Monday morning dawned, and everyone moved with new enthusiasm, eager for the long trip to be over. Incedis had been fine with Pax delaying his magma practice until tomorrow, after they reached the ruins. That meant he had more lightning work to look forward to today. But at least he was at the point where he could absorb enough that it didn't lock his muscles up and disrupt his running stride as badly as that first day of practice.
They broke camp with a speed gained from lots of practice. By the time they were running across the broken terrain again, it almost felt easy. Everyone had gained at least a point in Endurance over the week, if not ones in Strength and Agility, too. Kai had gotten two in each. They all knew their positions and responsibilities, trading off scouting duties and positions with an easy skill.
Ember, his primordial Golem, was still new enough to draw interest and fond glances as Pax summoned him and sent him up ahead. The process was much easier than using his earlier level 1 unevolved spell. Keeping Ember out in front of their group off and on all day Sunday had helped Pax make a lot of progress to Level 2 with the spell already.
The addition of Resonance had made an enormous difference. Not only did maintaining Ember require less mana, but Pax had a connection with the cheerful little creature that almost made him feel like an extra limb. Instead of needing to create specific instructions that were difficult to get across, Ember almost intuitively knew what Pax expected of him.
Sadly, there wasn't too much communication back and forth, but Pax hoped that more levels in the skill might improve Ember’s sapience and ability to communicate. For now, he was just happy to please Pax by doing anything expected of him.
There had been a bit of trouble yesterday with Ember taking detours to explore things that caught his eye. He'd probably picked up on Pax's desire to do the same and had to be instructed to stick to scouting ahead without setting anything alight.
The hour before breakfast he spent with Tyrodon the last two mornings were a lot of fun too, if not very productive. Since Pax had the most points in his ice path, they’d focused his newly evolved Instinctive Runes skill there first. Tyrodon had pulled out a continuous supply of flat slices of hardwood for him to experiment with.
After brainstorming the best way to start, they’d decided Pax would pull up the small ball of ice mana he had and push a finger of the mana onto the wood. Then he’d activate the new skill and freehanded whatever rune pattern came to mind. Tyrodon had suggested focusing on a simple pattern that only used two to four basic lines.
Once Pax marked it, he’d pass it to Tyrodon. While Pax worked on the next pattern, Tyrodon would quickly carve the pattern into the wood before fusing it with a balanced mixture of powdered bone from water and air. Once they had three or four done, they’d finish off their practice with Pax infusing the new patterns with ice mana.
They’d all failed so far, though a jagged line on the fifth rune they tried held the ice mana for the shortest moment. Tyrodon had eagerly noted it down and had Pax include the pattern, or a variation of it, in future attempts.
In the end, most of the attempts simply froze the wood blanks into icy blocks. Though one had exploded, sending sharp splinters of wood everywhere and getting multiple complaints from his friends just waking up and having breakfast. Tyrodon had apologized for his oversight, quickly producing a crafter’s safety box that limited the damage to the mage reaching their hands in while infusing the rune.
Pax had initially been disappointed at not creating a successful rune after two mornings of trying. When he’d complained, Tyrodon had stared at him in surprise for a long moment before breaking down into a full body laugh that had him wiping tears from his eyes. Apparently, master crafters would spend years striving to create a new rune and most didn’t succeed despite decades of study and effort.
In fact, the most successful path to a new rune was to dismantle an ancient artifact to examine the insides that made it work. The problem with that method was the expense and risk of a failed attempt. Tampering could render the artifact useless, and many were one-of-a-kind items.
The ancients protected their runes, too, making it hard to get to the inside of an artifact without destroying the very thing a crafter was looking for. After the explanation, Pax didn’t feel so bad about their few days of failure.
At least he could take out any frustrations with the continuous physical effort of running once they left the shelter each morning. And he had little mental energy to waste on worrying while he focused on withstanding and understanding a different element each day.
Today was a lightning day. Throughout the morning and afternoon, Incedis and Pax stayed in the center of the formation, providing entertainment with their jolting lightning practice. During his breaks, Pax recharged the spell on his mirror and passed it around to his friends, who took turns training with it and whichever artifact they needed.
Amil even convinced Incedis to give him a single jolt directly from the lightning dagger instead of the weakened mirror version. That had provided a lot more entertainment. Amil found out, once again, he was trying to skip ahead too fast. With a chagrined look and hair sticking up in all directions, he went back to waiting for a turn with Pax’s mirror.
Then, in the late afternoon, Pax recognized landmarks in the distance. “Hey Rin? Those hills look familiar. We're getting close, aren't we?”
She pulled her gaze from scanning the terrain they were passing and looked at where he was pointing. A grin spread across her face, and she nodded. “They look a lot closer than they actually are, but we should definitely be able to make it before dark.”
“Agreed.” Incedis gave Rin a nod of acknowledgement. “From here on out, we need to be even more vigilant. We want to leave no sign of our passage. I'd actually like us to slow down a bit and have our earth mage and companions clean up behind us as we go.”
The news that they were close boosted them out of their afternoon slump, despite Incedis’ new requirements that would slow them down. Grinning with fresh energy, Dahni shifted to the back and used miniscule bursts of his Earth Barrier to disrupt any footprints and other signs of their passage.
When Pax asked him, Talpa agreed to make regular underground sweeps to fix anything he missed. Tasar even let Warden down a few times to use small pulses of his Earthen Stomp to clear their footprints.
It was Rin who brought the first warning that their last day might not finish without problems. “Stop.” She held up a hand signal. “Eris sees something ahead.”
They all responded instantly, slowing from their jogging pace to a standstill as their alertness jumped a notch. Bryn and Tasar in the front raised their shields, spear and sword at the ready.
Mage Eldan, who had been ranging ahead of them, disappeared into the brush while Pax quickly summoned Ember back to the group. He didn’t want the golem to give their presence away to whatever was ahead of them.
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“Stealth formation in that group of trees there.” Incedis pointed to a set of scraggly trees barely taller than himself. “We don't want anyone stumbling across us while we figure out what to do.”
Everyone moved quickly, without question. Rin's outline shimmered as she activated her Mist Veil. Once they reached the trees and arranged themselves facing outward to watch for threats, Dahni settled down on the ground in the center with Neptid. A moment later, a gentle cloak of water mana settled over the group, Neptid's Phantom Shroud going active.
Air mana followed as Incedis activated his sound barrier to encompass the group.
“Eyes sharp, everyone.” Incedis looked at Rin, who had closed her eyes to better focus on the images and information Eris could send to her. “Report.”
Rin looked worried as her eyes opened. Pax suppressed a groan. They were so close. Could it please be something minor? Just a few rebels doing a little hunting far from base or ranging out here to find and welcome newcomers?
“There are signs of fighting up ahead. It looks like a small group of people took on a trio of four-legged and powerful ambush predators. The only bodies left are the beasts. But at least one mage was in the battle, as there are scorch marks and the beasts are air-based, not flame.”
“Could it be rebels ranging far from the ruins?” Incedis asked.
Pax gave Rin an expectant look. It was exactly what he'd been hoping for.
Rin didn't answer because Mage Eldan appeared a few yards from their hiding spot and waved a hand to get their attention. When she saw they’d recognized her, she hurried to join them inside their stealth formation.
“It's definitely not rebels,” she said, unknowingly answering the question Incedis had just asked.
“Eris and I agree,” Rin said. “Only the cores, claws, and teeth are missing from the beasts. Anyone from the base would have taken the hides and at least some of the meat. There are a lot of people to feed and equip there.”
“Exactly.” Mage Eldan nodded. “Only a group traveling fast with all their supplies in their inventories would leave that kind of bounty behind. Most explorers or even guards sent out on a mission would take the time to at least skin the animals to sell the hides later. I don't have to tell you it isn't the best news that this group didn't want to stay in place for any length of time.”
“Is there any sign of which direction they went?” Incedis asked, scanning their surroundings with tension in every line of his body. “What about signs that they’re hiding nearby, possibly waiting in ambush?”
Eldan snorted. “This isn't a regular path, so there's no way they could have expected our presence here. If it weren't for Eris’ aerial view, we wouldn't have even spotted signs of the fight. They shoved the bodies out of the way into a crevice. Whoever this was, they were pretty good at cleaning up after themselves. Another night for the bodies to be cleared away by other beasts, and we’d have never known.”
“So, you're saying there is a small and deadly group operating somewhere nearby that aren't rebels?” Amil glanced at his friends, eyes full of worry. “Please tell me there's another possibility besides one of the Vanguard strike teams being out here.”
Eldan and Incedis exchanged glances before Incedis spoke. “The Purge leaders made provisions to leave a small group behind to search for Mage Graybrew and his two companions. But it’s been just over a month since then. I highly doubt they’d still be out here.”
“So, that leaves a strike team?” Pax felt sick to his stomach, imagining the damage Captain Langley could do to their small group or the rebel base if they ambushed them unawares.
“It's still possible this could be others traveling to the base like us. But we took time to skin and butcher our kills along the way.” Incedis pursed his lips before continuing. “I can't see anyone else not doing the same. A strike team, however, has a very organized and full inventory load out, with little room to spare for extra beast parts. They usually only take what they can add to their current inventory boxes, which would include the cores, teeth, and claws.”
“We can at least hope they’re only here to follow up on Graybrew and his friends and not looking for the ruins.” Pax shook his head, annoyed that Graybrew could still cause problems. “So, what's our next step?”
“What would you do if we weren't here with you?”
Pax's eyes widened in surprise.
Seeing that, Incedis let out a grim chuckle. “We're at war here, and you and your friends have already worked in the Wilds on your own. Why stop now? The more you learn about different emergency situations, the better. Now, what important things do you need to consider here?”
Pax instantly engaged his Strategist skill, the danger helping him focus quickly. “There are four plans to choose from. We could try to track this group, either to gain more information or to ambush them. Second, we could make a beeline for the base and report our findings so someone else can handle the problem. Third, we could take an indirect path to the base, doing our best not to leave a trail that anyone could follow. Fourth, we could go back to the capital or a different rebel base to avoid the problem completely.”
“We're not going back.” Amil sounded appalled that Pax would even suggest it.
“Of course we aren't.” Pax frowned. “I'm just making a list of possibilities.”
“Good.” Amil looked mollified and waved for Pax to continue.
“If the two of you weren't here, I would discuss this with my crew to make sure I'm not missing anything. But my first instinct is to take an indirect path to the base, doing our best to hide our movements and stay away from the unknown group. It's very important that we get to safety, especially with my talents. The rebellion needs me. We are still just a group of first years and don't stand a chance against a strike force. We need to inform whoever's in charge of the ruins.” Instead of waiting for Incedis' feedback, Pax turned to his friends. “Does anyone have suggestions to offer? Am I missing anything?”
“I would vote for a direct run to the base.” Kai gave them a glare, as if daring them to argue. “We are too weak to do anything else.”
The others returned his scowl.
“We can always resort to that, if we’re forced to. But we need to do our best to keep the base’s location a secret, at least before we’re in too much danger.”
Kai folded his arms, but didn’t object further. Pax looked at his friends and was glad to see they looked supportive of his plan.
After glancing at the others, Rin spoke up. “That's the best plan. I would just suggest using our companions more for both scouting and, like we just started today, covering our tracks. Eris can keep an eye out for the other group and give us advanced warning so we can avoid them. Talpa can range ahead and to the sides underground, where they won’t spot him, and do the same for closer dangers. Maybe Horrid's Scent Savant ability might even help us find the best paths around and through obstacles to get to the ruins?”
“And we stay as stealthed as possible.”
Everyone agreed with Tasar’s blunt suggestion.
Incedis nodded along with the various suggestions and finally exchanged a wry look with his friend, Eldan. “I guess they really don't need us. Our little birdies are growing up and leaving the nest.”
Eldan scoffed and shook her head. “Just because they've got decent strategic ideas doesn't mean an elite strike team couldn't squash them with their pinky fingers. It's up to you and me to make sure that doesn't happen.”
Incedis tipped his head in agreement before turning back to the kids. “She's right. We are the muscle to keep you alive if your plan doesn't get you to the ruins safely.”
They nodded back, expressions grim as the reminder of their genuine danger completely quashed the excitement of coming up with a good plan.
Mage Eldan pulled out a long wardrobe box from her inventory and stood it up on the ground. She opened the front and began rifling through various items of clothing hanging on a rod set into the top of the box.
Then she turned to them with a handful of items draped over one arm and began handing them out. “These are all stealth items that are worth more money than you've probably seen in your entire life. I want them back, but they should help you all attract less notice. Then we won’t have to explain how we let you get killed.”
Kai gulped, but took the proffered hood eagerly and pulled it on over his leather cap. The others followed his example, even Rin.
She shrugged when Pax looked at her in question. “My Mist Veil takes mana, so anything to supplement it is welcome.”
“One last addition to Pax’s plan.” Incedis held up a hand for attention. “If we encounter anything on this last stretch, the lot of you will abandon the indirect route and run for the base as fast as possible, like Kai suggested. Eldan and I will fight and lead the attackers away. Your job is to notify the leader at the base and get us help. We can probably hold our own. But if the worst happens, we’ll need help to ensure that no one lives to bring word of this base back to the capital. Understand?”
The mood was even more somber now as they gave him jerky nods of assent.
“Then let's go. Time to sneak into our new home.”
Mage Eldan grinned, looking invigorated by the new challenge. “We've got a few hours of daylight. Plenty of time to take out a few enemies along the way.”
Incedis frowned at her, but she ignored him, turning and taking the lead scouting position. She disappeared in moments, and they hurried to follow.