Branches cracked underfoot as the company of knights trudged through the underbrush away from the battle and into the Eternal Wood. Their numbers had shrunk despite Betsol's protection, but they marched on. Natal was creeping along to the left of their column urging their stragglers on. Oran stumbled on, hidden brambles catching her feet and forcing her to rip free every few steps, their progress had slowed significantly but Natal had reported that they were not being followed. The lines they had broken through had been too entangled with Jhev's army to be bothered chasing them. Alaen lead the way still humming an unfamiliar hymn, plowing through the ancient wood with little of the grace he'd displayed while fighting. Oran kept close behind him, the limbs of trees tended break on him and made it easier for her to keep up. Betsol had seen her through, seen most of them through, but they still had the rear guard ahead of them and no army to assist them.
She caught a glimpse of the sun peaking through the canopy, and drew her Divining Stones out her thumb finding the familiar groove in the Betsol stone. Radiance enlighten me. You've seen us through thus far, guide us on your quest and protect us from your foes. I fear Klanae's influence in this wood.
As if in response an unyielding bow snapped free of Alaen's advance and back into face of Oran, filling her mouth with needles and nostrils with pines. She sputtered as she advanced, her face flaring pain and came to a halt while wiping her face clean. She could hear the thudding steps of Alaen as he continued on leaving her behind, and the rustle of branches as other knights passed. She heard Natal chuckling before the Captain's feet came into her blurred view.
Seems this wood has delivered you a worse blow than the Vulk back there. You're covered in blood. She felt Natal's firm hands on her head again, one against the back lifting her up and another pressing some voluminous soft cloth to her nose. She opened her eyes to find Natal shaking her grin on her face. Oran couldn't understand how Natal could still be smiling, they'd lost knights, they'd each suffered wounds, and they faced a task that seemed increasingly insurmountable. Yet seeing the smile made her feel better, just a small bit of her, but it was enough to continue on. She wouldn't fail these knights, she wouldn't fail her Divinity.
Oran nodded then started walking again, picking up her pace to try and cover the distance their company had earned on them while they'd stopped. "We're falling behind" she said through bloody fabric.
Natal caught up in a few strides, she seemed to have no problem with the under brush, powerful strides ripping through weeds and vines threatening to catch feet. She went before the two of them and began to sweep branches out of there way with circular motions, behind widely more effective than simply following in Alaen's wake. It wasn't until they'd caught up to the rest of the knights that Oran placed the familiar movements, they were parts of the Rising Sol, ones Oran had used just previously in the battle. It seemed almost blasphemous, but it was it? She found herself repeating the motions herself, gently guiding the flexible arms of the Eternal Wood away and around her, and within a few minutes she'd found a rhythm and was making good headway through the forest catching up to Alaen at the head of the company once again. He had stopped and she almost passed him before realizing why he had stopped. Before her the trees thinned out and beyond that was a flurry of movement. Vulk dashed across a wide clearing in the forest among tall tents of hide, and quenched camp fires. Few among them had visible weapons and most of them had fur of gray.
Natal came up beside them and grunted, stalking back off towards the company and giving orders for stealth. A bit late she thought, how had they managed to reach her without coming across any scouts or at least a guard? She scanned the woods around them then the clearing for any sign that their approach had been noticed. There weren't many Vulk in the clearing, and even fewer seemed likely to put up much of a fight. Where were the rest of their soldiers, the rest of their civilians?
"There are not many warriors here Chaplain." The words vibrated in her chest as Alaen spoke. "Perhaps ten, and they're focused around that larger structure in the center of the village."
It took her a moment but she spotted the structure, a tent almost twice as big as the next largest. It did appear to be towards the center of the tents and placing it there she could imagine them being placed out in rings forming a small village in the midst of the Eternal Woods. Outside the front flap of the tent was a ring of Vulk with rich colored fur and bearing spears.
"Where are the rest of them?" She wondered aloud.
"Perhaps there are a number of similar villages, or perhaps Lord Marshall's Crusade as been more successful than we've thought." Alaen replied.
That was a comforting thought, but Betsol had quested them with retrieving a child and had guided them here. "If the Vulk of hinted at the child's value then she's likely the thing being defended. We'll make our way there."
Alaen nodded then lifted the sword off his shoulder, eyes growing dark as they settled on the ring of guards.
"Remember Alaen, the Bloodfurry, and that we cannot win the child by fighting. We'll have to try and secure her without violence." she questioned the words as soon as she'd spoke them. How were they to take hostage a child of import from the Vulk in the midst of their camp without using violence?
Alaen merely nodded again before begin to stalk into the clearing. Natal arrived just to see him go and looked into the camp. waving a hand for the knights to form ranks along the edge of the clearing with their rifles. "Nothing to do now but see it through, we'll keep your retreat open." Natal said as Oran started after Alaen.
The two of them stalked quietly through the near abandoned camp, the flurry of motion suddenly still. Had they been seen, was this an ambush? A howl seemed to confirm her suspicion, as they made ready to be attacked. Yet none came. Oran spotted a few of the gray haired Vulk walking in another direction towards a larger tent arrange in mirror to the one Alaen had spotted. This one had been hidden from them by other tents but stood even larger, nearly as massive as some of the barracks Oran had seen. It was held up with more wooden poles than the others, and smoke poured from holes in its roof. At its entrance gathered a group of armed Vulk at their head was death itself. Vrocinerex stood arguing with a gray haired Vulk, his stubbed arm and single red eye stood out clear in Oran's memory. They could finish the crusade just here, but the Quest said it couldn't be won fighting. Alaen waited, his blade resting against his shoulder looking to Oran for orders.
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