Advent of Eternity - Chapter 42 (Patreon)

Knell opened his eyes the following morning with a terrible cramp in his hip and a more than a few leaves stuck in his hair and clothes. He hissed, stretching his good leg out as best he could in the tree to try to relax the muscle.

“That was horrible,” Cyll said, swinging down to land on the branch beside him. “I think Stix stole the best branch for herself.”

“You chose your branch,” Stix snapped from above. “Not my fault.”

“Just get me down from here,” Knell said through clenched teeth.

Cyll grabbed him and jumped over, swinging to another branch before thudding to the ground and setting Knell down. The captain let out a relieved sigh, massaging the last of the cramp away before getting his feet out under him.

Stix alighted on the ground beside them, looking completely refreshed. “It’s been a little while since I got to sleep in the forest. That was nice.”

“No it wasn’t,” Knell and Cyll said at the same time.

“But it did accomplish what we needed,” Knell added. “I don’t believe we were spotted.”

“I kept watch for a little,” Stix said. “We weren’t. A few animals came by the area, but nothing big enough to cause problems.”

“Then let’s get moving,” Cyll said. “The faster we get out of this damned forest, the happier I’ll be.”

Stix shrugged. She took out the patch Knell had given her and stared pointedly at Cyll as she licked it. Then she turned on her heel and set off into the forest. She barely made a sound as she slipped through the leaves and ducked under the branches.

“Don’t look at me,” Knell said when Cyll glanced pointedly in his direction. “You started this.”

The two of them followed after Stix, both making considerably more noise despite their best efforts. As they pressed deeper into the forest, the trees started to thin out a little. Their trunks grew thicker, but they were farther out from each other. More light filtered in through the canopy, making it considerably easier to navigate.

“I think we’re getting close,” Stix whispered. “Maybe ten minutes out. We should be prepared for a fight.”

Knell nodded and held a finger to his lips, gesturing for Stix to continue. They crept on, redoubling their efforts to be silent.

A few minutes later, Stix’s prediction proved true. They crested a hilly section of the forest and Stix stopped moving, holding her hand out to give the others pause as well. They slipped up beside her.

Between the cracks made up from a few layers of trees, Knell could make out half a dozen tents in a circle. Several people sat around a small campfire, talking quietly. One of the tents was larger than the others, and Knell’s eyebrows furrowed as he examined it. A faint presence emanated from within it.

“The person in that tent has a Boon,” Knell whispered, waving for them to back up. They retreated back into the forest, stopping after a few minutes and kneeling amongst the foliage.

“So what do we do?” Stix asked. “There weren’t that many of them. Unless Silver Ridge was horribly protected, wouldn’t that not be enough?”

“I don’t know how well towns are protected these days,” Cyll said. “But I don’t imagine a small group would be able to take an entire one out unless they had at least a little strength.”

“We did just kill a significant portion of their forces,” Knell said. “But whoever is in that tent is going to be stronger than the others. I don’t think it’s by a huge margin since I can barely feel them, but it’ll be enough to cause some difficulty.”

“Do we retreat, then?” Stix asked.

Knell’s eyes darkened. “No. We should be able to handle this. It’ll pose as a way for us to grow stronger. We won’t be retreating from surmountable challenges.”

“So what’s the plan?” Cyll asked. “Run in there and kill everything?”

Knell suppressed a snort. “You’ll still be following Stix’s rules. You’ll obey them until everyone in this camp is dead or you fail, at which point you are to fight like our lives depend on it and forget everything else.”

Cyll suppressed a sigh and nodded. “Fine. Boring.”

“What about me?” Stix asked. “Should I try to assassinate the person in the tent?”

Knell studied Stix for a few moments. “That may not be the best move. It’s possible that person will be strong enough to survive your initial attack, which would put you at a significant disadvantage. Actually, I’ve got a different idea.”

Stix cocked her head to the side. “What is it?”

“We’ll start with you running into their camp, screaming Then...”