"I'm telling you, Sergeant, I did inventory twice, as always. Nothing was out of place."
"How can that be!? I know he broke in here last night!"
"I don't know what to tell you. Inventory is exactly the same as it was when we closed up shop last night."
"Th-... Then, he must have done something!" Treia, the gatonine night watchstander, insists passionately. It's clear she saw Daniel doing something in the vicinity of the storehouse, but there's no evidence anything was touched.
"We don't have any signs of contaminating anything, and nothing was even moved."
Gwenesphia, the morning lieutenant about to go on watch, approaches for her watch station's rations. "What's going on here?"
Verbeinne replies, "This one here believes Daniel broke into the storehouse last night."
"What? Why would he do that?"
Verbeinne answers, "Well, I can say with certainty he didn't steal anything. And he always seems to need a blanket."
Treia retorts, "I saw him break in last night."
"You did?" asks Gwenesphia. "Did you not raise the alarm?"
Treia flinches. "I… I didn't ACTUALLY see him enter, but… But, I know he did! He was sneaking around, and I saw him study the door."
"Sergeant, accusing Daniel without actually witnessing it isn't helping anything."
"I know what I saw, Lieutenant! Why would you defend him? He's scheming something at night!"
"This looks like a heated conversation." All three of them snap to attention and salute the Commander as she approaches. "Is there a problem?"
Verbeinne catches her up on the conversation so far.
"I see."
Gwenesphia states, "Daniel doesn't seem like the type to do that, though, Commander. He's quiet and keeps to himself, and he seems rather polite."
"Do you have evidence of this, Gwenesphia?"
"I… don't. No, Commander. O-Other than any time I've interacted with him, he's quiet and polite."
Treia states, "He's hiding something. We need to be careful."
"We should be wary of traitors, spies, and enemies in all forms. We should not treat our allies as such without cause." She looks specifically at Treia, who flinches. However, the Commander states without changing the target of her gaze, "Quartermaster, I'd like you to verify the cooling unit is broken before I send off the repair request."
Surprised, Verbeinne hesitates. Leiwelles looks at her, and she flinches this time. "Uh, o-of course, Commander. But, it's been out of service for a few weeks now, as I mentioned yesterday."
With a nod, Leiwelles instructs, "Show me."
The four walk into the back of the shop, and Verbeinne opens the door of the trunk-sized box with a cooling crystal powering it. She puts her hand inside, explaining, "It should be cold enough to…" She flinches, staring at the device.
Leiwelles walks forward, placing her hand inside. "I don't understand. It feels quite cold to my hand. Should it be colder?"
"No… It's… It wasn't working yesterday… Commander."
"Are you certain?" The Commander makes a point to look at Treia. "Is it possible the issue could have corrected itself?"
"N-No…" Verbeinne suddenly gasps. "Daniel…"
This surprises the other two, and Treia quickly says, "Wait wait wait! You're trying to imply Daniel fixed that thing? It's a magic device!"
Gwenesphia murmurs, "W-Wouldn't that mean he has to have magic, then?"
Leiwelles walks past them, saying dismissively, "I'm a military commander, not a Magic Artificer. I just thought it might be odd that one of you claims someone broke in here, and another claims a broken device is now working again. But, what do I know?" She walks to the door, stating, "If anyone needs me, I think I'll be taking a bath. A nice, hot bath."
All three of the others gasp in shock together.
Gwenesphia squeaks, "Th-then, does that mean… The barracks?"
Leiwelles smirks over her shoulder, and Treia quickly snaps, "Hang on, Commander! That's absurd! Pardon my saying so, but if he is the one who did it, then how does no one…" She trails off. She shakes her head, asking sharply, "WHY wouldn't he tell anyone? Why would he act so suspiciously if that's all he was doing?"
"Why indeed?" With that, the commander leaves the storehouse, and the others glance at each other, deep in thought.
***************
It's Daniel's day off once more, and as usual, he is on a free-scout beyond the fortress. With permission, anyone on base can go off base to search for collectible items. It's a little odd to Daniel, since he could be meeting up with the enemy. However, it seems the actual recon unit stays much further out, and they keep tabs on the enemies. What Daniel is allowed to do is find curiosities in the area. The trap he found ended up being one set by the recon teams, since metal glints mean kingdom soldiers, and as such, can attract lower-intelligence demon soldiers.
Daniel uses his notebook to continue learning the plants of the area. He doesn't have everything written down, but he can identify useful plants and toxic ones, at least with a fair amount of accuracy. Not that he's putting everything he finds into his mouth, of course, but there are a few different kinds of berries and other fruit-bearing plants that are edible. Most aren't very lucrative to turn in, but they are a nice addition to meals and snacks.
As Daniel is walking, though, he finds a rather steep hill overlooking a sheer drop, over which Daniel can't see from his distance created by the hill. He murmurs to himself, "Must be where the river flows into the mountains. Better keep my distance."
He hears a twig snap somewhere behind him, and he sighs. "Of course I jinxed myself." He whirls, looking for whatever's stalking him. He's hit before he can see it, though, and he coughs. His stomach floats as it sinks in, and he grits his teeth. He wants to shout curses, but he braces for the first of many impacts.
He slides on his back down the steep hill, quickly being swallowed by tumbling dirt and leaves knocked loose by his fall, and he is unable to see what hit him. Daniel tries to turn himself around with his hands, and he can feel the terrain tearing away at his skin and clothes. Suddenly, he feels himself drop once more. He's gone over the cliff.
Daniel feels his breath give way, again preventing him from fully screaming or cursing. Instead, he can only grunt and wince in pain as he tries to gain his bearings. He tries to collect a breath, but it's just as quickly snatched away from him as he slams the water that was below him.
He can feel his mind blank out, and what little sense he has fears he's going to black out. However, light fills his eyes once more, and his lungs are on fire. The wind was knocked out of him, but he's alive, and as far as he can tell, he can move. He must've hit a deep enough portion of the river. Though, his entire body is in pain now, so it's hard to say.
Regardless, he quickly aligns his feet with the river bottom, finding whatever footing he can so he can kick upwards. He kicks his feet continuously, reaching for the surface with his lungs demanding he inhale.
He gasps in a breath as soon as his face breaches the water, and he coughs on what droplets of water manage to follow his lifesaving breath. He treads water for a moment as he catches his breath, looking around with a dazed fog still clouding his mind.
But, he's able to tell he's in the bottom of the valley from the upper mountain near Fort Peony. The river is moving at a moderate pace, so he's covering a lot of ground beyond his control. Additionally, the water is rather cold. He'll have to find a way out and navigate back to the fortress.
Or, he could just ride the river.
No wait. That's definitely not an option. Didn't we pass a waterfall? I gotta get out.
Daniel keeps his head above water, swimming as well as he can through the current towards the south side of the river, the side that the fort will be on. The present walls of the cliffs are too steep for him to even exit the water right now, but being closer to shore will be imperative once he has the option to climb out. He follows the wall of the river valley, listening for signs of rapids or the impending waterfall.
This isn't what I meant when I said I wanted to see the waterfall better.
He knows there's a shoreline near the waterfall, but he prays to himself that he can exit the water long before that. If he messes up, he's probably not going to have any more chances.
***************
Gwenesphia stops by the afternoon watchstander station as curfew is getting closer. Daniel had already gone out beyond the gate before she learned what the Commander revealed. Daniel hadn't mentioned any of it, but apparently, he's the mysterious artificer that repaired the barracks central air, the bathhouse water heater, and the storehouse cooling box. Any one of those three would be achievements, and he did all of them in a few days in the dead of night, even after how poorly everyone on base has treated him. For starters, she wants to know why he'd go so far, even for people who treat him poorly.
Her relief, Lieutenant Phrea, a bovine woman with a much larger stature than anyone else, but a gentle disposition, is checking over the west gate's logs before curfew and turnover.
"Afternoon, Phrea."
"Oh! Gwen! Welcome back. Leave something behind?"
"No, nothing like that. I was wondering… Has Daniel returned?"
"Mmm… No, not since I took watch. He's running out of time."
Gwenesphia is silent for a moment. She asks, "H-Hey… Do… Do you think you could make an exception tonight? I-If he ends up being late? He's been working pretty hard…"
"I don't particularly care to break the rules, Gwen. Less so for someone like him. I have a sister the Princess's age. What he did…"
"What if… It's not what we think?"
"Then he's got some bad luck. I have no interest in forgiving him because he can make excuses. And, I'm certainly not going to break the rules. I'm sorry, Gwen. If he's not back by curfew, he's spending the night outside." Phrea turns away, making it clear she's done talking about it. She's not in the wrong, of course. But, Gwen was hopeful.
She murmurs softly, "He's the one that fixed the bathhouse." She walks away, paying no mind when Phrea tenses and glances over her shoulder with surprise.
The hours tick by, and still no sign of the strange otherworlder. Treia is passing by with her watch team to go relieve the watch for the night, and she spots Gwen sitting on the well. She approaches, saying softly, "Lieutenant? Shouldn't you be headed to bed soon?"
Gwenesphia looks up at her from her seated position. "I've been… worried."
"Worried? About what?"
The gatonine lieutenant looks away. "Daniel still hasn't returned. He's not even outside the gate like the other times. He's never been this late before."
Treia cocks her head. "Did he leave for an overnight trek?"
"No. He said he'd be back today. Everyone else already returned. Bellstram had to go to the infirmary because she injured her shoulder. She said she was attacked by a pig…"
"A pig? Like a wild boar? Out here?" Treia finds that a little strange.
Gwenesphia nods as she answers, "That's what she said. Knocked her against a stone, apparently."
Treia sighs, crossing her arms. "If you're worried about the weed running into it, I'm sure it'll be fine. Things that don't belong are the hardest to get rid of."
"I wish everyone could be a little nicer to him… I don't think what they said about him is true."
"Why are you so insistent on that? Why would a King lie? If anything, since that King is apparently an otherworlder as well, I'd assume Daniel would've just had it all covered up for him."
"Why would he stay here, though? Knowing how much so many of us dislike him. I was hoping to ask him."
"Who knows? It couldn't possibly be that what the report said is TRUE and he's just searching for an opportunity. I'm sure all of those fixes were just so we'd let our guard down. Then, one of US is who's missing."
Gwen is quiet for a moment.
Treia sighs. She murmurs, "I don't want it to be true. I don't want it to be him… I slept like a baby today… I hate it that HE'S the one to thank…"
Again, Gwen is quiet, and Treia grumbles, "Geez… Listen, if he returns, I'll let you know right away, alright? I'm not letting him in past curfew, but I'll tell you right away." She adds as she walks towards the gate she mans, "Besides… Idiot wouldn't 'break in' anyways, even when someone opens the door for him."
"Y-You did that?"
"W-... Well, he was right. I was going to turn him in if he did… But he didn't even TRY to accept my fake hospitality!"
Gwenesphia frowns. "It's times like this I'm surprised he stayed more than a week…"
Treia frowns. "Listen… It's not like I feel great now… I wanted him gone, but not like this… I'm sure he's just lost. He'll find his way back eventually. The mountains are easy to find, and so is the river. If he can't navigate back with those two giant clues, there's not much any of us can do to help him." She finally turns and starts walking, "I gotta go relieve the watch. I'm taking my leave, Lieutenant."
Night falls, and Gwenesphia checks one last time. She doesn't even make it to the gate before Treia spots her, and the night watchstander shakes her head. Worried, Gwenesphia reluctantly turns in for the night. She has her own duties to upkeep for the fortress, and she can't shirk them for personal reasons. Especially because, until this particular day, no one REALLY had any concern.
The next morning, Gwenesphia reluctantly gets her breakfast before watch. As the soldiers of Fort Peony are slowly filing in, Hertalma steps out of the kitchen area to call out, "Hey! Anyone seen the scumbag? He's late again."
Gwenesphia twitches, but she says nothing. She hasn't, so calling out would only be disruptive. And, no one else answers, prompting a few hums of, 'No,' as they carelessly continue eating.
Bellstram chides sourly, "Idiot probably fell off a cliff when his back was turned. He's a city weed. He doesn't belong out here on the frontier."
A few of the women snicker. It hasn't spread beyond the three others that were present when the Commander revealed that Daniel repaired the various things that came up working mysteriously; things almost everyone uses regularly, and no one really wanted to dig down to the answer. The first question the Commander asked, 'Is it possible it started working on its own' was because it's possible. Magic devices can be finicky. Only artificers and artisans know how they truly work. But, if Daniel was the one who repaired them, it also gives credibility to the doubt that he has no magic, like he claims.
Hertalma retorts coldly, "Well, if any of you do see him, tell him to report to the Commander. I'm done with him." She returns back into the kitchen. This time, Gwen moves to say something, but she stops herself, to her shame. She's still not certain, herself, if Daniel really was the one to repair the devices. But, he's the only one who fits. Especially given the incident with Treia trying to catch him breaking into the storehouse. The Quartermaster staff went over every item, but found no signs of tampering. The only evidence anyone had been in the room was a slight scuff of dust on the surface of the cooling box's bench, and it could have occurred during inventory.
Gwen finishes her meal in silence, making her way to watch. She relieves as normal, but begins pouring through the logs. A handful of people come and go into the demon wildlands every day. She finds the log entry of Daniel departing on a 'single day' trek, written by her alternate when she's off. However, no matter how thoroughly she searches the pages, including blank pages, she can't find any signs that he returned. No one reported finding any of his equipment. No one reported finding a body. No one reported any blood. True, it's only been one day, but Daniel doesn't seem like the type to desert his post. He also wouldn't go beyond the recon perimeter.
Her entire watch passes by slowly. She does her best to wear her usual expression, but her concerns are only growing. As soon as she's able, she heads to the Commander's office.
The secretary smiles and nods at her, meaning the Commander is free. She knocks on the door.
"Enter."
Gwen walks in, saluting crisply. "Commander, Lieutenant Gwenesphia. I… Permission to speak freely, Commander."
"Go ahead." Leiwelles is studying a map that she received via letter from the main command post east of the mountains. It shows arrows depicting troop movements, but the entirety of the troop movements are internal to the allied kingdoms. At a glance, it looks like a few of the other kingdoms are invading Bromlund.
Gwenesphia pays it no mind, though. Their duty is to the frontier, and the only reason they're receiving an outdated troop movement map is to show a glance of what might be delaying shipments, troops, or anything else. Fortunately, Fort Peony's remoteness and preparedness keep it from being immediately affected by smaller shipping delays.
"Commander, I… I think we should send someone to look for Daniel."
"Has anyone searched the base?" asks the Commander without apparent interest.
"Not… thoroughly, no. But, he was never logged back in. And, he won't violate curfew. I… heard someone tried to offer to let him in last time."
"Oh? Who was it?"
"I don't know, Commander. I think it might have been a test, in all actuality, and he passed."
"Hmm. Good to hear. But, what makes you think he needs found?"
"He was supposed to report back yesterday before curfew. He was even late for his morning duties…"
"Yes, that I heard. Has it crossed your mind that he deserted, Lieutenant?" Leiwelles looks up finally, and Gwen looks to the side.
"I don't think he has it in him. Not on the wildlands side."
Leiwelles sighs, turning towards her window. She asks with a little coldness, "What's he to you? Has he been sweet talking you, Gwenesphia?"
"What!? No! Of course not, Commander! I just… The more and more I see, the more I think… What if someone framed him in his kingdom? What if the Princess…"
"Careful now. It's not wise to accuse royalty of anything."
"Apologies. Regardless, I can't help but wonder, Commander."
Commander Leiwelles turns around, pacing her office. "I received a letter yesterday, after everything that happened. The timing couldn't have been more or less perfect. Would you like to know what it told me?"
"I… If you think I'll benefit from it, yes Commander."
"I do. It was a reply to a request for information. I've got some contacts in most kingdoms of the Alliance. Friends, mercenaries, nobles. When I asked about Daniel, the reply I got was curious. Do you know when Daniel was summoned?"
"Not exactly, Commander. I had heard Mornistae performed a divine summon about a year ago."
"Mm-hmm. Now, look outside."
Gwen is confused at first, but she walks to the window, peering outside. "Look at the well."
Again, Gwen doesn't understand, but she looks at the well. A few people are drawing water from the pump. It was the first real time Gwen talked to Daniel like a person. She asks softly, "What am I looking for, Commander?"
"That pump that we all use every day; do you know when that was invented?"
Gwen shakes her head. But, she realizes why the Commander must be asking. "Wait… Daniel?" She looks at Leiwelles, who smirks and nods.
"Curious, isn't it? Is it considered invention if it was a historical technology from another world?"
The gatonine lieutenant's ears flick. She stares blankly at the Commander. "H-... How?"
"That's not all I received in this letter. It seems he pioneered many things and proved capable of most magical device repairs, excluding crystals, as he's claimed to me. And yet, the one thing he doesn't deny are the written facts about why he was sent here. I, too, think there's more to it. However, I can't ignore the fact that someone accused of such things was stationed here, of all places."
"Commander! If we keep treating him like a criminal, then what incentive does he have…?"
"Regardless; Daniel knew the risks going beyond the gates. We're not responsible for him during that time. He will have to return on his own or not at all. If he returns, we'll know he's not a deserter. If no one else dies, we'll know he's not lying in ambush for those who've most likely earned his ire. If he never returns, then… Well, I suppose we'll never actually know, will we?" She turns back to her desk and her paperwork, stating, "Is there anything else?"
"Wh-... What if he's hurt and can't return, Commander?"
"If we receive a report and a location, I'll decide then. Until such a time, I expect the utmost professionalism to continue."
Gwen bows, "Of course, Commander."
"Good. Then, starting tomorrow, there will be no more free scouting until further notice. You may take your leave."
"C-..."
Leiwelles scowls at Gwenesphia, who flinches. "Did I say something foolish, Lieutenant?"
"N-... No, Commander. I just…"
"You know how many soldiers go looking for others and join the lost? More than I care to count. I pride myself in being no great fool. If you disobey me, do it at your own peril. Now go. It sounds like someone else has something to talk about."
Gwenesphia hesitates, but she reluctantly bows once more and makes her way out. She passes by the reconnaissance squad leader. They're about to rotate out the recon teams to give the active teams a break. The demons don't often make any attacks on Fort Peony, but it's important to stay alert.
However, Gwenesphia is stuck. Commander Leiwelles, the commanding officer of the fort nicknamed 'The Flower Garden', just definitively said that Daniel is on his own. For a moment, Gwen had thought the commander was at least hospitable to Daniel, if not harboring some genuine respect. However, that hypothesis was just obliterated.
Gwen knows she should still be cautious, but something about everything doesn't sit right with her. She grew up being taught not to blindly trust any one of her senses without hearing what her heart and soul each have to say. And, both of them agree that something is off.
Unfortunately, her options are limited.
************
Daniel lays sprawled out on the boulder along the raging river around ten yards away from the fall edge of the waterfall he saw on his way to Fort Peony. He almost escaped the river much further upstream, but he slipped back into the water when a log floating down the river caught his pant leg.
Now, he's gripping a boulder with all of his strength, soaking wet and shivering as water dribbles from him. It's all he can or wants to do right now; cling to the rock he was able to drag himself onto, and try to catch his breath and warm up in the brief amount of sunlight. His right hand burns, mainly in his fingers, where he partially 'degloved' his hand, detaching the skin from the under layers and nearly pulling it from his hand entirely as he was slipping away from the rocks he had first climbed onto.
He coughs. His ribs ache, his lungs burn and are still trying to expel excess moisture. He couldn't scream if he tried; his throat is hoarse and sore. His muscles feel like melted jelly from treading water and swimming for so long. He coughs, murmuring to no one in particular, "I dunno who the heck would do that in a barrel… Braver souls than I…" He lays his face on the boulder, still clinging to the boulder with his whole body.
After the sun sinks behind the mountains, he finally wearily climbs to his feet on the boulder, staying in a low crouch to move towards the main shore. The "road" is actually below him, barely visible from his current location. There is a small wooded area at his level, obscuring the slope or cliffs that he'll have to cross to reach the road.
Daniel makes his way through the wooded area, climbing downward carefully when he can. He has to be careful. He wraps his right hand with rags when the air makes it feel like it's freezing, and he has to keep it close to his abdomen just to avoid excruciating pain. If he falls, he'll likely go into shock, assuming he doesn't faint anyways. As far as he can tell, he's not bleeding profusely anywhere, and though he's light-headed, he is able to drag one foot in front of the other and keep himself upright and awake for now.
Once he's in eyesight of the road, he walks west towards the fort. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't make it anywhere else without starving or dying. At least at the fort, he has a chance. He trudges slowly, careful not to overexert himself in this precarious state. His internal clock is suggesting that it's almost nighttime, but he doubts he's going to make it to the fort tonight. In fact, he has no idea how long he's been gone. He's lost time several times as he was climbing to the road, let alone escaping the river. He might've fallen unconscious on the boulder that he pulled himself out on. He has no idea.
All he can do is try to survive. Or, failing that, at least he tried.
******************