Guardian Spirit

Chapter 19

The journey had gone relatively well for Derian and his companions, despite the fact he had pushed the horses so hard on the first day that they had nearly died of exhaustion. It was not out of fear of someone getting there before them that he pushed the animals hard. It was his own desire to be there quickly that drove him. He also didn't mind putting as much distance between him and Ramyn as possible.

Dayr, Obsidian and Kerrigan offered little complaints on the pace he set, mostly because they feared the man enough to understand the words would not be received well.

The open countryside had not cared of their passing. Few farmers looked on curiously as they rode past like they were being chased by a dragon, but none got in their way. The few times they stopped at some unknown village that wasn't even worthy to be mentioned on a map they ran into positive surprises. They found a few members of the blades that joined on their journey. One even had messenger pigeons that allowed Derian to send word to a wider area.

Derian knew they would need the help once they reached their destination. There were creatures roaming the mountain that made no distinction on what god you worshipped. As long as you had flesh around your bones, you were a target for them to feast on. They'd lose men just getting to the cavern that led to the imprisoned god. Keeping it would demand even more men. He hoped the word would reach at least a few wizards or priests that were members. Their help would be invaluable. He feared the single Blood Reaver he had left would not be able to cover everything that was needed, though it would certainly be of great help.

By the time the group reached the edge of the Great Forest it had grown from four men to a full dozen. Still less than Derian had hoped for, but at least he now had a priest and a wizard from Voroth to offer support.

The group did not enter the forest, but rather travelled along the edge of it. They feared that if they tried to take the route through the forest an elven patrol would happen upon them. That was an encounter they did not wish for. The best choice for them was to head south where the strip of forest they had to cross was much thinner. After that they'd need to cross the river and pass the Norther Guardians, a series of large towers the Kingdom of Mandor had built long before the Troll Wars to guard their northern border. The towers were still in use today, though with much lessened garrisons. Still, combined with the river, they formed perhaps the most well guarded border you'd run upon. The advantage the group had was that no one would be looking for them in Mandor. They were just another group crossing the border.

Derian pondered whether he should send a few men to Deslen to buy some weapons and supplies. Those who had joined from the small villages had brought with them a horse and clothes, but not much in the way of anything useful in killing. A few rusty swords would not cut it in the mountains. On the other hand a few days delay seemed unacceptable to him. The journey had taken a long time already.

In the end he decided the supplies would be worth, so after they crossed the river and entered Mandor, they headed south for a bit more and sent a few men to the city to gather what was needed. Derian figured that the days added to the journey still left them well ahead of anyone else looking to enter the mountains in search of Deremoths cavern.

The men returned from their supply run with several extra horses that carried food, armour, weapons and other items that would be needed in the mountains. A few clothe changes and they began to look more of a mining expedition than a bunch of rabble that had decided to leave their home villages. A few pickaxes and other mining equipment completed the image.

The items were not only for the disguise, but also because they might prove useful. The area around Moroth's Tooth was far from stable and tremors could well have caved in the passage to the sealed dragon. Derian hoped that would not be the case, but it was better to be prepared for the worst than to be without the tools to solve the situation should it arise.