It was the longest night of my life crouched in that dim cellar. We listened to the sounds of scraping overhead as the Shadow Kin tore through the house looking for us.

They were agitated, hissing to each other and clicking their claws. Every once in a while I would hear a sound that made my heart stop. I kept expecting the door to fly open, for them to find us and begin pouring down into the cellar like grotesque corpses.

But the Shadow Kin never found us, and after long hours, the sounds eventually died away.

"I think," I said softly. "That we may have only survived because those things aren't very smart."

Astrid wrapped her arms around her knees.

"Do you think it's safe to go up?"

One of the other soldiers shook his head, chain mail clinking.

"I wouldn't risk it." He said. "We should wait til morning just to be safe."

I sighed and leaned back against the wooden shelves. It was far from comfortable in this cramped space and I needed a distraction. I decided to check my stats.

I had gained another level in the melee and my base stats had risen. I could hold my own in most of our recent skirmishes, and with the introduction to skills I had the potential to grow ever stronger.

Still, what was the point of strength if I couldn't protect my men? I drank from my canteen and examined my stats again.

Class: Soldier

Rank: Sergeant, 3rd Auxiliary

Level: 17

Trait: Swordsmanship

Level: Silver

Strength: 24%

Vitality: 21%

Damage: 24%

Endurance: 21%

Agility: 22%

It was a start but what I needed now was the money to upgrade my weapons and equipment.

Nobody slept, instead we remained vigilant throughout the night. The distant trill of birds was our only indication that morning had arrived.

I rose to my feet, dry blood making my trousers stiff. My leg still throbbed beneath me as I made my way to the base of the ladder.

"Wait here," I whispered. The soldiers nodded.

Astrid held her hunting knife tightly in her lap. We were all thinking the same thing. What if they were baiting us? What if they were lying in wait? The thought was chilling but I knew we couldn't afford to hide in this cellar forever. So I rolled my shoulders and began to climb.

At the top I stopped to listen for several minutes, barely daring to breathe. I could hear the gentle swish of the breeze through the house, and the occasional sound of birds or insects.

There was nothing unusual, but I didn't want to take any chances.

I pressed my palm against the door and slowly lifted it a few inches. The sun had risen and the house was completely vacant. The splintered fragments of the front door swung back and forth idly.

I threw a hand over my eyes to shield them from the sudden light. When they adjusted I shoved the trap door the rest of the way open and stepped out.

"We're alone," I called down to the others. "It's safe."

The relief in the air was palpable.

One by one the soldiers ascended the ladder.

I crossed to the door and crouched next to a pile of armor and bones that had once been a man. They had been nearly picked clean, like ribs at a summer barbecue. The thought made me feel lightheaded.

Astrid came to stand beside me. Her eyes were bloodshot, with dark circles underneath.

"We should go," she said. "We have a long march ahead of us. We'll have to take the wagon and catch up with the main body of the Army. Could take us the whole day."

I looked around at the corpses of Shadow Kin piled on top of one another. Then I set my jaw.

"Go to the barn and see if the Supply wagon made in through the night. The rest of us will harvest materials and loot."

Astrid hesitated, but when she saw the look on my face she only nodded and turned for the door. I reached for my sword only to realize it wasn't there. I cast around, kicking over the bodies of fallen enemies. Eventually, I found it still stuck in the corpse of a Shadow Kin.

I pulled it free without ceremony and examined the corpse. An initial scan told me there wasn't any high-end loot to be had - not from these types of mobs.

But there were materials to be harvested and I wouldn't let them go to waste. I sheathed my sword, pulled the hunting knife from my boot, and began the grim work.

Teeth squelched as I pulled them free from black gums. They were long, sharp, and most importantly they seemed to be made of some sort of metal. When I had collected most of them I began to skin the corpses.

Item: Fiend Hide x6

Upgrade available

I checked my inventory and saw several new open slots. I would have to store these until I could speak with the smith about those upgrades.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Almost an hour later we had completed the harvest. Most of the items were in my inventory, and I used some of the remaining water in my canteen to wash my gloves and arms free of Icor.

The wagon rolled to a stop outside and Astrid jumped down, followed by the driver. He was a portly man, bald and with drooping eyes that reminded me of a basset hound. At the sight of him, I felt a flare of unexpected anger.

He took off his hat as he stepped into the house, eyes snagging on the corpses. He gave an audible swallow and bit his lip.

"I uh, I owe you my thanks." He said.

"We had harness trouble on the road yesterday. I had it in my mind that we could stop to make some impromptu repairs and be on our way but, well…" He trailed off turning his hat in nervous hands.

"It didn't work out that way. If you hadn't come when you did I'm not sure what would have happened."

"Didn't work out that way?" My voice was flat, even to my ears. I rose and turned on him. His gaze fell to the sword in my hand.

When had I drawn my weapon? Part of my mind was blaring a warning to me, but the other was cold, tired, and angry.

"I lost good men today, men, that shouldn't have had to die on behalf of your fucking supplies."

He flickered a tongue across his lips. "I understand that-"

"Do you? Because from where I stand it looks like your poor decisions led to the death of my men."

"Will."

"What?"

"Put the sword away."

It was Astrid's voice and it took me a moment to register her words. I glanced around and saw that the men were watching me, some looking wary.

I blinked and slid my sword back into its sheath.

"Right," I said, turning.

"Gather supplies and prepare to move out. We have a long walk ahead of us, and I'd like to catch up with the Army before sundown."

"Aye Sarge," said Jorgen, and the others murmured their agreement. Astrid's eyes lingered on me as the rest of them went to pack the extra monster materials and gear.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I don't know what came over me… I wasn't…"

"Yourself?" She finished. "I know it's this place. It'll affect us all in one way or another, and it'll likely get worse the further into the bog we travel."

"Well, that's a cheery thought." I made to take a sip from my canteen and frowned when I saw it was empty.

Her lips quirked in the first smile I'd seen her give since I met her.

"Just a typical day in the Kadian Army."

***

The march back up the trail was brutal. There was only one horse left to pull the wagon, and it wasn't strong enough to carry all of us. That meant that we were forced to walk.

"I think my blisters are growing blisters," said Jorgen miserably. I knew the feeling. Being stuck in the dark and dank all night had meant our clothing hadn't had time to air out and dry.

Chaffing was quickly becoming our worst enemy. Still, we couldn't afford to remove any of the armor weighing us down, so we were forced to suffer.

Finally, after hours of moving across the terrain in haste, we heard the sounds of men and horses up ahead. Around the bend in the trail, several sentries of the 3rd came into view. It only took them a moment to recognize us.

"Ey, Will's back!" said Martin. "Kato, are you seeing this?"

"Who's Will?" said Kato. "He's been gone too long, I don't know him."

Despite my exhaustion at the past day's events, I cracked a smile.

"I didn't miss you two bastards," I told them.

One of the sentries jogged back towards the main encampment and returned moments later with Gills. The veteran surprised me by striding right past the others and hugging me.

"Thank the throne," he said. "I thought I'd sent you to your death. When we hadn't heard anything from you…"

"Yeah yeah," I said, pushing him away. "We're fine... though our merry band of fools is down two men."

"What happened?" asked Gills. "No wait, you must be starving. Eat some of Vera's cooking and then tell us your story."

Twenty minutes later I was sitting cross-legged on the ground with a bowl of venison stew in my lap. The sun was starting to go down, and those not on sentry or latrine duty had gathered around the cook fire to listen.

It started slow, but soon I found myself gaining momentum as I explained what had befallen us last night. The strange atmosphere in the air, the lightning with no sound, and then the eyes in the dark that watched us.

Everyone was listening with rapt attention. When I got to the part about Astrid shooting a Shadow Kin in the eye and saving my neck, Bjorn grinned and ruffled his sister's hair. She scowled but seemed secretly pleased.

When my bowl was empty Vera ladled more into it and I thanked her. I noticed as she passed that she ran a hand through Gills hair, lips quirking up at the edges as she gave him a sly look.

Gills watched her hips as she walked away.

I raised an eyebrow.

"So," I said. "Looks like you have a story of your own to tell."

Gills cheeks went pink and he cleared his throat. I could have sworn I heard the sound of Vera's amused chuckle.

"Shadow Kin," said Draxus from where he stood nearby, leaning against a tree. "I've heard that name before."

"What did you say they were classified as?"

"Dark Dwellers," I said. Draxus grimaced. "Sounds awfully close to demon spawn. But there haven't been demons in this land since…"

"Since the rise of the God King," finished Gills grimly. "Throne, so it wasn't an isolated incident - what you found in the tunnels that day."

I dropped my spoon in my empty bowl and set it aside.

"No," I said. "It was the same thing as before. Lord Blackthorne said it had to do with.." I glanced around the fire. The soldiers of the 3rd leaned in, and even Vera stopped stirring the stew to listen.

"Well go on," said Gills impatiently. I grimaced.

"The occult. I heard him and the Lady Inquisitor discussing it when she first arrived. The Inquisition was sent here to hunt something and it has to do with a Herald, whatever the hell that means."

The reaction was instantaneous. Kato fell off of the log he was sitting on. Gills jumped so badly that he nearly dumped his stew on the ground. Several of the soldiers had leaped to their feet to make the sign of the saint.

I blinked around at them.

"What is it?"

Gills looked pale.

"Don't talk about it," he said. "To mention it is to draw its gaze. Or at least, that's what the priests taught us. It's bad luck to mention one of...them. They are considered ill Omens, harbingers of dark times.”

"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't know."

After a moment the atmosphere seemed to relax again and conversation slowly resumed around us.

“Do you think the Inquisitor’s presence is justified then?” I asked Gills. He chewed at the nail of his thumb.

“Maybe. With the presence of Shadow Kin I’d say it makes sense. The Question is whether or not the Lady Inquisitor’s presence is also politically motivated.”

I arched a brow.

“You think the Crown wants to spy on the Army?”

“Oh most definitely. That’s the one thing I am sure of.”

One of the soldiers brought out a loot and started playing. I watched him strum at it for a while before motion caught my eye.

Glancing up I spotted several of Lord Blackthorne's Knight's making their way towards us. I wasn't the only one. Hard Stares followed the Knight and his men as they picked their way towards us.

"What is York doing here?" Muttered Draxus. "Didn't he have enough last time?"

"Wait," said Gills. "Ser Connel is with them. This could mean trouble."

Ser Connel stopped just outside the ring of firelight, flanked by a dozen of his men. He seemed immune to the hostile glares around him.

York stood at his side, arms folded across his chest and looking pleased with himself. That didn't bode well.

"Blackbriar is to come with us," said Ser Connel. He was wearing full plate and his hand rested on his sword.

"Will?" Gills stood, scowling.

"What do you want with him? He's just returned from Duty and needs rest."

Ser Connel ignored him and looked straight at me. There was a dark glint in his eyes I didn’t like.

"I was told to fetch you one way or another, boy. Give me an excuse."

Anger flared in Gills's eyes.

"By whom?" he said.

Ser Connel smiled, and it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

"By the Lady Inquisitor, of course."