Shadows Rising

It is a mess all right.

Seichiro was led through the last picket of soldiers and into the carnage. The sun was high and casting no shadows, so the heat was making good measure of the corpses. The smell of decay lingered in the air, its virulent spikes charging into nostrils with ease. Whenever the wind picked up, soldiers surrounding the scene did their best to cover their faces in a futile attempt to reduce the onslaught on their senses.

Commander Wallabis stopped a few paces away from the carriage. He took a long glance on the scene and sighted heavily. He took his gloves off and tossed them to his adjutant who was standing close by.

"This is it, Master Seichiro. Please carry on, if you will".

His politeness veiled hints of command. The Ranger knew that he was taking Seichiro's position into consideration, and was trying his best to show proper decorum. But his voice carried an air of urgency, a need for action. He had personally carried the request for aid to the Rangers, and had urged and pleaded for one or more to be dispatched as quickly as possible. Seichiro happened to be just returning from patrolling, and as it turned out was the only one available to quickly answer the call. Doubts clouded Wallabis' eyes when they met however. He most likely wanted or expected for an experienced Ranger, perhaps someone he knew or could trust. But his doubts quickly vanished. It was either Seichiro or to wait for someone else. Time, it appears, was of the essence.

"Commander, please have the soldiers clear the area. Give me some space to investigate".

He nodded once, then relayed the proper orders to Captain Argos who was standing close by in attendance. The Captain saluted and began barking orders and curses in quick succession. Soon the soldiers stopped what they were doing and stepped away creating a perimeter of several paces around the carriage.

The Ranger gave him his thanks and approached the scene. He put the Thayne charm that hung from his neck onto his mouth and pressed it hard with his lips as he unveiled his hood and examined what laid ahead of him. Soldiers whispered and muttered as he walked past. They uttered curses, some going as far as spitting on the ground. Seichiro did not blame them. Even though some time has passed since the civil strife ended, passions and feelings still run high. Far too many lost loved ones and friends during the conflict that ensued across Corone. Such losses are difficult, if not impossible to mend.

They were the minority, fortunately. Most watched him with awe in their eyes. They whispered amongst each other in hush voices. Although from the Yarborough Barony, many have been born close enough to Concordia Forest to have grown listening to the epic tales of the Guardians of the Realm, the Protectors of the Wild, the Scorchers of Shadows. Seichiro could feel their gazes on him, keeping track of every movement, wondering what he was apt to.

Seichiro pressed hiss palm against the back of the carriage. The wood did not bulge. Firm, properly built, no sings of weathering. Someone took care to oil the planks against rain, and guessing by how thick the planks looked he deducted that the frame was quite solid. He wondered, then, what could possible have happened for the axle to break. The carriage was leaning perilously to one side, the left-rear wheel nowhere to be seen.

Seichiro used his finger to trace a line as he walked to the right side of the carriage. No soft spots, no bumps. Nothing to make you believe it was not being properly kept. Curious.

He stopped and looked down at the gap under the carriage. He knelt beside the right wheel and peeked under. It was dark, so he waited a few heartbeats for his eyes to adjust. Soon he saw the edge of the carriage leaning on the floor up ahead, and how it slowly raised as it met with the left wheel steel standing on the front. He looked carefully to where the wheel should be and something caught his attention.

The Ranger frowned. Still kneeling, he looked around and saw that the forest surrounding the road was properly trimmed. Trees too close to the road had been cut, as evidenced by the stumps that littered the sides here and there. The road itself looked relatively well-kept, all things considered. A dirt road is ever flat by no means, and travelers should expect the occasional bump, especially on rainy season. But it was obvious that someone was taking care to keep the road in as good a shape as possible. Hence, he wondered why a tree root was sprawling from under the carriage.

Seichiro ducked even further and crawled under the carriage. He heard the faint voice from Captain Argos, but his warnings had been cut short in mid-sentence. Most likely Commander Wallabis wanted Seichiro to carry his investigation without unnecessary interruptions.

Seichiro crawled until he reached the root and touched it with his hand. It felt solid, unmoving, set on the ground. He tried tugging it one way and another, but it did not budge. He then took his right glove off and scratched the root with his index nail. The surface felt hard and somewhat wet. He sniffed his finger and caught the scent of oak. Puzzled, Seichiro crawled out and looked around again.

There were no oak trees to be seen. A beech, a couple of willows, some sycamores. He ventured to look on the other side just to be sure. No oaks. Curious. He try closing his eyes and picture a carriage rolling down a dusty road on an early morning. Suddenly, a roar shook it. A wheel snapped and rolled to one side while the carriage went inevitably down.

The Commandeer and Captain followed him close by, although they did try to give him as much space as they deemed reasonable. The former looked at him with intense eyes, a gaze that urged for quickness, for an answer. The latter simply felt puzzled, as if being swayed by currents that were beyond his control. Seichiro tried his best to keep both of them out of his thoughts and try to focus again.

His attention turned to the corpses that littered the ground. All humans, by the look of it. And properly armed at that. Too well armed, in fact. Their armors shone under the bright sun. Proper metal, mind you. Not the kind of scrap you can find in smiths of dubious quality. Their weapons were top notch too, not the shambles of improvised arsenal a local militia tended to afford. A fortune all in all, a fortune that the bandits did not bother to collect.

Unfortunately the soldiers had moved most of the bodies and placed them out from the road. It looked that someone had ordered them to stop mid-way, for there were still a few awfully sprawled corpses here and there. Seichiro guessed that his request to leave the scene intact had not reached in time.

Indeed. Seichiro looked down and grimaced. Footprints everywhere. They loitered the area around the carriage. The damage done was way past Seichiro's ability to mend, and whatever evidence that could had been extracted from it was lost. The horses' carcasses, however, could shade some light into the mystery.

Seven on this side. There were more on the other. The corpses were sprawled in awful positions untouched since the moment they perished. He approached the closest one and immediately felt his heart sink. It had been a fine animal. Properly kept and trimmed, with defined muscles and cut hooves. Rigor mortis is barely beginning to set in judging by the size of the male shaft from this one.

There were signs that the animal had trashed before it perished, and that saddened Seichiro. Three arrow shafts poked out from the animal's fur, none lethal. There was also a javelin tugged on one side. It had not plunged too deep to immediately kill, but it must had surely paralyzed the animal with pain. It must have bled to death in agony. Seichiro gently closed the animal's eyes.

The Ranger closed his eyes again. He pictured the riders' alarm as the carriage stopped. They closed in by instinct either to see what had happened or to create a shield. But that's when the arrows ran down on them. They all showed signs of being shot down one way or another. It is not like they wanted to get rid of the riders. More likely, they wanted to prevent them from running away.

"Those shafts..."

Seichiro opened his eyes and saw Commander Wallabis looking directly at him. He took another look at the shape of the shafts. Sturdily made, properly trimmed, with feathers tugged for stabilization. There was no doubt in his mind. Nor in the Commander's mind, for that matter, but it seemed that he still needed confirmation.

Seichiro nodded. "Elven made."

Wallabis grimaced. Captain Argos uttered a hush curse, but was quickly put in check by his superior's intent gaze. Seichiro frowned but said nothing. They were correct in that those were Elven arrows, but things simply did not make sense. Elves seek balance in nature and care deeply both for beasts and plants. Well, it is not like they will refrain from killing horses if they need to. But that was precisely the issue. They didn't have to. They are expert marksmen and could had perfectly hit the riders without harming the beasts. Seichiro was sure that if given the option Elves would opt for the latter.

The Ranger walked back to the carriage. The right-rear wheel was still standing, barely. The axle looked in good enough shape, but Seichiro saw signs of stress across the beam. It was becoming hard for the wood to hold the weight on its own. Nevertheless, the fact that it had done so in the first place was in itself astonishing. And therein laid a fundamental problem.

A properly kept carriage with no signs of weathering. Good wood. Thick too. Fifteen or more riders. Good beasts at that, not farm raised. Armored riders, too well armored. Excellent weapons. This is no merchant cargo. The question is, then, why did they tell me that?

Seichiro slowly turned and focused his gaze on both soldiers trailing him. Commander Wallabis did not flinch at all and returned him a stern look, but Captain Argos quickly broke gaze and looked somewhere else.

Ah, I see.

They were lying to him. They came all the way to Concordia asking for help and yet opted to reserve part of the information. Everyone has their one secrets, and some secrets are better kept like that, secrets. But Seichiro saw himself on a strange spot. Could he trust them? He supposed he could not, and that meant that he should cancel the quest and go back. But, could he? He looked around and saw the lines of soldiers looking back at him. Aye, a bird lured into a cage.

Resigned, he resumed his investigation. The right side of the carriage had a door. It had been tore open, the hinges sprawling outward in weird shapes. There was also a window, but it had iron bars guarding it. Seichiro wondered why a carriage would need iron bars and reached two conclusions: either to keep people from coming in, or to keep people from getting out.

He tried to stepped inside but froze. His eyes widened in shock as he looked at the carnage inside. Four more solders laid sprawled inside, viscera spouting out from sickly gashes. Theirs had not been a quick death, but rather a last stand. The interior showed signs of an intense and desperate fight. Judging by how marred they were, Seichiro guessed that they kept fighting until their last breath. But, why? What was so dear? What where they guarding?

The Ranger concluded that he was fed with their little game and decided to question them directly.

Seichiro counted the horse hooves marks left on the bank of the river crossing. They were at least seven, possible more. They had galloped into the shallow crossing at full speed. They did not stop to rest their animals, nor did they set a perimeter while they judged the depth of the stream dividing the road. They were, Seichiro concluded, fully aware and prepared for the crossing.

The Ranger stood up and got on his horse. The eight soldiers trailing him kept their eyes on their surroundings, hands caressing hilts and bows. They did not want to take any chances, and Seichiro was fully aware that they will try to withdraw back to the main unit the moment they believe they had fallen into an ambush.

Holding the rains firmly with both hands, he used his legs to urge the horse to start crossing the river. The soldiers followed suit.

They all quickly crossed the shallow stream and were about to resume the chase when Seichiro noticed something odd. No markings on this side of the bank. He dismounted in haste and walked around looking for any signs. The soldiers had grown accustomed by know to the Ranger's pace and his apparent random movements. Seichiro could feel their questioning gazes settled on his back. Urged as they surely were, they had been given precise instructions from Commander Wallabis to follow any lead the Ranger may provide.

"Something the matter, Master?"

Seichiro looked up and met the Captain's gaze. He had one hand clasped around a horn ready to blow the moment he believe they had gained a lead on the attackers. His unshaved kite-shaped face covered in sweat.

"They crossed the stream, of that I am sure. There are markings all over the other bank. But I don't see any signs that they reached this side".

Perplexed, the Captain pondered the matter with a frown. He then caught Seichiro looking straight back at the stream and followed suit. An idea came to him.

"Which means they never did".

Seichiro smiled fully aware that the Captain was following his train of thoughts. He then returned to the river bank and looked intently upstream. Then downstream. It was impossible to guess which direction they took. The stream looked shallow enough for horses to go either way. What to do then?

They would need to separate in two groups to cover more ground. It meant that the group he was not in would have to bet their coins on the bandits not abandoning the stream at some point of the way, or else they will surely miss them.

The Ranger grabbed his Thayne charm and pressed it hard with his lips. He would need to pick one, either downstream or upstream. He pondered which way he should pick, as that would most likely determine the success or failure of his quest. Downstream will lead to more flattened, farmed lands and eventually the sea. The chances of going unnoticed for long down that way were hence not that high. There were, however, plenty of roads they could take, many crossroads and cities where to lose track of any possible pursuers.

Seichiro looked upstream and frowned. The mountain range loomed at the distance. Clouds covered the heights, misty coils spiraling down and engulfing whatever happened to be on their way. That way, on the other hand, meant more immediate shelter and seclusion, a vast area of forest where to hide. But it also meant being ultimately cornered should the pursuers decide to screen the whole forest. A mountain pass was always possible too, although highly perilous.

To follow the stream down and charge fast, or go upstream and catch up to them as they try the mountain pass. His lips were turning white as he continued to press hard his charm.

"We will follow the stream up. Send some men downstream anyways".

Seichiro reasoned that the Barony could always dispatch more soldiers across the farmlands and throughout the coastal regions. His talent's, however, could be best used in the forest up ahead and on the mountainous passes.

The Ranger and the five remaining soldiers charged upstream with as much haste as they could manage. Seichiro kept focused on his surroundings in an attempt to see any signs that all or any of his targets had stepped onto the banks of the river. He prayed that they would stick together, perhaps even grow confident now that they were out of the road. He doubted that if they decided to divide into groups he would be able to determine who had the item he was chasing over.

Soon the stream turned more treacherous. It was becoming alarmingly less shallow, and the horses were starting to fight back against the current. For a moment Seichiro felt that perhaps he had made a wrong decision and was about to call for the group to turn back, but then one of the soldiers signaled ahead. A trail ran from the river bank and into the forest. The Ranger skipped down his horse.

There were tracks. Recent tracks. They all headed deep up the trail. It looked like that they had dismounted at this point, and were now proceeding on foot. Seichiro smiled. It was a wicked grin. He felt that perhaps the odds were turning in his favor.

"They took this trail". Captain Argos nodded once at Seichiro's nonchalant comment, but then looked up ahead and grimaced. The forest stretched as far as the eye could see. Trees loomed on them, a wall of greens and browns that threatened to crash onto them. Fear was written all over their faces, the reason painstakingly obvious.

Seichiro wondered if he should voice his thoughts on the elves matter, but decided against it. After all, he had no proof that those behind the attack were not members from such race. All things considered, the evidenced all added towards that conclusion. And there was the matter of the root that broke the carriage's wheel. It had been summoned and strengthen by earth magic the Ranger suspected. Nevertheless, he was still not convinced. Something felt off, but he could not pinpoint it.

"Continue upstream. We need to make sure they did not split up."

Captain Argos visibly relaxed, but soon his features turned concerned. "And you Master Seichiro?"

"I will follow this trail and see where it leads me".

Argos pressed his lips in a tight line. It was obvious that he was having a hard time refraining from speaking his mind. Seichiro decided to quell his concerns swiftly.

"I was hire to track and locate the attackers, Captain Argos. Beyond that is not my responsibility. I will report back if I happen to find them".

The Captain nodded once. He ventured a military salute which totally uncalled for given that Seichiro was neither under his command, nor was Argos under his. Frowning, he watched them fight against the current as they splashed their way upstream and then resumed his chase.

The sun was beginning to set, thus coloring the sky with shades of yellows, oranges and pinks. Shadows loomed ever larger and more menacing across the forest. Night was quickly winning the battle, and the onslaught left no tree, rock or forest dweller unscratched. A lone Ranger followed a trail that was taking him deep into the woods.

His strides were firm, secure. He moved with the agility gained by years of training deep within the Concordia Forest. Many humans would have felt dismayed, perhaps even overwhelmed in that situation. In fact, the forest all around him certainly brimmed with a menacing aura, like a huge wave that was moments from clashing against a coastal mountain. The air hummed with that unseen energy, like when you step into a deep cave and hear only a vibrating silence. And it is precisely that silence that scares most people. It is not darkness creeping from behind dank trees, but the ominous sound of nothingness from a place that should be beaming with life. A stern silence had set in, a moment when day-time dwellers are just starting to fall asleep and night-crawlers are beginning to stir.

Far from feeling assaulted by such presence, Seichiro felt at ease. It was a moment in time when you could completely detach from your surroundings and find inner equilibrium. Unfortunately, the Ranger was not there for a leisure stroll. His movements were aimed towards a purpose: to finally catch his prey.

You would expect that a group of seven or eight horse riders striding down a narrow, forest-marred trail would find their movements reduced to a snail pace. Seichiro found evidence of that in the tracks left by the animals as they ascended up the trail. It was a dangerous move, an ill-fated gambit. Horses were not made for that. Their long-spanning legs were best suited for open spaces, preferably flat. One wrong step and they were risking to end up with an animal with a broken leg.

The riders were not getting it easy too. Seichiro saw signs of torn twitches and branches, a couple blood-smeared. It was a trailed made up by and suited for walking, not riding. His prey had opted to continue on horse knowing this pretty well, and that added more layers to the mystery.

Up ahead the trail made a turn to the left and continued winding up the slope. Seichiro was about to press on but something made him stop. His instinct were calling to him, urging him to place close attention to what lay ahead. Pressed against the slope over the trail laid an unusual mound. It had trees and foliage all over it. At first glance it looked just like another batch of the forest. But upon closer inspection the edges were square-like and flat. It looked unnatural, but only if you knew what you were looking for. The Ranger immediately realized what it was and what it was being used for.

He crouched and waited. One, two, three, twenty heartbeats. He was ready to jump into action at a moment notice. But nothing happened. Had they not seen him? Hardly. The lookout provided enough vision over good part of the trail. Someone looking down might have a hard time differentiating or counting possible intruders, but he will most definitely have enough time to detect unusual movement and thus act and prepare accordingly.

Wondering what was going on, the Ranger moved out of the trail and into the woods as fast as he could. It was a dangerous move. He was risking getting lost or end up straight into a clearing with enemies waiting. But Seichiro knew that he could orient himself within the miasma of darkness and wilderness. He zigzagged between tress and boulders in the direction he believed the slope was. He eventually found the rocky wall and started climbing.

The stone was wet and weathered. It was hard to find good footing, especially since he wanted to make as less noise as possible. He spent more time that what he would have liked crawling up to the edge of the lookout, but eventually his hands pressed against the moss-packed logs set one upon the other.

He waited. No sound. No chatter, no movements. It was strange. The Ranger ventured to peek over the edge and found an empty camp. There were signs of recent activity all over the place. Footprints everywhere, cooking pots and utensils sprawled on the ground, an improvised hut with straw and twig beds.

Seichiro jumped into the camp and looked around. There was no one. He pondered briefly and then an idea came slamming into his head. They are leaving. They got what they were looking for, and now they are leaving. No point in remaining here. So, are they going to try a mountain pass?

The Ranger wondered if such a pass existed on this part of the mountain range. A trail for ill-advised adventurers on foot? Sure. But not for packed animals and horses. They would need to discard them entirely to even consider attempting such a thing, especially since night was fast approaching. If so, then what was the point of not discarding them earlier?

He was wasting time. Seichiro guessed that he will find more of these along the trail up ahead, perhaps he had even missed a few on his way here. But he believed he will find them empty too. Clicking his tongue, Seichiro made his way back to the trail and continued pressing on.