Eight 5.12: First Steps

The next morning saw our first rain shower in nearly two weeks. The rain fell for about an hour, signaling the end of the clear days we’d been enjoying. The air outside smelled of damp wood and mud, and the street below was dotted with puddles. I felt it whenever people splashed through them, almost like they were stepping on my own skin.

The common room downstairs was lively, the tables having been brought together so that people could eat communally from platters of grilled sausages and bowls of stewed beans and fried onions. I knew from the smell that it was bear meat again, but people seemed to be enjoying the food.

The majority present were at least Level 5, and the dusk particularly drew my attention, their mutations standing out in the morning light. There were horns, scales or fur, and one woman even had pupils that glowed faintly purple. Nothing among her talents indicated what the effect might be, but it was cool.

The discussions around the tables almost exclusively dealt with their expeditions into the land nearby. A couple of them tried to pull Fala and me into their conversations, but we stuck to our roles, not giving anything away. From them, though, we learned that all these folks were from elsewhere. Which made sense, the residents of Bashtotwei wouldn’t need to stay at an inn.

We wished the various expeditions well in their hunts and watched them leave, the bright chatter of the meal settling into the seriousness of the work ahead.

Essel came over with a washcloth in his hands. “Just give me a moment to clean up, then we’ll go.”

###

The streets had mostly emptied by the time we left the Bloody Spear. A few people lingered—residents who made their livings inside the outpost’s walls—but everyone else had headed out.

Essel led Fala and me along the main street, avoiding the puddles with a grace that spoke of much practice. He also seemed to be a man who enjoyed his quiet, because he didn’t chatter as we walked. The one helpful bit he offered was to point out the direction of the open-air market where the expeditions sold their goods. It was just one street over. And truly, the outpost wasn’t very large, because we arrived at Grot’s Fine Goods shortly afterward.

The interior was clean and well-organized, with everything a person might need for their daily needs, including those on expedition. Funnily enough, there was also a stand of wooden badges carved with an image of the town’s main street and a giant mountain lion looming over it. There was a holed drilled into the top, so you could tie it to your armor if you wanted or even wear it like a necklace.

Fala picked up a badge to hold it against her hair, letting it hang like a bauble. “Is this walnut?” she asked.

“Looks like it to me,” I replied.

She turned the badge this way and that. “Is it pretty?”

“Not really,” I said. “Also, it’s likely to smack you in the face if you turn your head quickly.”

Fala frowned at the souvenir in her hands. “Hmm… I suppose. A feather would look better in my hair, but this is still interesting—a keepsake of this place.”

“Do we need one of Bashtotwei?” I asked.

Fala replied with a noncommittal sound. Through her thoughts, however, she sent, ‘This is the first step in our new journey together. I believe I would like a physical reminder of it.’

In the Hoarder’s Pocket, Fala kept the flint tools I’d exchanged with her back when I’d first arrived on Diaksha. None of them were likely to ever be of use, but she’d held onto them anyway, even when space in the pocket had been at a premium.

I suppose when you live for hundreds of years, you need to find ways to hold onto important memories.

Fala nodded and said, “I’m buying this.”

“Let me get it for you,” I offered.

She shook her head, though. “No, no, I want to exchange taak for it myself.”

Nearby, Essel cleared his throat. Beside him was man who could easily have been his cousin—smaller and thinner, but with similar features. I could tell from their spirits they were unrelated; they just happened to look a bit alike.

“This is the merchant Grot,” Essel said.

I clapped twice and bowed in greeting. “And I am John, a traveling merchant looking to sell precious spices in unfamiliar lands.”

Behind me, Fala moved into position as my bodyguard, and Grot’s eyes flicked from me to her and back to me again, noting the quality of our clothing and gear.

“Not just a traveling merchant,” he said, “but a successful one. I look forward to seeing your wares. I invite to our store’s back room where we might speak with some privacy.”

Essel took a satisfied breath. “With this, my task is done; Grot here can handle both your requests,” he said meaningfully.

“Oh? Is that right?” I asked, taking another look at the shopkeeper’s spirit. The man seemed confident in his competence, at least.

“This Grot can do what he says he can,” Essel replied. “He is… well connected.”

Then, with a bow, the big man took his leave, and Grot gestured for us to follow him. A door at the back of the shop led to a short hallway, where we took an immediate right into a ten-by-ten room. There were hooks along the walls and a tall table in the center, but no cushions for seating and no rug either.

The musty air made it seem like someone had stacked a bunch of hides here recently. There was also a hint of raw meat and blood in the air.

Grot must’ve heard me sniffing, because he said, “This is where people show me their goods, including those recently retrieved from their kills. Now, Essel has promised that you have something exotic for sale.”

I smiled and swung my pack onto the table. One-by-one, I removed the various small boxes of spices. The smell in the room became instantly more fragrant, and I saw how Grot’s eyes dilated as the scents hit him.

He quickly schooled his expression and then proceeded to carefully examine the boxes. “I hope you’re not looking for too much. These spices are rare indeed, but the time to transport them so far has taken a toll on their quality. Plus, the people of Bashtotwei are crude. I’ll have a hard time selling them.”

“That’s just as well,” I said. “Only a quarter is intended for Bashtotwei. The rest are meant for finer palates. To the west.”

Grot stilled as my words registered. He turned to look at me, this time more penetratingly. “Is that so? Then perhaps we can come to an arrangement.”

###

On the way back to the Bloody Spear, Fala sent, ‘I don’t trust him.’

‘He didn’t lie to us, though,’ Yuki said. ‘Not once.’

Agreed, I thought. Grot believed everything he told us.

Fala stopped to adjust the straps of her pack. ‘That’s perhaps a truth, but anyone who is a smuggler is automatically untrustworthy.’

Well, yeah, I thought. They’re already breaking the law, and that moral flexible can cut both ways. The trope of the smuggler with a heart of gold is just that… a trope.”

‘Such a good word,’ Yuki said.

Which one? I asked. Trope?

‘It is,’ Fala sent. ‘The concept is interesting.’

When I saw she’d finished with her pack, I started walking again. Either way, we’ll find out tomorrow morning. That’s when we’re supposed to meet our guides.

‘We should be ready for betrayal,’ Fala sent.

I sighed, because the truth was… It’s to be expected.

###

Later that night, we ate dinner in our room so as to minimize the potential for any complications before our departure the next day. We’d proven ourselves good guests to Essel, which was why he brought the tray up to our room himself.

The inn had apparently finally run out of bear meat, because the meal consisted of grilled duck and fire-roasted potatoes on a bed of baby greens. It was decent, actually, especially after I added a dollop of the tomato relish I’d brought from home.

The rest of the night went undisturbed. We inspected our gear, double-checked our maps and documents, and went to bed early. Then, in our dreams, we trained in our new spells.

###

A fog had rolled in overnight, presaging a damp and cold morning. Interestingly, the mist in the air counted as water, and there was such a strangeness to it—the people hurrying along the street below felt like they were hurrying through me. My distraction was so strong, I barely remember what I ate for breakfast that day—more duck, I think, shredded over a porridge. Something like that, anyway.

Afterward, we checked out of the inn and stepped outside to see the outpost blanketed in white, hushing the normally boisterous street.

Fala shot me a concerned look. “Are you going to be all right?”

“I’ll have to be, won’t I?” I answered, tracking nearly a dozen people moving in nearly a dozen different directions. It should’ve been overwhelming, but somehow wasn’t.

The combination of soul marks, talents, and path in my possession likely helped. And, to be honest, I’d spent over eight years inundated by the sensory overload provided by my spirit eyes. That practice seemed to carry over and help in this situation too.

“The fog will burn off as the day warms,” Fala said.

“I actually don’t mind this,” I said. “A brisk morning feels good for the start of a new journey.”

Fala felt a keen desire to slip her arm into mine and go strolling, but she stayed in character instead, saying, “Then let us be off. We have a meeting to make.”

The two of us tugged our cloaks around us and left the Bloody Spear behind. The western gate was closed due to the hostilities with the Maltran empire, so we headed toward the eastern one instead.

We met the same guards on the way out as when we’d entered outpost. They went through my pack, just like the time before, but there was no tax this time. We weren’t carrying any new goods from the town.

The guards wished us safe travels, and we walked east until Bashtotwei was out of view. Then, we left the road and took a southernly route back toward the outpost, circling around it while out of view of the walls until we were on other side.

Supposedly, about a mile farther down the road, there was a giant granite outcropping in the shape of a sword. It was called Judgement’s Rock and had at one point in the outpost’s history been used as an execution site for particularly heinous crimes. That was where we were supposed to meet our guide.

Visibility was terrible due to the fog, and the sensory overload became much worse out in the wilderness. Every movement of all the nearby small birds and mammals pinged against my mind. My pace slowed tremendously, so I joined my consciousness with Yuki’s, and the relief was instantaneous.

The Yuki portion of ourselves was used to tracking the qi signatures of every creature surrounding us. Once more, our prior practice helped us to adapt to a new situation.

Our Eight’s shoulders had been climbing all morning from the tension. Now, they dropped, and even Fala must’ve felt the release. She glanced our way, nodded, and picked up the pace. It wouldn’t do to be late.

###

The road curved around Judgement’s Rock on both sides, with the trees cleared in a wide circle around the outcropping. We appeared to have arrived first, though that was an illusion. Our eighth sense told of someone observing us from behind a tree about fifty paces to the north.

There was time, then, to examine the outcropping in detail—specifically to note the iron manacles attached to the granite. In the past, people had been shackled here to draw the monsters prowling the forest.

Ghosts wandered around Judgement’s Rock, a surprising number of them considering the area’s remoteness, but we knew from experience how human beings made for good bait. None of the ghosts appeared weak, and all of them carried grudges.

This wasn’t a place we would normally linger, but our guide made us wait for about fifteen minutes before he stepped out from behind his hiding place.

Melweitento the Shrewd (Human, Dawn)

Talents: Natural Outdoorsman, Engaging, Hustler, Without Limits

The man was about a half-foot taller than me and well-built. There were scars running along the left side of his head, past a shredded ear to continue down his neck and presumably onto his shoulder. Whatever damage had been done there, it left him with a slight hitch in the way he carried his spear and shield.

Melweitento’s spirit was wary, but not unreasonably so. That said, he had a smile on his face as he came closer. “There you are! I thought I might lose you in this fog. You would be John and Emma, yes?”

“That’s us,” we said. “And you are the guide arranged by the merchant Grot.”

“That I am. You may call me Melwei for the duration of our journey. And what a lucky way to start; no one else will dare to enter the woods until the fog is gone! We’ll be able to use the road for the morning, I think.”

A warbling call sounded to the south. The sound was nothing special, but we noted how a woman came into the range of our influence. Melwei barely registered the sound, yet his smiled widened in response.

“Let’s be off,” he said, leading the way. “The rest of the team is waiting farther down the road.”

The woman moved in parallel to us, then we sensed a man to the north who also followed along. We delved into Melwei’s spirit to check if these people were part of a plan to betray us, but all we saw was his confidence in the rightness of actions.

‘Mmm… I don’t believe it.’ Fala sent. ‘A betrayal is coming.’

But before we could reply, Melwei said, “To confirm, the fee is an antaak, half due now and the rest on arrival.”

“That was the agreed upon price,” we said, reaching into our pouch to withdraw the necessary coins.

Melwei took them gladly, and said, “Good, good. It’s always best to start with clarity. Now, all you have to do is follow my team’s instructions. We won’t be responsible if you run off on your own. The wilderness ahead isn’t like anywhere else you’ve been before. The dangers are much more intense. Do you understand?”

“We hear you,” we said.

“Ah, clarity is such a wonderful thing,” Melwei said.

###

Nearly a mile down the road from Judgement’s Rock, we encountered two more members of the team, a married couple apparently.

Kana the Warden (Human, Dolbec, Dawn)

Talents: Team-Oriented, Sturdy, Shield-Man, Forested

Tru the Frenzy (Human, Dolbec, Dusk)

Talents: Debauched Allegiance, Stronger than Stronger, Berserker, Skull Cracker, Simmering Rage

Like Melwei, Kana carried a spear and shield. He was typical of the other dolbecs we’d met before: about seven feet tall, broad-shouldered, and eyes curved around a squarish face.

His wife Tru was even bigger, nearly eight-feet tall, and her face and neck were covered in mottled, rocky growths. In her hands was an enormous poleaxe whose haft ended in a wicked-sharp spike.

“Here we are, all assembled.” Melwei waved to the couple ahead.

“It’s just the three of you?” Fala asked, looking past him.

“Oh no, that wouldn’t be safe at all,” Melwei replied. “We have scouts pacing us, as well. You’ll meet them later.”

“For a team of five,” Fala said, clarifying.

Melwei tilted his head. “Yes, that’s right.”

He acknowledged the people hiding to the north and south, we thought. Maybe we won’t be betrayed, after all.

Fala nodded, but we sensed the doubt she hid from others.

###

As the morning progressed, the fog lifted, and I was able to let go of my union with Yuki. It also meant that I lost track of the team’s outriders. The only signs of them now were the occasional bird calls.

Whenever he heard them, Melwei shifted our course—at first moving us off the road and then detouring to avoid obstacles, encounters, and who knew what else. There was no way to tell for sure, since Fala and I were safely nestled between our escorts.

It was strange being in that position, and I wasn’t sure I liked the feeling. It was just so, so… passive. And I couldn’t exactly relax either—the woods here were dangerous. The farther we traveled, the more powerful the light I sensed, including from creatures who I knew out-leveled me.

Then, near the end of the day, while Melwei was signing about a campsite ahead, a whistle sounded from the north. Immediately, the dolbecs ran off in that direction. Then, the scout that had been to the south shot across the road in front of us to head that way too.

It looked like she moved with Dog’s Agility, but I was able to use my camera in time.

Wilaeina the Swift (Human, Dawn)

Talents: All Terrain, Good Eyes, Adept Forager, Handy in Pinch

Only Melwei stayed with us, though he held his spear and shield at the ready, guarding to make sure nothing approached while the others were occupied.

I could tell that Fala itched to head toward the battle. Hells, I wanted to go too, but we stuck to our roles and reined back the desire.

A powerful war cry sounded in the distance, and the trees thrashed. Then there came a bellow—deep and resonant—that caused the leaves around us to tremble. The telltale crack crack crack of Spiral Pierce spells came next, and the sounds of fighting intensified.

From the herd, the Deer God brought my attention to the fact that the predators in the area were moving closer, drawn to the fighting.

Melwei made a “tsk” sound. “We’ll have to keep going now. There’ll be no rest until we put some distance between us and this place.” He glanced my way. “Are you all right to travel partly through the night?”

I nodded, though my attention was on our surroundings.

“You’re certainly holding up better than most merchants I’ve dealt with,” Melwei said. “Be ready to run as soon as the team returns.”

That took a couple more minutes. First, we saw the scouts: Willaeina from earlier, as well as…

Butrus Hollow-Head (Human, Dusk)

Talents: Hammer Time, Reinforced Physique, Resilient, Once More, Focused Rage

Then the dolbecs came dashing from between the trees, Tru had a manic grin on her face and was absolutely drenched from head-to-toe in blood. We were going to have to hose her off if we didn’t want the scent of it drawing the predators to us.

Her husband Kana ran just behind her and carried a bundle in the crook of his arm. My body recognized it as light—a healthy amount based on how I reacted to it.

Tru stopped in front of Melwei, her breath heaving. “It’s done.”

“Everyone stand back,” he answered.

Butrus came over to pull Fala and me away by a good twenty feet. I noticed he wasn’t covered in any blood. A double-take later, I realized that his eyes were all black, and the hair on his head was as stiff as metal scouring pad. “This far is good,” he said.

A moment later, Melwei cast a spell, and all the blood covering Tru explosively shot away, blasting the area behind her and leaving at an outline of her body at the center.

“Blood bath,” Butrus said. “A useful spell.”

Melwei looked Tru over to make sure he’d gotten everything, then turned to the rest of us. “Let’s go.” He began to run.

The rest of us followed after him, with the team clustering around Fala and me like we were fledglings. Then, not ten minutes later, we heard the sound of fighting behind us. Two or more of the forest’s monsters had found each other.

Were none of the others curious? No one but me looked back.

“You won’t see anything,” Wilaeina said helpfully. “Best to focus on where to put your feet next. It’ll be dark soon.”

“Right,” I said, noting to myself to not run like a hunter. I’d also have to remember to start panting soon.

###

We jogged for over an hour, the sky steadily darkening as the sun set. We were well away from the road by then, so the trees were thick around us. They forced us to take a roundabout, weaving path between them.

Wilaeina, I noticed, didn’t have any problem with moving over treacherous footing in the dark. In return, she remarked, “You must’ve invested in your Constitution. That’s rare in a merchant, and wise too. A person never knows when there’ll be a need to flee.”

“Or withstand being poisoned,” Butrus said from behind me. He’d taken up the trailing position.

“That’s a truth too,” Wilaeina said.

The mountain range that had been to our west while traveling to Bashtotwei now bent in that direction, so it was currently to the south. Up ahead, Melwei seemed to be searching for something, until we came across a particularly dense thicket. Through the middle of the trees curved a small ravine. I looked again and realized that someone at the curve’s apex could rest there while also remaining hidden from view.

“Here we are,” he said. “Our campsite for the night.”

“Good,” Tru said, her voice tense. “The pressure’s been building.”

I glanced back, but she didn’t appear injured. If anything, she seemed flushed with good health.

“Then go,” Melwei instructed. “The rest of us will set up camp.”

As the rest of us descended into the ravine, Tru instead grabbed a hold of Kana’s arm and pulled him toward the thicket, the two of them disappearing into the trees.

“What’s going on?” Fala asked.

“She’s dusk,” Butrus replied, searching for a good spot for his bedroll.

Wilaeina shot him an exasperated look. “The dolbec dusk have different ways for controlling the rage inside them. Our Tru’s path happens to be one of the stranger ones.”

“There’s nothing strange about it,” Melwei said. “What works, works. That’s enough for the likes of us.”

“I still don’t understand—” Fala started, but she was interrupted by a sound reminiscent of two whole hams being slammed together, soon accompanied by Tru’s groans. “They’re… having sex? Now?”

Wilaeina lifted an eyebrow. “Like I said, one of the stranger paths.”