PreCursive

  The host of the Uprising was moving slower than I thought it would be.

  During the march from Silvercrest to Helstein, we’d been moving much quicker than we were now. And while I know it could possibly be attributed to how our forces had swelled following the Prince joining, it didn’t feel like that. Being up on a wagon unlike most of the ground-pounders, I was high up enough that I could pick out the officers among the different regiments and divisions of the Uprising forces.

  They seemed to be far more alert than I’d ever seen them. I watched as one human officer astride a horse sed the horizon with an almost suspicious eye.

  Something was going on.

  Sylvia and I had ended up essentially cuddling on the bench of on for a few hours during the march, simply talking quietly to ourselves. However, we’d mutually decided to break apart when we’d seen Grey ing back from his meeting with the leadership. While we weren’t ashamed of our atus, we’d talked about hoould prefer to keep it private.

  Very private. As in, we simply didn’t want other people knowing about us. Not even our friends, mentors, or family in her case. We wouldn’t deny anything if they asked, but we would ask for our privacy. Sylvia had disappeared off into the host after a quick kiss on my cheek, mentioning ‘duties’.

  I knew what that meant, now. I’d probably have ‘duties’ of my own, soon enough.

  Real, or cover.

  When Grey asked about Sylvia, haviled up on the bench with me, I made a gesture to my face to indicate a mask. He seemed to uand.

  Grey nodded, puffing on his pipe once more. I’d noticed that he had started smoking more often than he used to. “Yes, the officers are on high alert. Frankly, everyone is. We’re in dangerous try now, Nathan. For more reason than one.”

  I cast at look out at the almost picturesque se we were traveling through. Vast, rolling hillscapes rolled along the horizon in every dire, dotted with the occasional patch of forest in the peaks and valleys. This te in the year the leaves of the trees had long since died and fallen to rest on the soil beloeting the forest floor is of brown and grey. There was a wind in the hills today, whistling quietly and blowing the leaves our way. I reached up to snate out of the air, frowning.

  I couldn’t deny there was an odd note of meo the se.

  I turned back to Grey with narrowed eyes. “What’s going on?”

  “A few things, as I said,” Grey said pcidly. Still, I noticed his eyes were fixed on the horizon as much as the officers were. “This is a notoriously dangerous stretch of the ti, for ohe Aether density in the hills just south of Helstein is notably higher than anything north of the Helstein range and south of the Barren Forest. This has resulted in notably higher monster presen the region, with the resulting creatures being strohan average as well.”

  I frowned. “But…I haven’t seen anything.” Whiow that I thought about it, was strange. We were only about half a day’s ride from Helstein, but I would have expected to have seen something at least. The occasional mota the fringes of the host were something I had e to expect, in my travels with the army. It was just aability, I’d found. So many people gathered in one group drew monsters in like moths to a fme. At least, the younger and dumber ones.

  But I hadn’t seen the fringe scouts engage anything.

  “Yes, and that’s the problem,” Grey said ominously.

  “Does the leadership suspeemy a?”

  “It’s…hard to say,” Grey said frustratedly. “As you well know, there are individuals among the Loyalist cause that have the ability to influence monsters.”

  Yeah, I hadn’t fotten that prick Leonard.

  “But this could just well just be a natural phenomenon. It’s…theoretically possible that there have just been lower spawns this year.” He tinued. “We’ve had scouts ranging ahead of the army for days now, ever since we set a date for deployment. However, they’ve found nothing. Little to no monster presence, and absolutely nothing from the Loyalists. Not even a patrol.”

  “Then they’re pnning something,” I said bluntly. “We’re probably marg into a trap.”

  Grey sighed. “There’s nothing we do about that,” He said wearily. “We ’t turn back, and we ’t move any more cautiously than we already are. And there isn’t a port for leagues that could aodate a force of this size. Not if we hope for our supplies to st, and more importantly, to protect our supply . All we do is pce our trust in our scouts.” He gave me an exaggerated eye wink at that, obviously trying to lighten the mood.

  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

  Still, I guess I khe ‘duties’ that I was going to be assigned soon.

  All I had to do was wait.

  ………………………………………………………

  Turned out, I only had to wait fhtfall. I received my orders, but not from a person I expected.

  “Here,” Honoka said to me roughly, shoving a ed parcel my way. I took it, looking down in surprise.

  It was dark now, and the host had stopped a few ho. Once I’d gotten doing up our little camp site, surrounded on all sides by Order forces, I’d remembered Honoka tellio find her. It hadn’t taken me long to locate the hastily erected Healer’s tent. While they seemed to have a steady supply of patients even after a single day’s trek, Honoka hadn’t been busy. The older woman had looked to be ag as a supervisor. She’d been watg the ings and goings of her own little division with a stern look and crossed arms. If anything, at the sight of me, her stern expression had transformed into a glower. Still, she’d jerked her head in a motion to follow her around the back of the tent.

  Which led us to now.

  “What’s this?” I asked her curiously.

  “Your orders,” Honoka said bluntly. “And some gear that repared for you.”

  I blinked. “From…you? Or…?”

  “No, not from me, you idiot,” Honoka said, irritated. “Of course it’s from the Noes.”

  Ah, of course. I didn’t let Honoka’s temperameo me. I was getting used to the crotchety old woman by this point. Instead, I just opehe small parcel. Inside was…

  A waist pouot dissimir to my own. It was slightly bigger, though. Opening it, I saw a small sele of potions in vials no lohan my thumb, two small s, a lockpig set, a retractable far eye, and a familiar wad of flesh-colored material. A tightly wadded cloak and my still pin mask were inside as well. Everything was incredibly tightly packed together but done so in a way that it wouldn’t g or k together and make noise. Wedged in the ter was a small, tightly folded piece of part.

  Before I could even ask Honoka about the tents of the pouch, she tinued speaking. “Took some time to put that together, as they’re short on supplies right now,” She said shortly. “So, they just ha off to me.”

  I o show my uanding, and took out the part. I unfolded it, finding the page bnk. I looked at it quizzically, but didn’t get the ce to speak. Honoka preempted me again.

  She sighed. “Just press your thumb in the ter. They already have your Aetheric signature.” She said irritably, before muttering under her breath. “Lazy bastards don’t even bother to train before sending them out these days…”

  I did as she said, pressing my thumb into the ter of the part. Words written in a dark blue ink bled onto the page, slowly filling it from top to bottom.

  Hangman,

  Inside you’ll find:

  2 X Unon grade Healing Potions

  1 X Vial of Fetfulness

  1 X Vial of trated Arsenic

  1 X Vial of Muffled Steps

  1 X Vial of Water Breathing

  1 X Vial of Truth

  1 X Standard Far Eye

  1 X unication (Gold)

  1 X Location (Silver)

  1 X Lockpig Set

  1 X FAT

  Your Orders are as follows:

  You are to begin scouting of the host fringes. You are to seard destroy every individual monster discovered. If a hive is discovered, use unication and request reinforts. If a Prime is discovered, retreat and then do the same.

  You are to do this until you have reached level 70, as it is noted in your file that you are hat point.

  If enemy presence is detected, your orders are to subdue individuals and call for reinforts. Additionally, call for reinforts if a group is discovered.

  Your tact is Lady Honoka.

  This message will wipe shortly. Dispose of part.

  That was it. The note wasn’t even signed, which made sense I suppose. But what did it mean by wipe?

  I got my answer.

  The ink on the page evaporated before my eyes, leaving it bnk once more. I bli the sight, befhing. Of course a destine operation like the Noes would have a way of making sure messages didn’t get intercepted. I’m guessing I was the only one capable of reading these unications.

  “Alright,” I said, holding the part over a nearby torch with my golden hand. It burst into fmes, and I held it unflingly as it buro ash. I barely felt the heat with my muted sense of tou the false appendage. I shook the ash from my hand and took out the cloak, snapping it open. Throwing it over my shoulders, I focused ba Honoka. “So, you’re my tact? I was surprised when Hook told me you were going to act as my cover. I didn’t think you liked me that much.” I said teasingly.

  “Don’t get a big head, boy,” Honoka said warningly. Still, her tone wasn’t as sharp as I sometimes heard from her. “I’m doing this for Sylvia.” She sighed. “But here’s how it’s going to work. You actually are going to be doing work for the Healing Corp. Sometimes. When you are, you’ll be rep to me. But for now, they need you out there keeping a watch.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, Grey was telling me about the leadership’s suspis. You think they’re valid?”

  Honoka shrugged. “Could be. If they are, I’m hoping I’ll get another shot at Leonard.” She nearly she name, with a suddenly hungry look in her eye.

  Ooookay then. I took out my mask and affixed it to my face, calling on Thorn Cloak as I did so. My previously pin grey cloak sprouted vicious red hooks and thorns, in an iion I’d only discovered retly. If I was already wearing a cloak of some time, the skill just activated on top of what I was wearing instead of creating something from nowhere

  “I’ll see you ter, then,” I said to Honoka, my voice muffled by my mask. As I turned away to melt into the tree, she stopped me with a word.

  “Wait,” Honka said, surprisingly somber. Looking back over my shoulder, I was startled to see a rare serious expression on her aged features. She took a deep breath, before meeting my eyes through my mask. “Don’t think Grey and I haven’t seen what’s goiween you and Sylvia.”

  I felt myself flush under my mask at the ued words. I was grateful that she couldn’t see how embarrassed I grew, as she tio speak.

  “We’re fih letting you two work it out,” She said quietly, befrimag. “Just…please be kind to her. Arras like yours are rare, and they be…votile, in circumstances like these.” She sighed, before smiling bitterly. “Speaking from experience.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I just o show my uanding, which seemed to be all Honoka wanted from me. She waved me off, and stalked back around the tent back to her post.

  I sighed, and stepped out into the tree lio start my rahankfully I had my full Order uniform on, with my Oninite bdes affixed to my hips and my usual pouy back left hip. I affixed my new pouy back right.

  Holy, I had expected her to threaten me or something. Honoka struck me as the type of person to be fiercely protective of people she cared about. But had seemed almost pleading to me. Well, as much as Honoka could, I suppose.

  I shook it off, and got to work. O of sight, I dialed Sylvan Vigor up to thirty pert, and took off into the forest.

  …………………………………………………...

  I was unsurprised when Fade found me about an hour into my scouting. He seemed to have an ht supernatural sense of my location at all times. Iime I’d searched by myself, I had found no traces of anythi.

  Grey hadn’t been kidding when he said the scouts had turned up very little.

  Still, that didn’t mean there was nothing out here. With the young grey wolf’s help, we entered signs of a monster retively quickly. Following them, I smiled grimly at the almost nostalgic sight of a Warg. This one was even more screwed up looking tharange bear wolves I’d run into around Addersfield. It was strangely droopy looking, with almost mossy looking fur. Observe told me it was a level fifty-six Marsh Warg.

  I exged a gh Fade, hiding down in a bush below me from my tree perch above the creature.

  I dropped down onto the beast from below, and got to work.