Chapter 25

  Travelers of numerous roads

  Whether virtue or vice, taverns remained a profitable and accessible meeting point for those of every adventurous vocation. Even with uproar over the growing rumors of the missing prince, and the recent disaster of Liniva, taverns around Myrrh were bustling with activity. Rex threw back his head and drank down another full flagon in one go, slapping it to the table alongside the other three emptied mugs. His face flushed red, he let out a pleased sigh, “That’s me!” He said to everyone nearby, “Rex the Guzzler!” A few people in the tavern cheered.

  “Oh grow up.” Fara said, from a nearby table where she sat cross-legged next to a tall hooded man carrying a longbow on his back.

  Rex looked over with a wide grin and stumbled over to sit down. The seat quaked under the combined weight of his muscles and ebony armor. “Gotta be four drinks in to deal with him.” He said, thrusting a thumb at the hooded man.

  “If you seriously intend to get drunk at every tavern,” The hooded ranger said with contempt, “We’ll never find the bounty target. And you’ll end up spending all of your precious savings.”

  The thought of losing money sobered Rex, “Fine. I found out that a man that matches the description on the poster was seen heading into the Mountains last week.”

  “Which mountains?” Fara asked, still looking displeased.

  “The Drakmor Mountains.” Rex said. The ranger groaned and Fara sighed.

  “We can’t find him in there.” Fara complained. “There are too many paths he could have gone.”

  “We don’t have to.” Rex said. “The only reason to go into those mountains is to go to the other side. We can go around and cut him off in Cryston.” He clenched his fist, “It’s foolproof.”

  “It’s foolish.” The Ranger said. “There are dozens of passes into and out of those mountains.”

  “I heard that too.” Rex said. “But it turns out that only the experienced locals know how to navigate those passes. For someone on the run, there’s only Nita, and Daevelm. Those are the two main cities with easy to access passes into and out of the mountains.”

  “I’m impressed.” Fara said, “You’re actually taking this seriously.”

  “Call me Rex Tactical.” Rex said, grinning.

  “Now we just need to get around all of the Drakmor Mountains before they get through them.” The hooded ranger said, lowering his hood to take a drink of his beer. His long tan leporid ears flopped to the side of his face. He put his hood up to hide his feral features after finishing the drink.

  “For that, I have a plan.” Fara said. “Rex, Evan, be ready in an hour.”

  “Got it.” Evan said, rising.

  Rex rose as well, grabbing his jet black helmet from the table. “Geheheh... Wait, are we leaving the horses I got?” He asked.

  “Yep.” Fara said. “Go get packed.”

  “Darnit.” He stocked out of the tavern, everyone parting before his gleaming black full plate as he strode past.

  Hyato was the first to wake. He left the protected area of Sebastian’s camp spell and checked around. The morning after the storm left the ground moist where there was soil, but the skies were clear. The morning light had already brought an end to the darkness of the night. Hyato took up his sword and began to train.

  After everyone had woken up, the party left the camp and made their way onto the mountain roads. Yan chose a stone path to lead them along, “This way boys.”

  “Why not that softer looking dirt road?” Wolf asked.

  “Mien is still tracking Michael, and we ditched them, but he is one of the best trackers in the realm apparently.” Yan said. “We leave less tracks on this sort of path.”

  “I suppose.” Wolf said, scratching at the bandage on his side.

  “Stop scratching!” Yan scolded, “Or Sebastian’s work will go to waste.”

  “But it itches!” Wolf complained.

  Sebastian placed a hand on the Phanokai’s shoulder. “You want to recover soon, so leave the wounds alone.”

  Wolf sighed and crossed his arms, eyeing Michael. “He doesn’t have to wear stupid bandages.”

  Michael was leading the group ahead of the others, his clothes were still stained with blood, but he looked otherwise unharmed. “Some people, like Michael,” Sebastian said, “Heal faster than others.”

  “I’ll be fighting fit in no time, you’ll see.” Wolf said.

  The party continued to travel through the mountains, taking the paths that Yan chose. Their progress was much faster than the previous days, as they no longer needed to stop and search for tracks to keep going. The mountains shifted from barren rocky peaks with spotty patches of forest and brush. Instead, they were traveling into aged peaks where grass and trees flourished. The grey landscaped had been transformed into seas of green, with hardy pine trees and thickets of bamboo amongst grassy stone paths.

  As they stopped for lunch, Wolf examined a set of weapons he had taken from some bandits. A pair of metal clubs, he scratched at the metal plating on them. “I thought I saw you using an Axe and a Mace,” Sebastian commented.

  “Before that, he had two axes.” Michael said, “You said it was training. What was that again?”

  “Special training, yeah. The type to make you much stronger at your chosen weapon.” Wolf grinned at the others, who all gathered to listen. “A.F.W.T. Alternative Focus Weapon Training.” Wolf said.

  Sebastian rubbed his chin, “Haven’t heard of that one.”

  “Really?” Wolf said. “Well anyways, I’m undergoing it to get better at my main weapon style, twin swords.”

  “How does using axes and clubs improve your swordplay?” Hyato asked.

  “Not swordplay, but close enough.” Wolf said. “It's a way to overcome your prejudiced limits. I stop using my swords, and instead use other weapons like they are swords. You start with something similar at first. I used Daggers, then Rapiers.”

  “Those are similar enough to swords.” Yan said, “Should be easy.”

  “They are just different enough that the usual moves don't work the same. The trick is that you don't adapt to the new weapons, you have to fight using them like your original weapons. It's hard, axes were pretty tough, but they have a chopping edge. These clubs will be even harder.”

  “So, what’s the point?” Michael asked.

  “The point.” Wolf said, putting the clubs aside, “Is that when I am finished I will have figured out how to use almost anything in my style, and when I return to my main weapons I will have gained new insight on how to use them.” He grinned, “I’ll get better.”

  “Well.” Hyato said, summoning water to clean his bowl, “I’ll pass. Sounds like a great deal of effort, I’ll just get better through my swordplay.”

  “Yeah, about that.” Wolf said. “You were pretty exceptional last night, when you were flying around cutting apart those Zori.”

  “Okay.” Hyato said.

  “Yeah, and you were wearing your coat normally.” Yan said. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

  Hyato adjusted the bunched up coat on his shoulders. “Not that big of a deal, it’s a coat. We should get moving, don’t we have to get to Cryston?” Hyato packed his gear and returned to the road.

  “Touchy much?” Yan asked. “But he’s right. It’s still a long way to go, and I don’t want to linger in these valleys for too long. We can make great time if we keep moving.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Bah.” Sebastian complained, “I was hoping to rest my feet longer. I can’t keep up with you four.”

  “Well, if you can’t walk anymore.” Wolf said, “I could carry you.”

  Sebastian shivered. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Wolf laughed, and the party packed up to continue ahead.

  A red light shone from Pierre’s pack, catching Kris’ attention. The machine pack began to whirr and buzz, bouncing about a bit amongst the pile of gear. She set down the ration she was eating and looked over to the guys. “Mien, Pierre. That machine is doing something.”

  Pierre hurried over, while Mien finished off his trail ration. The man seemed lost in thought again. “Mien.” Kris said. “Mien!” Mien looked over, and then joined the others.

  “New information?” Mien asked.

  “Well...” Pierre said, looking at the paper his machine had printed. “Kind of.” He passed the paper to Mien. It was a letter, addressed to him.

  “Well this can’t be good.” Mien said, reading the letter.

  Kris and Pierre waited for a few minutes, then Kris tapped her foot on the ground, “Well? What does it say?”

  “I’ve been summoned back to the capital.” Mien says. “New information about my missing brother that they want me to see. Possible tracks.”

  “So, we are calling off the search for Michael?” Kris asked, frowning.

  “Suspending it,” Mien says. “We need to head back, and fast.”

  “It’s going to be a long few days.” Pierre said. “Not looking forward to that hike.” He bent down to dust off and pack up his machine.

  “Hey...” Mien said, “Pierre. Can that thing send messages?”

  “Yeah, of course.” Pierre said. “Why?”

  “I’d like to send a message. Show me how to use it.” Mien said.

  Pierre looked at the machine and then at Mien. “You mean, right now?”

  “Yes.” Mien said. “Show me how and I will send a message. In the meantime, feel free to relax or eat or train.” Mien sat down near the machine. Kris and Pierre looked at one another and shrugged, then Pierre sat and gave Mien a quick tutorial.

  After Pierre finished showing Mien how to operate it, he sat and got to work. Pierre rubbed the back of his head as he watched the man calibrate and begin sending off some kind of signal. “Didn’t realize he had an interest in this stuff.”

  “Well, what can you do?” Kris said. “How about we train while he works?”

  “Do we have to?” Pierre asked. “Isn’t climbing and hiking and all that enough?”

  “To stay fit, perhaps.” Kris said. “But do you really think you are as strong as that Wolf or Hyato? And from what I saw Michael is an incredible fighter too.”

  “Well yeah, but they’re like... warrior adventurers.” Pierre said.

  “And you are a soldier of Myrrh.” Kris said. “One of the only Kingdoms to not fracture in the Broken Times? And why was that?”

  “Because...” Pierre said, “Myrrh’s military is strong.”

  “Right.” Kris said. “So if you don’t wanna bring our whole Kingdom down, get stronger.”

  Pierre balked, “How is it all of a sudden riding on me?”

  “It’s not.” Kris said. “But if it were, are you strong enough?”

  “Well... no.” Pierre said.

  “So get stronger.” Kris said, taking a fighting stance. “We need to be at least as strong as Mien.”

  “As Mien?!” Pierre said, eyes widening. Mien glanced over at the two of them, then returned to his focus on the machine. “Why him?”

  “Simple.” Kris said. “If we don’t get as strong as him, we’ll only hold him back.”

  “But Mien was trained as a Myrrhmidon!” Pierre said. “At the Myrrh Academy of War. The best military academy around! We can’t get as strong as him just by training!”

  “True, he did go to MAW.” Kris said. “But you know who didn’t?”

  “Me.” Pierre said, “Obviously.”

  “And you know who else didn’t go there?”

  “Uhh, who?”

  “Michael. Hyato. Yan. Aeroth.” Kris said. “Are you as strong as them?”

  “Maybe?” Pierre said.

  “What about the Bandit King?”

  “No way I could fight that guy.” Pierre said. Kris nodded, and Pierre sighed. “Fine, you win.” Pierre adopted a sparring pose, and launched into battle. The sounds of battle filled the air as Pierre launched energy balls with his bat, and Kris fought back with her shield and spear techniques.

  The soldiers sparred for an hour before Pierre collapsed. “Geez, you couldn’t take it easy on me?” He asked, rubbing his sore shoulder.

  Kris sat down, “Why? That wouldn’t be any good for getting stronger.” She closed her eyes, panting. “Wanna go another round in a few minutes?”

  “No time for that, I’m afraid.” Mien said, smiling at the two tired soldiers. “Our ride is here.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Pierre asked, looking around. Kris looked as well, but the area was free of even critters.

  “Nothing around.” Kris said.

  “You two need to stay aware of your surroundings.” Mien pointed at the horizon.

  The others followed his gaze, “No way.” Pierre said.

  “Is that...” Kris said, looking across the rocky crags. “An airship?”

  Mien grinned as the large flying ship approached. A vessel that seemed as seaworthy as it did in the air. Large sails hung from the Airship’s two masts, though the real power of the technological marvel was kept inside the metal plated hull somewhere. As it approached, large metal legs extended from sections of the hull. “Hope you guys are ready to fly.”

  “This is awesome.” Pierre said, hopping to his feet. Kris gulped, and the airship landed.

  A wall of rocks rested ahead, taunting Yan with its existence. Vines grew along it, so it had been there for weeks at the very least. The path was blocked enough by the rocks that it would take ages to climb over, and might not be safe. If this path had one rockslide on it, there may be others. There was no guarantee that climbing over would lead to the rest of the path.

  “Wow, that’s the third dead end we’ve hit.” Wolf said. “Bad luck, eh?”

  “I know, Wolf.” Yan said, gritting her teeth.

  “I guess we have to double back and pick one of the other paths again.” Michael said, turning around. “We shouldn’t wait around here.”

  The party started walking back along the road they had chosen. Yan bit her thumb, looking at the ground in front of her. She walked along the path in the middle of the group, lost in thought. The way she saw it, there was no avoiding it.

  They arrived at the crossroad, a large space from which they could choose numerous paths. From the scouting Yan did earlier, she knew how many options there were. “So, which way do we go?” Sebastian asked.

  “This way.” Michael said, choosing one at random. He sounded confident.

  “Why that way?” Sebastian asked. Michael shrugged.

  “We shouldn’t pick like that.” Hyato said.

  Wolf took a seat against a tree. “Wake me up when you guys figure this out.” He closed his eyes.

  “Gee, Thanks.” Hyato said, rolling his eyes.

  Sebastian turned to face Yan. “You scouted. Which way would be best to try next?”

  Yan sat down. “From my scouting earlier, there are at least three dozen paths we could pick from here.”

  “Three dozen?!” Michael said.

  “There are really that many?” Sebastian asked.

  “Between the roads, offshoots, tunnels, and scalable cliffs, yes.” Yan said. “And along any of these paths we might find more paths, more roads, and dead ends.”

  “Picking blind does not seem a wise strategy.” Sebastian said.

  “Then what do we do?” Michael asked.

  “The best course of action would be to get the help of someone who knows these mountains.” Yan said, “Someone who has traveled them recently. Otherwise, we could be wandering around for weeks before we make it out.”

  “Well, that seems unlikely.” Sebastian said. “We should backtrack to Nita and go around the mountains to Cryston.”

  “What about Mien? If we backtrack, we are sure to run into him.” Hyato said. “Then we’ll have to deal with him.”

  “What other option is there?” Sebastian asked.

  Yan sighed and hung her head. “I know a way to get local information on the mountain passes.”

  “Oh, that’s great.” Michael said. “Let’s do that.”

  “But I really don’t want to.” Yan said.

  “Why?” Michael asked.

  Yan sighed again. “Because.” Yan said, “It’s where I grew up. My village is near here, and my clan knows the mountain roads.”

  “We can go there and get the information then.” Hyato said.

  Michael frowned. “Isn’t returning to your village exactly what you were avoiding?” Yan nodded.

  “Then send just me.” Sebastian said, “I will get the information and return with it.”

  “It wont work that way.” Yan said. “You aren’t allowed in the village without permission from one of the villagers. I have to go, or they won't let you in. And if you snuck in, they wouldn’t let you out.”

  A silence stretched out over the party, broken by the chirping of nearby birds. Wolf began to snore. Michael paced along the path as Yan sat to think. Hyato stood with his eyes closed while Sebastian rubbed at his chin.

  The silence extended for another few minutes, then Michael stopped pacing. “Okay.” He said. “We’re going to Yan’s village.” He said. Hyato opened his eyes and Yan looked up.

  “Is that wise?” Hyato asked.

  Michael gave Hyato a look, “I don’t know, is it?” Hyato did not comment.

  “I don’t know Michael.” Yan said. “I ran away from home. Aeroth has been trying to bring me back, on orders. If we go there, they might not let me leave again.”

  “We’ll go there and get information, then leave. If they try to stop you from leaving, we’ll bust out.” Michael said.

  “There are a lot of strong people in my clan, Michael.” Yan said.

  “No one is going to keep you from me.” Michael said, calm determination on his face. Yan blushed, but Michael didn’t notice.

  Sebastian chuckled, and clapped a hand on Michael’s back. “That’s right, Michael.” He said. “We aren’t going to let Yan, or anyone, have their freedom taken away.” Hyato nodded.

  “Thanks guys...” Yan said, hugging her legs. She took a deep breath, then hopped to her feet. “Okay! Let’s go!”

  “Right!” Michael said.

  “I know what signs to look for.” Yan looked around, then pointed out a path. “We won't make it there by tonight, maybe tomorrow if we are lucky.” She started to walk down the path. Michael and the others followed.

  “Hey Wolf, we’re leaving!” Michael called back over his shoulder.

  Wolf snapped awake and blinked. “About time. Hey, wait up!” Wolf scrambled after them to catch up.

  “Alright!” Michael said, grinning. “We’re on the way to Yan’s hometown.”

  “Yeah.” Yan said, leading everyone through the forested mountain valley. “To the Hidden Village of the Aeronemar Clan.”