Silas tugged at the oversized uniform Danavar had brought for him, feeling the fabric pool around his arms and legs. He fiddled with the belt, cinching it tightly to gather the excess material. The dark blue fabric, paired with the black trousers, looked elegant but felt awkwardly large on his frame. At least the sturdy black boots fit perfectly, snug and secure as if custom-made for him.
Silas raised his arms and examined his reflection in a nearby puddle. The uniform, though grand, seemed to swallow him whole, contrasting sharply with Danavar's perfectly fitted attire.
"Better than what I expected," Danavar said with a nod of approval before he started walking.
Silas followed Danavar to the end of the street where a carriage was waiting for them. As they settled inside, an oppressive silence filled the air. Danavar gazed out the window, lost in thought, his eyes tracking the passing scenery.
For Silas, however, the ride was a torment; every jolt and rattle of the carriage seemed to amplify his unease, making it the most uncomfortable journey he had ever endured.
They stopped before the city gate and continued on foot toward the forest. More than fifteen Peacekeepers were waiting for them on the outskirts of the forest. They glanced at Danavar and bowed in acknowledgment. Among them, a group with yellow armbands stood out, their eyes sharp and alert.
The Captain cleared his throat, "For this expedition, our goal is to kill the beast that causes the abomination you saw last night. I wouldn't delve more into what is going to happen. Still, you must remember one thing for this mission: if you see something unusual inside this forest. Leave it alone. Never engage in a battle you cannot win. Go use your Bluesignal so that I can find out your location. Last night, the battle that happened was something that we didn't expect. And we fail to use everything in our arsenal, but this day," he looked around the soldiers before him. "I will ensure we won't suffer the same humiliation we suffered last night."
At his signal, two men stepped forward, carrying unopened crates. They unbolted one, revealing flintlock pistols and rifles. The other crate contained curving swords and a cylindrical-shaped cartridge with a blue button on its body.
"Each team, take five Bluesignals," Danavar instructed.
The final box contained stick hand grenades. Danavar handed three to Silas.
"You might find these useful. They're quite powerful," he said.
Silas stared at the grenades, his mind racing. "Wait! How do I even use these?" he asked, alarmed.
"You see the cap at the bottom? Unscrew it and throw it," Danavar instructed.
Silas couldn't help but think, 'You say that like it's just opening a bottle of water! I bet my hands will be shaking when the moment comes.'
He tucked the handheld grenade into a small bag, alongside a cartridge of Bluesignal. Standing in the corner, Silas watched as the Captain finished the preparations. Danavar then called over those with yellow armbands, and Silas followed.
"We're this team's vanguard. Our goal is to kill as many of those things as possible, but I still hope we won't find any," Danavar said, glancing around at everyone.
Silas nodded, feeling a mix of determination and anxiety.
"Now, let's start walking."
---
The forest in the morning was as eerie as it had been at night. The light filtering through the canopy above was the only thing offering him any comfort. They had been walking for half an hour since entering the forest, encountering only wild animals: deer and poisonous dancing plants, which Silas initially mistook for monsters.
Despite the relative calm, Silas felt uneasy. This peace likely meant the lair was hidden deep within the forest, or worse, they were heading in the wrong direction. He also realized the potential for communication failure as soon as they entered the dense woods. How would their group see a Bluesignal if another platoon used it?
Captain Danavar signaled for them to halt. Ken, the man with red hair peeking from beneath his hood, turned sideways. His eyes glowed an unusual blue.
"To our right, Captain," he said. "A group just used a Bluesignal."
Danavar nodded, acknowledging the information.
Ken gestured in the air, and red glowing orbs materialized around him. He started running towards the Blue signal.
The group, composed of Lightservants, used a technique that boosted their speed. Silas struggled to keep up, wishing he had a spell to increase his own speed. The others seemed to fly through the forest, their movements fluid and swift, while Silas panted, pushing himself to catch up on their pace.
'The Captain is really serious about this,' Silas thought, staring at Danavar's back. 'He didn't even bring Ken with him yesterday.'
"Another signal, Captain! This one is shot rather poorly. They're clearly under attack right now," Ken reported.
"Go ahead without me," Danavar ordered. "We'll follow you. I'm giving you and Bron full authority over the team."
Ken nodded and sprinted toward the other platoon, with the others following closely behind, leaving Silas and Danavar behind.
Danavar glanced back, raising an eyebrow. "Do you want me to carry you?"
"What? Where did that come from? Of course not," Silas replied, indignantly.
"I don't want to waste my Lightforce," Danavar said, but he cast a spell in Silas's direction. Red light enveloped him, making his body feel weightless and sharpening his sight as his speed increased.
"Why didn't you use this earlier?" Silas demanded.
"As I said, I don't want to waste my Lightforce," Danavar repeated
As much as Silas disliked the Captain's response, he knew Danavar was right. The Captain expected him to keep up without being a burden. But seeing how he lagged behind the others might change Danavar's mind.
When they arrived at the location, they found the group fighting a giant spider, as tall as two men combined. One person was already dead, and two were injured.
Danavar immediately engaged the monster. He touched the blade of his sword, and intricate red glowing letters appeared. With a powerful slash, he cut through the monster. Silas wanted to help but knew revealing his identity to these people would be risky.
Instead, he approached the wounded and stood behind them as their comrades bandaged their wounds. Others might be hiding in the thick bushes surrounding them.
The spider gave one last scream before collapsing on its legs. It struggled to stand, but a Peacekeeper ended its life with a blade to the head, silencing its futile struggle.
[You have received: +60 Destiny XP and +100 Shields]
After checking on the wounded, the Captain gathered everyone in the party.
"I'll ask this platoon to return with the injured and the dead. We will proceed from here. I trust that we could spot more clues about their whereabouts as we move in this direction," Danavar commanded, his voice steady.
A familiar tune sounded in Silas's ears.
[Quest V: The Forest of Truth and Desolation]
[Description: To locate where the spiders came from, search for a trail they left.]
[Locate the Webtrail 0/1]
[Note: Webtrail were thin but strong spiderwebs left by the monster on their tracks. They were usually hard to come upon and would only show once you shone a light in its direction.]
'Would [Flickering Fire] work on finding this Webtrail?' Silas wondered. Shaking his head, he approached Danavar.
"Did you bring those handheld lights we used last night?" he asked. Those things might work.
"Those things? No."
"Are you looking for this?" one of the injured guards held up a handheld light.
"Yes, can I borrow it for a moment?" Silas asked.
The guard nodded and handed it over. Silas examined it, hoping it would be more effective than the sparse light filtering through the canopy above.
Before moving on, the group paused, watching intently as the platoon returned to the edge of the forest, their figures gradually fading into the shadows of the trees. Danavar faced the forest and led them deeper, a weight of determination evident in his posture.
Silas followed from behind, holding the light and shining it through the branches and leaves. With each step, he hoped to find the elusive Webtrail.
"What are you doing?" one of the guards asked.
"I'm checking for webs," Silas replied.
"Well, good luck," the guard said sarcastically.
He shook his head, unfazed by the reaction. Silas continued to shine the handheld light on leaves, trees, branches, and even the ground. He crouched down, holding the light before a small plant.
"Nothing?" someone said behind him. Silas shook his head, not bothering to turn. He pushed himself to stand and followed the team. But as he walked, he felt something tug at the soles of his boots.
Silas turned and looked at his feet. He tried moving them, but as he did, the reeds of the nearby shrubs moved with him. Feeling a surge of excitement, Silas bent down and shone the light on his shoes. He held his breath as he saw a myriad of colors reflecting off a thin piece of string. It would have been almost impossible to see without the System's tip.
His heart thrummed wildly. He followed the Webtrail from his boots to the reeds where it was attached. It rose from the ground, and Silas caught it with his fingertips, smiling in triumph.
"I found it!" he called out.
The Peacekeepers, having ventured too far ahead, quickly retraced their steps. They expected to find themselves in the midst of a battle but were met with an unexpected sight: Silas, grinning from ear to ear, holding something invisible between his fingers. Danavar's eyes widened, a mixture of confusion and awe playing across his face.
"I found it," Silas repeated, his voice filled with pride.