The valley's uproar has finally taken a calm state. The foothold was grim, brimming with flies flying over the corpses of armored and cloaked men. Several scattered pikes lying around the valley were painted with man's blood and flesh.
"Seven faiths!"¹ exclaimed by a solider. "Look at these assholes, so many of them." exclaimed by a soldier in frustrated anger.
"Hey, Bryson!" shouted by another soldier.
"Yeah, I know. It looks like they're waiting for us to cross the valley. Clearly, someone rat us out."
"A traitor huh? That doesn't sit well with me but that won't make any sense. We don't have anything they can—"
"The stolen goods we retrieve from the bandits." Interruped Bryson. "If that's the case, then who could've compromised our path?"
"Well, that's an easy question, without a doubt someone who has influenced and authority" responded by soldier. "Especially money" looking at them as he spoke.
"What do you mean, Master Myers?" a young soldier questioned.
"Don't tell me you're accusing members of the king's council advisors is the culprit?" "That's preposterous! Even for you, Bryson." "Are you really that much of muscle head Tark? Why would I accused the council openly if there are southern merchants staying within the kingdom's walls." Bryson replied provokingly.
"Well, for starters, you hold a grudge towards one of 'em— Thoran Howthorn right? He fucked your wife during the night of Prima Nocta² while you ate their food!" he responded mockingly.
"Oh really? Or it's because your sister's husband is part those cocksucking sons of bitches." Bryson said mockingly with a tone of aggression.
"What the fuck did ye say?!" Shouted Tark endeavouring towards Bryson.
"Enough of that you bloody cunts!" A shout from an old knight reverberated through the ears of the two. "If you're gonna suck each others sword then go on with it already!" Shouted the old knight. "Now, if you're not gonna fight then ready the fuckin' carriage, we must get to the nearest town before nightfall. We will ride through the forest tomorrow. And you two, go jerk off yourselves out of m' sight."
"Looks like the rumors are true— old man Regriori really has a bad temperament." Murmured a solider.
"Shut it, Ardyane! the old man might hear ya."
"Then I guess we'll confirm if the geezer really does live up to his name 'Butcher of the Wild' or are you afeared of him, Syrah?"
Syrah's whispering voice heightens sounding almost like a shout. "I'm stupid if I am not."
After the intense encounter, a solider called for Myers. "Bryson! did you checked on them yet?" asked by another old looking knight.
"Check on who, Sir?" After he uttered those words he remembers Haldan and Gryden. "Oh seven shits, I forgot about them!" he thought, with haste he sprinted towards the carriage near the hill like a worried dog looking for its missing puppies. As he opened the the cover they were gone. He noticed that are no signs of force entry, "If the bandits didn't get them, then they must fled the carriage!" he whispered to himself. He tried to look outside the carriage for any trace left by their existence, but found nothing without fail.
"Did you find them?" asked Ardayne looking concerned.
"No I didn't, they must've escaped on the mountain side." He replied. "Speaking of which, Sir Raess, during the battle did you 'em leave the carriage?
"No, I was busy fightin' three of these shits." Raess answered while pointing his swords to the bandit's corpses.
"Well, least they'll be spared from travelling with us through the forest, it's much safer outside these parts."
"But Master Myers, do you really think it's safer here?", Lycole looking at him intently.
"Lycole's right, don't you remember the reason why those thieves started pillaging villages, huh?"
"Increase numbers of raging Animas right, Sir Raess?" Lycole answered.
"See? Even the newbie knows somethin' useful."
"I'm much aware as he is but you know what's inside the forest, yes?" Myers replied asking.
With a sweaty face, Lycole answered hearing the nervousness within his voice "Trolls, right?"
"Do you believe 'em? I didn't take you for a superstitious lad." Asked Raess with his eyes smiling.
"I don't know, sir. After all, I've only heard rumors and never witnessed such things in the flesh myself." Lycole answered looking a bit worried.
"The Mystic Woods³" Lycole continued, "It is said that among several known forest here in Contala, this place is famous for its incredible deep-green trees and it's irregular shaped leaves. Not until 60 years ago, when a mysterious mist started embracing the forest. The deep green trees fade from the encompassing thick mist. I've heard that magical creature called 'trolls' were sighted deep within the forest along with the mist's appearance."
"That is true. A student of history I presume?" the knight asked softly looking at him, "Did you study at the Institute before you train to be a soldier?"
"Yes Sir, but I've never wanted to fight. It was my father who forced me to join the Royal Swords—to bring honor to our family, but as you've witnessed earlier in the battlefield, my arms shakes just by holding a blade. I'm too scared to bring honor to my family— to my father's name."
Laughingly the knight answered, "Lad, killing few black bloods⁴ or fighting men in fancy armour doesn't give you honor— honor is an illusion to make sons of bitches like you fight till your body rots like a corpse. It is absurdly cruel, yet it works like a charm every fuckin' time."
"Given the years of service it's not impossible for you to have such insight, Sir Raess." A deep raspy deep voice interfered.
"Fryce!" exclaimed Lycole. "How are your wounds?"
"What do you think?!", do I look like I'm ready to split balls again?" he replied sounding heavily insulting. "You on the other hand, did well while watching your comrades di—!"
"Now, now, drop it Fryce." Bryson cutting him off.
He then endeavour his face near Lycole he whispered, "You think you're better than anybody else to prioritize your own weaknes—"
"Oh seven graces! Enough of that already." exclaimed Sir Raess.
A young soldier then came running to Raess in a swift, "Sir Raess, Commander Mcflame had asked for your presence immediately, his sire told me it's quite an important matter to be discussed." The knight's brow curled with confusion, but immediately realizing that he might have an idea of what the urgency is about. "I understand— Myers!, Ardayne!, Syrah!, get the carriages ready and the wounded along with it. Prepare for departure. And you lads help ye superiors, yes?"
"Aye!" the young buds shouted in resonance.
It is almost nightfall, the soldier had bury their fallen comrades in their respected graves near the valley. The knight Raess went to see his sworn brother from the Knights Blade, Sir Regriori Mcflame.
"Reg, you need to see me?"
"Ah, yes, Sir Raess Vaesmort, you're quick." Regriori laughed. "Well, I do take the Dahxon lad is a runner" he smiled with his eyes. "Expected from a Dahxon, I've heard that his father, the noble Parr Dahxon left the advisors meeting a fortnight ago like a deer fleeing from a lion. Hahahaha" he laughs mockingly but Raess doesn't seem to shares his comrade's enthusiasm towards the noble Dahxon.
"I take that sharing your well known hostility to the Dahxons is not the reason you've called for me?"
"Oh bloody fuck! Of course, that would be a hell of a talk" he sarcastically replied.
"Well then, what's the seems to be the problem?"
"We left from Ulstak⁵ with 40 swords and now we're less than 20", his face showed a wrinkled expression of irritation as he said these words.
"To be precise, we lost 21 men so there's only 19 of us; including you and me" Raess said in a whimsy, "I believe 19 men is enough to cross the forest, the problem is half of them are fresh nails. The real problem is that they weren't blessed by the high priest; without it they'll get sick from the toxic mist.
"M'friend, is the reason why we travel along close to Ink River⁶" Mcflame replied with little to no enthusiasm as if he just solved the problem.
"That won't change anything! Even if we stay near the river's banks they'll eventually get sick by drinkin' the ink" he said with haste concern. "We have no way of crossing the forest if we're thinking too much 'bout what will happen to them. They know what them gettin' into when they took the oath." Mcflame said with no remorse nor care of the consequences. "We'll just deliver them to their death if we continue." Raess paused catching a sigh and then continued his soliloquy of disagreement, "It's better to delayed it until tomorrow noon where the mist isn't longer thick as an elephant's neck!" His voice spoke with authority and dominance. "Their oath— our oath is to be the protector— for the innocent, for realm, until death!" he added with passion-filled eyes.
"Thanks for ye poetic candor, but how the faiths we gonna cross, aye? I suppose you have somthin' in ye mind" he intoned frustrated, his eyes then locked in at his comrade intensively.
Meanwhile, within the forest entrance, Haldan is still waiting for his brother to come back from the woods. "Why is he taking so long?" he asked to himself slightly worried. He then hears footsteps coming from the darkned shadows of the misty woods. A chilling sensation struck him to the bone— a silhouette began to emerge, Haldan instantly recognized his brother's figure. "What took you so long?" he said looking a bit concerned. Gryden rushed at his brother, "Haldan, you'll never believe what I saw!" his eyes gleamed with excitement as he catch his breathe. As Gryden expressed his excitement a creature suddenly appeared behind him that shocked Haldan, "What the fuck is that!"
.
.
.
.
.
______________________________________
Ps: This was supposedly a 2k word chap but I decided to cut it into two parts.
¹ An expression that refers to the religion: Seven Graces. The Faiths are the Gods who destroyed the evil during the Shine of the Blight Chaos 617 years ago.
² A cultural tradition created by the ancient family House Nortym in the northern contala. It states that every woman whose not a noble, should welcome any man of nobility to her bed in the 9th day after her wedding. They believed that it will give her future children the "sense of nobility" (which means they'll behave like a noble and the 9th day symbolizes the number of months when bearing a child) when they grow up.
³ A big forest located in the northern contala just beyond the Valley of Pike.
⁴ A term for criminals which was used by the Samarpits ("devoted" in sanskrit); name for the followers (mostly fanatics) of the Seven Graces religion.
⁵ A small town within the territory of the Land of Lake, which usually accomodates knights and soliders.
⁶ A river that flows through the Mystic Woods. Its water can purify the toxic mist that lingers within the forest. But it can cause dizziness, hallucinations and extreme headache when drank. Once the water is taken out of the river, it instantly turns black, hence the name, Ink River.