Chapter 14 - The Woods.

"Who is the Red Sparrow?" Constance sat next to Argo, they had just left the city, after paying nearly three times the amount they needed to enter, and left out of the East gate.

The less time they spent there, the less the chances of them being dragged into something or other, as he saw it.

His goal, was to gather the necessary requirements for the South to survive the Endless Sea's invasion, that was all.

Facing off against a Lich, or the remnants of one, or whatever was causing it, was not his concern, nor was it at his paygrade.

Argo glanced at her, "There is no Red Sparrow. I made it up." 

"Then what are we doing in Creedon?" Constance raised a brow.

He looked out at the seemingly endless stretch of road, "Who knows." 

"You don't trust me with anything, but I've saved your life twice now." She pouted, and looked off into the forest.

He held the reins, and outright ignored her complaint.

In Creedon was the headquarters of the Old Treant, who had founded the Journeyman Guild, all types, from all over were allowed within, to put up any type of request, from murder, to assassinations, to illegal procurments and recruiting for other organizations.

It was the number one place, to find manpower.

Their power stemmed from the Old Treant, who had a close bond with the wilderness, and had thick blood, an Awakened Human, like Rodrick, but, he was far older, and far more wily, than Rodrick.

Over sixty years ago, he founded the Journeyman Guild, and in that time, it had become a menace across the south east of the continent, spanning Thetesia, Hacury, Bridland, Karlan and Aelius.

But, for what he needed, he would have to speak with the Old Treant, directly, luckily, he knew a few things about him, since, Sin was a regular of the Journeyman Guild, facilitating their smuggling activities and feeding them information, for the last several years, to grow a close relationship.

At the very least, he was certain he could get an audience, though, losing Constance for enough time to have a conversation would be-

-His nose twitched.

His demeanor fell.

Constance, who was idly seething in her seat, noticed the change in air, and grabbed her sword, looking around with a hawks gaze, scanning, she whispered, "..What is it?" 

Argo lowered his head, to scratch his neck, "Waystones. Someone is close." 

If one didn't have the special waystone, it was nearly impossible to be able to track it, but, he could tell the difference of the scent in the air.

Someone was using one, and was being either tracked, or was hunting someone else.

It was not uncommon, near the boundary mountains, for groups to roam, attacking merchants and passerbys, for their goods, before they could get the protection of the giants descendants.

Argo leaned back, and looked into the back, the girl had the saber he had taken from the carriage merchant ready, and was handing it to him.

If not for the situation, he might have praised her.

Instead, he took the saber, and quietly brought the carriage to a stop.

Yellow leaves blew on the breeze.

He couldn't tell where the scent came from, but, Constance could tell where the dark feeling was thickest.

He caught her staring in one direction, and stood up, "Protect the girl." 

He jumped off, and dashed into the woods, before Constance could give a response.

He didn't want to lead a loud life, chained up by the world around him, but, he also wasn't about to allow the fact he wished to lead a quiet life, chain him up either.

To be unbound, free to do as he pleased, living quietly, was simply the fastest way.

He lingered in the shade of a tree.

A campsite was ahead, but there was no one there.

The camp was abandoned, and based off the fire pit still having skewers next to it, it was in quite the hurry.

A chill ran up his spine.

The supplies hadn't been taken.

The tents were still up.

But no one was there.

Not even a corpse.

Not even a drop of blood.

His hand wrapped around his sabers handle.

There were seldom few creatures that would do something like this.

It was summer as well.

He dared not speak the name, and crept closer, until he was just outside the campsite, hiding in the shadows and bushes, he scanned the area.

Three long claw marks, had broken through a wooden crate, revealing an empty inside.

Beast smuggling? 

Nobles like them, but it was dangerous, if they didn't kill the mother.

But, whatever had torn apart the box, was big, and strong.

If these poachers had chosen to do what he was thinking, then the entire boundary would be suffering for some time.

He started backing up, until he was far enough away, and started sprinting with all his might, dashing between the trees! 

His body ached, still, from the battle with Rodrick some days ago, but he didn't care about that right now.

It was the least of his worries.

"Constance! We're leaving!" Argo broke the woodline, and Constance had already whipped the horses.

He had never used her name.

He jumped and grabbed onto the side, as the horses started running! 

He gripped it sightly, and with his other hand, held his saber, Constance shouted back, "What happened?! What did you see?!" 

Argo replied using the colloquial name for it, so as not to accidentally summon it, "Forest Keeper." 

If not for the fact that he had just stumbled upon that campsite, he would never have believed it to be even slightly real, since no one had seen it.

Only rumors were left of it.

Travellers just disappearing wasn't strange, but not a trace being found, was special.

He was happy to be wrong, but if it was true, then, it was much smarter than people gave it credit for, using a Waystone, to track down the poachers and vanish them.

Constance didn't understand, she had never heard of a Forest Keeper before, but, seeing Argo's dark countenance, she didn't want to.

Argo got into the back of the carriage, that was running at break neck speed, and found the girl was staring at him, her little eyes were trembling.

Instantly, all of his own nerves, vanished, like a dream.

"Where is it?" He walked to the front, holding down the carriage firmly, so he wouldn't shake too much.

"I don't know… It's… It's everywhere…" Constance searched with her vision, but, everywhere she looked, it felt like the murkieness was collapsing in on them.

She couldn't calm down, even with Argo being calm now as well.

He felt the air suffocatingly well, as it rose and fell with his breaths.

It was as though the whole forest was bearing down on them.

Constance suddenly hit him square in the chest, and sent him sprawling to the ground! 

She herself ducked! 

The roof of the carriage was blown straight off! 

"It's here!" Constance was casting blessings on the horses, so that they wouldn't get tired being pushed at full speed, but she wasn't yet strong enough to be ablet cast multiple blessings at once, for a long time.

Argo was on his feet, his saber out, and a violet aura quickly enveloping him, he looked back.

On the road, a creature stood on it's back legs, seemed to glid towards them, or perhaps, his eyes couldn't keep up with the speed of it's run.

"Hide. Now." Either way, he put the girl behind himself, and raised his saber, gritting his teeth.

It had a skull of some animal for a head, and the legs of an elk, alongside the ribcage of something he didn't know.

It's claws nearly dragged against the floor, despite it's height towering at over two meters.

He leveled the saber.

It disappeared. 

His eyes couldn't turn in time, but he could still see it from his peripheral vision.

It was above them now, it's arm reached all the way back, claws flayed out.

He moved his leg back, wanting to dodge, but felt the girl clinging to him, she couldn't possibly have noticed yet.

His muscles across his body grew rigid, and he tried lifting his saber to block.

But, the cut never came.

The creature disappeared.

He looked around quickly, but he couldn't find even a trace of it.

He fell to one knee, he'd put all his power into lifting the saber fast enough, that he'd torn the muscles in his chest, on top of not being healed from the duel with Rodrick, it was impossible not to be severely injured, at this point.

He reached up, and wiped his mouth, blood stained his hand.

His vision flickered.

He looked back, at the road, as it grew further and further away.

Something was standing, far away.

A woman, with beautiful black hair, and eyes like sunkissed hazel.

He could swear, before mortal and divine, that he could understand through those eyes, why they had been spared.

He felt the breath of the woods.

It had no intention, of bringing harm, to a man trying to protect a child.

His pain lessened.

He shut his eyes, but didn't pass out.

Little hands held him, the girl was next to him, with lifeless eyes, trying to lift him to his feet, but she was frail, and unable to even budge.

"...ats going on?! Did it leave!? Are you alright!?" Constance's voice came back into earshot, they were more than a mile down the road, the horses with their blessings, were running like mad.

For a moment, he wondered, how freeing it must feel, to never get tired, as his own fatigue ravaged him.

He raised a hand, and pet the girls head, as he pushed himself to his feet using the saber in his other hand, his lips parted, "...It's fine now. Just keep driving." 

He was beyond a shadow of a doubt, now, that what he had encountered here, should never be discussed, nor spoken of.

He understood, why it was now, that no one came back from an encounter, since those that did, didn't.