But as I look back up towards the path, I can see unmistakable footprints. Whoever is following us would have to be idiots to miss those… meaning that they will walk right to us, hidden or not. In which case, hiding is futile.
And so, as Coruff works, I begin to hurry back up this slope. This is a job for a crafter.
Once every yard or so I crouch and carefully turn over the soil, moving stones and making sure that nothing looks untoward. I am stepping carefully myself, avoiding making more prints by stepping on stones as far as possible.
I have been moving up around a dozen yards this way, checking over my shoulder every so often, when I pause – when I am finished, I am going to be at the top, away from my companions, and closer to the enemy! That was a real blunder… why didn’t I go to the top first, and then work my way down?
Well, there is nothing for it now but to continue.
I move a little further up, ducking low as I go. I know I am very visible, but there is nothing else for it. And I can hear the voices very clearly now, coming from further down the path, the way we came from ourselves. Mercenaries? Knights? Local thugs? Who can say.
Fortunately, the outcropping of rock still conceals me from their sight. Below, Coruff has successfully grown the bushes, it seems; three new and slightly odd-looking tufts of bush are located by the edge of the lake, and are blocking the view of my friends from where I stand. I need to get down there quick smart, but moving down without making further tracks will be slow and painstaking.
I am still three or four yards from the path, covering the last of the footsteps when I catch a glimpse of a helmet just beyond the rock to my left. And that is when I realize – there is going to be no returning to my companions for me.
I glance all around, feeling my heart beating even faster. To my right is the path ahead, and the smooth, featureless mountainside. There is no hiding that way.
And so, it’s to the left, to the outcrop of rock. If I can cling to it, climb up a little and move around the rock face, I could perhaps end up behind or even on top of it, looking down at our foes. If they look up, I’ll be spotted for sure. But unless Coruff can fling another enchantment in my direction, I genuinely can’t see any other option.
I move across, trying my best to step on stones but slipping off more than once. There is no time now to cover any more tracks. Any time I stand in mud I just wiggle my foot to try to conceal the footprint shape as best I can.
Another twenty yards and I am at the rock face. I have moved quickly, and the helmet I saw is no longer visible to me. But it can’t be long now until these approaching enemies start to emerge past the outcrop. I am thankful that my friends are now well hidden – I still can’t see them at all from here.
I begin to climb, hand over hand, getting footholds as best I can, and trying to keep my breathing quiet. Soon I have risen up about ten yards; I briefly look down, and my body tenses up. This may be a game, but it would hurt like hell to fall, and while there are good handholds, this slope is pretty sheer.
I start to move again… and then I see them. Two, four, six… a small company of mercenaries begin to emerge into my line of sight, moving uphill on the path that we were previously walking on. And I was right – if they look my way, they will definitely see me.
I begin to move around the rock face to my left, hoping to put more rock in between me and them. They are still walking, fortunately, and I see them begin to pass by the area where my group left the path. Hopefully my efforts were enough?
I can see twenty mercs now, marching in twos. They look pretty similar to the Kapa-Vanes that we saw back on Dubasa, but it’s hard to be sure who they are working for. In any case, they are at least just ordinary soldiers, and probably none too smart.
Until I see a familiar shock of white hair, and my heart sinks.
Snagaras the elf, the general of the Kapa-Vane mercs, is here. There is no doubt, then. These guys are in the employ of the Knights of Dawn, and they are after our blood.
So far, none of our foes have looked back at me – which would involve their turning around 180 degrees – and though a couple have glanced down towards the lake, they haven’t shown much of an interest.
I guess it’s lucky they don’t need to fill their water bottles.
But then, disaster. Just as the last pair are passing the area where we left the path, one of them crouches down and shouts, and the entire column comes to a halt.
I have by this stage moved further around the rock, and there is a small cave in the cliff about half a yard above me. If I get up there safely I can lie flat, and be much harder to see. I have to focus all of my attention on that, no longer looking down to see what is happening below. All I can do is hope that they don’t see me while I have my back turned.
- 2 hit points (24 remain)
I pull hard, my muscles straining, and shimmy up onto the ledge, then swivel around and lie flat, poking my hooded head out a little to get a view of the situation. I’ve scraped my arm and bruised my shoulder in the process, but basically I am ok, having previously rested enough to be fully healed.
Fortunately, most of the mercs are still on the path. But four of them have now moved off to the side and are looking around at the area where we walked down. I see one of them pause, hands on hips, and glance down towards the lake, where there is still no sign of my companions, at least from my angle, and hopefully from theirs, too.
And then one of them points towards the foot of the rocky outcrop. They must have seen the trail that I left as I hurried over here.
I have no choice but to pull right back onto the ledge, keeping as low as I can. Again, I feel my heart beating extra fast. And for some reason, I need to sneeze. I snatch at my own nose and try to hold my breath.
I hear their voices, though it is hard to make out what they are saying from here on the ledge. I think I can hear one of them say “the orc”, and another say “guard the path”. Perhaps one says “knight”, though it could as easily have been “night”. Finally I hear one say “by the grace of Bastyr”, which I know to refer to a Dubasan war god. Typical enough for soldiers or mercs, and apparently suggesting that not all the troops are cultist for the Varian sun god, Fanatos.
Lying here on the cold rock, I try not to move a muscle. If I do, it could easily lead to a pebble being knocked down the cliff face, or a clanking noise from the chain of my morning star. The smallest noise could be enough to attract their attention.
Let’s hope my companions can keep perfectly still, too. And that there are no lurking monsters in that lake…
I decide to take a note of the time. With a command of ‘calendar’, I see the following.
Time: 17:29 Day: Seventhday, month of Obanask Year: Imperial year 47
After waiting for what feels like an age, I repeat the command, only to find that just five minutes have passed, almost exactly. By now, the voices have faded; no guarantee that they have moved, of course, but I certainly don’t hear them climbing up.
I risk peeking out again; sure enough, the mercs are marching on in a column.
I look downwards, and I see Garner, still at the magically enhanced bushes. He is kneeling really low, clearly using his experience to keep hidden.
It’s clear why he hasn’t moved. The mercenaries remain visible on the path ahead, and unfortunately they will remain so for a long time to come due to the next section being straight and clear.
Worse, they have left two guards on the path, around a hundred yards ahead of the point where we had reached. There is no way I can reunite with my companions without attracting the attention of this pair – which would lead them to call the rest of the column.
Chapter 28: The Lake
I look down towards the lake again. Garner is pointing his bow and arrow in the direction of the mercs on the path. He’s a much better archer than me, I know from our adventures together before. But if he shoots one of them, then the other will raise the alarm.
I could try shooting too, but I
’m not sure that I can successfully shoot one of the mercenaries from here, especially from within the confines of this cave. But if I communicate with Garner, we can agree to take one out each. That would mean me getting down there to speak to him – not easily done without them seeing me.
I look around to my right at the area of rock that leads down from the outcropping towards the lake itself. I think I can climb that way, but can I do it without being seen? I look up. If I continued climbing a further couple of yards up, I can move on to a flatter and longer area that is currently above me. And then from there, move forward until I’m overhanging the lake. I think that is the best course of action.
I begin to climb. I’m going to have to be quick, and again I need to just move with my back towards my enemies, hoping that somehow they don’t see me. Perhaps if Garner notices then he will try to cause some kind of distraction, to get them looking towards the lake. I sincerely hope something happens to keep their attention away from this area of rock.
The climb itself is enough to have me feeling very anxious, my limbs feeling cold and my hands trembling. I certainly realize how far above the ground I am. But on the face of it, I only need to get around two yards higher. At that point, I will reach the larger, flat area.
I should be easily capable of that, I tell myself. Come on.
One hand after another. I am trying to focus on my hand and feet, and not think about the distance down to the ground, or about the mercenaries who could see me and call the other twenty-two attackers. Or about their crossbows.
Move one hand, and then the other. My foot is now above the cave where I gained temporary shelter. I am making progress, but it is slow. At least the game is recognizing my efforts:
Increase in skill level: Endurance level 20 (Stamina +1) Increase in skill level: Climbing level 16 (Agility +4)
I reach up on top of the ledge and pull myself up so that I’m lying flat once again. I pull myself a foot or two further from the edge, staying low, and then lie there, my heart thumping, silently rejoicing that I’ve made it.
Moving my head a fraction, I take the opportunity to look around and see what the situation is. Down towards the lake, I think I can just about make out my companions, still concealed, and I can clearly see Garner with his bow at the ready. The mercenaries on the path are still in position too; they have sat down, perhaps not expecting anyone to approach, and are apparently relaxed about any other dangers. They seem to be chatting together.
Thank goodness.
I slither along the top of the rocky outcropping. I think it would be very difficult, perhaps impossible, for me to climb down from the outcropping to the edge of the lake. So my only choice may be to call down to them at that point and coordinate a plan of action. Can I do that without attracting the mercenaries’ attention?
I’ll worry about that when I get there.
Willing myself on, I continue to creep along the top of the rock, keeping as close to a prone position as I can. Before long, I approach the edge of this upper surface. I’m close enough to being right above the water, and finally I can see my friends and they can see me, as I’m way too high up here for the bushes that Coruff has grown to block our view of one another. I still need to keep low while I speak to them, and so I creep to the edge of the rock and look down.
“Hi,” I whisper to Garner, “can you hear me?”
He doesn’t reply, perhaps frightened of being heard by the mercenaries on the path.
I move forward a little more and glance over the edge. Garner is looking up, and he nods at me, still holding his bow.
“We need to take out those two mercenaries,” I say softly. “It’s the only way not to bring the rest of them down upon us.”
But Garner shrugs, looking frustrated; while I can see them, it’s clear that they can’t really hear me; I’m more than ten yards above them, and it’s going to be too hard to communicate, and therefore impossible to coordinate. But if I attempt to climb down, I will surely be spotted by the mercs.
I look down towards the surface of the lake, and then back towards the two guards on the path. Is it possible I could dive into the water without them seeing me? They would hear a splash and certainly, that would attract their attention. Perhaps that needn’t be a bad thing. If one or even both of them were to come down to investigate, we could take them out with our bows. It might be enough for us to overpower them.
Or alternatively, they may dismiss the splash as just a noise, just a bird diving, and when the coast is clear I could crawl up to where my companions are hiding.
Doing my best to put worries about electric rays out of my mind, I begin to psych myself up to take the dive. First, I take a moment to make sure everything is well secured – my weapons attached to my belt, my bow strung tightly across my shoulders. I crawl a few yards further on, and then get up into a crouching position, trying to focus and visualize the required jump.
But wait. I hear a scratching noise and realize that somebody is climbing up.
Is it Garner, I wonder, coming up to shoot with me from here? But no – I peer over the edge and see that it’s Lugg. The half-orc is clambering up the rock face just below me.
I pull back, hoping again that somehow the mercenaries will fail to notice him, just as they didn’t notice me climbing up to where I am.
I move back a little. I’m in the best position out of all my friends to look at the mercenaries, and I see that further along on top of this outcropping of rock, much closer to the path, there sits a boulder. I could shelter behind it and watch them. Indeed, it would provide great cover if I wanted to shoot at someone who was passing on the path. It could have been made for that purpose.
I begin to move in that direction. If nothing else, I want to be in a position where I can lure them away from the others. I look around as I creep along, and see that the two of them are still crouched on the path; they haven’t moved. They seem to still just be chatting to one another. And then I see something that is not good at all – one of them is pointing in my direction.
But actually, I don’t think he saw me. No. He has seen Lugg on the rock face.
There is no choice now. I have to act, and to try to take them down. I yell at the top of my voice down below to Garner: “Shoot the one on the right.” And as I’m shouting, I unsling my bow out, set myself, and aim at the left-most of the guards.
Fortunately, even now I do not think they actually see me; perhaps because they have focused on Lugg halfway up the cliff face, or because my call echoes around, bouncing off the rocky surface. Both of them are moving closer and they have crossbows in their hands, but as yet neither of them has fired at me. But if I’m not quick, they will fire at my friend.
I shoot, just as Garner lets an arrow fly towards the right hand merc. His arrow strikes home, sinking into the man’s chest, but mine spins harmlessly off to the side, a yard wide of where I was aiming, and thunks into the moor. Man. Garner really is a much better archer than me. I need to spend some serious time practising.
Very rapidly, I have a second arrow in my hand. My target has looked around at his stricken companion, and in a fraction of a second he is fumbling at his belt, lifting a battle horn towards his mouth. Once again I shoot, thinking as I do about all the time I spent on archery in my previous play in the game, trying to feel like the player I was when I specialized in archery.
The merc now has the battle horn to his lips; I am sure I can see him drawing in a breath, and he is turning at the same time, facing towards the way that the rest of the mercs have gone. As my arrow peaks on its flight path and seems to hang in the air for a moment, I am keenly expecting the great horn sound that would bring the rest of the enemies back towards us.
But no sound comes out. For my arrow dips and speeds towards him, striking home in the middle of his back, I see the guard clutch at his chest and stumble, and then fall backwards. The horn falls from his fingers. He is dead – or close enough. Both of them are down, and they didn’t raise the ala
rm. I also see:
Increase in weapon skill level: Bow and arrow level 23 (Dexterity +6)
Garner is now speeding across the stony ground towards the two stricken men, perhaps hoping to finish the kills. And I have had enough of standing up here, exposed. I briefly contemplate the quick and relatively safe approach of diving into the lake. But no – I am freezing, even if the adrenaline had pushed it from my mind! But neither do I want to go directly down the cliff face again.
I turn and make my way back along the top of the rocky structure, looking for the easiest and safest route back to the path.
Chapter 29: The Farm
“We’ll have to take an alternative route,” says Coruff.
We have continued a little way up the path, but are painfully aware that the bulk of the mercenary company is now ahead of us. She is right. It would be madness to continue this way.
I think back to the information which I read about the mountains. “There’s a mining road,” I say suddenly. “Clan Ironrock. They use it to transport ore to the villages, and from there the metal is moved downriver.”
“I’m vaguely familiar with it,” says Coruff, frowning and scratching her head as she looks at me.
I remember that I told them all that I haven’t been out of Dubasa before. That is true… for Daria. But apparently the knowledge of the Ironrock Mountains was something that she had obtained, given that it appears in her in-game database. I guess she paid attention at school. Besides, my previous character in the game was familiar with the geography of the Varian Empire, meaning that I know some things as a player that she would not.
The Call of the Coven: A LitRPG novel (Shadow Kingdoms Book 2) Page 19