When Mahon ran back to Caeda after dropping a hastily made map for the second duo of scouts, the woman was already waiting for him with a smile, ropes already tied to a nearby rock.

“Took you long enough!” She joked. “Come here. I’ll rope us together, and then we’ll cross it.”

“Is it really necessary?” Mahon answered.

He didn’t fear the slippery terrain, but he couldn’t wrap his head around why they had to cross the scree.

“Yes, and for multiple reasons. The most important ones being that we need to climb up to get a better view around. If the whole surroundings are like that, we’ll need to find an alternate way quickly. Second reason is we could detect potential ambushes from that spot, up there.” She pointed to a rocky peak just past the scree.

It towered above any other nearby hills, and Mahon couldn’t deny the clear view they would get from there.

“And if you want yet another reason. It’s good to have backup routes, even if only for scouts. Not only will we cross through the scree, but we’ll also set up a way for others to join us easily if needed. Now let’s go. We’ve wasted enough time.”

She walked immediately to the edge of the unstable rocky ground and verified one last time that everything was as it should be. She pulled on the rope that tied around her waist and linked her to Mahon with a good five meters range. The rope didn’t stop there and the two scouts were also tied to a nearby tree.

Caeda adjusted the other set of ropes passing over her shoulder and turned one last time to Mahon. “I guess you’ve never done this before?”

He did, but in Nightmare, where the laws of physics were completely different. And he didn’t have the luxury of ropes.

“Let’s say I don’t.”

She nodded back. “Then walk five meters behind me, exactly on my footprints. You need to remember exactly where I stepped, ok?”

Mahon nodded in answer, and the woman started the crossing. She carefully felt the rocks with her foot before stepping cautiously once she was sure of its support. Although she took the time to make sure she didn’t make a mistake, the rope tying them together pulled Mahon in within half a minute.

Focusing both on where he stepped and where Caeda stepped five meters ahead of him, Mahon followed behind. They continued like that for a dozen meters before the sound of rocks sliding made Mahon stop. Caeda had arrived at an unstable place and her foot had triggered a small avalanche of rocks.

The woman had immediately taken two steps back and watched unfazed as the rocks slowly stopped, and the eerie silence came back. She flashed a thumb up and smiled at Mahon reassuringly before continuing forward, going a bit higher than the avalanche initial trail.

They continued like that for long minutes before the woman stopped near a bigger rock, approximately halfway through the scree. She threw a spare rope around the rock and, after making sure of the rock’s stability, she gestured for Mahon to join her.

“So? Did you like it?” she asked once he stood at her side.

Mahon glanced at the woman who was watching him with red cheeks and a big happy smile.

“Not that much, actually.”

“Ah, that’s because you just followed. Once you know where to step, it becomes something entirely different, I assure you. Wanna learn?” She proposed with her usual enthusiasm.

Mahon looked back at the way ahead and then again at Caeda. He grinned.

“Sure.”

She beamed happily and explained to Mahon the ropes handling she was doing to make sure others could follow without fear of falling to death. She made them switch ropes and tied them together again with the new one, making Mahon the one to lead.

“Ready to go?” She asked. “I’ll walk just behind you and point to whatever you need to watch as we move forward. As I explained, if you fall, I’m gonna run back and help you to safety with the rope linking us together.”

“Yes, I understood that part. Best not to fall though, right?”

“Hahaha, yes, it’d be for the best. The ropes make sure you won’t die, but you’ll be badly scraped, that’s for sure.” She smiled widely, showing him her white teeth. “But don’t worry, since I’m here, there are very slim chances you will fall. It’s just in case, you know.”

Mahon acquiesced and started the second half of the crossing. The next minutes were even more intense than the previous ones. Mahon had to be extremely aware of the weight balance of his body, carefully testing the rock behind his feet to get a sense of their own balance. Caeda pointed to places where she thought the rock would hold more easily.

As he progressed forward, Mahon provoked two slight avalanches, but every time he had the instinct to pull back quickly enough not to get caught in. The exercise was pretty intense with the constant fear and pressure of a harsh fall, but Mahon loved this kind of training. His fighting style was not one based on control without reason. He had a great mastery of his balance and his limits. Although the domain of application was a bit different, the core competencies were still very similar.

He quickly got the hang of it, and the thrill of the adventure made him both enjoy and fear every step he made. With the help of Caeda’s guidance, they reached the rocky peak without trouble and climbed it.

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Up there, and as the woman had promised, they had a breathtaking view of their surroundings. They could see far away, and Mahon even noticed some interesting places for Ash and Zac’s picnic project.

In less than five minutes, they gathered the necessary information, found a different way downwards to a safer passage and joined back the formation. While they had explored the surroundings, the previous liaison between them and the mapping group had moved forward on a different path. Doing so, they had taken the lead, and it was now Mahon and Caeda’s job to do the liaison.

At the next intersection, they found a map from the leading duo and completed it with their own findings. Caeda then sent Mahon running back to Lamluin’s group and the map with the necessary information.

Like that, they altered their position within the scouting formation and never stopped providing information to the main convoy about the right directions. Mahon learned a lot about scouting during this exhausting day he spent mostly in the company of Caeda. The woman had never ending energy and always had something to teach. She was a perfect match with Mahon, who had an insatiable appetite for such knowledge and was in dire need of hard training to push himself further.

The job was exhausting, and they switched positions with other scouts yet again during the day, sometimes behind in the vanguard group, and other times tasked with spotting potential enemies. Caeda was incapable of staying still, and their breaks within the main convoy were barely enough to get some rest and eat a snack before she’d ask Mahon if he was ready to leave again.

With such a frantic pace, Mahon didn’t get a single occasion to talk with Jorik about the cult and his discovery during the last meeting. He spotted the First Black glancing at him knowingly a couple times, but it wasn’t until they set up a camp in a clearing high up the hills that they got a chance to talk discreetly.

The scouts had built earth tents, from dozens of earth blocks arranged with regular camping equipment in a nice defensive position. They had eaten a frugal dinner and distributed sentry duties when Jorik asked for Mahon.

“Mahon, join me in the map’s tent please.” He ordered, while moving inside himself.

The map’s tent was a tent whose only purpose was to protect the map they had drawn of the surroundings and their way there. It wasn’t just a single map, but instead multiple papers stacked together from the different scouting units with information on the nearby areas. They had started to write down on a single map some of the most important info, but otherwise, most of the information was still spread around.

Jorik held a pen to Mahon while pointing to the surrounding papers. “Let’s build the main map further while we discuss.”

They took some time to arrange the documents they needed, and the discussion only drifted once they went onto the repetitive task of copying maps properly.

“One alchemy shop reduced to ashes and a dead guard.” Jorik announced in a flat tone. “Was it worth it?”

“Death is never worth it.” Mahon sighed. “I did my best, but I couldn’t prevent this one.”

Jorik acquiesced slowly as he grabbed another map to copy from. “I’ve already read a report on the whole incident. What happened after it?”

“I passed the test. They deemed it a success. I think I also earned the respect of Belanor.”

Jorik grunted. “This man’s respect is worth shit as long as he kills innocents for a barbaric cult.”

The two men stayed silent for a few seconds, absorbed in their work, before Mahon spoke again.

“I’ve got important news, though. The cultists congratulated us and kind of forced us through a pretense of a ritual in Nightmare.”

Jorik raised an eyebrow. “In Nightmare? Why?”

“Something stupid about Fada being back and Nightmare being their legacy. The usual religious bullshit, but that’s not the important part. I got to see the head of the cult and probably all of their members.”

Jorik’s pen stood still for a second above the map while the man absorbed the information. He went back to the task just after, as if he had never stopped, and Mahon continued.

“There are exactly thirty inner members, me and the eleven other candidates included. There may be some missing, but it seemed everyone was here to welcome us in their rank. Belanor and Maïa are among the oldest members and the closest to the cult’s head.”

Mahon stopped talking the time to switch for another map before continuing.

“He goes by the name of Oncith. Doesn’t seem to be noble or allied with them. He could be a really good liar and actor, but it doesn’t feel like it. But there is more. The Fada cult is built upon a book about Fada that Oncith swears by with each single sentence. The book was brought to him by a mysterious backer. I saw the man, but he never spoke and was hidden behind fully concealing black clothes. He has a dangerous bodyguard following around.”

Jorik raised his head and focused on the conversation, forcing Mahon to stop what he was doing as well.

“A noble, then?”

“Most certainly. Zac mentioned how such books were exclusively nobles property since Nightmare. Also, the fact that this book very timely accuses nobles and appears by magic from an unknown man with a strong bodyguard is more than enough to confirm your hypothesis. The Fada cult is backed up by a noble family.”

Jorik acquiesced pensively. “Can you describe the book about the Fada?”

“It’s supposed to be a journal from one of the Fada, explaining how they met the first humans and so on. It’s full of enough loopholes and mysteries to convince anyone the nobles are hiding important things from the commoners and incite a revolution.”

“Never heard of such a book before. There is nothing left from the Fada but legends, even in our oldest archives. They probably made it up entirely. You didn’t spot anything that could indicate a specific family?”

“No. The backer was too hidden. There could be more hints available with the bodyguard. Young, beautiful, blonde, a meter seventy. Two swords at the hips and eyes without a single hint of empathy within. One could think she was dead inside.”

Jorik took some time to think before answering. “It doesn’t match any person I know. I will investigate it. And about the backer, you don’t think you’ll be able to get any clue?”

“Difficult to say, but it seems unlikely. He didn’t talk and stayed covered behind his clothes. He’s clearly hiding something, but I don’t think I can learn much quickly without busting my own cover.”

“Ok. Thanks, you did a great job.” Jorik finally said.

“What’s the next part now? Give me a few men, and we could probably destroy them all in one sweep move at the next meeting.”

Jorik shook his head. “I need a piece of evidence about the backer’s origin. About which family he comes from.”

“We can capture him, and you’ll find it fast enough.” Mahon suggested.

“It will not work. The noble family will deny everything he said. And he probably will kill himself if caught. No, I’m afraid we need to wait a bit. I will dig into the bodyguard identity. It’s a good lead.”

“And how long will it take?” Mahon asked in a tone that came harsher than he thought. “How many more people will die in the meantime? And for what? A small advantage in your quarrel against other noble families? I didn’t become a warrior to watch people die while nobles played their little game. I didn’t infiltrate the cult to stay idle on the sideline. I’m here to stop this madness, and I don’t care what you want. I’ll end the cult before they try to kill another innocent.”