Chapter 270 – The Lorvyn Woods

Chapter 270 – The Lorvyn Woods

 

Spruces, elms and oaks soared like ancient wooden pillars, letting scant rays of light through their wide canopies. The air smelled of pine and resin. There was a sort of tranquility in being back in the wild that Kai couldn’t quite explain.

The Lorvyn Woods carried little familiarity with Veeryd—or the lush jungles of the Hidden Sanctuary. The dense mana leaned more toward Earth and Nature, while Water was sparse. Even the creaking of wood sounded drier. Dark green ferns, entwined weeds and wildflowers dotted the underbrush among fallen leaves and branches.

Kai treaded at the tail of the group, stretching his neck to take in his surroundings. Mana Observer had already spotted a patch of pseudo-mana herbs and a red viper nestled in the shade of a bush.

Guess we’ll spend the night here…

“Let’s move.” Daniel rested a hand on the hilt of his knife, carefully prodding his way down a slope. “We need to find a place to camp while we still have light.”

“Are you sure they won’t follow us?” Kai stepped on gnarly roots jutting out of the ground. Aside from the eerie vibes, there were few other deterrents.

“Yes, only madmen would venture inside a mana zone at night when the predators come out to hunt,” the man stated like it was elementary knowledge. “And I’m not just talking about packs of orange creatures, yellow beasts also stray from the inner regions. If you call attention to yourself, it will be mutually assured destruction at best.”

Am I back in the Sanctuary?

Kai opted for a diplomatic nod. Most humans struggled to defeat beasts at their grade, and he would also be put to the test if it were a particularly strong species. Some awakened animals grew positively massive at Yellow, or worse, learned to use their innate magic.

I’m not alone. I can’t just flee if we run into a wyvern…

People could be an asset and a burden. He had done some light sparring with Flynn when they were in Sylspring, but not enough to prepare them for real life and death struggles. That didn’t even consider the other two members of their group.

Daniel had been hired as a guide and was unlikely to risk his neck for them. As for Rain, the siren would be unpredictable in a fight, in terms of power and teamwork.

Guess we’ll figure it out on the go. Or die trying…

Kai was growing a fond appreciation for Dora’s old insistence on doing things in the proper order. A single jump ahead had quickly devolved into a series of dubious decisions.

“We’ll be alright.” Rain gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “I’ve never been to this place before, but it doesn’t look too dangerous.”

The siren strolled through the woodlands, running his fingers along the bark of a birch as if it were a live exposition. He picked up a pinecone with fascination, smelled it like a flower and added it to the stash of land souvenirs in his backpack.

“Moons have mercy…” Daniel grumbled under his breath. “We must pick up the pace while there is still light.”

The adventurer guided them around an owl napping in the hollow of a tree, and a mole rat burrowed under a mound. Both beasts were in the middle of Orange.

The steady rise of ambient mana sank a little cautiousness in Kai’s mood.

Entering the Lorvyn Woods had barely slowed the pulsing whispers. The constant prodding at his mind was starting to get on his nerves.

Will they follow us right up to Limgrell?

He almost wished the wannabe bandits would catch up to them to get rid of the nuisance.

How strong can they be?

Trekking into the woods, the sun became a soft glow among the treetops. Dark shadows grew between shrubs and crannies to herald the coming darkness. Daniel took out an enchanted light covered by a sheet of iron that illuminated a single direction.

Hmm… that’s a good idea.

“We’ll camp here.” The man stopped in a narrow clearing among a group of oaks vying for space. The branches had grown to form a dome; their thick roots only let moss and lichen grow.

“Here…?” Flynn held up a similar light. The clearing looked no better than another dozen spots they had passed and not particularly defensible.

“Not here, here.” Daniel pointed towards the wide crown of the oaks. “Sleeping above ground will let us avoid most of the predators. Do you all know how to climb?” He pulled a coil of ropes from his bag, his gaze lingering on Rain.

The siren studied the trees with his head tilted. “I just need to pull myself up there, right?”

“Yeah…” The seeker gave him another odd look before opting to ignore it. “Okay, let’s set this up. Do you have experience securing a camp?”

Kai clamped his mouth shut—Matthew had most definitely never gone in the wild. And shaping trunks with Nature Magic must not be what Daniel had in mind.

“I had some, but on the ground.” Flynn raised his hand.

“Good enough.” The man pulled more ropes and a mottled green canvas enchanted with cloaking runes. “If you need to relieve yourself, go now in pairs. And gather some branches on the way back. We’ll need to conceal the shelter.”

Daniel barked orders to Kai and Flynn and swiftly climbed the bark to look for an appropriate spot. The mana density had made branches grow larger than trunks.

They found a flat nook near the center of the crowns. Numerous layers of leaves already covered it; they bent more branches to conceal it from every angle and tied the mottled canvas to shield them from the weather.

Rain came up last, pulling himself up with hands alone. His fingers dug into the bark as if it were cardboard, leaving tiny, neat holes. “That was easier than expected.” He hopped on the shelter with a grin.

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He might as well lean into the noble scion lacking commoner’s sense at this point…

“Hmm…” Daniel stared blankly at Rain and turned toward the boring humans. “Tie yourself to the tree. I’m not dragging your body to Limgrell if you break your neck.”

A rumble of thunder made them look at the sky. The night would be even less comfortable than they expected. The camp was quite narrow for four people, though well camouflaged.

No one brought up the idea of lighting a fire. They dined on salted fish, cheese and hardened bread. “Don’t let any crumbs fall.” The seeker watched them like a hawk. “Bears and wolves have a good sense of smell. You’re lucky the rain will wash away our tracks and our smell.”

The cowl of clouds hastened the arrival of the night, throwing them in pitch-black darkness without a moon. A single pale crystal covered by a cloth was the only light allowed.

“We’ll take three guard shifts. If you notice something suspicious don’t shout. Just wake me up to check. I’ll take the last shift, three hours before dawn. Everything’s clear?” Receiving their nods, the man secured himself to a branch and wrapped a blanket around himself. “Good night.”

Daniel had once again overlooked Rain. Perhaps convinced the white-haired was the only true noble-born, and they some sort of retinue.

It’s probably not that far from the truth.

The siren was too intent on studying a mana acorn to notice—or perhaps he also considered this normal.

He’s definitely not the son of some kelp farmer…

“I’ll take the middle watch,” Kai offered. His grade meant he needed the least sleep among the three.

“Are you sure?” Despite his attempts to hide it, Flynn looked already worn out by the march. The teen always preferred cities to the wild and must not have crossed many jungles in the last two years.

“Yup. Wake me up in a couple of hours.” Kai lay down near the edge of the makeshift platform to avoid protests.

As he rested his head on his bag, the pitter-patter of the rain announced the coming storm. The waxed mottled canvas protected them from the downpour, though it couldn’t stop every stray droplet bouncing on the leaves.

Kai sorely missed the dry shelters he cast in the living wood of trees. Even if he disregarded his new identity to create one, those took hours to complete. Carving one in the rock would have been faster, if there was any nearby.

Give me back my mattress. I didn’t miss this one bit.

He tightened his thin blanket around himself. If there was one discomfort the Sanctuary lacked, it was the cold—if you stayed away from the Spike. Used to the warmth of the archipelago, he had underestimated how low the temperature would drop. Madame Le Garde had done a great job padding their clothes for the weather, but the enchantments couldn’t compete with the howling winds.

Wet and cold, sleep eluded him, not helped by the waves of grumpiness Hobbes was sending him. The cat had evicted a family of orange squirrels from a hollow and was far from pleased with the collections of walnuts and dry leaves.