Page 24

Into the Woods

W e arrived at the foggy northern gate at dawn, just as instructed.

Despite the early hour, we were greeted by an entire entourage of RSB soldiers led by Captain Boromia himself.

He wore his same cheerful smile that was maybe a bit more smug than usual.

I had no doubt that Kai was right about his offer.

Should we succeed, our lives would get a whole lot easier.

But if we failed… well, we probably wouldn’t be coming home.

“Welcome, brave adventurers!” Captain Boromia’s voice boomed across the courtyard, his golden armor gleaming in the early morning light. “I trust you’re ready for the challenge that awaits you?”

I glanced at Kai, who stood beside me with his bow slung across his back. His brown eyes met mine, a quiet reassurance in their depths. He gave a slight nod, barely perceptible to anyone but me.

“We’re ready, Captain,” Kai spoke for us, his voice soft but carrying a strength that made even the seasoned soldiers around us stand a little straighter.

Captain Boromia’s grin widened impossibly further.

“Excellent! Now, as you know, your mission is to venture into the Whispering Woods and report back on your findings there. We’ve heard rumor of a skill book horde held by the monsters there inside some ruins.

If you find them, we ask that you bring them back.

It’s a dangerous task, but one that could change the fate of Selas itself. ”

Kai furrowed his brows. “You didn’t mention the skill books yesterday. ”

“On the contrary,” Boromia replied. “I’m certain I did.” He glanced at a nearby soldier. “I mentioned them, correct?”

“Of course sir!” the soldier barked in reply.

“See?” he smiled. “That’s what I thought.”

We knew better of course, but there was no point in arguing.

The mission was already accepted, we were prepared, and turning them down at this point would only cause further trouble.

Besides, I felt a slight burst of excitement at the idea of several skill books being tucked away in the Whispering Woods.

Maybe one of them would have something we could use.

They were worth a fortune. And besides, they’d never know if one or two were missing.

We just had to survive the woods first if we wanted to enjoy them.

Besides, turning down the RSB didn’t seem like a smart idea.

“Very well,” I said, stepping forward and doing my best to sound like a professional RSB scout. “We accept the additional parameters of the mission.”

Captain Boromia clapped his hands together.

“Splendid! Now, before you set off, I have one last piece of advice.” His golden eyes gleamed with an intensity that made me uneasy.

“The Whispering Woods are not to be underestimated. Many have entered, few have returned. Trust your instincts, and above all, don’t listen to the whispers. ”

A chill ran down my spine at his words. I’d heard rumors about the woods, of course–every newcomer to Selas had. But hearing it from the Captain himself made it all the more real.

Kai placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “We’ll be careful,” he said, his voice steady and calm. “Is there anything else we should know?”

Captain Boromia shook his head. “That should be all.” He glanced from side to side, “Now where is that guide we hired to take you there?”

“A guide?” Kai asked, his ears perking up. He glanced at the rest of us, an unease in his expression. “I didn’t realize we’d need one.”

“The Whispering Woods has only one safe entrance,” the captain explained. “And this guide has been to it before.”

I didn’t like the idea of a guide hired by the captain himself.

He’d already made it perfectly clear that we were being watched with suspicion.

And now the RSB had hired someone to guide us through the entire mission as well.

That meant there was suddenly a lot we needed to be careful about and several subjects that should be avoided entirely.

After the captain left the day before, the others had scrambled to go through the merchants in town and flesh out all our gear as much as they could.

Even with the gold coin the captain had given us, it wasn’t nearly enough to cover all that they’d purchased.

It wasn’t normal for newcomers like us to have multiple healing potions or upgraded gear.

Our bags and cloaks hid most of it, but an escort would surely notice those things at some point. So much for being prepared.

As we waited for the guide to arrive, I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that had settled over me.

The early morning mist clung to the cobblestones, giving the entire scene an eerie, dreamlike quality.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, trying to appear calm and collected despite the nerves churning in my stomach.

The Whispering Woods were bad enough, but being under the scrutinizing eye of the RSB made things much more difficult.

How could something so small as a secret cave lead us into such a mess?

The RSB was supposed to be our salvation in Cindersea, not our punishment for trying to survive.

Finally, a figure emerged from the early morning fog, walking towards us with a confident stride.

As they drew closer, I could make out more details - a tall, lithe form wrapped in a dark green cloak, a hood pulled low over their face.

There was something oddly familiar about the way they moved, but I couldn’t quite place it.

“Ah, there you are!” Captain Boromia exclaimed, his voice cutting through the silence. “Everyone, meet your guide for this expedition.”

The figure reached up and pulled back their hood, revealing a face I knew all too well.

Tall dark dog-like ears sat on top of his head and I realized what I’d mistaken for a strange gait was actually his tail swishing back and forth.

And how I didn’t notice the spear at first was beyond me.

Maybe I was just too wrapped up in my own anxieties.

“Sky?” I gasped, looking him up and down. “You’re our guide?”

Sky’s blue eyes met mine, a mixture of amusement and something darker swirling in their depths. “Surprised to see me?” he asked, his voice low and tinged with an edge I couldn’t quite place.

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out.

My mind was reeling. Sky, the Animaru we’d run into in a cavern by accident nearly three weeks ago, was now standing before us as our appointed guide.

The same Sky who’d helped us understand man crystals, who’d told us how to find them, and helped save our lives as we ran from the earth elemental.

Of course he was part of the RSB, almost everyone was.

But I never expected him to be working with Captain Boromia.

In fact, I had it in my head that he didn’t like the RSB much to begin with.

Everything seemed suddenly out of place.

Kai stepped forward, his brow furrowed. “I thought you liked to work alone,” he said, his tone careful and measured. “What changed?”

Sky shrugged, a casual gesture that seemed at odds with the tension in the air. “Plans change. The RSB made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. A guy’s gotta make a living somehow.”

Sky’s words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken implications. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to his presence here than he was letting on. His piercing blue eyes swept over our group, lingering on each of us for a moment before moving on.

“Well,” he said, breaking the awkward silence, “we should get moving. The Whispering Woods wait for no one, and we’ve got a long journey ahead of us.”

Captain Boromia clapped his hands together, his cheerful demeanor seemingly unaffected by the tension. “Excellent! I knew I could count on you, Sky. Now, off you go, brave adventurers! May fortune favor you in the Whispering Woods!”

As we filed out of the northern gate, I couldn’t help but notice the way Sky kept his distance from us, walking a few paces ahead.

His tail swished back and forth, his ears twitching occasionally as if listening for unseen threats.

The morning mist began to dissipate as we left the city walls behind, revealing the vast expanse of wilderness that lay before us.

I quickened my pace to catch up with Sky, curiosity and unease warring within me. “So,” I began, trying to keep my voice casual and failing, “how long have you been working for Captain Boromia?”

Sky’s eyes flicked towards me briefly before returning to the path ahead. “Don’t talk to me,” he replied curtly. “Not until we’re out of sight of the city.”

I backed up immediately, taking my place next to Kai once more.

Sky had never talked to me like that before and it caught me off guard.

But there was something in his voice, a sense of urgency that made me keep my distance.

A quick glance back showed an armored figure glinting in the sunlight. Captain Boromia was watching.

We walked in tense silence for what felt like hours, the towering walls of Selas gradually shrinking behind us.

The landscape changed as we traveled, the well-worn path giving way to wilder terrain.

Thick underbrush and gnarled trees began to close in around us, their branches reaching out like grasping fingers.

Finally, when the city was nothing more than a distant smudge on the horizon, Sky came to an abrupt halt. He turned to face us, his intense and calculating gaze scanning the area before settling on our group.

“Alright,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “We can talk now, but keep your voices down. We don’t know who might be following and listening. ”

Kai stepped forward, his brow furrowed with concern. “What’s going on, Sky? Why are you really here?”