Dusk was starting to fall in Silverpines. It had been several hours since the balverine demonstration between Brittany, Jean, Clarissa, and Jason. All, except Jason, had redressed and were scattered throughout the village. Austin paced, looking annoyed. We need to get moving, he thought, biting his lip.
Jean, who was now dressed in an outfit that Reaver himself probably wore at some time in the past, noticed the annoyed expression on Austin's face and approached him—not helping Austin's mood since she looked more like Reaver than ever before. "What is it?" She asked.
"We've been in Silverpines for a while now. We need to get out of here and go to Wraithmarsh. I know everyone is cozy here but we can't get lazy." Austin replied. His arms folded across his chest.
"Did I just hear that we're moving out?" Cody called from across the village. It was amazing how sharp his ears were. Nearly as good as a balverine's. He rushed toward the duo and nodded eagerly. "No offense, Jean, but I'm starting to get tired of those looks I keep getting from the residents. I think they think I'd make a good meal."
Austin raised his hand. "We need to gather the others and get some sort of plan in action. We need to go the Wraithmarsh. And Reaver would know exactly how to get there." He began to walk toward the main cabin where Reaver, Logan, Brittany, and Page were located.
"I tell you, I could shoot a flea off a balverine at fifty paces…" Reaver insisted, looking agitated.
Page snorted, "Sure you could, Reaver."
Logan shook his head and noticed Austin's arrival. "What is it, Austin? You look determined."
"We need to go the Wraithmarsh. That is what Theresa told us, right?" The tone of Austin's voice was hard to miss. "Every second we spend here, Blain is getting closer to finding a way to reverse that void. The Sword of Aeons will soon be his. And I want to make damn sure that he doesn't keep it for long."
Brittany gave Austin a thoughtful smile and nudged Reaver's arm. He sighed. "Wraithmarsh, eh? I was hoping I wouldn't have to go back so soon…"
"No. You won't have to go back. I want us to split up."
"What?" Jean sounded concerned.
Austin looked at her and nodded. "It's for the best. Listen. What happens if we all die in this little adventure? Blain gets the sword and takes over the world. I think three of us should stay in Silverpines and watch over Bowerstone. Keep an eye on Blain. If he does recover the sword before we get back, then they can try to stall him as much as possible."
"But how do we decide who stays and who goes?" Page asked.
Austin smiled, "Page. You know Bowerstone better than anyone else. Plus the people trust you beyond a shadow of a doubt. I want you to recruit anyone who is willing to stand up and fight against Blain and Jimmy. And that blonde girl that's with Blain."
Page nodded and answered, "Of course. I will gather as many allies as I can."
"Father?" Austin turned toward Logan. "I want you here as well. In case something goes wrong, you'll act as the leader who will take control of the situation. And you'll keep those two from killing each other." Austin gestured toward Page and Reaver.
Logan smiled, "I will."
"Reaver. You are the best shot in all of Albion. You stay here too."
Reaver's eyes nearly popped out. "What?! Me?! Stay?! I'll miss all the action. Besides, who's going to lead you to Wraithmarsh? None of you know where to go."
Austin glanced at Jean. "You don't know how to get to Wraithmarsh?"
"No. Reaver never let me join him to see his…friends…" Jean answered.
A sigh escaped from Austin's mouth. "No matter. Reaver? Could you tell us the best way to get to Wraithmarsh? That way Jean can find it."
Reaver blinked at Austin in surprise and started to protest again. Then he hung his head and answered, "Westcliff. There you can take a ship to Bloodstone. Then you can walk to Wraithmarsh." He looked up. "So Jean's going with you?"
"Yes," was Austin's answer.
Reaver sighed, "Right. And when are you leaving?"
"Dawn."
Brittany looked up at the sky. "It is getting late. Might I suggest we go to sleep? It sounds like we're going to be having a big day tomorrow." With that, she turned and walked to her cabin.
Austin nodded, "That sounds like a good idea. Jean? Cody? Better turn in for the night. We are all going to be needed all the sleep we can get." With that, the band separated and went into their cabins for the night. Tomorrow morning. That's when our adventure begins…
Birds began to chirp in the forest. Sunlight shone through the window in the cabin. But Austin was not in bed. He had recovered his crossbow from storage and was packing supplies. "We cannot be too prepared for this." He muttered, shoving a canteen of water in his pack. Once he was satisfied, he left the cabin and noticed that Jean and Cody were already packed and waiting for him.
"Do we wait for the others to get up? Or do we just leave?" Cody wondered, looking around the sleepy camp.
"We're already awake." Reaver answered, sitting on a rock. "How did you miss me sitting here in the open?" He shook his head and stood up. Logan, Page, Brittany, and Clarissa were close behind. Reaver approached Jean. "Remember. Westcliff. You need to go there first. Then you can take a ship to Bloodstone."
"Bloodstone," Jean nodded slowly.
"It will be dangerous. Bloodstone is a lawless town. Only the most cunning and most treacherous can survive there. And not a word out of you, Page." Reaver snarled, glancing over his shoulder at Page. She shut her mouth quickly. Reaver turned back to Jean. "You have your katana. And that longbow. But it won't be enough. Here." He removed his belt. The same belt that carried the Dragonstomper .48.
Jean stared in shock as Reaver handed her his belt. She stammered, "B-but, Reaver, that's your most prized possession. You love those guns."
"Yeah. I have four others that I can use. It just so happens that I keep a spare here in Silverpines." Reaver shrugged. "So take the gun. It might prove useful in Bloodstone. Hell, you look enough like me that people might think you are me."
Jean reluctantly took the gun and hooked the belt around her waist. "It first perfectly. Thank you, Reaver. I'll return it safely."
Cody adjusted his pistol and asked, "So when can we leave? Now?"
Brittany shook her head. "Not yet. I know I can't come with you. But you're going to keep balverine assistance. Westcliff is home to a very powerful pack and, even though Jean will be with you, I have a feeling that they will still attack. I want you to take Clarissa with you. She's my second-in-command. If the Westcliff pack sees two balverines travelling with you, they might not attack."
Clarissa stood next to Jean and grinned, "I've always wanted to visit the Howling Halls. I heard there was a balverine massacre there once a while back. Two Heroes killed an entire pack. Wow." She shook her head.
Logan looked at Austin and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Son. I want you to be careful. Get the sword." He hugged Austin tightly. "Come back safe, okay?"
Reaver hesitated. "Umm…remember what I said. That gun will prove useful. Just…ummm…take care of the Dragonstomper. I want it back. Remember that."
Jean smiled, "Of course. I'll return. Don't worry about me."
Reaver snorted, "Who is worried about you?" Jean chuckled at that.
Austin looked up at the morning sky. "Well, we better leave. Jean? Take the lead. Cody? Cover the rear. Let's go." The band of four walked past the large wooden fence and noticed that balverines lined the pathway. They howled and vanished into the forest.
Jean pulled a map out of her pack. "Okay. We're here." She pointed to what seemed to be a random spot on the map. "Silverpines appears to run into Brightwood."
"Is that close to Brightwall?" Cody asked.
"According to the map, it depends on where you're at in Brightwood. I've read old maps that Reaver brought back with him from the Chamber of Fate. It seems that Brightwood was once called Greatwood. At least, Brightwood is where Greatwood once stood. And Greatwood used to run into Darkwood, which overrun Oakvale and turned it into Wraithmarsh." Jean continued to examine the map.
Cody rubbed his chin and nearly fell over a tree root. "Okay…so theoretically we could go through Brightwood and run into Wraithmarsh eventually, right? I mean, if the two areas are connected…"
She shook her head. "We can't. Back in the days of Greatwood, the roads were maintained. But when the Darkwood marsh took over the farmland of Barrow Fields and Oakvale, the roads were all but wiped out. We can't go that way."
"You're probably not saying that we can't. You're saying that we shouldn't." Cody muttered.
"No. We can't. All roads are impassable. Even to a balverine. We can't go that way. We can go through Brightwood, over to the Bandit Coast, to Westcliff, and then take a ship down to Bloodstone. And while we are in Westcliff, we are not going to the Crucible."
"Ah! No fair! The Crucible is the height of entertainment!" Cody pouted.
Austin shook his head. "Cody. Stop arguing with Jean. We don't have time to see some poor sod getting tore from limb to limb."
Clarissa looked confused. "Why is watching someone being killed entertaining?" She sounded puzzled. But she never got her answer. The band stopped at a wooden sign in the middle of the forest. The path split in half. "Which way is right?" Clarissa asked.
Austin peered at the sign. "Okay. If we go right, that will lead us into Brightwood. If we go left, that will take us further into Silverpines." He nodded toward the right path. "Let's go." Austin walked ahead of the group and down the path that would lead them to Brightwood.
The species of tree changed as the path led to the starting point of Brightwood. Pine trees and other evergreens became sparser and maples took their place. The sounds of insects and birds could be heard echoing through the forest. Off in the distance, the band could see a tall structure still weathering the seasons. Brightwood Tower, formerly the home of the legendary Will user Garth, stood lonely over the trees. The tower had seen attacks from everything from Spire guards to Lucien's shards. Once alive with magic, Brightwood Tower was now abandoned.
Austin sighed as the band passed by the tower. Then he stopped suddenly. What was that sound? He wondered, looking over his shoulder. Jean and Clarissa apparently heard the same sound. They froze and scanned the forest. "Jean? Clarissa? What is it?"
Jean's eyes locked on a series of strangely shaped bushes. She sniffed the air and jerked her head back in disgust. "It stinks," she growled. The bush twitched. Jean growled deeply and silently removed her bow that was hooked to her back. She grabbed an arrow from her quiver and notched it to her bow. She pulled back on the bow string and aimed for the bush. She released and the arrow cut through the air like a knife through butter.
The arrow struck the bush and a spray of blood shot out of it. A pained cry could be heard and a strange squat creature leaped from the bushes. The creature had razor sharp teeth and long ears. Its stubby fingers clutched a crude weapon—a club-like mace. "Hobbe!" Cody cheered. "Finally! Some action!"
A small army of hobbes appeared out of the bushes. "Ambusher hobbes. Disgusting creatures," Clarissa spat in repulsion. "They smell so bad. I can hardly take it."
"Do not transform, Clarissa! These are the only clothes we have with us! We can't shred them!" Jean warned. "The three of us can handle this hobbe army." She had her katana removed from its sheath. Sparks shot from the blade.
Austin had his crossbow out and fired a bolt into a hobbe's head. "Where did these things come from?" He asked.
"Ambusher hobbes do what the name says. They ambush innocent people and kill them. Then they drag the bodies back to their cave and eat them." Jean answered, slicing the head clean off another hobbe. Lightning danced off of her blade.
Cody shot a large hobbe. "Hey. Looks like they're retreating." He noticed that the remaining hobbes began to run around in confusion. Some ran into trees and fell backwards. Others ran into each other. "Looks like without their leader, the hobbes are confused."
"They panic easily," Jean said, kicking one hobbe aside.
"We don't have time exterminating hobbes. Time is wasting. Let's leave the survivors and go." Austin carefully returned his crossbow to its spot on his back. "So how much longer until we get to the…what was it called again? The area before we get to Westcliff?"
"The Bandit Coast." Jean checked her map again. "We need to pass by an old farm and continue down the path that leads in front of an old Demon Door. We'll get there before sunset."