Forest walk pt 3

Llorva awoke to the scent of fire and cooking meat. Propping herself up on her elbows she could see Vinncent sitting next to a fire. Nearby a long narrow stick jutted from the ground its end hanging over the fire cooking the rabbit on its tip. The combination of the sight and smell of the cooking rabbit caused Llorvas stomach to rumble, drawing Vinncents attention.

"Good morning, I hope I didn't wake you. I just wanted to get us some breakfast before we head out again."

Llorva got up and walked over to the fire sitting on the opposite side.

"Thanks, I still can't truly believe that you only wanted to free me though it seems...bizarre."

"Oh, How so?"

"Everyone seems to be content with keeping slaves. I have only seen three people try and free slaves but all were killed in either a public execution or on the spot. I can't understand why someone as powerful as you would want to free slaves. If you truly wanted to you could easily gain a high title in the imperial court and not have to worry about anything, yet here we sit."

"You still doubt my intentions don't you?"

"Yes I do, you came in out of nowhere slaughtered a nobleman's son, abducted me, and then proceeded to eviscerate the guards who followed you. Then last night you spoke of freeing an entire domain as you casually revealed your plans to kill the governing bodies. I almost dare say that you are instead trying to justify mercilessly killing anyone you want."

Vinncent looked at Llorva a small smile upon his face.

"Do you know what this world is called?"

"I don't understand how this relates but I will play your game." she sighed

"It is called Orbus Terrarum Infidelium or the world of the unfaithful. The church of this world has lost sight of god's will and has allowed enslavement by using the name of god. This is an injustice that cannot stand as such I have come to guide this world back into the proper light beit by peace or destruction. Freeing you was just the first act that I have done in my journey and like I said yesterday you don't have to follow me. If I'm being honest I would say that you court death by following me."

Shaking her head Llorva pulled one of the legs off the rabbit. Taking a bite she looked at Vinncent and nodded.

"Thanks again for getting breakfast."

chuckling he waved his hand in a dismissive motion.

"There's no need to thank me you would have done the same."

"Yeah but where as you succeed I would likely fail to catch a breakfast such as this. Most likely I would end up with some berries and maybe herbs."

"Maybe, maybe not. You could get lucky and catch an animal off guard."

"Possibly but that's unlikely." Llorva said as she finished the leg and went for another.

"How early in the day is it?"

"By the positioning of the shadows and sun when I left earlier it might be around eight to nine o'clock."

"Should we get moving then?"

"We should but feel free to take your time to eat and bathe if you need. As I don't know the next time we might come across a source of clean water."

Llorva nodded as she ate before asking Vinncent.

"What do you plan to do in the meantime then?"

"I was thinking about scouting around the area ahead to see if there's any trouble in the near future. So by all means take your time."

Vinncent began to walk to the entrance and over his shoulder said to Llorva

"If you need any more firewood there is a pile near the entryway."

Pushing the plug out of the way Vinncent exited the hollow and quickly replaced it. Once the plug was in place his body began to twist as he changed into a xenomorph runner and darted to the top of the tree.

Looking around Vinncent could faintly see on the horizon what looked to be the outline of a wall and church steeple. As he looked at the area closer to him there was a clearing of trees that looked as if a road or river separated their meeting. Scurrying down the tree he began to make his way toward the area of interest occasionally stopping to check his surroundings. Quickly he reached the cusp of the area and slowly poked his head through the tall grass.

Before him a dirt/ gravel path snaked off toward the north and south. Waiting for a few minutes he was satisfied with a lack of travelers on the path. Turning around he went back to the hollow quickly arriving he gently pulled the plug out of the entrance and crawled through. Once on the lip to the hollow Vinncent could see Llorva with her feet in the water and back to the fire.

"I found a road that leads north. Whether or not we take or follow it is your call."

Vinncent's voice rang in her mind prompting a small jump from Llorva.

"You bastard! don't sneak up on me like that."

"Sorry but it's a little hard to announce my presence when I try talking psychically."

"That still doesn't excuse you for scaring me."

"Alright I'm sorry next time I'll knock or get your attention. However, we need to get going we're burning daylight."

"Why don't we get moving then?"

"Do you want to travel along the road?"

"Let's follow it but travel in the tree line to help avoid anyone who may also be on it."

"As you wish." Vinncent said, extending one of his clawed hands down toward the hollows floor.

Walking over Llorva placed her right foot in his hand carefully avoiding his claws and lifted herself into the entrance. After she passed Vinncent he looked back into the hollow to check for anything that may have been left behind before he too left. When both of them were out he replaced the plug and morphed back into his human form.

"Okay the road is this way."

Vinncent said as he began walking off with Llorva just behind him.

"Do you think the road will lead to Heaustead?"

"Hopefully, the section that I could see led to the north and south. It was also relatively well kept so it may be a trade route."

"So we might encounter someone using it then?"

"Possibly however if we travel alongside it in the forest we shouldn't run into anyone."

"Are you implying bandits?"

"I do believe that if we run into anyone it will indeed either be a bandit or a hunter. Personally I hope bandits because I would like some actual clothes.

"I agree that would be rather nice." Llorva agreed

"So continuing where we left off last night, how are you going to get an army? And even if you do how are you going to support it?" Llorva asked, expecting to be told to wait.

"Well the 'Demon' as you call it is actually a hive animal with a lifestyle and social structure like that of bees and ants. There is a queen who lays eggs while drones and other entities in the hive serve the queen. What I plan on doing is subjugating a queen and bringing her and her hive to this world. Then using her forces I can topple any resistance that stands in my way."

"Isn't that a bad idea!? Do you think you can really control a colony of those demons!? What happens if you can't, won't they just run rampant killing everything!?" Llorva panickedly asked

"I do not fear them rebelling against me however I do fear others trying to harness them. In the time since their discovery many have tried to use them for war, research and other personal gains. However, every time that they did a horrible tragedy occurred not long after. Unlike them I have something a queen and her colony cannot resist if offered at the right time."

"What do you have that killing machines like those demons could want?"

"Information, strength and new territory." Vinncent smiled

"I can understand the strength and territory part but why information? Are the demons not just mindless killing machines?"

"That thinking Llorva is what caused so many of the catastrophes involving these creatures. When they are born it is true that they are nothing more than an instinctual killer but as they grow older they learn. The average warrior and drone are about as smart as a regular person. That said the queen and the royal casts can be as smart if not smarter than a genus and as cunning as a tyrant. So to the royal cast's information is just as valuable to them as gold to a poor man."

"Alright so let's say you were able to bring a queen under your rule. Where would they build their hive? You can't just let them loose on a city and expect them to survive."

"That's true, what I plan on doing is finding an abandoned structure and encouraging them to nest there. Although if there is no viable structure to use they can use the exoskeletons of their dead and hive resin to create a hive." Vinncent explained

"That seems grim but useful. also I believe that is the road ahead."

squinting his eyes to see through the dense vegetation and trees he could see the undergrowth part ahead.

"That should be it. Let me go take a closer look."

Vinncent crept closer to the clearing and saw the gravel and dirt road from before. He quickly turned back toward Llorva and looked to find the position of the sun.

"Alright the road is up ahead so let's follow it north.'

Llorva nodded and once again fell in line behind Vinncent.

"You keep asking me what I'm going to do when I get to Heaustead but you have never told me?"

"What do you mean I'm just following you?"

"I know that." Vinncent chuckled "I mean what do you plan on doing after we reach Heaustead? are you going to go off on your own, are you going to settle there, or are you just going to keep following me?"

"I suppose it depends on what I see when we get there. If it's safe enough I might try and find a job and settle in. Otherwise I will probably just follow you."

the duo walked in silence afterward the sounds of the forest occupying their minds as they continued north. The forests undergrowth varied as they walked but never enough to properly expose them to any who might travel on the road. Once they entered a low patch a woman's voice descended upon them.

"Well isn't this an interesting encounter."