AA3 25 - Patrol I (Patreon)

The Chosen and their troops assembled at first light the next day, with Verdan and Kai joining them as they quickly ate some cold rations.

Verdan considered bringing Hedda, but she had made some inroads into locating more Witches, so it was just the two of them.

Ciaran was eager to get started, so they were given horses and split up into groups in short order once they arrived.

Padraig and three other thearns were assigned to accompany Verdan and Kai, as well as one of the trackers working with them and a local hunter.

Ciaran and Jarn took the rest of the thearns and rode north from the village, leaving Verdan to take his group south.

“We’ll follow your lead, Wizard,” Padraig said as they left the village.

“Are there any nearby areas that have had people go missing recently?” Verdan looked over to the hunter who was riding with them.

“Aye, a farmer and his wife about twenty minutes ride from here,” the hunter said, his eyes lingering on Verdan’s face for a moment before he looked away uncomfortably.

“That seems as good a place as any to start,” Kai said, sharing a concerned look with Verdan. These disappearances were a lot closer than they’d initially thought.

The local and the tracker led the way as they set off, with Padraig and Kai riding next, then Verdan and the other three thearns at the rear.

“Canfo dyn,” Verdan lifted his staff to release a wave of Aether that was invisible to the naked eye. The spell rippled out in a wide circle around them before feeding the results to Verdan a moment later.

Thankfully, the spell told Verdan that there were no Darjee in the area. With that weight off his mind, Verdan felt safe enough to turn his attention inward and leave his protection to the others and a passive shield spell he’d cast earlier.

With some time to focus elsewhere, Verdan created the concept and intent he’d need for a continual detection ward. He’d done something similar back when they first encountered the Darjee, but he intended to have this one going for a much longer period and be more active.

Verdan took his time with the spell, pausing only to cast a manual detection twice more at regular intervals, just to be safe.

“Canfo dyn gward,” Verdan’s spell fell heavily from his lips as he poured as much Aether into the three Words as he could as it formed an Aether construct around his staff.

To Verdan’s senses, the spell formed a complex knot of blue energy around the tip of his staff before flaring slightly as it sent out a detection pulse of its own.

A moment later, Verdan felt the information from the spell flow into his mind, confirming the lack of Darjee in the area.

The Aether construct had enough Aether to keep running for a few hours, which was ideal for what they needed. It also meant that Verdan could turn his attention to other things and not need to remember to cast a new spell every few minutes.

With that taken care of, Verdan turned his attention to the thick woodlands around them, which seemed common this far north.

If it weren’t for what they’d been told, Verdan could picture the area as serene and inviting, but instead, he could see how the dense woodlands and rough terrain were perfect for small raiding parties to go unnoticed.

“The farmstead is up ahead,” the hunter called out, keeping his voice low as he glanced at the woods around them uncertainly.

Kai glanced back to Verdan questioningly, which the Wizard took as his cue to speak up. “Padraig, do a sweep around the building but stay close. Kai and I will examine the interior.”

Padraig nodded, his hand resting on his axe as they came into view of the farmstead.

Their destination was pretty much exactly what Verdan had been expecting. There was a cleared section of woodland, with two small fields on the other side of the farmstead from them, as well as a livestock pen and what looked like an orchard.

It was quite the varied selection, but no doubt it had grown that way over time.

Kai’s gaze lingered on the pen, so as Padraig took the rest of the group on a patrol around the exterior, the two of them headed over for a closer look.

“No livestock,” Verdan noted as they reached the pen, which looked to have been a modest chicken farm at one point. A pair of hutches were sheltered at the rear, but they had both been broken open.

“Looks like a single large predator,” Kai said, eyeing the damage to the hutches and the scattered feathers around them.

“Something the raiders had with them, perhaps?” Verdan offered, aware this was Kai’s expertise, not his own.

“Perhaps,” Kai said after a moment. “Let’s see what lies indoors.”

They took a moment to hitch their horses outside before heading to the front of the building.

“This door was broken through,” Verdan remarked, noting the damage done to it before carefully stepping inside. “Looks like a fight happened here as well.”

The interior of the farmstead showed clear signs of a short but violent fight, with damage to the walls and several smashed decorations.

“Hmm,” Kai gave a noncommittal grunt as they moved throughout the building, examining the few things they could find as they went.

“What is it?” Verdan asked as he put down an empty jewellery box he’d found in the bedroom.

“I’m not sure quite yet,” Kai said, leaning his spear against his shoulder as he looked over the partially ransacked kitchen.

“Well, I doubt we’ll find anything else here,” Verdan said, shaking his head as he looked at the remnants of what had once been someone’s home. 

“True. The animals were attacked by something different than whatever did this. That much is clear now. The Darjee sometimes have creatures under their control, so it could be an indicator that they have some with them.”

“You don’t sound convinced of that,” Verdan remarked as they left the building and went back to their horses.

“If they had creatures with them, I would expect at least some sign of damage at the farmstead to show that. Instead, it’s solely around where the animals were kept.”

“You think they were two separate events,” Verdan stated thoughtfully. 

“I do, and I also find it odd that the valuables from the farmstead were taken. Darjee rarely take such things in my experience; they prize the people over their possessions.”

“You don’t think the Darjee are to blame?” 

“I’m not sure. At this point, I think it best that we just keep our eyes open.”

 “Agreed.” Verdan swung himself up onto his horse before following Kai out to where Padraig and the others were returning.

“No sign of recent tracks, and the area is quiet,” Padraig called out as the group was reunited.

“Alright, are there other farmsteads nearby that haven’t been attacked yet?” Verdan asked the local, gesturing for him to lead the way when he nodded. “We’ll start with them and see what we find.”

-**-

They checked two more farmsteads over the next hour or so, each one just as small and self-contained as the first. Unlike the first, however, they were untouched by what had been happening and were eager for Verdan to leave them alone.

Changing tack a little, Verdan had the hunter lead them further afield to a remote farmstead that was much bigger than the others they’d seen.

Just like the others, the families living there had seen no sign of any Darjee or anything else unusual for that matter. They were aware of the problem, though, and were taking steps to make sure their people stayed safe.

“Let’s head back,” Verdan said as they left the farm behind. “We’ll be up against the deadline as it is, so we should get moving.”

Moving into their normal formation, the local hunter took the lead and led them toward a nearby trail, which would let them move at a faster pace.

Verdan’s attention slipped slightly once they were on the trail, his mind wandering slightly to a spell he’d been designing since they left Hobson’s Point.

The threat of large numbers of Darjee and monsters under their control had prompted him to consider ways to even the odds.

Powerful spells that affected an area were a direct way to do so, but they were expensive and unsuited to multiple small engagements. 

Verdan could do a good amount more than he could have six months ago, but a more efficient way to deal with small groups would be good.

As Verdan was pondering which Words to use for the spell he wanted to test, he felt the subtle tingle of Aether at the edge of his thoughts. 

With his attention elsewhere, it took an extra moment for him to process the information from his spell.

“Disir ceis,” Verdan snapped as he conjured a dart of light into the air, feeding the information from the spell into it. “To arms, Darjee!”