Heroes Never Die ✓

Chapter 12 The Town

The unit was even smaller now. With four people dead, only six soldiers remained beside Skylar and Gawyn. They let the spare horses loose, hoping the winged creatures would find their way home. With their supplies dwindling, they could not afford to drag extra mounts with them. Skylar didn't want to think about how small animals' chances were to leave the Blighted Lands alive.

The morale was very low. Everyone marched forward in silence. The soldiers were distressed by their commander's death at the hand of their comrade. After they buried all the bodies, they determined that Barret must have lost his talisman in one of the scuffles they had and didn't even realise it himself. The night the Shadow Shifters stalked the camp, he slipped from the base to relieve himself, and that must have been when the wraith who lingered behind possessed him.

Before they ventured onward, Skylar made sure everyone had their charms intact, and they all agreed to check on them at least three times a day. No one wanted to repeat the disastrous consequences of the negligence.

All days in Blighted Lands looked the same. The darkness swirling in the sky was shrouding the whole world in a dusk-like gloom, the wind was howling in the vast expanse of an empty plane, and the air was heavy with a smell of rot. Not to mention the monsters prowling the land.

Unexpectedly, they finally saw something new.

"What is that?" Ayah asked. After the major's death, she got promoted to her unit commander.

They were standing on a small hill, and on the horizon, vague shapes of something looking like buildings appeared. It was indeed a bizarre sight in the vast emptiness of the plain after days of marching through an empty wasteland.

"I told you we'll find something eventually," Gawyn said. "Now, we need to approach carefully. We have no idea what we'll find there, but at least one sorcerer may reside there. They seem to be holding all the power here, so I assume if there is a settlement, one of them will be ruling over it."

"I suggest we leave the horses here and scout on foot," Skylar said. "The animals make too much noise."

Zephyr shrieked in protest.

"Oh, don't give me the attitude now!" Skylar scoffed. "Last time you went scouting with me, you ended up charging at the herd of Blood Vultures! I'm not taking you with me this time. You will guard the horses."

The gryphon whimpered and looked at Gawyn pleadingly.

"Don't look at me, buddy," he replied. "You know she's right. Besides, you're not going to be alone. Major, choose two soldiers to stay behind."

Ayah nodded curtly and went to speak to the remaining soldiers.

"We finally got somewhere," Skylar said quietly.

"High time. Now, let's focus on the task."

***

They crouched behind a loose rock formation, a few yards away from the buildings. The small stone dwellings with wooden roofs looked weathered and in dire need of repairing, as some of the planks were rotten and others fell off.

They could also see people there. Big figures clad in black armours were standing there and doing absolutely nothing. One of them moved to walk deeper into the settlement from time to time. But apart from that, everything was eerily still. There was no smoke coming from chimneys, nor any voices or usual clatter heard in towns.

"This is so disturbing," Ayah whispered. "What are they doing?"

"I have no idea," Gawyn mused, not taking his eyes off the bizarre sight.