Chương 76: Book 2 Chapter Twelve: Survivor

TWELVE They ghosted through the woods, guided by the burning fire in the distance and Darren's bloodline ability. Having a perfect sense of ten feet and another twenty feet of presence allowed them to be ready for any of the goblin ambushes. Harris and Roan alternated killing the small beasts. Taoya conserved his energy and Moira was kept in the center of the group and away from any stray blows.

"Village 2 first and then we keep moving until we find out what's going on," Darren had said as they left the battlefield and headed out. So far they'd had nothing but the occasional unlucky goblin. No human survivors or horde officers found.

"We're getting close," Darren whispered and a few seconds later Roan saw what the man was talking about. The trees had thinned and he could see the leaping flames as the wall of Village 2 was consumed. Goblin forms ran back and forth, dragging things out of the doomed village while shamans sat in huddles. Ogre bodyguards huddled by them, watching as the pile of loot grew higher and higher.

"Pikes on heads," Harris whispered, pointing toward the edge of the Village. Roan looked and winced as he saw a few familiar faces. Not Grace though. One of the guys who had stopped him and collected his funds and a few others he'd seen lounging about.

"That's Grace's gang. Or at least some of them," Roan whispered. Darren nodded and led them around the edge of the forest. So close to the inferno the light was more than enough to see by.

"Look for a hob or something that stands out," Darren reminded them as they kept circling. They found where the walls had been breached when they reached the back of the village. A twenty foot section of the wall had been trampled. The fires were the worst there, buildings burning in massive infernos. Nothing moved around it.

"Definitely the dragon," Harris muttered. Roan grunted in agreement even as Darren held up a hand. Roan followed the other man's gaze and saw he was looking into the forest and not toward the burning ruins.

"Survivor. Twenty-two feet away and dug into a tree's roots," Darren said. Roan moved toward where Darren had pointed. The heat of the fire prickled his back and cast a long shadow in front of him that jumped and danced chaotically. Roan found the tree that Darren pointed out and looked around the roots. It wasn't hard to find it, the hole was partially dug, dirt piled up in a small ring and one of the man's boots protruded from the hole."

Looks like blood," Roan thought as he stared at the pant leg sticking partially out. In the weak light of the fire everything just looked black to him. Roan reached over and nudged the leg with his warhammer, jostling it gently. A groan of pain was the only response he got.

"Injured," Roan reported as the rest of them circled around.

"Moira and Harris can stabilize and guard. The three of us hunt down the hob?" Taoya asked.

"No. Let's get our information we need from the survivor. It's dangerous enough being in the woods at night. Can't be separating as well," Darren countered. Roan agreed with him, but also with the point that Taoya was making. If the hobs were striking in numbers they were going to experience heavy losses.

"Pull him out," Moira ordered, ignoring the discussion. Bandages were already in her hand as she looked at Roan and Harris. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"You pull, I guard," Harris said, keeping his sword pointed at the poorly concealed hiding hold.

"Alright," Roan said as he grabbed the leg and pulled. The groan turned into a muffled shriek as the body came flying out. Harris was there instantly, a hand covering the man's mouth as everyone froze and looked about.

"Gently next time," Moira whispered as a potion bottle appeared in her hand. She leaned over the writhing man and poured it down his throat the second Harris let his hand up.

"Search him," Darren ordered and Roan wanted to snap at him, getting tired of being ordered around. He bit his tongue and checked the man and found a pair of knives, one in his other boot and the second at the small of his back. There was an empty sheath for a third one on his wrist. Both of the knives were goblin obsidian daggers, sharp but fragile. The clothing the man wore looked normal and was in bad shape." Scavenged weapons, no new clothes, and by himself.

Weak and poor," Roan decided as Darren leaned down to talk to the survivor, keeping his voice low.

"What happened. Be as precise as possible," Darren asked.

"Fucking huge dragon!" The man nearly shouted. Darren covered his mouth and leaned closer, his voice full of venom.

"If you speak above a whisper again I will kill you. Do you understand?" Roan hardly heard him as he crouched looking through the trees to see if the cry had attracted any attention.

"Let's move. Further from the Village," Darren ordered and they all stood. The survivor was still injured, limping badly enough that Harris threw the man's arm over his shoulder and carried him." Had to have been an Inferior-Grade potion Moira gave him. She didn't use bandages either. They want to leave him weak and reliant on us." Roan was reminded that they all knew each other and had been working together for long enough that they didn't need to talk about little plans like this.

Even if he'd been accepted into their Pact he still wasn't truly one of them. Moving with the injured man slowed them down but after five minutes the light of the fire had dimmed and Darren gave them the go-ahead. Harris set the man down against a tree and walked a few paces away. Taoya leapt onto a tree branch above them with a grace that was unnatural while Moira hovered a few feet away, back turned to what was happening.

"You worked for Grace?" Darren asked, crouching down to hover above the injured climber.

"How do you know that?" the man asked stupidly.

"Answer my questions. Don't ask me questions." Darren stared down at the man who looked around the dark woods and the figures surrounding him. Roan could see the bluster start to form on his face, the stupidity bubbling forward as the man leaned forward to sneer at Darren.

"Or what, pretty boy? You going to dirty those soft-hands?" The man's words were met with a wave of winces from everyone. Harris pulled out a piece of fabric from his pocket and wordlessly held it out to Darren who took it without looking.

"You have one more chance. Do you work for Grace?" Fear started to fill the man's eyes then as Darren balled up the rag and Harris drifted closer. Moira took a few steps away, distaste apparent on her face but she hadn't spoken out." We knew Darren had it in him. Moira and Taoya apparently do too. Interesting." Roan watched as the man chose poorly.

"Fuck off, you're not shit," the man whispered." Smart enough to know not to shout. Not smart enough to know when someone is being serious." Roan couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him as Darren shoved the rags into the man's mouth and grabbed his injured leg.