Destined Chaos

Chapter 2

The uneasiness of the dimly-lit woods was broken by Rikehart beginning tales of his upbringing to everyone. His father was a ship captain that delivered goods to the capital while his mother, from whom he had gotten his sorcerer's bloodline from, ran a tavern in a town far west of the capital, each bringing home quite enough to live comfortably. Many others also began sharing their stories but there were an equal number who kept silent through the walk, perhaps understanding that being too open wasn't the best choice. Cristoff was this way, staying quiet and instead focusing on the forest around him. Almost all the trees were pine, but there were various bushes scattered everywhere, many with thorns and unrecognizable and gnarled sorts of berries on them. With the amount of pine needles above them, it let in a beautiful and comforting amount of light, giving the image of a paradise within a forest. However, Cristoff knew all too well this wasn't the case; there was no view of the sun from this low, so there would be almost no visibility at dawn. In fact, he realized, we may not be able to see at all. Would we need to learn some sort of spell to see in the dark? I don't believe that anyone could trek through here without bumping into every tree, much less find bells hanging from them. He hadn't brought any candles with him, and he doubted anyone else did either, so it seemed that total darkness was the only option. What had originally sounded like a nearly impossible task now seemed purely mythical.

It took a bit over an hour to make it through. The clearing was massive yet was only populated by the barracks and several outhouses lining the perimeter. The barracks itself was a shab, nasty building with a red shingled roof, many of the shingles loose and missing. The grass around it was old and dried with weeds strewn all over. "The empire never disappoints," said a boy in a thick, dark blue coat. "They expect us to stay in this rathole and then face whatever is in that forest? They're all out of their bloody minds."

"Some challenge this will be," said another. "It's dreary enough here that I'd end up wanting the wolves to kill me."

While everyone had their complaints, they all still followed to the glorified shack. Opening the only door, it was exactly as the room in the mansion had been. Plain, dry, dust-ridden, and lined with several bunks. Everyone rushed to pick their beds and drop off their belongings, Cristoff managing to secure a bunk with Rike being above him. "I wonder what luxuries they all are enjoying in that nice, cushion-lined manor of theirs," he said, already resting at the top.

"Certainly it's a million times better than this," remarked Cristoff as he pulled off his mud-splattered boots and lined his clothes underneath his bed. "A good number are nobles, after all. Wouldn't want their parents to cause a fuss."

The boy in the blue coat from before moved into the middle of the room, eyeing everyone as they sat down. "Everyone here?" he asked, with no one returning with an answer. There was an undeniable accent to his voice that gave away the fact that this was someone of noble descent. His golden blonde hair was tucked into a wide brimmed hat of the same color as his coat. It reminded Cristoff of the travelers who went around and claimed to be witch hunters but rarely showed any proof of their hunts. Through an opening in his coat was a glint of silver and the shine of mahogany wood. He has a gun? How does someone so young manage to get one? Most adult nobles never even end up laying a finger on one. It was common knowledge that the production of muskets and pistols was locked solely outside of the empire in the deserts, even farther south than the Southern Territories. Although many knew about them, most had no idea what one even looked like. Cristoff had the privilege of working with his father and ended up seeing one, and a trader had remarked that it was loaded with a special powder which was then ignited to fire out a lead or silver ball, the same as cannons.

"I'm not certain what exactly we'll face in that forest," he said with a natural confidence, "but I do know that it'll be almost impossible to see. I suggest we gather what we need to make torches."