Chapter 120 - 119: Campfire Games

Chapter 120: Chapter 119: Campfire Games The strike team moved. A dozen elves glided across the terrain like wraiths, their steps silent even as boots brushed leaves and gravel. Lumberling marched among them, clad in black steel. Skitz flitted along the edges, half-melted into the shadows, dagger dangling loosely in his grip. Aren strode with quiet precision, his spear strapped across his back. Four others followed, former Duskpire mercenaries whose familiarity with the Earl’s lands. Thessalia led the elven formation, every step exuding regal authority. Aurelya lingered near the rear, occasionally exchanging subtle glances with Skitz or whispering soft questions. Several kilometers behind, his captains rode in formation, each masked, each followed by elite troops strong enough to be considered Knight Page level. They tracked the flight of golden eagles soaring above, it guided them towards Lumberling and the elves’ group. ... That night, they camped at the outskirts of a quiet woodland ridge. A faint fire crackled low, casting soft glows across sharpened faces. Lumberling approached the elves, eyes scanning their silent, watchful group. "You’re a hard bunch to follow," he said, folding his arms. "No wonder our golden eagles couldn’t spot you when you slipped into our village." One of the elves gave a wry smile. "We’ve had practice. When you’re hunted by Knights and nobles for years, you learn to vanish." "Because you’re mages?" Lumberling asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or is there more to it than arcane envy?" "Magic makes us a prize," another answered coldly. "But it’s not just that. We burned some cities to the ground while searching for Sylra." Lumberling blinked. "Some?" "Two," Thessalia admitted, her voice devoid of remorse. "We passed through dozens. Most we left intact. Others... tried to cage us. So we broke them." "Broke them by killing their lords?" he asked. She nodded. "We don’t start fights. But we finish them." A long silence passed before Lumberling finally spoke, crouching to scratch a path into the dirt with a stick. "Then we’ll avoid cities altogether. This route here threads through lesser roads, avoiding major settlements. We’ll pass through territory where Pentaline forces patrol, neutral to hostile, but manageable. Our golden eagles will scout ahead. If anything moves, we’ll know." He looked at Skitz, who emerged from the darkness like a ghost. "Skitz can cover us with his whispering veil skill for a time, but I imagine you lot have your own tricks." The elves exchanged glances, quiet nods of understanding. Then Lumberling unrolled a rough parchment. "Here. This is the terrain we mapped. The scouts gathered details, fallback points. If all goes well, we’ll reach the Earl’s territory in a week or more." "You really planned all this out, huh? Good thing you’ve got a brain, human, you’re surprisingly reliable," Aurelya said with a smirk. "Oh, wait... we forgot to ask. What’s your name, anyway?" Lumberling raised an eyebrow. From nearby, Skitz burst into laughter, rolling over on the grass. Lumberling looked at the elves. Vaenyra and Thessalia both glanced away, avoiding his gaze. "You serious?" he asked, half-grinning. "You’ve been eating my food, living in my village, and you don’t even know my name?" Aurelya scratched her cheek. "Well, uh... you never introduced yourself properly..." "Lumberling," he said dryly. "Lumberling Verelius." The elves exchanged glances. "Cool name," Aurelya muttered, trying to play it off. Skitz wheezed. "They didn’t even know your name! You’re like an anonymous warlord." ..., A few moments later Lumberling spoke again. "I’ve heard Aetherborn Empire and Sengolio Empire are working together. Are you perhaps involved with them too?" A quiet pause followed. The fire crackled. "It’s true the two empires have formed some kind of alliance," Vaenyra said at last. "But we’re not part of it. Our homeland might be tangled in those politics, but I couldn’t care less. We’re only here for Sylra. And it just so happens this was the empire she was sold to." Lumberling nodded, saying nothing more. He wouldn’t press, not yet. But the questions were there, waiting. And soon, he’d ask them. ..... The next moring. With the route finalized and old mercenary maps in hand, their journey began. The tattered parchments, once used to dodge raids and flank supply lines, now served a nobler cause: helping a bunch of beautiful fugitives sneak through imperial lands unnoticed. Lumberling walked ahead with the elves, leading from the front. His captains and subordinates followed far behind, spread out across hills and woodland. The separation wasn’t personal, it was tactical. Fewer boots meant fewer tracks, and fewer tracks meant fewer reasons to be caught and killed. They marched on, passing through shaded woods and narrow hills. Golden eagles soared above, scanning the terrain. Ravenshade Estate still lay far ahead, nestled in the mid-outer territories of the Pentaline Empire, just close enough to danger to make every step matter. But for now, the road was theirs. ..... At night camp. The night breeze rustled through the trees. Lumberling crouched beside the flames, checking the stew bubbling over the coals while his subordinates hammered the last pegs of the tent into the soft dirt. Then came the long and dramatic sigh. Aurelya stepped into the firelight with her hands on her hips and a slight pout on her usual elegant face. "Hey, Lumberling. How much longer ’til we get there? Feels like we’ve been traveling forever. Are we there yet, or are you just dragging this out because you like camping with elves?" Lumberling didn’t even look up at first. He took his time, stirred the pot, and then finally glanced at her with a raised brow. "According to the map, three more days. That’s assuming no sudden surprises, or you deciding to explode something." She huffed. "You better be right. If not, I swear, I’ll just raze a path straight through to that earl’s doorstep." That got a small twitch from Lumberling’s brow. He sighed, brushing dirt from his hands. "You realize we’re the ones doing all the scouting, right? If you start setting forests on fire, all that quiet sneaking we’ve been doing? Gone." She plopped down beside the fire with a flop. "Ugh, you’re no fun. You and your ’let’s be careful’ plans. I’m bored." "You’re just restless," he said, motioning to the other elves in the distance. "Why don’t you go hang out with your kind over there?" Aurelya scoffed. "Please. They’ll just nag me for being ’improper’ or ’undisciplined.’ No thanks. They don’t even know how to have fun." "Oh?" Lumberling smirked. "Want me to tell them what you just said?" "Pfft. Do it. Maybe they’ll finally realize they’re boring lots." He chuckled, then rummaged through his pack and pulled out a small, hand-carved chessboard. The pieces were mismatched, some crude, some surprisingly elegant. It looked like he’d spent quite a bit of time on it. "You ever play anything like this back in your empire?" he asked, setting it down on a flat stone. Aurelya tilted her head. "That one with wooden tiles and old men talking about ’tactics’? I’ve seen them play something like that. Looked boring." "This one’s different," Lumberling said, beginning to set up the pieces. "Still uses your brain though. Think of it as a battle... just quieter, and no limbs flying." She perked up, leaning closer with her chin in her hand. "Alright. I’ll bite. Teach me, wise human." "Sure," he grinned. "Just don’t cry when I win." "Hah! Me? Cry? You’ll be the one begging for mercy halfway through." Lumberling finished explaining the basics, what the pawns did, how the knights moved, and the general rules. Aurelya absorbed it quickly, occasionally asking questions with an expression that said she was already planning an ambush. When the game started, she made bold moves, not always legal ones, and Lumberling had to gently stop her a few times. "Wait, wait, that’s not how the rook moves." She frowned. "But it looks cooler this way." "It’s chess, not interpretive dance." .... Minutes later, the once-cocky elf was hunched over the board, brow furrowed in utter concentration. "You still not moving?" Lumberling drawled, stretching his arms with a fake yawn. "I’m starting to grow a beard over here." "Shut it," Aurelya muttered, eyes locked on the pieces. "You’re distracting me." He leaned in with a grin. "Didn’t you say you’d ’raze your way’ to the Earl’s estate? Seems like the only thing getting razed is you. What’s the score again? 5–0?" "It’s 4–0!" she snapped without looking up. "And stop talking, I can’t think when your voice is buzzing in my ear like a fly." He smirked. "Didn’t think elves got this salty when they lose." "I’m not salty, I’m calculating." "You sure you’re not calculating how to flip the board and declare victory by chaos?" Aurelya scowled, then made a slow, careful move, only for Lumberling to immediately counter it with a click of his piece. Her eye twitched. "Check." She groaned. "You smug little..." Before she could finish, a soft voice interrupted them. "What are you two doing?" Lumberling looked up. Vaenyra stood behind them, her blue hair shimmering in the firelight, her expression curious. Thessalia followed close, glancing over Aurelya’s shoulder at the chessboard. "Nothing much. Just beating someone up," Lumberling said with a shrug. Aurelya growled under her breath and glared at him across the board. Vaenyra stepped closer, arms crossed, eyes scanning the game with quiet interest. "May I join?" "Please do," Lumberling grinned. "I’m starting to get bored with my current opponent." Aurelya clenched her jaw, muttering, "Keep talking." Thessalia also approached, watching in silence. Lumberling cleared a spot beside him and motioned Vaenyra to sit. "Alright, basics first. These are pawns, they move like this..." He ran through the rules, keeping it quick but clear. Vaenyra nodded once. Then they began. It took only a few turns for her to start asking sharp questions. "This game requires planning. Sacrifices. Losing pieces to gain ground later." Lumberling smiled. "Exactly. Sometimes, you give something up, not because you want to lose it, but because you’re aiming for something bigger." Vaenyra didn’t answer, but her eyes stayed locked on the board, processing every move. Game after game, they rotated. Thessalia played too, mostly in silence, her face unreadable. Aurelya got louder every time she lost. Vaenyra, though new to the game, adapted quickly. She didn’t talk much, but her moves got sharper fast. Too fast. Lumberling broke into laughter after each win. "Come on ladies, don’t give up so easily." Aurelya slapped the table. "You’re enjoying this way too much!" He smirked. "Can you blame me?" Another game ended, another loss for Vaenyra. She stared at the board, expression calm, but the temperature around her dropped ever so slightly. Lumberling stretched and stood. "Alright, it’s getting late. I’d offer to keep playing, but it’s starting to feel wrong, me, bullying you all like this." He chuckled, brushing dirt off his cloak. "It’s not very gentlemanly to keep beating ladies." The three elves turned to him in eerie silence. "You can keep the board," he said, already backing away. "Practice. Train hard. And when you’re ready, come challenge the champ." He gave a mock salute, and ran. The air behind him shimmered faintly as Vaenyra’s mana flared. Aurelya cracked her knuckles. Thessalia, quiet as ever, just stared. Lumberling didn’t stop. He had enough survival instinct to know when the teasing had gone too far. .... The next two days passed like normal. They traveled during the day and, at night, Lumberling played chess with the elves by the campfire. By the third day, they finally reached the edge of Ravenshade territory. "This is it," Lumberling said, pointing at the hills ahead. "Our golden eagle scout spotted a bunch of soldiers, over a thousand. Fully armed, shields and all. We’re not sure how many Knights are with them, but probably around a dozen." Aurelya cracked her knuckles. "Great. Let’s go knock on their front door. I call dibs on Cedric, I still owe him for all those losses in chess." "Let’s not get ahead of ourselves." Lumberling held up a hand. "My subordinates aren’t here yet. Give it a few hours." The three elves turned to him with the same unimpressed look. Lumberling gave a sheepish smile. ’Maybe I shouldn’t have won so many games...’ "I’ll make a deal," he said. "One hour of chess every night. Win or lose." "Two," Vaenyra said, not even blinking. "Fine. Two hours." Aurelya cracked a grin. "Perfect. And next time, I’m wiping that smug smile off your face." Lumberling laughed and took a step back. "Looking forward to it. Just don’t flip the board when you lose again." Thessalia didn’t say anything, but her quiet glare said plenty. Lumberling gave them a little bow and backed away before they changed their minds and tried to beat him up before the battle even started.