Tarron ended up leading the group. the border gate they were taking was within a moderate taiga in the southern part of the northern region, they passed an old fortress that looked completely abandoned and Overgrown on the way.
"We are being followed." Festand whispered to Tarron.
"Are you certain?" Tarron asked silently, trying not to Alarm the others.
"Look." Festand said, and Showed Tarron his vision, and true to his word, they were being followed by enemy soldiers. "They have been with us for a mile and half."
"Since the fort." Tarron replied.
"Not as abandoned as its outward Appearance would imply." Festand said, "Things are often not as they seem."
"We can't alert the others, and start a battle, or we'll put two children in danger." Tarron replied.
"It's better if you tell the whole group, instead of leaving us in the dark." Zathor's daughter, who was introduced as Amara muttered, her blood red eyes staring at the two.
"We don't want to Alarm the enemy either." Tarron whispered, "Do you think you can quietly pass the Message back without Alarming them?"
Amara glanced between the two for a moment, before falling back to be side by side with her dad. Her voice never left a mumble, as it had been before. "There's enemies following us, have been since the fort a mile and a half back."
"Alright, thank you," Zathor told her, and he passed the Message back to Alayna, and she passed it back to Torvin, who in turn, passed it to Belette, who Fell back behind the group.
"Thank you." Tarron said to Amara.
The girl gave a small shrug. "People need to be informed so they don't get surprised. It's better that way for my dad anyway, I'd rather he knew."
"Completely fair." Tarron said, "I know that I would want to know about a threat like that if I were traveling with Aaron." Tarron missed his family
Amara gave another small shrug at that, but the girl had to hyperventilate if she caught on quickly at just ten to their mumbling, Zathor helped Amara with her anxiety.
"What's the plan?" Amara asked.
"When we get to Etras?" Tarron asked her.
"For the people following us." Amra asked
"I think Belette is already handling them." Tarron replied, motioning to where Belette was following behind everyone else, and that she was no longer present.
Amara nodded slightly at that. "Then for Etras."
"Well, I'm going to agitate a Dragon, while you and Alayna are safe from the flames, if you both travel with us there, I know you and your father are planning on heading home, while the rest of us take down the dragon." Tarron said, giving his basic plan.
"You're crazy if you think I'm leaving my father." Amara replied.
Tarron only sighed; Aaron would have said the same thing had he survived. "I don't want to put you or Alayna back there into danger. Or anyone for that matter, but I have to make an acception if we are going to take down a dragon."
"This isn't something I'll lose an argument about. I don't have a lot left, and I didn't get it back that long ago, I'll be damned if I lose it or left it." Amara snarled, and Taron just gave a sigh.
"First I'm resurrected by a ghost, then I'm getting told off by a ten-year-old," Tarron sighed, "What could possibly be next."
"I'm not telling you off, I'm just stating I'm not running away." Amara corrected, and Tarron had no Argument. And the girl went quiet.
The Journey continued on. Belette did catch back up with the Party, and when she did, they found a place to set camp for the night.
"This is taking too long." Festand said to Tarron. "We could be faster on our own."
"You were the one who supported getting Allies." Tarron replied.
"Ultimately our goal is to still Find the Ritualist." Festand replied.
"Shut Up." Amara said, her voice seething with anger.
"Why?" Festand asked.
"They are not a topic that needs to be brought up." Amara spat.
"We seek to destroy them." Tarron replied.
"I still don't want to hear about them everywhere we go. I already am plagued with them enough, let alone traveling everywhere and them being the talk of the town. I'd much prefer it if they were already rotting." Amara muttered.
"We will ensure they get there." Festand replied.
"Etras first, this whole expedition was your idea in the first place." Tarron told Festand.
"You can't promise that from beyond the grave. Your words hold no backing now." Amara said.
"We will come back if we are killed." Festand replied, a tinge of frustration in his voice.
"He will come back, you matter not. It's not your body, not your decisions. Though I can already tell you make a piss poor planner, let alone your intentions." Amara growled.
"I'll-"
"You'll what?" Tarron interrupted festand, "Get us killed, or trapped?"
"Or worse, become something he's trying to destroy. A backstabber. You are not a good person, Elf. Don't try to play one." Amara mumbled.
"We seek the same goal. Nothing more, nothing less." Festand replied.
"And that's where you are wrong yet again, that should not be your only concern. In fact, you should worry more for the fact you have nothing else keeping you tethered. After your goal is completed, then what? He will be ready to move on and have no use for your conniving attitude being a backseat driver." Amara growled, narrowing her eyes at Festand. "I would have ditched you by now, personally. You're too much of a headache."
"We are bound together by a curse." Tarron said.
"When our goal is completed, we'll both move on." Festand said.
"You don't deserve to, the Ranger however, does." Amara claimed.
"I grow tired of this pointing; we are done here." Festand said.
"Good, your voice wasn't getting any more pleasant on my eardrums. In fact, I think it's only brought on a migraine." Amara growled. And she returned to Zathor's side.
Tarron then set up a Perimeter for the camp where he stumbled upon Alayna, working on a piece of Dwarven Equipment, teaching Morvin how it operates.
"The string will be pulled back automatically once a bolt is loaded." Alayna explained.
"What's this?" Tarron asked.
"Clockwork Dwarf Grappleshot, I repaired one for my mother before…. Before she died. Since then, greggory has retrieved a new one and given it to me, and I've worked on it since." Alayna replied.
"It's very interesting, I would have never known our long dead cousins would be so advanced." Morvin said, watching Alayna tinker.
"It's also very useful." Festand said.
"People are more than what they can offer you, Festand. Stop being a scum and look for people's personality and their emotions, for a change." Amara spoke up, still watching Festand from where she sat by her father. Alayna looked up at Amara completely confused.
"You'll understand when you're older, maybe." Amara said, the child giving a small shrug at the look she got from the teenager.
"Okay." Alayna said, still confused. Looking back down at her Grapple shot, Adjusting something on it with her tools.
And Tarron moved on, to find Belette walking back into the camp.
"I had thought you caught up with us Already." Terron said.
"I did, you know for a ranger, you're not very forward thinking when it comes to a camp, we need a fire, it is the northern region after all." Belette said, and passed by Tarron, and went to light a fire, who did get a little help from Zathor, who used a spell to help light the fire.
"I will take a look at our surroundings, make sure we weren't followed any further." Tarron announced.
"Who's going with you? Besides your best friend in the whole living world." Amara questioned. Alayna sent Amara another confused look, and Tarron just sighed at the comment.
"Again, to repeat old words, you'll maybe understand when you are older." Amara muttered, not even glancing at Alayna. "A sigh isn't an answer."
"I'll be back before bed."
"Me it is then." Amara muttered, standing to her feet.
"You're coming?" Tarron asked, surprised by this.
"Why wouldn't I?" Amara questioned, grabbing her sheath that held her mother's sword, and throwing it onto her back. Zathor seemed surprised by this too, when Tarron looked in his Direction.
"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Zathor asked.
"Have to be," Amara replied like usual.
"Well, if you need anything, anything at all, you know how to contact me." Zathor said.
"Just don't go too far." Amara mumbled.
"I won't." Zathor promised.
"Alright then, let's go." Amara claimed, turning towards Tarron, ignoring Festand entirely.
And so, they left the camping area and searched in a five-mile radius.
"So why did you come with me?" Tarron asked.
"I've watched one of the strongest people I know be killed when people gang up on you when you're alone. Ever since then, I believed in the buddy system. And no, your ghost didn't count in my system." Amara mumbled.
"Reminds me of when I was just a Lad, my father always made sure I took a friend when we left the city." Tarron said.
"Your father was wise when it came to those words. Some have to learn the hard way…" Amara mumbled.
"Unfortunately, it didn't help my son, Aaron, at the border gate. His partner was killed, and he was captured along with me and Ireana…" Tarron cut himself off there, the memory of watching his son and his wife's throats cut still haunted him."
"If I was younger maybe I would have claimed hope in you having escaped and fueled your fire with hope of finding them. But I know better, I know they are cursed like you, stuck in the planes or purgatory until you end your curse, and allot them to be judged. I'll let you know, when I receive them, they'll go straight to the god of Judgment, and he'll probably send them to the highest honor of the beyond." Amara promised.
"Thank you." Tarron said.
"It's nothing to thank me for." Amara claimed.
"There are foes nearby." festand said.
"Where?" Tarron asked.
"Take a look." Festand showed Tarron what he saw, and several miles out, he saw a larger enemy overseeing an encampment.
"I need a closer look." Tarron said.
"Then let's move." Amara muttered.
They moved closer, and Tarron once again looked through Festand's sight.
"Where were the local warchiefs when this attack happened?" A man Tarron Identified as the cudgel said.
"The warchief were killed by local huntng Parties, sir." One of the grunts said, "All except me."
"Well, it is lucky then that you are still alive." The cudgel replied, and the enemy had a momentary lapse in judgment, thinking he was off the hook when he caught the Cudgels mace where his face used to be.
"The cudgel." Tarron Muttered.
"Bring me the head of this wraith-like being.
"Claim the head yourself!" Tarron yelled. Sliding down the cliff drawing his sword.
"The ranger from the gate!" he said, "Where was your bravery when we bled your wife, and gutted your son?"
Tarron didn't answer.
"I could ask where your bravery is, hiding behind piles of gold for nothing." Amara muttered, soon behind Tarron as she drew her mother's sword, staring the Cudgel down.
"The daughter of the Goddess of Death and Chaos!" The Cudgel appeared surprised, "Where was your bravery when we caved your mother's head in?"
"Around enough for a six-year-old to escape you, and stand before you today with a weapon raised, something more than you could ever feat in your pitiful existence." Amara spat. "You wouldn't have walked out had you faced my mother alone, or without your higher rankings spells."
"My, my, today is full of surprises- and survivors, Get a Message to the Ritualist. He must know of this development," One of the lower ranking soldiers ran out of the area to inform their boss., "Now, kill them."
Amaras eyes widened a little bit as she glanced towards the soldier running away to be the informant, dread filling her stomach. She knew there wasn't much she could do however, unless she abandoned Tarron to take chase after him.
"Get back to the camp, inform the others, I'll hold them off for now." Tarron said.
Without another word, Amara charged forward, taking chase after the soldier ran off to be the informant, informing her father telepathically.
"Amara!' Tarron called. "Dammit!"
"This will help." Festand gave Tarron a boost to his speed when he went after Amara. He called her name again.
"I need more speed!" Tarron said, as they began to enter the ice wastes. Amara was still running faster than Tarron, she appeared to shift out of reality for a moment, during that time, Tarron lost sight of the messenger, but still kept running, he did see the messenger again, as Amara reappeared, forcing him to the ground and putting her blade through his throat,she twisted it a couple times, and as Tarron caught up, she had a couple breaths before she passed out unconscious. After she fell unconscious, the Messenger dissipated in orange Magic, and then, nothing but the snow.
"What happened?" Tarron asked.
"The work of the Illusionist." Festand said, "We need to get her back to her father."
"Agreed." Tarron said, picking up Amara's Prone form, and her blade, and walking back.
They got back before she came to.
"What happened?" Zathor asked.
"I don't know." Tarron replied
"What happened?" Zathor asked angrily.
"I don't know." Festand spoke now, "Nothing."
"What did you do?" Zathor asked.
"We didn't do anything," Tarron said, "We were making our patrol and we came upon an enemy encampment, where we found the cudgel killing off the final Local warchief, he sent out a Messenger to the Ritualist and Amara gave chace, she dissipated out of reality, and back in and killed what I thought was the Messenger, but it turned out to be an Illusion. Then she passed out."
"Why do I get the feeling that's a pile of sewage?" Zathor asked, as Tarron passed Amar to him.
"It's the best account I can give." Tarron replied.
"We need to pack up the camp," Alayna said, "Because not only did you fail to kill the Messenger, but you also failed to kill the Cudgel, they'll return soon with reinforcements, if not Wraiths, while the Ritualist watches from a distance and uses cowardly tactics to kill us all."
"We can handle it." Festand said.
"I will face the ritualist on my own if I have to." Tarron said.
"Maybe this is why the empire keeps failing, no body used good tactics anymore! We even have thier plans, and no one's used them." Alayna said.
"No one said anything about having their plans, Alayna." Belette said.
"Well, now I have, I got them when I was twelve when the Ritualist kidnapped me and killed my mother." Alayna said.
"And you waited till now to mention that?" Zathor asked.
"I guess people aren't as deductive as I thought, I'll share them at our next campground, not here, it's too dangerous." Alayna said.
"Let's pack up then." Morvin said.
"Zathor, take care of your daughter, we'll handle the tents." Tarron said, and Zathor nodded.
And an hour later they were off, around the time Amara regained consciousness. She shot up, as if from a nightmare, she was hyperventilating, and Zathor instantly got to work trying to calm her, Alayna did a little bit, too, and Alayna seemed to have experience.
"I don't want to talk about it." Is what Alayna said anytime someone asked her.
When Amara was calmed, Zathor was the first to speak to her, "Are you Alright? What happened?"
"…have to be…" Amara mumbled, still seeming slightly out of it. "I-uh… I… don't know. I don't remember even falling asleep… why are we packing up?"
"The enemy knows we're here." Belette said, passing by.
"What enemy?" Amara questioned confused.
"The kind we don't want to deal with at the moment, and one of the three who have been thorns in my side for a decade." Zathor said.
"What happened? What am I missing here?" Amara questioned, starting to get increasingly worried.
"You have no memory of finding the Cudgel's encampment?" Tarron asked.
"I didn't even know I left the camp!" Amara said, "I thought I had just dozed off or something, I did what?"
"I'll tell you on the road," Tarron said.
"I'll hold you to that." Amara mumbled, and Tarron nodded. Eventually they were out on the road.
"So, what happened was I stated I was going to scout around the camp, to make sure no one followed us after our initial followers were apprehended, you asked who would go with me, and I didn't answer, so you chose to go with me, then we stumbled on a camp where the cudgel was speaking to his followers, we challenged him, and he sent a messenger to the ritualist, and you chased after the Messenger" Tarron explained
"I-"Amara mumbled, completely stumped. "I remember… telling Festand to look for people's personality and not their skill. But after that… it's blank." Amara mumbled. "So does that explain the blood on Shi No Te?"
"Except you didn't actually kill the messenger, the one you killed was only an Illusion that dissipated after you passed out." Tarron replied.
Amara's stomach sank at that information. That meant, the messenger would inform Dogla that she was still alive and hadn't starved in the wood lands. "I'm screwed…"
"You aren't aren't." Zathor said, "I will die before I let them do anything to you, even if I'm dead I won't let them do anything to you."
"You can't promise that, and you know it. I'm not some blundering child who can take false promises." Amara said.
"He won't be alone in defending you." Tarron said, much to Festand's chagrin.
"For now, I think you all forget that they know where we live, they've been there before." Amara claimed. "On top of that, Dogla has a reason to target me and my father for a more special reason, let alone using me against him before slaughtering me before him, or the other way around. I know how this works."
"Then," Zathor said sadly, "We avoid home for now, we'll have to keep traveling for a while, but this time, neither of us are getting left behind."
"All of that work, for one detail to be slipped and we've even cornered. There's not a lot of options for a victory to be claimed here." Amara said.
"Sometimes, against the betrayer, Stalemate is Victory." Belette said.
"Stalemate doesn't last long when you have a spiteful mage full of vengeance and a powerful illusion magician who backs him on your tail for years. Looking for any sign of you being alive, only for the search to be reignited with one message. Meaning scoutings of theirs are going to be looking for us in particular." Amara mumbled.
"We need to re-ignite the Master forge, then, Etras will be able to protect them." Festand said, "There's a comprehensive defense system that attacks Bloodlines of the threats to the place, the Ritualist, Illusionist, and Cudgel will not be able to get through."
"There's no way they don't know where we're heading. So, if we're still doing this, we need to high tail this." Amara said.
All they know is that we're goin' to the northwestern forest," Morvin said, "that'll give us some time to prepare for if they lay a siege."
"Not necessarily." Amara mumbled "But live with your false hope."
"The dwarf is right, Etras has lain abandoned for centuries, they have no reason to think that's where we're going." Belette said, "Call it false hope if you will, but regardless, it is still hope."
"Then we better get moving before they catch up." Alayna said.
"Believe that if you will, but then you don't know them like I do. Etras isn't far from one of the first few places they'll be visiting." Amara muttered, tired of being prodded and corrected by adults that she seemed to outsmart most of the time, especially when she knew some of the lengths Dogla was willing to go through.
"Let's go." Zathor muttered.