“So what the hell do we think happened?” Sephy asked as they turned away from the remaining crew of the Siltskimmer, who waved them a nervous farewell as they crossed the dirt bridge towards the untamed wilderness ahead.
The group had given the River Giants a brief rundown of what they had discovered as they were scouring the outpost for materials, having already quickly looted what they could beforehand. They didn’t get much of a haul at all, with Chiyo theorising that most valuables the employees had would likely be kept in holding while they were deployed. Despite this, they were able to ‘liberate’ a few credsticks from some drawers, likely accidentally brought over by workers who couldn’t spend them, unless they were used for light gambling. There were also some small bags of various drugs which Alora grudgingly packed away to later sell, and some basic sentimental items that could be sold at a pawn shop, but Sephy had found something a little better...
Curiously, Jack had a hard time finding clothes he could put on over his armour after his previous outfit got destroyed in the fight with The Redeemer, no matter how many cupboards and drawers he checked. It was only when Sephy started checking underneath the mattresses in the barracks that she discovered a few Corvin Enterprise uniforms hidden between the bedframes, though unfortunately none of them were appropriate for Jack’s size and build. When questioned about the uniforms, the Skritta had argued that they’d be worth something to anyone needing to disguise themselves as Corvin Employees, and got Jack to tightly pack the clothes in a ‘Ranger Roll’ so they didn’t take much room in the backpacks.
“While it is a possibility the outpost was abandoned…” Alora began unsurely. “It doesn’t corroborate with what our client told us. He said he tried to contact this place and didn’t receive anything.”
There is definitely some foul play involved here. Chiyo closed her eyes for a moment, in deep thought. Though everything is strange. There were no signs of a struggle, and no bodies either.
“Yeah.” Nika nodded in agreement. “But we had a busted boat, generator and communication suite too. I think we can all agree that was all the result of some kind of sabotage.”
Heads around all nodded. Even Dante seemed to make a show of agreeing with the Kizun.
“But for what reason?” Jack asked rhetorically. “Anyone see any tracks?”
“Unfortunately not.” Nika shook her head. “The bare ground here is dry and cracked, though it doesn’t mean our missing staff didn’t come this way.”
“Or anything else.” Sephy shuddered.
“Hey, Dante? I don’t suppose you have a scent you could follow?” Jack asked the ‘dog’, who for their part simply looked up at the human and cocked his head with a quiet whine.
“If we can’t find anything right now, let’s stick to the mission,” Alora interjected. “We need to get to the shrine or as close as we can before dark.”
“How far was it again?” Jack asked.
We calculated it would be about 47 miles to get to the shrine, Chiyo confirmed with a sigh, clearly having not looked forward to this bit of the journey.
“Well, we’d better make a start then!” Nika grinned, as she gently shoved her friends to get them moving. “There’s a slight hill up ahead, let’s start by getting to the top of that and taking a look at what we’re working with.”
“Woof!” Dante agreed with a bark, happy to be in front.
Really? You want us to start with a hill? Chiyo grumbled, though only slightly as she knew it was the wisest first move.
“It’s hardly the worst thing we could be dealing with.” Alora chuckled, as the group settled into a steady pace, heading inland by following a faintly trodden path through the overgrown meadow towards a line of trees up ahead.
“Well, it’s about time we got something good.” Sephy smiled slightly, pointing ahead of them. “And if I’m not mistaken we might have found it! Check it out!”
At the end of the trodden path was a pair of moderately-sized trees with spiny branches and greenish-blue, lemon-shaped fruit. A few had fallen to the ground to spoil, and Jack could see a few more that had probably been pecked at by birds.
“Huh. Anyone know what they are?” He asked curiously. Though they had packed food for the journey, it was still practical to use what was potentially at hand rather than digging into reserves.
I’m pretty sure they’re kasavo, Chiyo told them. It would make sense for there to be a path if people from the outpost came here to pick these.
“Not poisonous? Nothing bad if we eat them?” Jack asked, knowing it was unlikely, but knowing it was best to be sure.
Chiyo smirked and picked one off a branch, sinking her teeth into the fruit and picking out the stone in the centre. All good!
Jack tried one, biting it cautiously, before his eyes widened at the taste, some kind of mix between refreshing mint, sweet plum and soft banana. “Oh shit, that's pretty good!”
“Better pocket what you can then!” Alora told them. “They’ll definitely keep your energy levels up! And keep the stones, I might try to grow them or give them to Rayle.”
“Damn, I missed fresh fruit…” Nika sighed to herself as she ate another kasavo. “Pain in the ass to get in the city unless you’re friends with a Greenwarden or have deep pockets. So much better than that synthesised crap you buy in the store.”
“Yeah,” Sephy agreed. “Sometimes you don’t know what you’ve been missing until you experience it.”
“Well, this was a good find,” Alora told them, “but we’re not sticking around, let’s go.”
Climbing the hill was a relatively simple affair for all of them, as it was a gentle slope with no loose stones or gnarled tree roots to mess with their footing, simply tall grasses and wildflowers with a few conifers shooting out of the ground. It was a beautiful sight of nature, and the group barely noticed when they had reached the top of the hill in good time.
“Alright, we’re here.” Alora sighed, leading the group to a solitary large rock where she sat down and took a sip of water. “Let’s see what’s around and hope it’ll make sense on the maps we’ve got.”
At a glance, it looks like mostly flat ground. Chiyo observed, as they looked down at the wild, untamed expanse before them. It matches the contours on the map.
“Makes sense if this used to be farmland,” Jack added before pointing at a relatively straight row of bushes and trees close to the hill. “And look, over there look like a hedge to me, probably a remnant of a farm, with anything in between being one-time farmer’s fields.”
“If we follow the hedgerows there’ll probably be gates between the fields, or at least a gap where one was.” Nika shrugged as she put together her sniper rifle, talking from experience. “Depending on how inhabited this place once was there may even be a road. Probably is, if the Corvin Outpost had the capacity for a large amount of goods.”
“Well, if you see it, that’ll be great.” Alora nodded before sighing. “We could have done with bringing some good binoculars instead of relying on scopes.”
Isn’t hindsight wonderful? Chiyo quipped with a smirk. But the scopes are still fine for our needs.
“Hey guys, do you want me to get a drone out?” Sephy asked as she looked up from where she was aiming down her rifle.
“Hmm.” Nika pondered from where she was taking notes on what she could see. “It could give us an edge while we’re navigating out in the open, but it could draw attention to ourselves. There’s definitely a threat out there, and we have no idea what it is.”
“All the more reason to have it up,” Jack argued. “The overwatch is too good, and though it could draw attention to us, it could also give us some warning when we get it.”
Would it even be that easy to spot? Chiyo pointed out. Impossible during the night but even in daytime it might be hard to see.
“Sephy, do one drone, preferably one harder to spot.” Alora nodded to the Skritta.
“Sure!” Sephy grinned, reaching into one of her leg pockets and pulling out a black device the size of a smartphone. Jack almost assumed it was one until Sephy began unfolding the separate arms of the mini quadcopter and interfacing with something unseen, before the drone quietly flared to life and hovered in front of her, awaiting commands. “This is my smallest one I normally use in the city, but it’ll do here. I’ve only got a basic camera on this one but it’s better than nothing.”
“How many drones do you even have?” Jack asked curiously.
“On me right now? Three, including this one.” Sephy smirked.
“That should be fine, Sephy,” Alora interrupted. “Send it up!”
The drone buzzed slightly as it rapidly gained elevation, hovering above them as a small black mass, looking like a bird frozen in time as it remained in position.
“Everyone should be able to access the camera feed on their commlink,” Sephy added. “Should be handy for working out where to go.”
“Excellent.” Alora smiled. “Nika, Jack. Have you spotted anything? Landmarks perhaps?”
“Might have a few remnants of buildings in the far distance,” Jack noted, looking through his scope. “I can’t tell much from it, it looks mostly run down but I think I can see a stone structure, like an old watchtower or something up ahead.”
“Marked.” Sephy nodded to Alora, placing a ‘pin’ on their virtual map as she scanned from the skies with her drone.
“Do you guys see that massive tree in the distance?” Nika asked, and everyone else followed the direction she was pointing with her gun. To Jack it looked like a solitary, ancient oak tree standing alone in the middle of a distant field, its massive trunk and sprawling branches a stark contrast to the open land surrounding it. “Sort of towards where we’re heading, but we want to stay to the left side of it. Good natural landmark to keep an eye on while we move, it’s kinda hard to miss.”
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Do we see anything else? Chiyo asked, and the group took a good look around to look for anything of interest. Nothing else particularly stood out to them from where they were, simply gazing out at the sweeping, expansive wilderness below them, long untamed.
“Aside from nature and the quiet desolation, not really.” Alora shook her head. “But at least we don’t see any hostiles.” She smiled, trying to reassure the group.
“But that doesn’t mean they’re not there,” Nika warned grimly. “Keep your guard up.”
“Woof!” Dante agreed.
“Can’t blame a girl for trying to lighten the mood.” Alora sighed. “Let’s head down, but be careful. We’ll aim for the stone tower in the distance.”
Leading the way, they found the descent much more difficult than the climb up as they navigated the unstable ground and thorny bushes without incident, before the terrain began to level out once again into the wild, overgrown fields that stretched out before them.
“Damn, this tall grass is going to be a pain,” Jack cursed as he hopped on his toes to get a better look around. “Hope we don’t run into any wild pokemon!”
Pardon? I haven’t heard of poke-oh… Chiyo sighed, being reminded of Jack’s tendency to reference things nobody knew about apart from him.
“At least the grass isn’t taller than us.” Nika shrugged, as she brought her gun up at the ready. “Still, it’s best to follow the hedge line, we can always force our way through it if we need to.”
As the group headed along the hedgerow, Jack could feel the air around them filled with the scent of earth, with the occasional sweet aroma of wildflowers. Insects of bright gold and red buzzed around them without a care, and he thought he saw tiny furry critters rustling through the underbrush out of the corner of his eye, barely visible as they scurried away, though he never got a good look at any of them.
They kept the chatter to a minimum, listening and observing their surroundings as they walked in a loose line, but so far there was nothing out of the ordinary. Nika pointed out a few subtle signs that indicated old pathways or crumbled thoroughfares as she led the way, and soon their initial trepidation faded as they settled into their momentum, birds chirping overhead as they trod a clear path through the dense vegetation.
As they hiked through the countryside, they passed a few minor points of interest. In the middle of one of the fields they found an old, dry well marked by a ring of crumbled moss-covered stones, which Chiyo advised they did not drink from, not that they needed to. Nearby they found the remains of an ancient wooden handcart, long reclaimed by nature, a stark reminder of the land’s past.
Eventually they made it out of the old fields without incident. The stone structure Jack had spotted on the hill was now much more visible to them, peaking just above the treeline in the distance, and they used it to periodically check their bearings to ensure they stayed on course as they encountered knee-high patches of tangled weeds that slowed them down, and thorny brambles that tore at their clothing, though fortunately their armour kept them from spiking themselves from the barbs.
“What we really need is an old dirt road we can walk down.” Alora sighed as Jack pushed a hole through another hedge. “We are on a time limit after all.”
“It’s an obvious place for an ambush,” Nika pointed out. “But I agree. Sadly we haven’t found one yet, but we might find one eventually. We’re fine on time though. It’s finding a good spot to camp for the night I’m worried about!”
There was a small stream on the maps we got, Chiyo reasoned. That would be easier to find no? Listen for water and be aware of where the ground is at its lowest.
“Maybe it’ll be easier going later, but I think we’ve just got to tough it out for now.” Jack shrugged. “Let’s just get to that watchtower then we can work out our next move.”
“Yeah we’ve got a path ahead.” Sephy nodded in agreement. “I can see a way through on the drone. Suck it up people!”
The group eventually picked up the pace as they got used to the winding path they needed to take through the former fields, before eventually the hazardous hedges grew more sparse, as the fields began to open up into wild, sparse plains with brown grasses that stretched out for a few miles around them, though they did occasionally still see signs of habitation once in a while.
“This was probably once set aside for livestock.” Nika theorised as they passed a cairn of stones that once made up a long wall.
“I guess they decided not to hang around,” Jack quipped, looking around and spotting nothing.
That’s a good point. Chiyo ‘spoke’ up, thinking about something. We’ve heard insects or birds but no animals to speak of.
“That doesn’t mean they’re not around, Chiyo,” Alora reasoned. “Many would have heard us a mile away and are probably hiding. And even if that’s not the case, we haven’t been here for that long.”
“Why? Want to bring one back with us, Chiyo?” Sephy grinned.
Gods no! The Ilithii scoffed. The ones we have are too much as it is!
Dante let out a little whine next to her.
Oh don’t you start! Chiyo looked at the ‘dog’, but couldn’t help but let slip a slight smile, and eventually gave him a playful scratch behind the ears.
They crossed the prairie without incident, though everyone was on edge about being in the open and potentially being spotted. They eventually breathed a collective sigh of relief as they reached a moderate copse of trees dominated by the huge oak-like tree that Nika had spotted while on the hill. Though it slightly deviated from their route, it was agreed that it was safer to take a break there than in the open.
They knew that as well as serving as a way station for river traffic, the Corvin Enterprises outpost they had landed at had facilities to cater for potential nomads, hermits or smaller communities in the area wishing to trade, but so far they had seen no sign of their existence.
“You seem particularly fascinated by that tree, Alora,” Jack quipped, watching the Eladrie place a palm against the tree while he and the others had drinks and ate a few sweets Sephy had ‘liberated’ from the Corvin shuttle ride to keep them going.
“It must have been here for so long…” Alora spoke as if in awe, before turning back to them. “I was just checking for signs of magic out of curiosity. This copse was probably planted and blessed by a passing druid at some point in the past.”
“So this is the kind of thing druids do when bored?” Sephy rolled her eyes. “Sounds kinda lame to me. Are we good to go?”
“Yep.” Everyone agreed.
“Well that tower looks fucked,” Nika pointed out to the rest of the group about twenty minutes later as they continued across the rolling plains to a set of collapsed buildings surrounded by a few more hedges that was likely a small hamlet or farm in the past.
That’s because it isn’t a tower, Chiyo observed as they finally got to the stone building, getting a better look at the weathered structure. It’s a silo, probably for grain or something.
“Oh, my bad,” Jack apologised, having been the one to spot it. “I never realised.”
“No apology needed.” Nika chuckled. “It’s not like any of us could have known at that distance either.”
“It’s all good, I reckon I can climb that.” Sephy shrugged. “Or maybe you can toss me in the air again, Jack, and I can land on top of the thing!”
“I swear ‘Sephy Tossing’ is becoming your favourite sport at this point.” Alora chuckled as Sephy moved to climb up onto Jack’s interlocked palms.
But not before they all heard something in the distance, like some kind of whooshing sound that caused them to snap their heads around.
Shit! Hide! Chiyo warned, spurring them into action as a group of three large flying objects broke over the horizon and headed in their direction.
“In the silo!” Alora ordered, and Jack and Sephy immediately vaulted the lowest point of the collapsed silo and crouched down in the shadows, quickly followed by the others as the Eladrie cast a quick spell to bend the light around them to blend them into the background.
Everyone waited in silence as the sounds of great flapping wingbeats drew closer, before quickly flying over them in a huge gust of wind. Nobody made a sound for several seconds as the sounds faded off into the distance once more.
“Fucking Plague Drakes!” Nika cursed. “More of them!”
They were likely on patrol, Chiyo reasoned. Though why here of all places is beyond me. We could have taken them, but it’s best not to attract any undue attention.
“Agreed.” Alora nodded, letting out a long breath. “Let’s wait for a little bit longer to make sure they don’t circle back around, and then let’s go. We have a few more hours until the nightcycle starts.”
“So is this place Blighttooth’s territory?” Jack asked, trying to work out what the situation was.
“No.” Nika shook her head. “Corvin Enterprises wouldn’t have settled anywhere near here if it was, though he could have moved. If he did, something would have picked him up and people would know about it. I reckon those Plague Drakes were scouts, maybe to investigate this place.”
And don’t forget that the Zorn we faced seemed to be running away from something, even when backed up by Plague Drakes, Chiyo added. Whatever is going on, I don’t think it’s them.
“So it’s something else.” Jack nodded, before sighing. “But what?”
“That’s the question.” Alora nodded. “Let’s make sure we can handle the answer.”
“Jack?” Sephy asked the human, indicating the top of the silo.
“Sure.” Jack grinned, as he prepared to yeet the Skritta into the air once again…
After Sephy had confirmed there were yet more fields with the terrain looking more treacherous, the group quickly fanned out to check the nearby collapsed buildings for about a minute, finding nothing of significance amongst the rubble before deciding to quickly move on.
“We’ve made it a good quarter of the way distance-wise,” Nika informed the others. “But it only gets trickier from here. Still, we’ve got to make as much distance as we can before we need to camp.
Fortunately they found the remnants of what looked to Jack like a deer trail leading away from the old silo, which made for easy travel as they got back to hiking, putting some miles between them and the silo, the air around them growing cooler as they found themselves wading through thicker vegetation once again.
“Sephy, I take it there isn’t a better path around this?” Alora asked.
“Sorry, doesn’t look like it.” The Skritta shook her head. “This is the most direct route, and I couldn’t see anything better from the silo. Weren’t any real landmarks to work with either.”
“Better tough it out then.” Jack sighed as he led the way, the once-flat farmland giving way to rolling hills and rocky outcrops which did slow them down.
Despite this, they maintained a steady pace, navigating the uneven ground with care. The tall grass that had been brushing their ankles became sparser, as it was replaced by thick, hardy shrubs cropping out of the ground and patches of bare earth. Occasional clusters of jagged rocks protruded from the soil, and Jack cursed more than once as he rolled his ankles.
He began to feel the cold too. While the others had a few layers of clothes over their armour, his tacticool outfit had been completely destroyed, and as such he only had the battleskin undersuit with heavy armour on top. Great in a fight, but Jack found it hard to keep warm, and already began to feel the onset of a cold coming on as the plains became increasingly hilly with steeper inclines and descents.
We’re going to need to think about where we want to stop soon, Chiyo spoke up. We’ll need to be concealed above all else.
“The crook of one of these hills might have to be it…” Jack began, before suddenly, a chilling, otherworldly sound echoed across the plains. It was like a shrill, piercing wail that seemed to come from all directions at once, and sent shivers down their spines.
“What the fuck was that?” Sephy asked, drawing her plasma rifle.
“I don’t know,” Alora whispered back. “We should move.”
They carried on in silence, senses on alert with only the rustle of the wind for company, until about ten minutes later, the eerie, bone-chilling scream shot out all around them.
Dante growled, looking all around them with his teeth bared, but unable to focus on any one point. Everyone else scanned the area for anything, only seeing hardy brown grasses that went up to their knees, and a few thick shrubs…
“There’s nothing around…” Jack spoke slowly, raising his hands in warning, stopping the others. “But.,.”
Jack wasn’t able to finish that thought, as suddenly one of the bushes nearby moved, revealing an emaciated sickly-yellow being, a Zorn, who quickly brought what looked like a clump of bone to his lips, before blowing as loudly as he could, blasting that same, deathly wail.
“BWAAAAAAAAA!” A new noise yelled out in a battle cry.
And all around them, the battle cries of many more Zorn followed it…