Chapter 23

The trip, over the next few weeks, was strained at the beginning, as the tensions were still high after what had happened with Gwen and Ethal. The other soldiers were giving me a wide berth, but they were cordial when we were around one another. They worked with Liza and Celka to see what their skill level was, what they might have an aptitude for and where they would need to improve.

Given the unique nature of the beast we might face, Janet took it upon herself to train with me, though I had a feeling that part of it had to do with our first encounter. It was a week after their deaths, when she chose to spar with me for the first time and everyone in the camp stopped what they were doing to watch. She had come up to me, while I had been finishing the last of my food and tossed a wooden training sword at me. I caught it and from the look on her face, I knew what she wanted. I placed my plate down and followed her to an open area of space next to our camp. Revar looked at her in amusement, as he had seen first-hand what had happened the last time we had sparred.

“Okay, Janet, how do you want to do this?” I asked, my expression neutral. “I do not want to accidentally hurt you.”

She got a smug look on her face and replied, “I do not need your condescension, Davik. If I am to have the skill necessary to kill this old one, I will need to fight you at your full skill.”

I nodded and grasped the sword in my left hand, placing my right behind my back. I stood ready, a meter of distance separating us, when I gave her a nod to begin. She burst forward, her own weapon grasped firmly in both her hands and a look of fury painted her face. I took a calming breath and allowed my strength, speed and reflexes to no longer be restrained. I was starting to get used to the surreal sensation that occurred when I let go and I was better able to focus myself. I watched her movements as she approached and easily blocked her thrust at my sternum and hit her in the abdomen with my weapon. She let out a grunt from the impact and fell to the ground clutching her stomach, as the rest of the people looked on in shock. The only one who was not surprised was Lillian, since she had seen me in action before. Instead, she had a smug smile on her face.

After seeing how easily their commander fell, the six soldiers grabbed their training swords and rushed to surround me. I reached down, casually, as they approached and took Janet’s training sword off the ground. With two swords in my hands, the soldiers slowed their approach to a more cautious one. I waited patiently for each of them to get into position, waiting for one of them to make the first move. After a few moments, the first soldier moved to attack, coming in at a run from my left. At the same time, one of the soldiers, who had been behind me, moved to attack as well. I spun in place, using my left sword to guard the attack from the one that had approached from behind, while using the other to parry the one that had come from my left. With the one attack parried, I used my right sword to sweep the other soldier’s legs out from underneath her and use the butt of my left sword to drive her down to the ground. The counterattack took only a second or two, preventing the soldier from being able to respond, and she let out a gust of air upon impact with the ground. I spun and used my left sword to deflect soldier one’s second attack, bringing my other sword down on her wrist.

She dropped the sword, as she cried out in pain, unable to stop me from grabbing her arm and tossing her onto her back. Three more rushed me then, with the last looking hesitant to try and join them. Still, I did not have time to dwell on that as I launched myself at the soldier in the middle, knowing that the other two would no doubt try to move in closer to her to attack me. However, they did not expect the speed in which I closed the distance and they were not ready for the swipes I made, causing them to fall over, as I barreled into the third soldier. I rolled as we hit the ground and was back up before anyone else knew what happened. I looked as five of the six soldiers were on the ground in various states of discomfort. I did my best to prevent lasting injuries, but they had to know just how dangerous someone like me could be.

The last soldier ran over to check on her friends, while I went back over to the fire. The practice ended for the night, the soldiers tending to their various bruises and injuries, but each night following, was a repeat of that night. Those not participating, watched as we sparred, and over the weeks their skills improved.

By the time we neared Retvan, they were holding their own and working together to try and trip up my counterattacks. While our early fights lasted barely a few moments, the fights near the end were nearly half an hour long, even if the results were still the same. Janet had gotten better as well, given that she was the more seasoned warrior, she was able to keep up for ten to fifteen minutes on her own, resorting to as much trickery as she could muster to balance the scales. Though she had not won a single match, her determination never wavered and her pride in how long her people lasted was a testament to her command and their perseverance. A camaraderie had begun amongst us all and near the end, I was on friendly terms with each of the soldiers from Vishant.

Elsie was fond of music and would play a small harp for us while we ate our meals, as well as on the road. Kayla was into herbology and spent her free time talking with Lillian and Celka about various plants and salves, hoping to be a healer back home for the soldiers. Ingrid was fond of carving wood and would often be seen with a knife and fresh piece of wood she had found, whittling away at it. Cherish, who was often made fun of for her name, had an interest in farming, talking to Liza during mealtime. Irenia was interested in the work Carl and the others had done on the wagons, taking the time to examine each facet of their work. Fera was studious in her martial arts and was called upon by Janet to train all of us in hand-to-hand defense, though Janet seemed to handle my training personally. One night during the evening meal, roughly two weeks before we were bound to arrive int Revtan, I broached the topic with her.

“Janet, I wanted to ask you something. Why is it you are training me, instead of me training with Fera?”

“You are a unique individual, Davik,” she replied softly, her voice sounding slightly troubled. “Due to that, you require more specialized training, as you may be the only way to defeat this old one. Back home, an old one could lay waste to a battalion of over a thousand warriors before their attacks finally killed it. That is why defeating this one is so important, because he is outside the control of our military. If he were in Vishant, he would have his minions killed and be sealed within the borders of his grounds. We could render him weaker and thus increase our chances, along with having the forces necessary to contain and defeat them. Here, this one lives outside that influence; that is what makes him so dangerous. However, that may also make him arrogant, as he has been away from home for a long time. Our tactics and methods have changed a bit over the last fifty years, allowing us an advantage. His inexperience regarding being Voguel will also help, as there would have been things he would be taught about his abilities. That does not mean he is not a threat, but it helps give us a much-needed advantage.

“There is of course another reason as to why I wanted to train with you, given the unique circumstances between us, now. I want to learn, firsthand, the capabilities of your various enhancements, in case they are in fact transmittable via your blood. I know that we should have seen a reaction by now, but after speaking with Lillian about the circumstances that brought about her change, there is a chance it is still possible. I would rather be as prepared as possible just in case, even if it never does happen.”

“I can understand that,” I said with a sigh, “I just hope that whatever anger and frustration you have had bottled up has run its course during our fights. I do not want to see you get injured because of it; anger can make you stronger, but it can also blind you to many things and allow the wrong element to gain a foothold.”

“I take it that you are speaking of Violet, the woman that disappeared a few weeks before we arrived?”

I nodded and answered, “Yes, Violet is a perfect example of that happening. She has always had a hot temper and without her father around to help her deal with it, she has let her anger blind her. Instead of seeing things as they are, she is seeing them in the worst light, allowing them to further feed her anger. It has me worried, not just for what kind of circumstances she could find herself in, but also what state I might find her in should our paths cross.”

“Well, she will have some competition when and if your paths cross, as I can tell there are other women than just her, that have their sights set on you.”

“Oh really?” I asked, my curiosity piqued. “Who would you say falls under that list then?”

“W-well ... I do not know any names, “she stammered, a flush of embarrassment on her face. “Lillian is clearly enamored of you and I can see that more than one of my soldiers have developed an interest in you.”

That one shocked me, given only a month or two had passed since the incident that killed two of their fellow soldiers. I had noticed that the tension that existed between me and the Vishant soldiers had slowly dissipated over that time, but I never thought that any would have felt about me in that way.

“What are you talking about? None of them show any signs of interest and Lillian is my friend, not to mention she has a romantic connection to Violet.”

Janet glanced at me in confusion, until our eyes met, and she saw the look I had on my face. I watched the realization of what I was inferring appear on her face and a blush of embarrassment flush her skin.

“Oh, I see,” she muttered quietly. “Well, I cannot speak for that, but women notice when another woman is interested in a man, as we can read her movements and glances. Men do tend to be oblivious to it, though you seem to have one all your own, that we can sometimes understand.”

It gave me some things to think about as we went to rest for the night, and I found myself having trouble getting to sleep. While I will admit that the comment Janet had made caused some of it, most came from the unknown elements of what was to come.

We were now two weeks out, with only three days after we arrived to get the information we need before the next blood moon. My worry was less for myself than it was for the other members of this group, as they had far more to lose. I began to wonder how many enemies would be waiting for us, if they would all be Voguel, or if there were human servants working for him. I was thankful that I was not plagued with dreams, nor had I been since we had left Cartha.

I made sure that everyone was aware of my worries during these final days in our approach to Retvan, but I still could not shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. I hoped that the training we had done during our traveling would be enough, but I would have to be careful, because I did not want to lose anyone to this monster again. I was enjoying the friendships I had been making during this trip, though I knew that they would be leaving when Brenson was dealt with, I knew that these friendships would last a lifetime. Jerreth was sure that I was overthinking and that, given the skills of everyone we had with us, we would be fine. He knew that the blood moon would present a risk, but it would depend on how long it would take to find the information we would need.

Celka had been in Retvan a few times over many years, so she had some contacts that she could get in touch with. Jerreth knew a few soldiers that should be still stationed there, so that would be his task once we arrived. Liza was confident that she could get some information at the local taverns and market, though she would not be allowed to go alone. Janet planned to travel with me, two soldiers would travel with Jerreth, two with Liza and two with Celka. Lillian planned to separate from us before we got in sight of the town and survey the area for clues.

The one thing that had already made this trip worthwhile was watching the romance between Jerreth and Liza blossom. I had made sure to talk to Jerreth the night after the death of the two soldiers and let him know he had my blessing to pursue Liza. He tried to make it seem like he was not as interested as I believed, but I told him I could see how he looked at her and how he was when he was around her. I watched over the following weeks as their little romance grew with each day, happy that she would find someone special, as her sister had. He spent as much time with her as he could, and I saw that she was soaking up his attention desperately. It was a few days before we were due to arrive at Retvan, when she approached me to ask my opinion of Jerreth.

“Davik, what do you think of Jerreth? I mean as a person, what do you think of him and what not?”

“Liza, you have no worries,” I answered trying to reassure her. “He came to me a few days after the unfortunate deaths of Ethal and Gwen. I told him to go for it, because I know you two would be perfect for each other and you deserve some happiness after all you have gone through. I just hope you will continue to work for me even after he makes an honest woman of you, though I am sorry that you could not share your first time with him. While I am glad, we shared an intimate moment that we both needed at the time, I hope that he makes you happy in every facet of your life moving forward.”

She came to me and wrapped me in the tightest hug she could muster and planted a soul searing kiss on my lips. The camp just laughed at her reactions, though I looked over to Jerreth and was relieved to see he too was laughing. The last thing I wanted to do was alienate our friendship due to something like this; he was a good friend and those were on short supply these days.

That was why I was thankful that I had gotten to know Revar over our time spent traveling and found he was a very interesting individual. He was only four years older than me but had worked for Edgar since he was a young boy. He was fiercely loyal, and I knew that I would not want to ross swords with him had I not gotten my enhanced abilities. He had joined in with our sparring and could keep up with Janet and myself, usually helping her to try and overcome me, but unable to help her achieve that goal. I had expected Revar and Janet to hit it off during our travels, but other than being friendly, I did not see any signs that they may pair off.

The morning we arrived in Retvar, it was unusually cold, causing a dense fog to blanket the road and wisp its way between the trees. The forest around us was ominously quiet for early morning, but we figured that it was due to the cold weather and that the various animals would be out once it warmed up.

As we got closer, the forest gave way to a wide-open area, which was a result of cutting and not replanting afterwards. It was done with most towns and cities to ensure that an enemy could not be able to sneak up to the town undetected. Retvan was also home to a garrison that supplied soldiers to the southern region, which caused the town to be three times the size of Cartha. If the growth continued for another five years, I would not be surprised if they were able to apply for the town to be upgraded to city status.

There was a large stone wall surrounding the town and, as we got closer, I had to estimate that it was at least four to five meters high and more than a meter thick. We could see numerous men walking along the rampart, their eyes cast out towards avenues that possible enemies could exploit. Two large wooden gates, more than two meters high, blocked entry to the town, with four sentries positioned above it with crossbows. Another two soldiers stood on either side, armed with halberds and garbed in heavy mail. They were a much more imposing sight, compared to how our guards were equipped back in Cartha, but given the importance of Retvan to the capital, it was not surprising. Retvan was the primary supplier of ores, both raw and processed, for the entire province. Last I heard, they were working towards sending their ore to the provinces that surround ours, in the hopes of bringing more Drectars into the province, allowing further development of the land. The region around Retvan was rich in ore for hundreds of kilometers, with more deposits being found each year. Hopefully my meeting with the Patron would bear fruit and we could get shipments of ore sent to Cartha and, with the influx of Drectars coming into the town, we would be able to afford the costs, though a mutual deal such as I made with Fardun and Dru’Tirk would be ideal.