Chương 18: The Bane-Lands

Instead of the watchtower, I first saw a swell of smog rising over the horizon. It looked like an approaching winter storm—it had fluffy edges, but a distinct dark core. An ashy, sulfuric smell washed over the land, lodging in the back of my nose and making my throat constrict. It was like standing behind a car on a cold winter morning and inhaling a mouthful of the exhaust. But apparently, someone had shoved a rotten egg in the tailpipe.

"That's the Shroud," Romance said.

"A massive cloud of ash, permanently hovering over the Bane-lands."

"We don't know if it's intentional," Elf added.

"Or if it's just the ruptures farther east spewing ash." We walked up to the top of a hill. Here, there were less rolling fields, and more choppy stones. Swathes of pines grew between them, and there were a few yellowing deciduous trees mixed in. There was, however, plenty of clear land for the trail to follow. When we reached the top of the hill, a watchtower came into view a few hills over. It was a small lookout supported atop a trellis of wood.

An orange banner fluttered in the wind, mounted atop of the shingled tower rooftop, and there were a few people standing inside it. Two Dupes and a man with an orange cloak wrapped around his shoulders.

"We still have until evening until we're expected back," Shave said.

"We're supposed to check on the watchmen, then we're permitted to train for a while."

"We can't train when we get back?" Romance complained.

"What's wrong with a little dirty air?" I nudged his shoulder.

"Come on, you should've seen how nasty the air could get back home. Especially in forest fire season."

"If we go back too soon, Galliard will realize it's not a day-long job and make us do other chores," Shave explained.

"Besides, we need to actually collect and take an overview of the sighting log."

"I'd bet Singe's squad didn't do an overview of the daily sightings," Ticks said.

"He just brought the sheets back."

"Yeah, but we want to be on our best behaviour, don't we?" I suggested.

"I'll do it," Shave said.

"You four can wait at the bottom." We continued along the path until we reached the bottom of the watchtower. The trees parted ahead of us, giving a view of the Thelea River valley. I jumped up onto a stone and grabbed a tree branch to steady myself so I could take in the view. It was a wide valley packed with trees. The sun shone from above, illuminating everything and turning it bright green. At the very bottom of the valley, surrounded by gravel banks, was a wide and fast river.

Right here, though, the river grew slightly wider and slower.

"It's awfully shallow," I remarked.

"That's why they keep the watchtower here," Ticks remarked.

"It's where they expect the orcs to cross."

"Why not put our camp closer?" I asked.

"I mean, orcs have gotten across before."

"They took a different crossing," Elf said.

"One closer to the 5th's camp. Which is why they were the first responders. I'd bet their rune-beacons lit up." I nodded. Behind us, Shave scaled the tower, moving to collect the reports. I swayed for a few seconds, then took a deep breath. It was time for the second phase of my plan. I had to get into the Bane-lands. I had contemplated a few lies I could use, a few excuses, but in the end, I figured it was probably best to come clean.

I said, "So, to get us on Watchtower Report, I promised I'd get them each three Presences." Ticks, Elf, and Romance all stared at me, disappointment in their gazes.

"What?" I held up my hands.

"I don't need you guys to do anything. But I've got a few ideas. I'll just need to…uh, head east a little bit. It shouldn't be any longer than a few hours. You can tell Shave I went to gather wood if you want."

"How the fuck are you going to get eighteen Presences without a siphon?" Ticks asked. I swallowed.

"Well, I was going to talk to the sergeant about that. But I don't need it right away."

"If you go, we'll tell Shave exactly where you went and what you did," Elf said.

"If we can figure out what you're doing?" I grimaced.

"Okay, but you won't spread the word, will you?"

"No," Ticks said quickly.

"No, we will not, and I will ask Shave not to, either. He's reasonable, and he won't tell Galliard." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. I raised my eyebrows, surprised to see Ticks to be the first one to say that. But then again, I was about to put myself in massive danger. If I died, then Ticks would be free from his deal with Scar, whatever the terms of that were.

"I don't know what you're up to, Levi," Ticks said.

"But you're a… decent kid. I say we let him do whatever he intends. As long as he doesn't do something mothbrained and take the rest of us with him. Somehow." Elf and Romance mumbled something, then reluctantly, they both agreed. Ticks placed a hand on my shoulder and said, "Don't get yourself killed. And don't do anything stupid." I wasn't sure how to take that, so I just shrugged. He might still be trying to lull me into a false sense of security. I stepped back, then said, "I'll be back in a few hours."

Then, without hesitation, I raced down the slope. I sprinted toward the shallow crossing while Shave requested the report from the lookouts, distracting them. Once I reached the bank, I steeled myself, then darted across, still holding my crappy orc spear. The water rushed around my ankles, threatening to push me off my feet, but it only ever went up to my ankles. I trudged across, pushing forward until I reached the other side. The shore was different on the other side.

It was hard to explain, but it was as if the rocks had been churned harder by the river—bashed into smaller pebbles—and a caustic wind blew past. The trees' bark was darker and the pine needles had less colour, and when I tried to look down the river valley at Welkinmere, the planet's colours seemed more washed out. I pushed onward, heading east. My first order of business was finding the Labyrinth entrance Shave had mentioned. I climbed the slope, and slowly, the trees thinned.

When I reached the top of the valley, there was almost nothing, save for a few sparse trees. What lay before me was a completely alien land. Most of the ground was bare, churned dirt with only tufts of dried grass to break it up—which didn't make much sense, given how wet it was. Craters pocked the land, but they were only… almost craters. It was more the bubbles in volcanic rock than anything, but instead, in the mud. Every crater was full of water. These were the Bane-lands. Where orcs and other beasts came from.

I needed to get a vantage point, somewhere that I could look for the Labyrinth entrance. If it was anything like the last Labyrinth, it wouldn't be massive, but in this landscape, it would stand out. I kept walking until I found a dead tree covered in pale white bark, nearly two storeys tall, and I climbed it. When I'd gotten as high as I could, I surveyed the land. In the distance, to the northeast, was a patch of white marble on the ground. But I wasn't alone in the Bane-lands.

It was empty for the most part, except in the distance, a massive bear half as tall as the tree I'd climbed wandered across the landscape. From this distance, I could only see a hazy silhouette of it, but I had no plans of messing with it. Holding tight to my spear, I swept my eyes over the landscape, hunting for orcs, but I saw nothing. So I kept moving. I headed toward the white speck in the ground, and sure enough, it was an entrance to the Labyrinth. I had to be careful.

If there were orcs camping in it, I couldn't deal with them right now unless they were on their own. More importantly, if there were other monsters that hadn't yet been cleared out, they could attack at any moment. The entrance was almost the exact same as the one we'd found in the forest, except it was muddier. I walked a circle around it, before steeling myself and taking a few steps down. I reached into my kit bag and pulled out my buglight, then shook it to activate it.

I hung it from the tip of my spear and used it to light the way. Keeping my footsteps soft, I walked through the hallways until I reached the first room. It was empty. There were branching hallways, but no signs of orcs anywhere. So I went straight. Since I had no idea where I was going, I'd go straight as far as I could, then I could go back straight as well. No need to get lost on my first adventure. It took me about three rooms before I felt something up ahead.

It was a pressure in the back of my mind, similar to what the mole had exerted on me, and I knew there was something powerful up ahead. Given that it felt about the same strength as the mole, I knew I couldn't fight it—not yet. With that in-mind, I navigated back to the surface. I promised myself that I'd come back tomorrow, and I never broke a promise to myself. No one else here was willing to use the Labyrinths to their best ability. And yeah, it was hard to get here.

Yeah, they didn't have the funds to capture monsters. But what Shave said rang in my mind: if you truly wanted to improve, you'd find a way, funds or not. I needed to stock this Labyrinth on my own. The Bane-lands had plenty of resources for me to choose from, after all. ~ ~ ~ When I regrouped with the others, I found Shave staring at me. He was chewing his lip, as if trying to decide whether to punish me or not. I winced and said, "Hey, sarge. I meant to ask you about this, too, but you were busy with the report."

Shave shook his head and sighed.

"Levi, if the commander finds out that you've been making excursions into the Bane-lands to bribe the others in the battalion…"

"Alright, but look," I said.

"I found the labyrinth entrance, and I have an idea. Besides, we're supposed to be training out here, aren't we?" Shave huffed.

"You're not good at following orders or listening, are you?" I spread my arms.

"Uh…okay, I can follow orders when it counts. I haven't messed up yet, have I? And I don't plan on failing any of you guys yet—or ever." Shave shook his head, rubbed the bridge of his nose, then sighed.

"You're going to find a way to get back into the Labyrinth no matter what, aren't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Not a sir."

"Yes, uh…sarge." I cleared my throat.

"Look, either you punish me, or you let me become a better fighter. But I have some catching up to do. You said train. Well, that's exactly what I'm going to do."

"I won't tell the commander," Shave said.

"But if you die, that's on you. No one will come help you. And if you get caught, we'll disavow any knowledge of this."

"Wonderful." I clasped my hands together.

"Now, uh, next question, sarge. Can I borrow your siphon?"