CH920

The others around the campfire began to stand as the sounds of crashing came through the forest, warnings ready to be shouted on their lips before Ben waved them down.

“Stop, it’s not what you think.”

Still too far to connect to them to read their mind but that didn’t matter. He had his soul sight and his sacrilege, both not limited by a mere few meters of range that told him all he needed to know about what was coming as a mass of flesh and bones threw itself into the clearing, shape warping back to a young woman as she landed by his side.

“Number two, I thought I smelled you! What are you doing out here?” Abel laughed while slapping his back. “Miss having me around that much?”

“Ha, not exactly, Abel. I ended up out here for the same reason as you. I was sent to look for Foast.”

“What?” she asked, her happy expression instantly changing to a scowl. “What the hell? Was I not good enough for the gods when they already went and sent my butt out here?”

A good question, why were we sent when she was already sent off to handle it? The part of him still within his god’s realm asked. And why weren’t we at least told to meet up?

<Because she can be exceptionally bad at answering and staying on task. At two points she got distracted by, well, let’s call them some rather long meals, and now here you are, caught up to her. I hadn’t even realized she’d made it out so far.>

“They said you stopped to eat too much,” he told her bluntly, getting to see her expression change once more from her scowl to guilt and embarrassment.

“I mean, I was just a little snackish is all. It’s fine.”

“Foast’s goddess is pretty worried about him.”

“And if he dies, then she’ll know exactly where he is, but I don’t see why they’re so worried; he’s not so weak.”

“No, but the fact that he’s missing is still a pretty bad sign.”

“Okay, but I’m doing it still. I’ve got his scent, I’ll find him.”

Hmm, realistically she’s probably going to be better than any of our current trackers, and I’ll be able to keep her on task.

“Okay, well, want to stick with us then?” he asked her, nodding the direction they were following. “We’re resting for the night, continuing on tomorrow. Could definitely use a hand. I’d feel a lot safer with you too.”

“Sure!” she agreed, instantly invested for the bit of faith he was showing in her. “But if you’re going that way, you’re wasting your time. He circles back.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah, he fought something in a swamp and from the bits I found, it looks like he won. Not taking the exact same way back, but he’s got the general direction.”

“…Yeah, okay, I’ll get you to show us in the morning,” he told her, even as he grappled with what she’d said.

He won? Did he find the thing he was hunting and kill it? Then why’s he gone no contact? Why’s he turned back? I’ve been operating on the assumption that since I couldn’t control him that nothing else would be able to, but maybe I’m wrong? Maybe what he killed wasn’t the thing he was hunting but something else under its control, and now he’s under its thrall too? God, it’s obvious I’m missing something, I just really don’t want it to be another demon with mind control.

Whatever the truth might have been, Abel’s presence created options that he hadn’t previously had that could hopefully speed up their journey to find him, they could figure out the rest when they did.

But I will need to tell the rest of them in the morning. For now though…

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He took off his necklace and handed it to Abel, watching her look at it in curiosity before he clarified.

“Job crystal, you saw me using it before. You should be done yours, right?”