The journey continues the following day. Once again, Max is gone when Lady Rosalee wakes up. Instead of getting worked up about it like yesterday, she just starts to practice her swordsmanship, as Joshua starts her breakfast.

  Max returns with a gutted rabbit and packs his things on his horse as Lady Rosalee helps Joshua pack hers. They travel together, chatting casually amongst the three of them, far less tense than the day before.

  Just like the previous day, at around noon, Gregory arrives to teach Max, only this time Lady Rosalee joins the practice. It may be things she has already learned, but she isn’t about to sit around idly and do nothing as Max is training.

  Following the same routine as the day before, they continue after the noon break and travel until late in the afternoon. Her and Max train with Gregory again, this time Max calls it off slightly earlier and cooks the rabbit he had caught that morning. They chat a little before heading off to sleep.

  The days begin to blur together as the long, monotonous journey to the Terrace continues. There is little change in their routine, and they begin to enjoy the trip.

  Lady Rosalee starts to get the hang of getting her horse set up as well as taking it all back off, all by herself. She still needs help with her tent and allows Joshua to cook for her.

  Max’s swordsmanship shows drastic improvement. Gregory and him spar while Joshua is coerced into sparring with Lady Rosalee.

  The landscape starts to change once they cross the halfway point. The forest becomes less dense, and the ground takes on an incline, becoming more rocky and treacherous. Their speed, being as slow as it already is, doesn’t change much.

  Without the density of trees, the wind picks up, and the temperature seems to drop. Max begins to sleep on his horse's blanket and finally uses his blanket for himself, along with still sleeping in his jacket.

  As the adventure continues, Gregory and Lady Rosalee become interested in seeing just how far Max has come with his training. As Gregory approaches Max, who is setting up a spit with a plucked pheasant, a trophy from his afternoon hunt, over the fire.

  Rosalee watches him, chatting idly with nothing to do after breaking down their horses and setting camp. Finishing up, Max notices Gregory and grins to himself as he begins stretching and getting ready to train and spar.

  “I’m thinking we should try something new today.” Stopping a distance away, Gregory stares at the weird stretches Max is doing, still unsure why he insists on doing it or how “limbering up” helps, let alone what it is.

  The word new immediately catches Max’s attention, and he quickly becomes excited. “New? Like what? Did you think of something else I’m missing in my training?”

  “No, not missing anything but—” Stopping mid-sentence, Gregory tries to hide the little grin he gets as Joshua brings some tea over to Lady Rosalee. “Ah! Perfect, right on time.”

  Following his gaze, Max also looks over at Joshua. Lady Rosalee grows excited looking at Gregory, and then gives Joshua almost a sympathetic look. “Oh? Are we finally going to do it? It’s about time.”

  With everyone’s gaze on him, Joshua freezes like a deer in the headlights and slowly swallows. “Why is everyone looking at me?”

  Walking over to him, Gregory pats Joshua on the shoulder and turns him to face Max. “Because we are all excited to see you and Max spar!”

  “What!?” Startled, Joshua almost shouts as he looks over at Max.

  He has witnessed just how quickly Max has taken to the sword like a fish to water, as well as how he always seems to find game wherever they go that the other soldiers never find. Glancing back at Lady Rosalee for help, he sees her expectant gaze and resigns himself to having to spar.

  Max summons out his sword while Joshua draws his as they both walk a short way away from the camp. The first thing Joshua notices is Max’s gaze and the way it follows him, not like an opponent but like a snake coiled and ready to strike.

  Raising his single-handed sword in the traditional guard he was taught, he waits for Max. Seemingly unconcerned, Max holds his heavier and longer hand-and-a-half sword in one hand, the tip resting on the grass slightly ahead of him.

  Gregory stands to the side with Rosalee, watching. As neither makes a move, he finally speaks. “Well, get on with it then.”

  Max nods, his eyes never leaving Joshua for a second. Unnerved by the heavy gaze, Joshua decides to make the first move even if Max isn’t raising his guard. He’s given him plenty of time. He approaches Max a bit too quickly, overextending his arm as he swings his sword diagonally.

  Max raises an eyebrow and quickly swings his sword up in an arc, striking the side of Joshua’s sword, sending it off to his side, and bringing it forward to rest against Joshua's exposed chest as he stumbles off balance.

  They stop for a moment, and Max withdraws his sword before Gregory shouts for them to go again. This time, Max makes the first move, quickly grabbing the sword with both hands in front of him and bringing it down in a chop.

  Joshua, afraid of embarrassing himself again, raises his sword and braces the flat of it with his off hand to block the chop. Max’s sword collides with his, a slight, almost congratulatory grin at blocking the strike crosses Joshua's face before he feels the kick he didn't see delivered to his gut, dropping him to the ground.

  Stepping back, Max grimaces a little. I hit his block a bit too hard; the recoil hurt. Less force next time. His stance loosening, Max shakes his arms slightly, falling back into a one-handed stance.

  Shakily, Joshua stands and lunges forward, his sword leading, almost as if he is trying to take advantage of Max being off guard. Max never takes his eyes off Joshua, parries the sword, side-stepping to Joshua's right while sticking a foot out. Joshua trips over Max's foot with his off-balance lunge.

  Sloppy. The sword still doesn't feel right. If I had my tomahawks, I'd have been able to bring his sword out to my left, allowing my right to find his neck. Instead, I had to go left because if I parried while going right, I'd be too close to effectively strike back with anything other than my fist.

  Frustrated, Max waits until Joshua is ready to continue before attacking. Several slashes later, Joshua is pushed out of their fighting area, and Max breaks his assault, returning to the middle while chastising himself for only being able to force Joshua back but not fully breaking his guard.

  This continues for a few more rounds with Max defeating Joshua each time while trying to improve his control over the large sword. Even seeing through Joshua's sloppy but close to textbook stances and strikes, Max continues to feel displeased with his swordsmanship.

  Finally, Gregory calls for an end to it and glances at the beaming Lady Rosalee. Gregory pulls Max aside to chastise him on his sloppy form and stance before putting him through some drills to reinforce the point.

  Lady Rosalee, on the other hand, tries to console Joshua, but he simply excuses himself. With nothing better to do, Lady Rosalee begins training as well, alternating between emulating Max’s strikes and the types of defenses, dodges, and counters she would have used in Joshua’s place.

  Later, Joshua arrives with her dinner as if nothing had happened. While Max sits down to enjoy his now slightly over-cooked and burnt pheasant. While Gregory heads back off to his nightly duties. The night resumes its usual pattern.

  The day after the spar, they keep pace heading toward The Terrace. It is the only day in the entire trip that Joshua is quiet. Max is minding his business, replaying old fights with new tactics and weapons, when he starts to feel uncomfortable.

  Shifting in his saddle, he rubs the back of his neck. His head begins to hurt, making him squint his eyes. Lady Rosalee, who is always attentive to Max, rides over to him.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "What's wrong? Suddenly, you don't seem okay?"

  "It's… weird. I just feel off. Like something is wrong and I don't know what." Squinting, Max looks over at her with a grimace on his face.

  Pulling away suddenly, Lady Rosalee moves to Joshua. "Tell Sir Darvill we are stopping immediately and have her come to us." Joshua nods to Lady Rosalee and rides ahead to where his knight rides.

  Lady Rosalee slows her and Max's pace. The soldiers behind them slow down as well, not knowing what is going on. It isn't long until the call for a temporary camp is made, and all the soldiers take up positions around Lady Rosalee and Max.

  Sir Darvill rides up to her two charges and dismounts. “Joshua said that you called for a break and seemed rather upset. You know it is dangerous for us to stop, so this better be good.”

  Lady Rosalee moves from Max’s side to Sir Darvill and lowers her voice to try to keep anyone from hearing her. “You know what happened in Summit Oak, correct? I assume my father briefed you on the potential dangers of this mission?”

  Raising her eyebrow, Sir Darvill looks around the soldiers and the surrounding area to see if anyone might be listening. “I was informed. Speak plainly and quickly.”

  “Max suddenly began to feel off as we continued down the road. I called for a stop because he was getting worse. Since we have stopped, he hasn’t gotten any better or worse.”

  “I believe he might be connected to them. Whether it is because he has always been connected to them. Which would explain both why and how he got involved both times that he had previously, or if it is from the spell they cast on him after Summit Oak. He bears a strange brand, ancient in origin from the spell.” Lady Rosalee’s eyes plead with Sir Darvill.

  Sir Darvill sighs and speaks loudly. “Fan out, I want a perimeter set and scouts to check the surrounding area. Now.” Once the soldiers begin to follow her orders, she approaches Max.

  “I am told you are experiencing something that… my squire thinks it might be related to your troubles in Summit Oak.”

  Max shakes his head immediately. “I know that is what she thinks, but I don’t know what it means. I just know I’ve been fine this entire trip, and then suddenly, when we started nearing here, I became ill.”

  “It is almost like there is something under my skin moving around, and I have a very bad headache. It does seem to get worse the further we go in this direction. What is causing it, I do not know.”

  “She mentioned your scar. Is it acting up? Is there anything that might point to them being nearby?” Sir Darvill does not believe he is sensing anything, but stranger things have happened, and she is not about to take any risks.

  “My scar is fine but…” Max hesitates, trying to find the right words. “When I was attacked by that spell, Sir Elijah said he had never seen it before. It felt like this does, only it was way worse.”

  “Back then, all I could focus on was the pain because it was overwhelming, but feeling this here and now, it seems similar. I don’t think I’m being attacked, but maybe after that attack, I am sensitive toward the corrupt energy? It might not even directly end up being them, just something touched, heavily, by their energy.”

  A Grim expression crosses Sir Darvill’s face. “Exactly where do you sense this energy coming from?”

  Max closes his eyes and focuses on what he is feeling. After a moment, he moves in a circle around where he had just been standing. Once he completes it, he points slightly to the side of the path they are on. “I cannot be sure, but I think it is that way. I think it might be more valid to say I sense something wrong in that direction.”

  “I don’t know if it is their energy or not, it just feels similar to that.” Max looks at Sir Darvill and shrugs.

  I wish I could help more, but it isn’t really clear, and I have never felt anything like this before. It might turn out to just be my imagination or something I ate, but Lady Rosalee seems convinced it is corruption, and I have no reason to say otherwise. It is better to be safe than sorry.

  The perimeter is set, and the soldiers fan out searching the surrounding area. Time passes, and they find nothing unusual. Sir Darvill instructs several of them to ride ahead and to see if anything lies on the side of the road that Max had pointed out.

  After a while, they return having found nothing. Looking at Max, she is confused and concerned.

  He might really be sensing something, but without knowing what to look for, it isn’t exactly helpful. If it is Eschaton, waiting here won’t do anything other than change the battlefield location.

  It would be best to continue on so that if they do ambush us, I can send the two of them on ahead to The Terrace while we hold them back. The closer we get to The Terrace, the better this plan works.

  Coming to a decision, Sir Darvill instructs the soldiers. “Okay, everyone, here is the plan. Max and the two squires will continue to ride in the middle of the group. I want everyone evenly spaced out around them and on high alert.”

  “We have reason to believe that someone might be targeting the three of them and that they have been spotted near here. I know it is hard to believe, and you want to know how I came by this information. At the moment, all I can say is that it is reliable intelligence and that even if it turns out to be wrong, being on high alert won’t hurt anything.”

  She finishes instructing the troops and moves to the soldier who had been seen training with Max. “Gregory, correct?”

  “Yes, Ma’am?” Gregory is nervous; he has no idea why a knight would be approaching him directly like this.

  “You have been seen training with Max and the squires, correct?” She lowers her voice and looks the man over.

  “Uhmm… yes? Is there a problem?” Now, Gregory is sweating. Was I not supposed to train him? Maybe I wasn’t polite enough to the young lady. Damn, that brat just had to drag me into a mess.

  “As I said, we might be under attack soon. If the odds do not seem clearly in our favor, you are to take the three of them and make for The Terrace with all haste. Stop for nothing. We will give our lives to slow any pursuit.”

  “If we manage to defeat the enemy, we will catch up with you along the way.” She sees that the man is nervous but needs someone she can trust.

  Her squire had been watching him after he noticed Max interacting with him. He didn’t seem to have any alternative motives, and the soldiers hadn’t been informed of Max’s value.

  Gregory’s face gets a grim cast to it, and he stiffly nods. “Yes, Ma’am. I will take them away immediately. They will come to no harm in my charge.”

  With that concluded, Sir Darvill mounts her horse, and the group starts moving forward again. Alternating between Max and the vague location he pointed out, Sir Darvill tries to watch both to see if there are any changes in either. Max remains tense and is still holding his head, but other than that, nothing happens.

  They continue to ride on high alert for the rest of the day. Nothing happens, and as the day drags on, the soldiers seem to grow even more on edge as if something will pop out at any second.

  Seeing a place that might work well for the nightly camp, Sir Darvill instructs the group to move toward it. As soon as they arrive, one of the soldiers cries out a second too late as a boulder crashes down on him and his horse, killing them both.

  “Stone Giants!” The cry sounds from a soldier, and they take a more spread-out formation, looking up the hill nearby. Hidden behind rocky outcroppings, five Stone Giants emerge and begin to hurl large rocks down at the group.

  “The one in the middle!” Max shouts, pointing at the slightly larger giant.

  Sir Darvill hears his shout and focuses on the giant, trying to see what he means. It doesn’t take her very long to spot an indigo crystal wedged into the left side of its chest. The horrible thought crosses her mind when she sees it.

  They used crystals to mutate themselves in the past, if they mutate that giant like they did the goblins… “Gregory! Ride! Everyone else on me, we must hold them back! Try to avoid the larger one in the middle!”

  Gregory circles around to Max and the squires. “Follow me! Sir Darvill wants us to ride ahead. They will handle the creatures and meet up with us. Come!”

  Lady Rosalee looks at Max, then the stone giant, before following Gregory. I knew it! He could sense the corrupted energy in the crystal! It might not be very accurate and hard to judge the proper distances, but he sensed it!

  If he can get used to this feeling and learn how to judge the distance better, we could use this to check for any Eschaton hideouts anywhere in the kingdoms. They wouldn’t be able to just hide from us any longer.

  Joshua has fear written across his face and keeps pace with Gregory, moving even faster than Lady Rosalee. Max hangs back for a second before sighing and following them.

  I hate having to leave them behind. We cannot take the risk that they are here for Lady Rosalee. If they are, we have to stop them at all costs. If she weren’t here, I would fight alongside them and help them put those things down.

  With Lady Rosalee riding ahead, though, with only these two guarding her, it would be a great time to attack her. It makes more sense for me to join them in protecting her, even if I would rather be in the fight. She would try to stay if I stayed anyway. I hope they survive.

  ? ? ?

  Five figures stand in a wooded area, gathered around a floating crystal ball. They are all cloaked and hooded; you can barely tell any difference between them except for height. One figure mutters in an alien language, keeping the crystal ball floating and displaying images.

  The images are of five stone giants waiting on a hill by an outcropping of stones. Soon, they can make out the forms of a group approaching a wide open area.

  “They are late,” one of the figures says.

  “Who knows what kept them. They are headed to the location as planned.” Another figure shrugs and points at the spot they are headed toward.

  “Do they not seem more alert than they should be? Riding around looking for enemies and being that ready for a fight seems odd. They should be more haggard and exhausted if that were the case.” A third figure chimes in.

  “It does not matter; they are still caught off guard.” The second figure laughs as the stone crushes the first man.

  “True, and it seems to be going as predicted. They have split the boy off from the main group and are hurrying him down the road toward The Terrace. They hope to slow the giants and then escape from them once he is safely away.” The first figure nods in agreement with the second.

  “They will be here shortly. Get ready. We cannot let Echthrós get away this time. Connor Healy underestimated him, and he paid with his life. We still are unsure of what he has become.” The last figure who hasn’t spoken gives orders to the others with a feminine voice.

  The one muttering the spell ceases and catches the crystal ball. They look at each other one last time before they all dash off in the same direction and fan out. It isn’t long until the forest thins out and the road appears.

  The figures hide in various locations, some in the trees or behind them, while others choose bushes or rocks to hide behind. They all focus on the road and look to see if they can see the four people approaching yet.