Chapter 35: Journey to Rooks Ridge

When morning finally came, the group of six packed up camp and set off towards the Fort. After Emerius had awoken, it wasn’t long before Darius followed. Both were nursing headaches, but they seemed to be in good spirits. Especially when they learned Charon had killed the last three ratlings, not Liam. It was a moment of pride for him, and something he wouldn’t forget for a long time. ’Strong.’ Charon smiled. ’Yes, Warden. We are strong.’ As they descended the hill and continued across the plain, Darius filled Emerius and Charon in on what they should expect over the next day. "We were delayed here, but we aren’t far from the halfway point. Instead of stopping there, we will push through to Rooks Ridge. As the ratling packs were large, there shouldn’t be any other beasts in our way." That made sense to Charon. ’An ecosystem can only support so many predators at once. Since there are a lot of ratlings, they must not have much competition, and could grow without issue.’ Emerius rolled his head around his neck, making a satisfying pop. "That will be good. I am still feeling the effects of mana withdrawal. I will need at least another day before I am healthy enough to use my ability again." Darius nodded in agreement. "Agreed. We will move at a brisk pace, Emerius in the front and Liam in the back." He pointed at the blonde swordsman. "You are the fastest one here, by far. I am counting on you to operate as a pseudo-scout. If anything attacks, you need to dodge and get back in position." Emerius nodded and tapped the hilts of his swords. "I can do that." Darius then turned to face forward, looking at the infinite expanse of rolling hills. "Gods be with us." The group made good time as they raced across the River Acheron. Fields of green slowly turned yellow, then vanished alltogether, as if the life was being sucked from the earth. Looking to the East, Charon saw an increasingly bleak landscape. The rocks turned black, and no trees grew. The sky itself was gray, the first time they saw anything except a wide open expanse of blue. He took a deep breath, unable to look away, as if the land called to him ever so faintly. Noticing Charon’s stare, Annie tapped him on the shoulder and spoke softly. "Those are the Dead Lands. They are forbidden to enter, except for the fringes. Not even beasts roam in there." He shivered. "Why? What caused it?" "No one knows where it came from, but the High Elders have discovered what lives in there. It’s some kind of dragon, but twisted, reanimated as an undead revenant. Even as part of Death’s domain, the other death mages won’t touch it." She glanced around, as if worried about the others overhearing, before continuing. "The strangest part about it is that the death mages seem to fear it more than anyone else. They can’t explain why, just that this place is off limits." Charon frowned. ’I don’t feel that at all. If anything, I want to go in there.’ It was an eerie emotion, not one he felt confident describing. ’Why would other death mages be afraid of it?’ Turning to the only other death mage he knew personally, his eyes widened as he saw Emerius far ahead, doing everything he could to not look into the Dead Lands. His hands were wrapped around the handles of his swords tightly, to the point that Charon could see his knuckles turn white. The hood of his robe was up, covering him from head to toe, and yet he was still noticeably trembling. Sparing another glance to the East, Charon felt nothing but a cool breeze and the sensation of being... home. It worried him how much it felt like the draw of the ritual. He gritted his teeth and looked away, refusing to be so blind to the obvious mental attacks once more. ’That could be why Emerius seems to hate it so much. He knows how to recognize and defend against mind magic, this could be the same thing.’ He still vividly remembered the magic woven into the history class’s presentation. ’I wonder if I’ll be expelled for missing so many days of classes. Do they even expel students? Or do they not care?’ There were still a few weeks before the first trial, and that could be all they cared about. As they passed by the Dead Lands, the Warden spoke in his mind again, his voice a little louder than usual. ’Explore.’ Charon raised an eyebrow. ’You want to explore the Dead Lands? Something tells me that’s not a good idea, little buddy. Just because you’re an immortal floating skeleton bound to an undead realm doesn’t mean I am. Whatever is in there will be able to kill me in a second.’ His summon didn’t add anything more to the conversation. Once they passed the depressingly barren wastes, they entered another stretch of plains, these far flatter and open than the hills before. No ruins or stones dotted these, making it feel like an untamed wilderness, the touch of humanity having never extended this far. Only a few mountain peaks loomed not-too-far ahead. Crossing these, they slowly began to talk more, Charon enjoying the easy conversations with Darius, Emerius, Liam, and Annie. Red didn’t participate, except to comment on things Darius said. No one but him knew what they meant. The ground began to slope downward with time, to the point that Darius had Liam take the lead. "If one of us falls into a roll, you will need to catch them. If they build momentum, they will go right off the edge." The edge he mentioned soon came into sight. Charon and Emerius shared similar expressions of disbelief as it came into view; a sheer drop into nothing. The plains just stopped, no warning, no indication, going from lovely green to an endless abyss. Only one piece of land existed, a jagged and elongated mountain range. A flat pathway connected it to the plains, winding off into the foggy distance. Although the path existed, it was thin, one side being the stone walls of the mountain and the other being a drop into oblivion. They gathered near the edge, Annie fearlessly standing inches from the drop and looking over, while the others stayed further back. Liam slapped Charon on the back, pushing him dangerously close. "There she is! Rooks Ridge! She’s a beauty, ain’t she?" Charon gulped. "We are crossing that? Do we have any safety equipment?" Liam smiled from ear to ear. "None at all! It’s just you and your strength, pushing to the other side! You’re lucky the windy season just began!" Darius shot him a glare. "It is not that dangerous. We have made this crossing over a dozen times and have never had someone fall. The trick is to focus on your footwork and not look down." Annie glanced back at them, a playful smile on her face. It made Charon blush to look at it. "Scared? Don’t worry, if you fall, I will catch you." He looked away, both embarrassed and somewhat enticed by the option. ’That wouldn’t be so bad...’ Darius clapped his hands, bringing everyone’s attention to himself. "We will cross till we reach the rest point. We can finish the journey tomorrow, reaching the Fort just before nightfall." Charon was confused about what he meant by "nightfall," given that the sun never went away, but figured it was just a reference to time. "I will lead, followed by Red, Annie, Emerius, Charon, and Liam. If you fall, Liam and Annie will do their best to drag you back up." He looked primarily at Emerius and Charon for that last part. "However, it’s unlikely they will reach you in time unless you have a handhold, so please, try not to fall." ’Ha. Ha. Very funny. I’ll make a note of it: don’t fall into the endless chasm of doom. Genius.’ They slowly got into a line, Darius taking the first step on the path before the rest followed. When it was his turn, Charon froze for just a moment, but Liam pushed him forward from behind. "Don’t slow. Getting separated won’t make it any easier." It was barely wide enough for Charon to extend his arm straight to touch the wall, meaning one slip could be the end of his life. ’Wouldn’t that be fitting. Made it to the realm of the strongest undead, survived a beast that apparently ends galactic empires, fought a horde of ratlings, and then died due to bad balance.’ Something about it rubbed Charon the wrong way. ’I’m an orphan surrounded by souls strong enough to warrant being sent here, and then a rich kid from the inner ring whose dad helps lead the military. The very fact I’m here is a miracle, I’ll be damned if I die by something as stupid as falling!’