Clive dragged himself slowly across the worn pathway, head hung low and occasionally swaying to his side as his vision blurred momentarily, threatening to plunge him into complete darkness, but with a groan of exertion, he blinked rapidly, forcing his vision to refocus. He was feeling terrible after everything that had happened. It left him utterly drained, both physically and emotionally.
He stole a glance at Tiamat, who walked a few paces ahead of him, his eyes frequently scanning his surroundings to ensure no one was following them. Unlike Clive, the sergeant's posture was straight
After a giant ice spire had crashed down upon him and Biast, the serge ant had found Clive and had sent Aevis over to rescue Biast but hadn't returned even after a day. Tiamat thought it would be best to leave the Iron isles in fear of this new western empire that had invaded. Under normal circumstances Clive wouldn't have agreed to leaving a member of group, especially since it was Biast "but this time he had no choice, since it was very likely that Biast was trapped in the ensuing rubble and had not survived.
Clive paused for a moment and looked behind him, with a faint hope of seeing Aevis with Biast in his arms, even though he knew this was nigh impossible.
Tiamat who had not heard the crunch of sand behind also turned around, only to see Clive looking back with a sad face.
" That poor boy…perhaps I underestimated just how much Biast meant to him " He thought to himself
" But the duchess will not be pleased if I come back empty handed. Wyvern must come with me....alive and well"
"Wyvern ? " He called out to him
Clive's head jerked suddenly as he turned around to face Tiamat.
" Coming ? " He asked Clive impatiently. They had to get to [port name] as quickly possible if they were to catch a ship back to the mainland before the invaders arrived there too.
Clive muttered a quiet yes and they resumed their journey.
Although Clive dreaded it, he couldn't help but ask, " Will we wait for Aevis and Biast ? "
Tiamat didn't even flinch. His eyes were looked to the horizon as nodded his head sideways in disapproval
" Maybe we should wait- " Clive began but he was quickly cut of by Tiamat who raised his hand dismissively.
" I don't have to repeat the rules for you Wyvern. We must survive. That is all that matters now "
Clive turned his head sideways being both annoyed and sad as his rebuke.
Tiamat sensing this spoke, " Besides, if they had survived they would know where to rendezvous with us again "
Clive felt slightly better after being remembered about their regrouping point. Every mercenary group had a designated hideout where they would stash their riches and would regroup after being separated In a battle. As for the location of their hideout, it was located on a cliff overlooking the Dzemekis falls in Dhalmekia.
It was an unusual place for a band of Sanbrequois assassins to have a hideout in a foreign country, especially so since Dhalmekia was at a war with the Holy Empire but they had a good reason for this.
The pathway to reach this particular hideout needed a specific skillset, one which only Tiamat, Biast and Clive knew about, hence making their hideout secure from bandits and miscreants.
Suddenly, a loud creaking sound from the road ahead sent shivers down Clive's spine. He froze, straining his ears. The unmistakable rumble of wheels confirmed his worst fears. It was a convoy of wagons, approaching fast.
"Dammit !" Tiamat muttered under his breath.
"There must be another way around," Clive spoke his eyes darting frantically through the dense foliage.
Tiamat scanned their surroundings and then, he spotted a cluster of large rocks, their moss-covered surfaces blending in with the surrounding vegetation. "In there," he commanded, gesturing towards the rocks.
Without a word, they scrambled towards the rocky outcrop. Clive squeezed himself into a narrow crevice huffing and groaning in pain as he struggled to fit himself in the cramped space, the rough rock edges digging into his flesh.
Soon They were huddled together in the darkness, the damp earth cooling their bodies. The rumble of the approaching wagons grew louder and louder until they could hear voices of the Iron kingdom soldiers outside. The convoy was approaching from the capital and was also going in the direction of Var'yn.
Clive peeked out through the crevice. It was heavily defended his eyes widened when his gaze fell upon a young girl chained inside a wagon, a girl with a grey hair.
" Sergeant ! " he called out in a quiet voice, " Take a look at this "
As Tiamat came near him, he gave way for Tiamat to peek through the crevice. His eyes to widened when he saw the young girl." Is it- " He began
"Its her sergeant, the dominant. "
Tiamat stepped back and after thinking for a moment spoke, " Then we follow them", As soon as the convoy passed them, the duo quickly emerged out of the rocks and sprinted in the direction of the port.
Within the hour they had reached Var'yn, a rather isolated port in this region but with all western ports now under the control of Insaldur, this small port in the eastern part of the island was teeming with refugees fleeing the empire. Several massive ships were docked in the port and several more anchored just off the coast, with no room the docks, these ships had to anchor in shallow waters and wait for room. Small boats were ferrying people and cargo to and from these ships.
As Clive looked at the port, he wondered how they were gonna get through the crowd let alone board a ship.