The passage of Fiery Mercy, as it would be called in a few years - experienced its slowest morning in recent history.
The Envoy group woke up late, with massive headaches and some short-term memory loss.
Despite all their wishes, they couldn't just laze around for the whole day, reminiscing. Well, actually they could, but that would be a complete waste of time, and their mission wasn't based on a timeframe so if they hurried up, they would come back home earlier.
After eating breakfast, packing the camp and mounting the horses, the group crossed the burned patch of land, where the spider stood ablaze in its last moments, and rode their horses southward.
The mountain passage soon ended with a vast and beautiful view spreading before them as they stood at the edge of a cliff. The small stream, which widened as it got further south, and should now be considered a small river - fell down forming a waterfall.
The Fire Mountain's entrance, at least the one to the path leading all the way beyond it, to the north, was located on a cliff that stretched south like a shelf. Under that shelf, hidden by the falling water, was the path connecting the waterfall's top with the small lake that formed at its feet.
The mountains on both sides of the cliff were inaccessible, too steep to ascend and covered with numerous small caves - in which both mountain creatures and flying beasts lived. Those were capable of climbing even the steepest of the mountainsides, or flying to their destination - no predator that wasn't one of them could reach them in their homes.
The path under the waterfall was incredibly dangerous, not only did the inhabitants of the mountains notice the travellers and sometimes attack them, but the path itself was full of danger.
It was narrower than any of the roads they have taken to date, and the paving was slippery - falling from it was a real possibility.
Below the cliff, a wast and lush forest spread in all directions, looking like a gigantic sea of dark green trees poking the sky beneath white and grey mountains. Far in the distance, smoke rose from a town, whose highest buildings were visible from the top of the cliff.
To be safe, the Envoy's group got off their horses, and the archers were in a constant state of alert, ready to preemptively attack anything that came too close.
Walking down slowly was excruciating for Adam's legs - he was accustomed to walking and running on straight paths, after the horror of daily exercise under Max's tyranny, but walking up or down without using stairs was still something new to him.
As such, the group had to take breaks a few times while walking under the waterfall, Adam's calves were burning and he had to sit a bit to cool down and let his legs rest.
The road was unfriendly towards the already slow-walking travellers, the path was slippery and uneven, prone to making the wanderer fall - to be precise, prone to make Adam and Algier fall, the warriors had no problem with coordination.
From time to time, some eagle, harpy or other sky-bound creature took interest in the group of humans walking down the ever-empty path under the waterfall. the beast sometimes just looked at them sideways, with disapproval - but there were also situations where the observers got annoyed enough to try to take them down - and died trying.
Apart from the overgrown birds, massive goats and mountain lions also looked at Adam's group, but they attacked much, much more often - practically at every turn. Turn in a literal meaning of the word, as the p[ath twisted under the waterfall, there were places where it was levelled and had easier access to the mountainside - that's where the land-wandering beasts waited for the two mages accompanied by the warriors.
It seemed that there were no hazardous creatures inhabiting the mountainside caves, or they weren't interested in the travellers in the slightest. The Warriors took care of the beasts in a flash, dealing with the danger without a problem. They sometimes left them alone though, to let Algier release his pent-up frustration - he was always in a better humour after shredding a few corpses.
While the cliff didn't look too high from the top, the journey down took the group several hours. Surely, without Adam, the warriors and Algier would cross the same distance in a fraction of that time, but they couldn't just leave him alone, and no one wanted to take him on their back - who was he, a baby?
Eventually, the Envoys arrived at the foot of the cliff and breathed in the fresh air filled with moisture - from around the mountain lake.
Leaving the water behind, and with it the Fire Mountains, the group entered a proper forest, for the first time in over a month.
Unlike the southern forest, located north of the Fire Mountains, the wilderness in the south was greener than whiter. The temperatures here were already high enough to melt the snow and leave the green tapestry of plants to blossom.
The path connecting the pond with the nearby town looked slightly used, as if from time to time, someone had come to the mountains. Adam guessed that the small lake was a frequent destination for young people, especially lovers - as he noticed a variety of engravings etched into the trees around. From confessions, through promises to insults.
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Soon, they arrived at the gates of the town.
The settlement was surrounded by a wooden palisade - similar to Ferston. There were only two gates, one from the west, and one from the east. Each of them consisted of a big building acting as a hub and a post for the guards, with roofed positions at the top.
"Halt! Who goes there?!" The guard position on the beforementioned flanks.
"I want to meet with your lord," Algier said right off the bat, not bothering to answer the guard's question.
"Who are you?! What business do you have with Lord Smith?!" The man on the flank shouted. His expression betrayed his thoughts - he was shocked and scared of the group standing before the gate he was supposed to protect. - On their horses in full armour, and two with unusual clothes for warriors, either civilians or fabled mages, the guard's mind ran wild.
After a few bouts from each side, Algier eventually lost his patience.
"Open the damned gate before I blow it to smithereens!" Algier shouted with his head raised up, he stared right into the guard's eyes.
Partially to demonstrate his seriousness, and partially to vent some anger, the mage raised his arm and shredded a nearby tree with a torrent of twisty wind.
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The guard's imagination came to life, the man in robes was a mage. He didn't believe in someday seeing one himself, but now, one ordered him to take him to his Lord. All the fairytales and folklore stories ingrained in his mind from childhood made him turn around immediately, and jump down to open the gates - but he managed to hold himself in check.
"I will bring the Lord, please wait here," he shouted down at the group waiting before the gates.
Algier remained silent, he sat on his horse without turning his gaze from the gate - the outcome wasn't his favourite, but he accepted it nevertheless.
Soon, the doors opened and an old man surrounded by an escort came out.
Now, on a small plain outside of the town's walls, two groups stared at themselves in silence.
On one side, Algier and his subordinates sat on their horses and looked attentively at the newcomers. Their brownish-silver attires blended slightly with the conifers in the background.
On the other side, An old man in light attire, with a coat over his shoulders stood surrounded by his warriors - neither of which could brag about suitable armour. they were clad in simple, leather suits, with multiple patches and other marks of repairs.
"Who are you, oh mysterious mage... What brings you to this fallen..., nametaken town?" The old man in light attire asked, focusing all his attention on Algier - whose horse stood in the front.
"I'm Algier Windsworth - Advanced Wind Mage. I am the leader of an emissary group, and a speaker on behalf of my King, ruler of lads north of here - Derdania." Algier answered the old Lord, much more respectfully than when he talked with the guard, but still high on his horse.
"For you, this town's administrator, my King has only one message. prepare to receive our settlers in the area, or die." The wind mage spoke ominously.
The old man stepped back a bit, stunned by the message. Then he swallowed his saliva and replied:
"You can't kill me, nor either of my subjects. The Emperor will hear of our death, and he will avenge us."
"Don't test the waters, old man. Even I know that this town is meaningless for your emperor." Algier didn't believe in the Lord's words, just looking at the guards told everything one needed to know.
Another round of awkward silence ensued, broken only by loud swallowing coming from the gates.
Algier was fed up, if he didn't represent the King right now, the wind mage would probably release his pent-up emotions on the guards and the old man. Instead of that, he looked around, at the faces of his companions, green forest and those pesky townspeople. And sighed.
"We will be here tomorrow by high noon. if you don't decide by then, I will be forced to decide for you...
Don't try anything funny -we will watch the gates like buzzards searching for prey. And we will be merciless." Declaring as such, Alger turned his horse and rode some distance away.
The old Lord and his escorts returned inside the town. A loud clank could be heard, as the locals locked their doors.
Soon after, Algier orders Fenfallal and Stellmo to go with the archers to the other side of the town and kill anyone who tries to escape.
When the master warriors departed around the walls, Adam and the rest of the fighters started to prepare a camp - they were about to stay a night under the stars.
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When the stars had risen, and the moon covered the world with its warm glow, figures started to move in the restless town.
The words spread quickly, as the mouths of the townsmen acting as guards didn’t care about their Lord’s problems, as far as it didn't concern them directly. Between the wooden buildings of the poor, and famine-ridden town, rumours about their ruler’s inevitable demise circulated until nightfall.
The townsmen were certain, about which path would their governor choose. For while The Mage gave him two choices, there was only one answer - for The Empire’s citizens, especially those of noble blood.
Under the iron rule of their Emperor, any act of insubordination, or even slight misbehaviour against the empire, could be thought of as betrayal.
Betrayal was always punished by death.
Fighting with The Mage, and his more brutal companions was foolish and reckless - escaping and ‘honourably’ getting the information about Derdanian aggression was more in line with sanity and patriotism, on the other hand.
It didn't take long for Lord Smith to decide, but he still waited for an opportune moment in his chambers until nightfall, despite the numerous attempts to contact him of his lesser subordinates.
When the moon emerged from beyond the horizon, Lord Smith and his kist loyal guards escaped his manor in dark clothes, with their weapons tied tightly and wrapped in unassuming fabric.
Sneaking between the buildings most of them grew up in was easy, and no one managed to notice the noble's escape as he wandered the streets.
Getting out of the town, and into the wild forest, proved to be much harder.
The small-time noble and his aides knew, that the mage and his subordinates watch the gates, and wait impatiently to dismember the escapees. As such, the only way was over the palisade.
The warriors, despite them not being the cream of the crop, didn't have any issue with such a task and managed to cross the boundary effortlessly and without making a ruckus.
Lord Smith, on the other hand, had enough trouble for all of them.
Not only did he have issues with climbing over the wooden palisade, but he also caused much noise with his whining and his clothes tearing as he fell on the other side of the fence.
Seeing their Lord on the other side, the warriors looked around for any danger, before heading into the forest, in hopes that they hadn’t missed any observer.
The group moved slowly and as quietly as they could, they were scared and stressed, but still intelligent enough to understand that rushing the escape would only bring them disaster.
Every once in a while, they stopped and looked around while their leader recovered his strength - a noble sent to supervise a nameless, forsaken town wasn’t of high sort, both on rank and personal prowess.
Travelling this way, the group of men delved deep into the dark forest, taking twisting paths and uncharted roads, left behind by the wild fauna. They managed to cover quite a distance before a major roadblock appeared on their way.
Algiers, in his green, loose robes - stood where they headed. Staring at them with a smile on his face. His incredibly green attire and pale face were clearly visible under the moon’s light, which cast an ominous glow onto his silhouette.
“Well, well, well… Who do we have here?” He spoke, slowly moving towards the fear-struck, unmoving group.
“Weren’t you told to stay inside, think about what decision will you make? It's quite important I would say, it's not the time for leisurely strolls through the woods, you should stay inside and think. Not go out, endanger yourself.” Algier moved slowly, each step rang in the heads of the escapees, bringing their heartbeats to all-time highs.
“Oh, mister wizard… I didn't think I would see you here…… We were just about to return, the stroll had been refreshing and gave me some enlightenment, but I think it's enough for the night…” Smith dived into Algier's mocking speech, hoping that following along would alleviate the mage’s anger. He thought that Algiers would just turn a blind eye to him, and give their emperor the honour and respect he denied giving some hours ago.
But the ‘northern barbarian’ wasn't as forgiving as the noble hoped.
With each step, a whirlwind built up around Algier, raising his sleeves and hair up and throwing the half-rotten leaves around.
No one knew why, but the warriors, alongside their master, stayed in place. Their breath shallower over time, yet their heartbeat rises. They stood frozen in fear, as the wizard approached.
“I could leave you alone, let you go… Alert your oh-so-powerful Shepard, the EmPEroR.” Agier continued his monologue, mocking the crown bearer.
“We could all go home, sleep in peace and never see each other again, and maybe dream of a time when you stayed home, agreed to pledge loyalty to the King, and we're my dearest friend. We could go out drinking, hunting… We could even help each other find a woman…” Algier dreamed aloud - his mutterings calmed down the escapees a bit, in an eerie way.
“But unfortunately… We can't.” Algier was close, very close. And the wind circled him with incredible speed and swiftness.
“You just had to go out, forcing me to find you admit the trees, hunt you down, and raise your corpses for others to see. So that such a situation will never repeat…” Algier’s eyes shined with menecing light, as he looked at his trembling prey. Weak and hopeless, in the face of a predator.
Another step and Algier was face to face with Smith, his wind tearing the Lord’a garments into shreds, and cutting his skin apart.
The nobleman stumbled back, shrieking In fear while the men woke up from their stupor and rushed back in a last, desperate attempt to flee.
But it was too late, and the greenest thing around suddenly became blood-red.