The name Silent Forest was no understatement. There was barely even the sound of insects, besides some low humming. The only real sounds were the horses, the carriage, and the wagons. I was on high alert, and I was stretching my senses to the limit, but I wasn't hearing or seeing anything.
"They could come at any time, but they will most likely come right before we leave the forest. They will try to turn us around and then pick us off one at a time," Gerald explained while he kept his eyes forward.
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I asked with a strained voice.
"No, it's to prepare you so you know what will be happening. We can't get turned around, so it will be your job to keep the path clear or they will try to spook the horses. These things are smart, but If we know what they are going to try and do, then we can plan and be smarter."
That was true, and I felt a bit silly for challenging him when he was only trying to help me get a better understanding of the situation. This place was starting to get to me, and I couldn't wait to get out into the open country again. Not being able to see more than five meters to either side was starting to make me feel claustrophobic and only Lesha reaching over and putting a hand on my shoulder calmed me down.
Then I happened, light green objects started to move and rush towards us. I called out and sucked in blood from all three girls, then using that same blood to create a blood armor shield-like red steel. The other girls also grew the red armor, but the Platelet Service was Gloria's and she was covered in full plate.
The first two panthers had sharp spikes that drove up into them, then they disappeared in puffs of blue smoke, but the damage was done. Still, there were more coming, so I leapt from the top and rolled on the ground as I landed coming back up into a full run to catch up with Gloria, who was at the head of the wagon already fighting two of the two meters tall green cats creatures.
I used red blood to boost my leg strength and smashed into the side of one of the panthers that were trying to attack Gloria, and then Gobby jumped from me and latched onto the cat with a mouth that kept getting bigger until he swallowed the whole thing, then we let the carriage get by, but followed along the sides.
Lesha had stayed back and protected Everyone else and did a great job. We still ran the wagon train out of the forest to show the panthers that going for another round wasn't going to be good for them.
When we finally made our way out of the forest, the break from the fog and poor light was like a massive breath of fresh air. The tension finally started to leave, but I was still looking around. It would be out kind of luck for another band of bandits to be waiting for us down here, but there wasn't.
We all got back into the wagon, but I still felt good, the fighting hadn't taken that much out of me, and I was able to restore my blood reserve to full. So, no chills, or anything like that, but the road wasn't smooth like the mountains path, now we were back to the rough riding. For healing them, Kevin and Mark had made us cushion from weaved grass and packed with more grass.
They weren't something that could be used for a long time, but they did the job they needed to for the length of a trip we were on. We had all thanked them, and now I was silently doing that again. The rough ride was made a lot better with some kind of cushion, and Lesha was laying on my shoulder as Mei was explaining how she 'got the first two.
We made it into Presab by nightfall, but it was worth pushing the extra distance to have a safe place to sleep tonight. After the crazy ride through the Silent Forest, I was hoping there would be a bath or at least a place to rise off.
After finding a place that would be stable and let Mark, Kevin, and Gastbo stay with the carriages. We entered the Inn a few buildings down called The Dawn's Edge and got three rooms, but we all sat in the commons room before going up to our rooms. We had only snacked on dried meats and some bread all day so now was time to get a real meal.
Lesha asked me to try the bacon white sauce pasta dish the place was famous for, and soon it was a unanimous choice around the table. Even the boys chose the same, so the waitress had an easy order, plus water all around for the working people. We could still get called to help at any time.
After our orders were taken, there was some more talk about the Gem Heart diver and different ideas, but I was just enjoying the moment. Plus, I already had a get-rich-quick scheme figured out for the hearts. No, I just wanted to enjoy this moment of peace. We finally got our food brought out to us and everyone dug in.
Weird sensual and just plain wrong sounds came from our table as everyone enjoyed their food just a little too much! I was no exception, it was creamy cheesy but the salt and smoke of the bacon make the sauce less thick. I just really all worked together, and there was no doubt about the level of enjoyment at this table.
Each of us went to lean back from our plates like stacking blocks, but then we all shot up as someone ran into the Inn and started to yell.
"There has been another one killed with all the blood sucked out of the body!" The man cried.