Chapter 312: Vol.9 Ch.293- Fire Light.
Kaladin Shadowheart’s POV.
Durak had everyone in position, each with their own weapon. Bolts and arrows were tipped in oil and set ablaze while those with slings waited to release their oil pots on command. It looked rather silly as everyone intently stared down an empty forest where only trees, shrubs, and grass lay, but their worry was not for naught.
I wouldn’t have even noticed it myself; the tree everyone was aiming at looked completely inconspicuous, like the ones that surrounded it. If it weren’t for the incredibly minute difference in the leaves, it would have been impossible to distinguish it from another without something like my Soul Sight. As even Beastmen couldn’t smell a thing from it, and as an Elf, even I didn’t notice a difference.
That returned a rather discerning thing, as there was clearly a bright lump of light at its center, far brighter than any other tree surrounding it, let alone one I had personally witnessed. The Ent was a monster I had never heard of or seen, but apparently, it was a fearsome enemy that plagued the woods from time to time.
I’m curious to see just how dangerous it is. Everyone seems rather worked up about it after all.
Cerila must have shared my interest as she stood next to me with an intrigued gaze. A plant-based monster wasn’t a first, but in the end, it could still die, and fire just happened to be a weakness for it.
Durak gave the signal as the slings released their payload. The jars soared through the air and smashed against the tree, followed by a barrage of flaming bolts and arrows. As the flames took hold, a sound, reminiscent of a screech, echoed in the forest, eerie and inhuman, closer to wood and bark being scraped together at a high pitch.
The ground rumbled as the tree began to uproot itself, revealing its true form. Roots broke the soil and flopped around as the branches shook their leaves off, forming into multiple sharp appendages. Durak and his team had already another volley and were reloading for a third by the time the Ent finished.
But the third volley struck a wall of bark, and even though the projectiles were useless, the oil and fire still caught ablaze. The Ent let out its eerie screech as it skittered at a surprising speed toward us on its multiple sharp legs. Since it was a tree, it loomed over us, but as the fire spread, it eventually faltered, and that was when Durak yelled the order.
"Back!" he barked.
It was clear why, as the Ent thrashed around violently. It produces whip-like appendages that carve entire chunks out of the tree trunks and uproot other trees with its thrashing roots. It even ripped a tree out from the ground and tossed it at our last known location as it chased us with renewed fury.
It barreled through the forest, destroying trees and decimating the groundas it closed the distance at an uncomfortable pace. Eventually, it came into range as it swiped its arms at us, just barely missing, but multiple roots shot out from the ground as Elowen sliced them apart with blades of wind.
The Ent was a burning effigy straight out of hell, a section of its trunk opened, revealing a dark maw of wooden teeth. Durak ordered everyone to spread out in different directions, as they hesitated to pick a target. It instantly settled on the slowest target, much to his dismay.
"Damn, you! It’s always gotta be the short one!?" Thrak hollered as he rolled behind a fallen tree just in time.
The tree next to him was sliced down the center as the ground exploded from the impact. But a series of bolts followed by arrows and magic smashed into the Ent’s unprotected rear, eliciting another screech. It thrashed violently, destroying the immediate area as flames engulfed it.
The scent of charred wood tickled the nose, but it was followed by a pungent odor as its purplish blood leaked out from its wounds. Elowen’s magic took swathes of limbs with each spell, and slowly, but surely, the team managed to bring the monster down without a single injury.
The Ent let out a final death screech before tumbling over, the flames taking it wholly. Everyone came out of their positions as they huffed for air from the sudden adrenaline dump.
Geoffrey looked at me incredulously for a moment before asking in between his breaths, "Are...are you even the least bit winded?"
"Not particularly. I’ve only used a few spells and run around a bit today. It’ll take a lot more to get me tired," I said honestly.
Ingra pointed her finger at the path the Ent left and said, "Forrest is on fire."
"Really? Who woulda thought that, huh?" Thrak huffed.
Cerila glanced at me, and I just nodded. It wouldn’t be hard for her to put out the fires before they got out of hand. There wasn’t much of a reason to burn a part of the forest down, even if the creature justified the means.
She froze the body of the Ent with a hand wave and set off to handle the rest. Geoffrey shook his head in disbelief as he asked in a low voice, "Is there a reason we just don’t have her kill everything for us?"
"Your pay. Unless you want to give that up to her," Durak snapped.
"Have a little backbone, kid," Thrak snorted.
Geoffrey deflated as he muttered, "Sorry for asking..."
Durak examined the icy corpse for a moment. "Good work, everyone. We avenged a lot of poor souls today," he said solemnly.
I must have looked confused as Snater answered my thoughts for me. "Monster that big, killed a lot of people. Probably," he said.
"Come. Let’s go gather its leftovers and return’em to the guild when we get back," Durak ordered.
As we made it through the carnage and arrived at the Ent’s orgial spot, it was clear what they meant. Where the creature was rooted was a large pit piled with only two things. Bones and metal.
Most of the bones belonged to animals or monsters, but there were very clear signs of Human remains. Even if it was a small amount, their skulls littered the pit, drawing a grim picture. The faint shimmer of metal, most of them swords, arrowheads, spear tips, or the telltale tags of adventurers, was there along with a small treasure trove of coins.
Everyone huddled around the pit with dark expressions before Durak sighed, covered his mouth and nose with a cloth, and slid into the pit. "Geoffrey, get in here and lend a hand," Durak ordered.
"Yes, sir..." he muttered.
—
The fire crackled as everyone slept through the second night. The camp the group set up was rather Spartan. Just tarps tied to trees and anchored down into the ground. It wasn’t that we didn’t have full-blown tents, but there didn’t seem to be a reason to use them yet. According to Geoffrey, they were more of a hassle to set up and take down, and the ground was still hard either way.
The forest was at least quiet at night, as it seemed many monsters weren’t keen on attacking a large group around a fire. Durak wasn’t lying when he said we would run into problems often. It felt like there wasn’t an inch of the forest that wasn’t swarming with some kind of dangerous monster or animal.
Thankfully, nothing was so dangerous as to be life-threatening, and Durak commanded his people well, dispatching everything they found with the practised ease of veterans. It was clear that if this was a team of adventurers, they would all be at the bare minimum of amethyst, pushing into ruby.
It made me wonder how long these people intended to stay in this foreign legion. The benefits were clear, but Durak must have been here for quite some time; even Elowen and Santer also couldn’t be far behind in time served.
The pay can’t be that good. Is there another reason?
Honestly, I was considering offering Durak and his entire team a position in the selection for the knight corps. They would still have to undergo the trials, but I would at least fast-track them into the list.
Afterall, these were the kind of people I needed most. A small group of talented individuals who could navigate dangerous terrain, completely isolated from any other help, and achieve critical missions with just their own expertise and teamwork. Perhaps the entire foreign legion stationed in this forest would make perfect candidates.
I added another log to the fire and pondered as I kicked the embers around. Even though I offered to be a part of it, guard duty was mind-numbing work, but I wasn’t alone, as Santer was just outside of camp. I could see him at all times, and he would regularly check in with me.
In an hour or so, we would switch and—mm?
Beside me, Cerila’s sleeping bag twitched as her eyes shot open and stared into the night sky. It wasn’t the first time I had seen her do that. It was odd to say the least. She didn’t suddenly burst awake in a cold sweat from a nightmare, but it was as if she was forced away by something else entirely.
She was calm, almost serene, as she rolled over and looked right into my eyes. <Bad dream?> I signed.
She shook her head slowly and let out a short sigh before sitting up. <No. They aren’t dreams. More like visions.> she answered.
<About that place you keep seeing?> I asked.
She hesitated for a moment before nodding and signing, <Yeah. It’s becoming increasingly vivid. I can almost feel like I know exactly where it is despite never being there. It’s like it’s calling me to go there.>
The fire crackled as I took a breath and asked, <Are you...going to listen to it?>
Her head tilted to the side before she stared up into the sky again. <I don’t know yet.> she signed after a moment.
I let the silence drift on for a time before she looked back at me with a weak smile. <Would you go with me? Even if it’s far away?> she asked.
<You know I would if I could. Things are just... too hectic right now. I can’t leave just yet. Even this mission takes more time than I would like to spend away from preparing for what’s to come. > I signed with a sigh.
Her smile faded slightly as she looked down at the ground. <I know.>
My heart truly ached at her reaction. I knew it hurt her, even if my logic was sound. She was one of the people who scoured the continent, camping out in the wilderness, taking odd jobs just to make ends meet in order to find me, and if it wasn’t for Avasta, there was a chance she would still be out there making her way just to find me. It was even worse when I considered her feelings for me.
"Of course it’s much more than that," a deep voice rumbled in my head.
I know. I know that.
"Then are you just going to stand by and watch as a bystander? Continue to ignore the elephant in the room until the end of time?" Kronos asked.
You know I’m not. It’s just been a difficult thing to address. These last few months have been nothing short of hectic.
I could feel the wave of disappointment in my head. "Excuses as far as I’m concerned. Life is fleeting and short, even more so for people like us. She’s no exception either. Even her patience may run thin one day," he warned.
Thanks for the ominous warning of our fleeting existence. And I’m keenly aware...I’ll do what needs to be done.
"Good. Then at least make an effort to do something rather than be indifferent," Kronos said.
<Kal?> Ceirla signed as she tugged at my leg. <You went into a daze. Are you okay?>
<Yeah, I’m alright. Just thinking about some things.>
