Chapter Sixteen: An Unexpected Turn.
Tauren glared up at the forest, towering in front of them, leafy branches stretching above him. Their horses were gone, their weapons were gone, their supplies were gone, and now, finally, their job had run off as well. How bad can this day get? Tauren growled to himself, before readying his sword and slipping between the trunks of the trees and entering into the forest.
Detrick stepped in behind him, nervously keeping his spear always at the ready." I preferred the plain." He muttered.
Why go into the forest? Because: it was the obvious place for the girl to go. Usually Tauren would have preferred the forest as well, he always had, but this forest didn't feel friendly. It felt ancient, menacing, and dark. It felt as though some horrible beast might leap out at you at any moment.
The trees were oddly different than any he had ever seen too, their leaves were long and stringy, some hanging all the way to the ground. What of the ebony black trunks that weren't covered with long, silky moss was glossy and shining, as though regularly polished. The ground wasn't covered in either grass or dead leaves, but in odd, colorful, spongy mushrooms, about nine inches high.
It was beautiful, in a poisonous, deadly sort of way.
As they walked forward, placing their feet with utmost care, they heard all kinds of rustlings, squeaking’s, and grunting’s in the mushroom underbrush as little creatures darted away from them.
13-4-11
"This is one strange forest." Detrick growled as he heard a loud squeak and watched a small, rat like creature with long, thin antennae, leap off of a tree and scuttle away into the mushrooms.
"I am not sleeping in this forest!" He announced a moment later as he smashed a particularly large electric blue mushroom and it burst into a cloud of gigantic black flys that quickly buzzed away.
Tauren nodded and glared up at the faint green light that shone through the treetops showing were the sun was. They had another hour still before they'd have to get back out. He sighed and went back to carefully scanning the mushrooms for any sign of human passage, if there was a good thing about them, he decided, they made easy to follow tracks, and they made practically no sound when you stepped on them.
Slowly he stepped over another of the electric blue mushrooms, careful not to touch it, and then was just about to take another step when there was a flash of steel in front of him. He felt a cold line of steel being pressed against his throat and a voice hissed next to him." One move and you're dead."
He froze.
Slowly he turned his eyes, up the blade of a sword they went, then on, along an armored arm, and finally they rested on a face. It was Vajik.
He was practically unrecognizable, his face was covered with blood that seeped from a long slice across his cheek, forehead, and eye, his hair was matted with blood, his armor was stained and bloody as well, and his sword was bent so badly it might have well have been a scythe.
13-4-11.
“Tauren” Vajik sighed, and to Taurens amazement he sank down to his knees, his sword falling from his grasp.” Thank the gods. . . . At the time when I needed help, I found it.”
Tauren stood there, his mouth open, his throat still stinging form were the sword had been pressed against it, amazed. Vajik looked worse off than he appeared on the outside, it was obvious that he was tired out and that he wouldn’t last long without help. Tauren looked down at his blood stained face and cloak, would he leave this man here? He was a Halavarde? Wasn’t he? What did he owe this man?
Tauren, you don’t have to do this. . . . It was one of the voices. . . . You owe this man nothing, killing him now would be the kindest thing you could do. . . . Do you want the drag of his life along with you on this quest of yours? It was, to his surprise the voice that he had dubbed “good”. Suggesting to him that he should kill Vajik . . . Vajik, who had been kind to him, and saved him from Denkald . . ., he kept his face straight as the voice spoke, and when it was done it had simply made up his mind for him.
He knelt down next to the gasping man.” What happened? How did you escape?” He asked, throwing caution to the winds.
Vajik’s face collapsed with relief.” I – I – don’t know. . . . The Arrels were about to kill – kill me. But then – then suddenly I woke up here - in this forest.” His usually kind, but now desperate, eyes sagged and almost closed, but he jerked them back open.” I was attacked!” He hissed, fear filling his eyes.” We have to run, Tauren, run! Get out of here or a worse fate that death will meet you!” He tried to push Tauren away but he was too weak and his arms fell back to his sides.
Tauren glanced up at Detrick who stood behind him, his eyes pity-filled at the sight of Vajik.” Come on, help me here.” He sighed finally, lifting Vajik easily to his feet, glad that he was stronger than a normal man.
Detrick stepped forward to help, but Vajik gave a strangled cry.” No! No! No! Do not do this! My life is not worth yours, Tauren!” But he was in no position to argue, the words out of him, his eyes rolled and he went limp. Detrick stepped forward to help, but Tauren shook his head.
“Just take my sword.” He grunted.” I’ve got this.” He heaved Vajik onto his shoulders.” Let’s get out of this forest!”
“I can’t really help but be more than enthusiastic about that!” Detrick said, taking Taurens sword.” Which way do we go?”
“Follow the sun!” Tauren replied, heaving the limp Vajik onto his shoulders.
Detrick glanced around.” Uh, where’s the sun?”
“What?” Tauren snapped in impatience, but he glanced up and looked around. The faint trace of sunlight showing through the trees was gone.” Oh, hell” He growled, berating his stupidity.” Follow the crushed mushrooms!” He recovered.
“Tauren” Detrick growled, a hint of fear appearing in his voice.” There aren’t any crushed mushrooms.”
Tauren kicked his friend in the shins.” Yeah, there are –“The words died on his lips as he stepped around the edge of the tree he’d stepped around. There was no hint that anyone had ever been that way. He looked around; the mushrooms all were the same. The trees all were the same.” Damn!” He cursed himself again.
He had a feeling that this was probably even more dangerous a place than a raging battlefield.
“Let’s get somewhere to settle down for the night, somewhere hidden!” He decided.
Quickly they headed off into the woods, Detrick a bit ahead (Though not so far as to lose sight of Tauren) and Tauren following carrying Vajik. They wandered about for half an hour with no results; the sounds about them were becoming more and more numerous as the light of the fallen sun began to fade.
Suddenly Detrick ran back to Tauren.” I found a place.” He whispered, the only tone of voice that seemed to be appropriate for this forest. He brushed his black hair so that it stuck up.” Hurry”
Tauren nodded silently, relieved that his worries of being left out after dark were put down. A moment later he came into sight of a mound of earth that jutted from the forest floor, covered in trees, a black, earthy hole gaping from the side of it. Tauren stopped, he wasn’t sure that caves would be the best place to go.
But Detrick gestured him forward and entered first.” It isn’t very deep, but it should keep us relatively safe.”
Tauren nodded and passed under the rocky ledge over the opening. He went all the way to the sandy back of the cave, about a hundred feet, straight from the entrance, and laid Vajik down on a bed of small, soft, fleshy mushrooms.
Only then did he look around. The back of the cave was surprisingly light, he quickly saw the source, and it was the same moss as had been in the Ruins of Arluine. He winced as the memory brought back the thought of his failed quest. He had given an oath, now he had totally failed it. The contents of the first box were gone!
The closer to the mouth of the cave you got, the less moss there was, and the more mushrooms. He gestured Detrick over to him, feeling that silence was ideal, and quickly they searched Vajik. Taurens decision was that that the Colonel was just tired; a good night’s sleep should be all he’d need, the cut across his face was really quite minor, and Tauren quickly did his best to bandage it.
When they were done, they left him in peace at the back of the cave and went forward a bit. They gathered a heap of dead branches outside in the quickly falling dusk and made a small crackling fire on the floor of the cave, which they had cleared as best they could. Tauren had argued that it would be best not to do so, seeing as it might attract unwanted night-prowler visits, but Detrick had disagreed, arguing that night-prowlers would most likely be afraid of fire.
Tauren had given in, though not without first noticing the stinging cold that emanated from the cave, in complete contrast to the oddly moist, decaying warmth of the forest.
He made a bed of the small, dryer mushrooms and sat down in it, warming his hands over the fire and marveling at the variety of mushrooms that grew there. Detrick did the same opposite him.
Tauren bent down and laid his head on his knees, staring into the flaring, blue and green tinged flame of the fire. A question nagged at him. At first he thought he was wondering what to do with Vajik, but he quickly realized that they had a bigger problem. Whatever in this forest could drive Vajik half mad with fear could most definitely do the same to Tauren. This forest, they didn’t even know where they were. But the girl He asked himself, what about her? She may not even be here? The other half of his mind defended She may still be back in Dimwalden. Even if she is here, she probably won’t make it through the night. . . . Exactly!
He glanced up and started, Detrick had picked up a long, thin stick and was now roasting a thick, juicy mushroom over the fire. He grinned up at Tauren.” Want some dinner?” He asked merrily.
Tauren stared at the mushroom apprehensively.” You sure that’s a good idea? It might be poisonous.”
Detrick shook his head and gestured to the side. Another of those odd, mouse-like creatures was nibbling on a mushroom identical to Detrick’s hardly half a dozen yards away, gazing at them out of big, glassy eyes. Tauren wished he had his bow, and then they’d have something a bit more substantial than mushrooms.
His stomach growled at him, and with a sigh he gave in and picked up his own stick and mushroom, deciding that if it didn’t kill the mouse then it probably wouldn’t kill him. The mushroom was small, pale grey, very frilly, and it was rather chewy, but Tauren didn’t complain as warm, powerful juices ran across his mouth.
It reminded him of Carmenton . . . he mentally slapped himself and swerved away from the memories. Carmenton was only a memory now, no need to dwell on it.
Tauren glanced up into the darkness about the cave, listening attentively to the scuffling, grunting, and squeaking that jarred his mind, so loud and varied they were.
“What do we do now Tauren?” Detrick asked, gazing up at the dark treetops outside.” I mean, we’ve lost that girl, we don’t know where she is, we’re lost in some unknown forest, we’ve got a wounded and tired out Halavarde Colonel on our hands. Might right now be a good time to mention that I do not totally trust him?”
Tauren winced.” I know . . . I – I don’t know what we’re going to do.” He faltered, looking silently into the flames. He found himself thinking out loud.” I’m not leaving Netheron to whatever fate seems to have in story for her. No, whether I like it or not Netheron is my home, there are still good people there. I have to save them, and their land. But how can I save them? The girl’s gone. . . . We’re lost. . . . And to tell the truth I don’t really totally trust Vajik either. But I want to. If I can’t save Netheron, then who will? Who else is there who’s looking for these relics, and trying to return them to their owners? I have to do it; if I fail . . . then I’ll have to go live as an anonymous outcast in some distant corner I guess.”
And what even if you win? A melancholy voice said in his head, echoing into the very fibers of his being. Even if you win, I think you’ll still be an outcast, doomed to that corner. Tauren, you must listen to me, join me. I can give you a life. Hope . . . purpose. I swear that I can, you know that I do not lie. All I ask for is your service, for but a small time.
Tauren gulped, and pushed the sentient being out of his mind, hoping that what it had said didn’t show on his face. But it did have a point.” I’m lucky to have a friend like you Detrick.” He glanced up at his black haired friend.” Really, you don’t have to follow me. You can go home. Return to the army. Leave me to fight my way alone. . . . Thank you.”
“Hey!” Detrick answered with a grin.” That’s okay. To tell the truth, my home is really, really boring, and compared to this, so is the army. . . . Thank you, for giving me something new, something different. A chance at. . . . “He looked like he would have said more but he trailed off and looked away from Tauren.
“Good afternoon, boys.”
Tauren wasn’t surprised that when he turned around Vajik stepped out of the shadows and dropped down onto a bed of mushrooms with a grin.” You okay?” He asked, feeling slightly uneasy at the thought of a Halavarde Colonel listening to all that he had said.
Vajik nodded and held out a hand to Detrick.” I do not believe we’ve met. I am former Colonel Vajik Turnhein”
Detrick stared at the proffered hand in surprise, it was obvious that he, as Tauren, had always had the impression that Halavardes were mindless, moral less, hateful, unreasoning brutes. He grinned and shook the bandaged-faced colonel’s hand, grinning at the novelty of it.” I’m Detrick Averone”
Vajik nodded in greeting.” So! To save time, I’ll let you know that I have guessed what you are doing, and what your quest is!”
Tauren sighed, he’d expected it, Vajik was smart, and it was obvious he was experienced. Anyway, he said to himself, how relics like the one’s he was looking for could go missing without anyone noticing, he did not know. No, he was sure that if he kept Vajik with him, he would eventually figure everything out.” Well, then, no explanation needed.”
Vajik smiled thinly.” It would be my honor to offer you my services and help in this venture. You might find me quite . . . useful.”
Now Tauren was surprised, he and Detrick stared at him. He stared back, and then burst out laughing.” What? The Tera Tenaru’s Relics were taken from the families of every major person in the solar system! You think that they are only Arrelands, or Netherons, or Isaruas business?! No! No! No! All but the most foolish men would make the offer I’m giving you. You ask for it, and half of Halavarde’s army would follow you without a thought!”
Tauren stared at him still, in amazement. The Tera Tenaru’s Relics were obviously the relics he was attempting to return. He had underestimated what they were, he decided.” Well, in that case.” He said.” I’d be honored to have you along with us.” What harm can it be? He said to himself, the worst thing he could possibly do is betray us and get us killed. What secrets do we have to hide now?
Detrick seemed to totally agree.” What happened out there today? How did you get that cut?”
Vajik smiled up to him, his one eye that wasn’t covered in rough, bloody cloth gleaming.” I got the cut from an Arrel sword. They were just about to behead me, when I found myself in this forest.” His cheerfulness wavered and he glanced nervously out into the darkness.” I was attacked by something. It was large, scaly, and had a lot of teeth. I don’t remember much. . . . I ran, lost it, then I heard you coming – well, you know the rest.”
A nervous silence fell on them. But Detrick just grinned.” With two fighters like you guys, I’m sure I’ll be perfectly safe while I take first watch. Mushroom anybody?”