When we reached the trail, I noticed the chaotic tracks of thousands of feet. Wheel tracks ran criss-cross through them, and the deep imprints of Charbull mixed with everything.
I slid off Casiron and inspected the tracks. Most were dried out, and the edge had sagged inside. I wasn't a tracker of any sort, but if I had to guess, these were old tracks. The question was: how old?
"Libdi, can you determine how old these tracks are?" I asked as I looked up at the Isirow.
Libidi emotionlessly looked at them, then slid off after me and examined the tracks. After a second, she firmly planted her boot down beside one of the foot imprints before kneeling. She carefully felt the edges, then looked up at me.
"Look at the depth. No matter the size, they are all roughly equally deep, so if we compare mine to the others, they are still almost the same depth. With the rain and wind we've had, that means they can't be more than a few days old. There's not enough sand inside either. Still, the sides are caved in, so I'd say anywhere from one day to a maximum of three," Libidi said.
I looked at the spot she was indicating, then looked at her with raised eyebrows. It wasn't too hard to understand what she said, but what surprised me was how much she had said.
"Thanks," I said as I got up. "That means there probably shouldn't be any stragglers left in the town. Let's go and see what we can find."
Libidi didn't reply, and after we climbed back on Casiron, the Dracoserp continued to carry us across the grassy ground beside the road. Still thinking about the tracks, I took a look over my shoulder. A long line of deep imprints sat in our wake, tufts of grass ripped out and deep nail marks.
Damn, I thought as I hoped nobody was trailing us. We'd be way too easy to follow like this. We'd need to find a way to cover our tracks.
Less than ten minutes later, we stopped. The wall was a few hundred feet away, and we quietly looked at the familiar sight of the entrance. The gate had been bashed down, and I could hear the flies.
I don't sense any life, Casiron said.
I hadn't expected him to, but the fact that he seemed to think he should be able to, made me think. If he could really sense living things that easily, we needed to have a chat that night.
"Let's go," I muttered.
As we moved towards the gate, I noticed that it was made of an odd wood, dull black with green growth lines. Something about it seemed familiar, and I tried to recall the things Agga had told me.
Casiron continued on, and halfway through the gate, he stopped. In front of us lay the gruesome scene of strung-up bodies, some swaying gently in the wind. Some were already slowly turning to emaciated dried-up mummies, while others were so bloated that their features were unrecognizable. A foul smell hung in the air. Breathing through my mouth didn't make it any better.
"Look around if you can find anyone," I said as I slid off.
Libidi sighed as she jumped off. Then she headed towards one of the left side streets.
"I don't think there is anyone here," Casiron said softly, and he moved up through the main one that led to the central square.
Perhaps not, I thought dully while I tried to stop looking at two small children who were strung up beside their mother.
I walked to a narrow street that led right along the wall. Thick, slick mud covered the cobblestone road, and I kept slipping. The houses around me were mostly made of stone, but I did notice some more of the odd green-lined wood of the gate.
I carefully investigated the small buildings, but halfway down the street, I knew Casiron had been right. The little food I found was molded over badly, and combined with the decomposed state of the bodies, it was apparent this had happened days before. Nobody would have stayed behind this long.
When I finally stepped onto the central square, Casiron and Libidi were already standing there. They were looking at a massive stone statue, and as soon as I saw the sharp, stern features, I recognized her.
Flowheart, I thought as I slowly walked beside the others.
Bodies were strung up all across her statue, the most horrible one a naked spread-eagled and decapitated woman strapped across Flowheart's shield. Unlike the others, her body hadn't decomposed much yet, and somehow I had the feeling she had been one of Flowhearts Primes. Her muscled frame and the plethora of scars across her body told me she had likely been an experienced fighter. Unfortunately, neither had saved her from the horrid mutilations done to her.
With effort, I managed to ignore it and inspected the rest of the statue.
I immediately saw that whoever had made it had been a master crafter, far better than I was. The details were insane, small wrinkles around the eyes and a shield and sword that seemed ready to be taken off and used. Each individual scale on her armor looked like it was handcrafted. Looking at the whole image, I knew she resembled a classic paladin more than anything else I'd seen in Kernstalion.
"This is not normal," Libidi said. Her eyes were scrunched as she gazed at the statue. "No unbeliever would dare deface a Deity's statue without the protection of another Deity. It's far too dangerous."
I didn't reply but gazed at the bodies, feeling my stomach roil as I realized what I should probably do. I'd not been able before, at least not with any ease, but it seemed I would need to use my latest skill on something else than a battle.
For a moment, I tried to convince myself that it wasn't needed, then I sighed. Although I wasn't a fan of Flowheart, if she would be part of Rathica's pantheon, it would be best if I showed myself on my best behavior. Besides..., I thought as I looked at the bodies, these people didn't deserve to be out like this.
"Casiron, can you remove those bodies from the statue?" I asked, my voice slightly gravely.
"Yes," he rumbled.
"Please," I said as I removed my backpack and put my ax on them.
Libidi turned around and gazed at Casiron, her eyes a sliver wider than before, and I saw she suddenly had one of her daggers in her hand. I was startled for a moment, then realized it had been that long since Casiron spoke in her presence.
Casiron stood on his hind legs and began slowly removing the bodies, placing them side by side, ignoring Libidi, and after a moment, she sheeted her daggers.
"Just pile them up," I said.
Casiron looked at me, and I shrugged. "You will see in a minute.
The Dracoserp sighed and put the bodies atop each other as I began stretching my fingers for what was to come.
She could have given me something simpler, I grumbled as I thought of my ax-wielding deity.
When my fingers felt ready, I pulled out the small book that held the information on my new spell. Although I knew it roughly, my memory of the first gesture wasn't perfect yet, and it wouldn't hurt to look at it again. I grumbled as I read the scrolling text on the left page, wishing I could skip it.
"My dear students, I have here another jewel to share with you! Controlled Conflagration. Unlike the name suggests, this spell was not created by a fire or sun Deity or even one of those demons from the Primal Chaos. Instead, this mental incineration spell was created by the unlikeliest of Deities. Ugapriona, she of the Forest. In an effort to guide an out-of-control species of demonic plantlife, one we will be looking at in our next session, she created a spell that could create a green fire and gifted it to her rangers. Unlike normal fire that wildly grips around, Ugapriona created something unprecedented! Her spell allowed a fire to be created from the sheer force of will of her followers, one that would burn out as soon as they stopped controlling it. Now, I know what you are all thinking! How incredibly powerful! Well, yes, it is. But only in certain situations. Although immensely powerful if wielded by a powerful mind, it has certain limits compared to normal fire. If you look at these gestures,"
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Two lines, each with eight gestures, slowly scrolled into view on the right page. Atop stood two words, left and right.
So annoying, I thought.
I had to read the entire left page just to get those bloody symbols to appear. I focused on the first right-hand gesture. Although I'd managed to learn the left and right-hand ones already, I still wasn't fluent with the right-hand one.
The gestures continued scrolling down until only the fifth ones disappeared from view, and more text appeared in its place.
"As you see, the left line is meant for your left hand and the right for your right! Not interested in granting her followers a spell they might use in combat, Ugapriona split the casting procedure so that it must be cast in tandem, thus not allowing anyone to wield a weapon simultaneously. You might have also noted that the first three symbols are infinitely less complex than what we usually learn here. This should make it apparent that the spell is far less potent than some more conventional fire spells. The benefit is that even those of you who only have a learning rate of seven should be able to learn them within a few days!"
I growled as I slammed the little booklet shut and pushed it back into the small pouch on the inside of my armor.
Only have seven, my ass, I thought as I moved towards the pile of bodies.
Still, it was a perfect spell for any Grablon. Using two hands wasn't an issue if you had four.
My gaze fell on a small puffy hand that poked out from between the stack of corpses. The fingers were clamped shut around what looked like the arm of a broken toy, and my anger vanished while my mouth turned dry.
These Nailhounds are monsters, I thought as I took a shallow breath to prevent myself from gagging from the smell.
"Step back," I muttered as I raised my top hands and began casting the spell.
I struggled with it, which made sense. I'd only had a single day to practice. I had to restart three times but finally succeeded on the fourth attempt. When my thumb touched the first digits of my middle fingers in the final cramp-inducing posture, I relaxed, knowing I'd finished.
Air sucked towards my hands in a loud whoosh, and emerald-colored flames erupted between the fingers. Although the air wrinkled with heat, all I felt was a warm glow.
Outward, I thought, trying to impose my will on the fire and.
Long tendrils of green flames shot from between my clenched fingers and lashed towards the pile of corpses. Where they touched the flesh of the bodies, the skin instantly blackened, and the few bits of cloth there burst aflame. Within moments the pile of corpses was smoldering, smoke wafting away, as green flames began hungrily licking around.
I stood in the same position, my fingers slowly cramping up. A slight weariness formed as the spell drained my energy. I continued with clenched teeth until only a large pile of dark soot was left. Then I stopped holding the final gesture, and the flames that had been hovering in front of me whisked away. My shoulders sagged slightly, and I wiped the thin sheen of sweat from my forehead.
I really need to learn the other gestures, I thought.
That would lower the energy expenditure. Still, it was great to have a spell that worked with only one gesture while becoming stronger with more gestures, even if it required two hands. If I managed the second gesture, I could use the tendrils to attack something at fifty feet away, and with the third, I could throw globs of fire. As the future prospect of lashing out with fire tendrils while slashing at things with my ax played through my mind, I grinned. As I turned around to pick up my things, I saw Libidi gaze at me with wonder.
"How did you learn that?" she asked.
"A gift from Rathica," I said with a shrug. "Why?"
"I've never seen green fire or one that moves like that," she said, looking at where I had put the booklet.
I didn't reply but moved towards my gear and retrieved everything. I could have attempted casting it with the stuff on, but the memory of the smoldering bed the day before topped me. I'd need to practice this tonight, and every night from now, until I could cast it easily.
"Are you going to burn all the bodies?" Casiron asked, his voice deep and odd, like a slowly swaying and groaning tree.
"No," I said. "But this deity will likely become an ally, and you never know when they are watching."
They aren't watching, Casiron said, cold humor in his mental voice. They only wished they were that powerful! At their level, they can't spread their presence to so many places simultaneously, and we have done nothing to warrant their attention.
Well, I thought back. You might not have.
A small trickle of interest came from Casiron, but I didn't elaborate as I walked back to him and climbed on. "Let's go to the next town. I don't expect to find any survivors, but who knows."
Libidi climbed on behind me, and a moment later, Casiron sprinted out of the other entrance of the town.
Two hours later, the sun was no more than a sliver of a red orb far on the horizon, and there was no sight of the next town yet. Most of the rolling hills around us were covered in dull green grass. Although many had gentle slopes, some were damaged, ending in steep dark brown cliffs as if someone had crushed half of them.
"Let's find a spot to stop for the night," I said as I looked around to look for a good camping spot.
Casiron slowed down to a trot.
"Over there," Libidi said as she pointed at a taller hill not too far to the left of us.
The right side had crumbled, creating a thirty or forty feet steep drop with only one way to get up. I couldn't see what was at the top, but it looked large enough for us.
"Let's check it out," I said.
Casiron sped up again, across the hill, running through the grass. At first, he crushed it below his paws, but as we continued towards the hill, the grass grew taller, first curling around his legs, then eventually coming up even past his flanks and blocking my view.
I looked around at the moving and flowing green wall and frowned. Anything could be hiding in it.
Although the grass-covered hill seemed easy to climb before, when we reached the foot, I realized this was an illusion created by the high grass. The incline was so steep that Casiron had to climb up with us holding on tightly as the grass hid us from view.
The sound of the wind dulled, and after a while the only sound was Casiron's nails as they screeched across the stone that had been hidden by the grass.
How can grass grow on stone, I thought as I looked around the dark green jungle.
I almost missed the dark smudge that sat four feet to our left, but as I focused on it, two yellow slit eyes suddenly opened, peering straight into mine. They blinked, then a black streak shot towards us at blinding speed.
"Incoming," I shouted right when a green toad-like thing slammed into casiron's side.
Long claws flashed towards me, and I struggled to bring up my ax. I felt Libidi release her hold on me, and the pressure from her body disappeared from behind me. Something sliced across my chest, and the sound of metal screeching across metal came before pain flared up from my side.
It cleared my mind instantly, and I ripped my ax from the leather strap I'd attached it to while looking to the side.
Two yellow slit eyes sitting in the middle of a flat green face stared at me from a foot away. Something that looked like a cross between a frog and a tiger was clamping onto Casiron's side, and one of the thing’s paws was reaching towards me. Wielding my ax in my two left hands, I struck towards the spot between the eyes.
A low croak came as the thing released its hold, closed its eyes, and attempted to back away. It moved fast, and I knew I'd not hit it like this. While my ax was slashing down, I released the hold with one hand and let the ax handle slide between my fingers until I reached the end. As soon as it did, I gripped it, squeezing it as hard as I could so it wouldn't slip from my grasp. The edge blade only just reached the leathery green head before it could dodge out of range, easily sliding in between the eyes with a soft wet sound. The yellow eyes widened, and the claw froze in mid-air. Green fluid gushed out of the mouth, and the frog thing turned slack and slid back, tumbling down the grass.
I looked around, breathing raggedly, and saw Libidi stand on Casiron's side at an almost impossible angle. Both her daggers were out and covered in green blood, some of which had sprayed on her face and armor.
When had she attacked? And where?
Are you alright? Casiron asked, and I could sense annoyed anger in his voice.
As soon as he spoke, I sensed a sharp, burning sensation from my waist. Putting my hand on it, I felt the wet, slick sensation I'd begun getting used to by now. Looking at my fingers showed they were glistening red, and a thin stream of blood dripped down from a gash in my tunic not covered by the wooden breastplate. I grabbed the grass within arm's reach and cast Share Lifeforce. A wave of energy surged into me, and I gasped as I felt the split flesh knit together while minor bruises healed up.
"I'm fine," I said after a moment, and I looked at the dense grass jungle behind us. There was no more sight of the frog thing.
Libidi was staring at the hand I'd cast the spell with, her blue eyes showing recognition and pain. She shivered, and the cold, uncaring look returned.
"There is a hollow a little distance away," she said, pointing towards the left.
"Do you sense any life?" I asked Casiron.
"No… but I didn't sense this one either," Casiron replied, the annoyance in his voice increasing.
"You can't sense the presence of Jounbers until they attack," Libidi said. "But they are highly territorial. We won't find anything else here."
I glanced at her, catching her sheet her daggers in a single swift motion while looking around calmly.
"You've seen these things before?" I asked as I lowered my ax.
"Yes. They live in the swamps ruled by the Troachir," Libidi said as she examined something to the side that I couldn't see.
"I'm going to check its den," she said, and before I could stop her, she jumped forward, grabbing onto the long grass and climbing away. Her nimble shape disappeared into the green foliage within moments.
"Follow her," I said and held on as Casiron began climbing sideways.