed that, indeed, most of the trunks we used as jumping pads had already started growing back to their dizzying height. One look up also revealed a worrying abundance of greens, to the point one could no longer tell day from night.
It seemed that, even when the blades of grass couldn’t catch up to us, the wood itself still refused to let us go.
“...”
It had been nothing but constant marching since we left the city, with only the occasional hours of sleep in between… Worse still, since the outpost remained nowhere in sight, it would be safe to say that another week might be needed before we had any real rest…
Now that I thought about it, the “outpost” in question was more of a magical post being put out in hostile territory… How it even managed to ward off the greens and created a safe clearing, no one knew…
One day, the druids simply put it there, left, then refused to elaborate any further…
It didn’t even look like a totem…
Why was I still thinking about this…
“ANOTHER DOWN!”
“No…! NO…! I can still do this…! I can still… do… t h i s . . .”
Not counting two fetchers that got skewered some time back, the list of those turning into extra baggage had only grown…
Honestly, my eyes had also been getting very sleepy for days now…
Maybe…
Maybe just a quick nap…
A quick nap couldn’t hurt…
“Hush, young one.”
“…”
“You have done well. Worry not and just rest. It will still be fine without you.”
“......”
Sigh.
I really couldn’t catch a break, could I?
Munching on another ration bar, my mouth did its best to stomach the horrible piece of brick, just to gain enough strength for another hop forward.
Just a little further, until I proved my worth, then…
•ㅅ•
♫ Are we there yet? Yes we are!
Halfway to safety, so don’t look back… ♪
•ㅅ•
The more one traveled up north, the shorter a day became.
Needless to say, this would mess with your biologico… biolozyal… this would mess with that inner clock thingy everyone had!
And, given how exhausting this journey had been, it was no surprise that by the time we actually managed to reach the outpost, quite a few people were long foaming at the mouth with eyes rolled to the far back of their head.
Still, despite looking no worse for wear, it was undeniable that these younglings had managed to overcome the worst part of our journey. Once they woke up, their ego would be bruised, no doubt. However, they would certainly be able to learn and adapt.
After all, bitter defeat made for one heck of motivation.
… Not that I would know, of course. I totally didn’t come close to flopping just as badly! Hahahahah! Hahah. Hah…
Anyowl…
“Water?”
“YESSS, PLEASEEE!”
With that said, Hiro proceeded to prove that he had, indeed, been serious about the “dying of thirst” joke a couple of days earlier.
*glug*glug*glug*
*glug*glug*gluggg*
Illuminated by a red night sky, gawkers could only gulp at the image of a boy draining several waterskins as big as pumpkins to their very last drop. Such a noble sacrifice was not in vain, of course, for it was not long before the parched mummy revitalized himself to his former glory.
“I liveee!!!”
“Bravo! Any words of wisdom you managed to bring back from the land beyond, ol’ wise seer?”
“Ugh… I’m not one of those turtles, you know…”
“True, true~ The way you sucked your victims dry like that, though…”
I gasped at the sign. It was so obvious! How could I not realize this sooner!?
“Hippity hoppity! Could it be… A blood knight, in poor disguise!?”
“... You know what, I’m not even going to ask why people of this world call “ham-pie-a” with that of all things. Now, if you’ll excuse me, the grasses seem quite comfortable for a rest.”
And rested he did.
With a thud, my ward plopped down on the ground. Given the dopey look on his face and a line of drool slowly trickling down one side of the mouth, there was no question that the young fetcher-to-be had already gone off to baa baa land ahead of everyone else.
Seeing this, I could only shake my head.
“I told you so. Carrying that much would not end well…”
After a quiet sigh, my own load was placed next to the hilariously huge mountain of bags, crates and baskets surrounding Hiro. A quick glance around our camp also revealed that, unsurprisingly, not many managed to carry as much as my bullheaded ward.
“Half a month with all of these… and not faltering even once…”
Another sigh, another night when the decision to join the first night watch came easy. At the very least, there was still comfort to be found, even if one’s usefulness could never compete with what others so effortlessly accomplished...
“Good job…
You crazy cheat of an existence…”
A quiet mumble could be heard. Not from me, of course. Never from me.
After all, I would never be that petty.