Chương 23: Chapter 22 - The Slaver’s Camp

As the pair slowly crept through the gloom at an oblique angle, they were slowly able to make out the outline of a large clearing ahead, and at a signal from Eli they climbed into the canopy before padding along through the foliage to find a spot to settle on the edge of the clearing. Elias felt a jolt of adrenaline wash through him, clearing his mind as he realized he was fairly sure he was looking at the main bandit camp.

The camp was situated in a circular clearing at least one hundred feet wide, with a large bonfire in the middle, surrounded by a row of planted stakes mostly pointed outwards at the outskirts. With this much material why wouldn't you at least build a palisade wall? Eli's already low impression of the group sunk further, yet as he took in the squalor, debris, and discarded liquor bottles and eating utensils littering the camp he wasn't surprised. I guess they had better things to do…

The forest path continued straight through the camp terminating at a "supply depot", aka a haphazard pile of assorted goods and crates, at the far side of the camp. To the right of the supply dump was a ramshackle cabin, clearly handmade, and given the state of the camp, the craftsman was probably pretty inebriated at the time.

There was an empty watchtower in the middle of the camp next to the bonfire in the center, but for the most part the rest of the camp was filled with a disorganized series of worn tents, most of which were covered in stains that Eli hoped was just dirt. After scanning for guards he was a little disappointed. There were two men flanking the entrance to the camp, but they were slouched on top of a couple of crates and busy passing a bottle back and forth, and the watchtower was completely empty.

There was a small group at the foot of the tower, but they were seated at a makeshift table playing what looked like a card game, even if he couldn't be sure from this distance. I mean the area is wide open even one man in the tower would be better than nothing and if they added a second man they would probably have a solid watch post. I guess being out here in the middle of nowhere would make anyone less worried about strangers, but what about the freaking giant panther monsters?!

Shaking his head Eli examined the most interesting part of the camp, to the left of the supply dump was a series of empty wagons, with the three closest to the dump being distinctly different. Eli was surprised that there was no one watching the supplies given how isolated the camp was, only to find a guard posted in a tree above the wagons. As Eli triggered [Eagle's Eye] he swore under his breath, Well I guess we can't get that lucky twice in a row. Of course the only guard to take his job seriously is this one.

Elias tapped Astra's arm, pointing out the guard positions as before, miming that the overwatch this time was alert and watchful, her eyes hardened in response to this. Elias signaled patience as he once again settled in to watch over the camp and get a feel for its rhythm to try and detect any surprises.

Triggering [Eagle's Eye] as he examined the wagons, two of which were closer to armored carriages than anything else, he was less surprised at the quality of the craftsmanship and armor once he spotted the barding that matched Astra's token emblazoned on the side of each of the vehicles.

What was most surprising was not just that the third wagon sported a cage, or that it contained a large number of men and women stripped to their underwear and fettered with chains and manacles, but that the woman leaning back against the far side of the cage was staring directly at Eli.

She was well muscled with jet black hair, a pale but lightly tanned skin, and piercing lightly colored eyes so light they were nearly white, with only the barest hint of a blue shade that stood out in stark contrast to her otherwise swarthy complexion. If the collar around the woman's neck didn't give away her identity, that fact she not only made eye contact with Eli from over a hundred feet away in the dead of night, while his entire appearance was blacked out, and obscured by the canopy most certainly did.

The eyebrow that she arched in return as their eyes met only enhanced her impression in his mind. Well shit, if that's not Mira I'll eat my shirt. Eli grinned and held a finger to his lips before slipping Astra's token from his pocket and flashed it in her direction. Her other brow rose to match its twin as her lips quivered upwards in the barest hint of a smile before stilling; Eli patted his hands in her direction, hopefully miming 'wait' to her.

Eli tapped Astra's arm and gave the 'Mira' sign and pointed in her direction three times. Astra squinted in her direction and turned back to Eli practically vibrating with excitement as she flashed down and double-time. Eli shook his head, put a finger on his lips and signed stop, down, stop, go, hoping he got across the need for silence and patience. When he triggered [Eagle's Eye] to look back in Mira's direction he could see the silent mirth as her lips quivered again.

He patted the air to mime 'wait', and threw one of Astra's Roman salutes in her direction with a fist to his chest. Mira broke into an actual small smile at this and gave a slight nod in his direction before turning her gaze to watch the group of guards by the bonfire. Elias nodded at Astra to follow him before padding back along the tree limb into the dark. Ding [Congratulations! [Tracking] has reached Lv 7] This story originates from a different website.

Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Ding [Congratulations! [Observant] has reached Lv 10] Ding [Congratulations! [Eagle's Eye] has reached Lv 4] Regrouping some distance back into the forest, Elias waved Astra over to whisper in her ear as they once again crouched near the path.

"Ok we are beyond lucky, and could not ask for a better situation, but if we are not careful the situation could go belly up in an instant. We still need to be careful, but speed tempered with stealth should be the play this time." Astra nodded excitedly before whispering back into his ear." Aye, I concur, but if we can free Mira the threat will end here." Eli patted her arm, " I believe you, but if all those men wake before we do, it's all over. I'm good, but I'm not dozens of armed bandits with only a spear good.

I could take three or four in a standup fight, maybe double that if I have the terrain to hit and run or a little support, but with the numbers I saw I would be swamped if the ball drops. How about you?" Astra shook her head, " Same, I could probably handle a few more, maybe eight in a running battle if I was fresh?" A flash of shame crossed her face as she admitted." Tonight has already been a hard night. I was running on dregs of power even before you came to my aid, and I feel like I have not slept in days.

No, I would also be easily born under the tide of foes." Eli gripped her shoulder and spoke with a gentle smile." There is no shame in having limits, you can never grow past them without knowing where they are."" Ok we keep it simple, we cross the trail circle around and approach Mira from behind the cart. Her back is to the forest so we should be able to reach the collar while obscured from the fire watch as long as the archer in the tree doesn't spot us.""

We make a solid attempt, but if the watch goes alert we pull back and regroup for another plan. Does that work for you?" Astra takes a deep shaky breath, " Aye, that's for the best." Eli did his best to give her a reassuring smile." All right, if we are lucky we are almost through it. Deep breath, we got this."" Let's go."

Elias could feel his pulse quicken as the pair approached from the far side of the clearing behind the wagons. The similarity to the previous approach lent a slightly surreal bent to the experience and he could practically feel Astra's desire to race ahead radiating off her from behind him. The wagons blocked Eli from view of the camp, but yet again he was taking no chances, the last thing he wanted was to trip over the finish line.

Leading Astra in a low crawl past the fern cover the pair approached the back of the camp, wending their way through the line of stakes as they slowly approached the caged wagon. Elias did his best to keep his breathing slow and under control as the tension mounted as they slowly approached their destination as any cover that might have shielded them from detection dropped away. As they eased their way closer to their goal Eli kept a weather eye on the archer on overwatch in the trees above the wagon.

Elias breathed a silent sigh of relief as they reached the supply dump and they were able to take at least a limited amount of cover behind a few loose crates. At the very least it would break the sight lines between them and the wagon watch. Eli tensed, signalling a halt to Astra, as the guard shifted in the tree. Eli waited a beat to see if the guard would make a move before he heard another shift.

As he peered around the edge of the crate, Eli caught a glimpse of the guard's back as the man stretched and settled into a new position, looking directly at the caged wagon. Fuck me. Eli's mind raced, discarding one idea after another. He leaned back behind the crate with a sigh and caught a glance at Astra out of the corner of his eye.

Coated in sweat and soot, the lines of tension in her frame as she braced her back against a crate screamed exhaustion, and as he watched her left eyelid drooped ever so slowly before she started and shook herself alert again. Racking his brain for a solution Eli scrubbed a hand over his face before dropping it in his lap, as his hand brushed his waist a wicked grin slowly spread across his face as he gauged the height of the tree limb.

He pointed to Astra and signaled stop down stop, then pointed at himself, then the overwatch, then dragged his thumb across his throat, and pointed back at her and signalled wait. She gave him a tired smile and signalled ok, and Eli turned pulling the leftovers of his rough cordage from his waist, nearly forgotten over the course of one long, exhausting night. Eli tied a rough but taut slipknot before wrapping the other end firmly around one palm and slipping the loop with the slipknot in between his teeth.

Eli flexed his [Stealth] as hard as he could, feeling a drain against his internal reserves as he dashed silently forward, scaling the tree with the loop of cord clenched between his teeth. Closing the distance, unbeknownst to him, Eli's pupils ballooned wide as his perception of time slowed yet again as he crept towards his target.

The paradoxical sensation welcomed him like an old friend, making him feel like he had all the time in the world to line up his strike, but no matter the speed of his thoughts his limbs still moved in slow motion as if he was in a dream. Thump. One heartbeat, as Eli crested the limb his target rested on, yawning and unaware of the peril he was in. Thump. A second heartbeat, as he drew the noose wide between his hands, racing silently towards his target. Thump.

A third heartbeat, he slipped the noose around his target's neck, and with a spartan kick to his back booted the man off of the perch he rested on. Thump.

On the fourth the dilation collapsed as Elias used the momentum to launch himself back off the other side of the branch, slapping his other hand around the end wrapped firmly around his palm, Eli gripped the cord it tightly with both hands as he slammed into the soft earth below, his joints groaning in protest as even with his new and improved constitution dropping twenty feet out of the canopy was almost enough to shatter his joints.

Elias paused in a crouch before lurching nearly three feet in the air, as the weight of his target reached the end of the cord, shattering the target's neck before jerking Eli upright with the weight of his body. As Eli's boots returned to the soft earth he paused for a moment, the boot tips of his target gently grazed his head, wafting Elias's hair in the gentle breeze of his death throes.

Eli waited for the jerking motion on the rope to cease before slowly easing the body to the forest floor, pressing two fingers to his neck to check for a pulse, and sighing out an enormous breath, thankfully finding none.