Curse of the Crystals

Chapter 20: The Fifth Irregularity - part 1

The group left at the break of dawn a few days later. Various carts of supplies were accompanied by their diverse group of grim looking warriors. The entirety was led by none other than prince Frode himself. Normally, they would stand out a lot, but they had dressed in the same outfit as the other Warriors of Dawn. To the common onlooker, it would look like the mercenary group was sent out to investigate the irregularity. Hopefully, their enemies would also consider them as such, so that the true strength of their force would remain hidden for a while longer. The public story was that the mages were still in the capital, recovering from the tournament while investigating the final irregularity, and that this expedition was merely the Warriors of Dawn's attempt to scout ahead.

They didn't speak much, but that wasn't something Ambrose was willing to change. There were twenty-three of them, and Ambrose couldn't shake off the worrying question how many of them would get to return. The expedition to the Heart of the Forest had seen quite some deaths, and he would be a fool to think this expedition would be any different. He even feared it'd be worse. He couldn't look any of his friends in the eyes without wondering if they would be the one to die.

Their journey went by surprisingly smoothly, as they reached the edge of the fog-covered area without any delays or attempted attacks. The landscape around them consisted mostly of grass-covered hills, with small patches of forested land in-between. This area had long been fought over, as the Dwarves needed the relatively fertile land for agriculture, while the Elves wished to have it for its mines. Right now, the land was covered in fog and claimed by the third party.

The small High Elven village they arrived at was located at the edge of the thick fog that covered a very large area between the High Elven Empire and Dwarven Republics. The village was entirely deserted, as its inhabitants had gone missing so often that they were ordered to evacuate. Knowing that their unknown enemy was hiding in the fog was enough to sent shivers down Ambrose's spine.

Ezer spoke up. "Our expedition is bound to become more dangerous and difficult from here on out, so I'll go over our strategy one last time. Arethusa shall lead the group, as she claims to have gained a way to see our enemies through the fog. She will be accompanied by Itzal, Luna and Nereus, as they can respond to a sudden attack the quickest."

Ambrose recalled when Arethusa mentioned the rapid improvement of her magic to them, as she decided to stop hiding her possession of magic now that her task at the autonomous zone was mostly done. She was currently able to see more than just the people she cared about. The best way she could describe it was like having some sort of sixth sense that could pick up on whomever was near her. She could also use it to find specific people, but that worked only for those she'd seen before. Right now, both of those abilities were incredibly useful. The first of could warn them of enemies despite the fog, the second could help them find someone if they were to get lost.

Ezer continued. "The Warriors of Dawn, led by Valerius, will be right behind them. That way, they can immediately join them if a fight were to break out. Ambrose, Olve, Maiara, Qadir, Millicent and Edward shall be at the centre of the group. I shall accompany prince Frode at the back of the group, together with Lieutenant General Blue, Alon and Nash. Steinar and Torsten offered to be the rear-guard of our group."

The first of the group soon walked into the fog. They had decided not to use lanterns, as it would make it far too easy for the enemy to spot them without considerably increasing their own vision. As a result, they had to rely heavily on the ones scouting ahead. Ambrose hadn't even entered the fog yet when they were already out of sight. The Warriors of Dawn vanished in the mist one by one as well. Soon enough, it was his own turn. Only a few steps in, he could see nothing but the backs of those in front of him. Arethusa and Nereus had given everyone a stronger version of the anti-crystal potion, the one that kept them awake in the forest, but it seemed like they wouldn't need it yet. Even so, something was clearly supernatural about this fog.