They left the grove behind, weaving back along the narrowing trail. The air felt cooler now, the trees pressing close on either side as the day dimmed fast toward nightfall. As they pressed on, the mist began to return in heavy fashion. Then came the first flicker, a faint greenish glow between the trees resembling a human. Joren slowed. Another flicker, off to the left, then two more ahead. His pulse quickened.
"You seein' this?" Gus muttered, hand tensing near his belt. "Yeah." Joren's eyes darted side to side. "And it had to happen when we are this far out." A voice called out from one of the figures. "Come on back now... supper's waitin'..." That voice again, it was all faint and wrong. It sounded like Maerle, but was a cheap imitation of her.
Gus instinctively threw his arms up. "Stay close!" Joren's heart hammered. No way to tell what was real. He didn't hesitate, he began forming a star over his palm just the same as he did with Thunderclap. The miniature star began cycling through its phases in seconds, from deep red to a blinding white-hot flare. "Turn around Gus, this one will be bright!." The flash blinded the forest, bringing a small, but intense heat with the star that cleared a lot of the surrounding fog.
As the mist burned away in ripples of warmth, the false figures flickered and vanished before their eyes. The green ghosts that chased people at night were nothing more than fireflies swarming together, their clustered lights giving shape in the fog. Gus stared, dumbfounded. "Bugs, huh. All that talk over bugs." Joren let himself relax from his adrenal state. "Wait a second, if the figures were bugs, what was mimicking Maerle?"
A sharp trill sounded from above. Both men glanced up just in time to see one of the small birds flitting between branches, its feathers catching glints of green. It let out another warped, hollow version of Maerle's voice: "Come on back now…" Gus blinked. "Birds... mockingbirds, or something close enough. Probably picked up on voices from the Inn after all these years."
A sharp trill sounded from above. Both men glanced up just in time to see one of the small birds flitting between branches, its feathers catching glints of green. It let out another warped, hollow version of Maerle's voice: "Come on back now…" Gus blinked. "Birds... mockingbirds, or something close enough. Probably picked up on voices from the Inn after all these years." Joren exhaled, tension easing from his shoulders. "So it was just birds and bugs all along." Gus and Joren gave a low chuckle at first, ramping up to a good laugh. He clapped Joren's shoulder. "Come on, let's head back. We've got a mystery to report."
Morning – The Inn
Joren and Gus had no problems getting back to the Inn in one piece. Over a warm breakfast, the two gave Maerle the bundle of herbs they'd gathered, recounting their adventure in detail, noting the odd little troll and the truth of the Ghostlights. Maerle listened with rapt attention, her brow lifting higher with each part of the tale. When they got to the part about the birds mimicking her voice, she nearly dropped her mug laughing.
"Well, that explains a lot. You wouldn't believe how many folks have sworn up and down they heard me out there," she said, shaking her head. "I'll spread the word around. Might even get some of my regulars back." Joren sipped his tea, a quiet satisfaction settling in his chest. Another strange mystery, solved by a little luck.
Maerle gave them both a warm look. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like, but sounds to me like you two have the road calling you again soon." Joren glanced out the window at the thinning mist. "Yeah. We'll probably set out in an hour or two." He wasn't sure what waited for them at Duskfen, but after this, the idea of another odd adventure didn't seem so bad. Gus grinned. "One thing's for sure. No more chasing after ghost stories." He paused. "Well... maybe just one or two." Maerle laughed and moved off to tend another table. Joren and Gus finished their meal, the inn's simple comforts feeling a little richer after the night they'd had.
The two set out for the road not long after breakfast, packs slung over their shoulders, boots crunching softly on the damp earth. The lingering morning mist was finally lifting in thin, curling trails, revealing the winding path ahead. "Duskfen next, huh? Heard the roads get a bit weirder the closer you get." Joren smiled faintly. "We'll manage." With that, they turned toward the forest's edge, the road stretching on before them with more memories to be made.
Afternoon – The Road
The hours passed in a steady rhythm of boots over dirt and stone. The air grew heavier the deeper they went towards Duskfen, Joren thinking 'this does live up to the name of swamp city'. They continued a while longer in companionable silence and chatting as friends, becoming closer as a party. Joren reflected about his powers, thinking back to Hazel and Tsunami's words about Auspex reputation. Up until now, he had met a bad one who wanted to cause destruction, but Tsunami also kept crooked people in check as a force of anti-heroism.
Gus, walking a few paces ahead, glanced back with a smirk. "Don't get too lost in thought back there. You'll trip on one of these roots." Joren blinked and gave a faint smile. "Right... just thinking about everything that's happened." "Like what in particular?" Gus said. "Well, at least in my village they are seen as people to avoid at all costs or bad things could happen. In your city, they could be seen doing shows and living among the people as normal." Gus thought a little. "You're right, that book does push the narrative a bit along with all the horror stories of towns being wiped off the map. In general, it's just a good idea to avoid confronting someone with powers because you don't know what they will do."
Joren nodded slowly. "Yeah... just seeing how different the world looks once you're actually out in it is overwhelming. People seem to be more open to using their powers than I had thought, maybe Tsunami is just an exception." "Well, at least you've got good instincts," Gus replied, stepping over a mossy log. "As long as you can hold your ground in a tussle, I wouldn't be too concerned about what they said." Joren nodded at that, confidence brimming. "Honestly, why wouldn't people want powers like this? You can do so much with them. If I had these years ago, things would've gone a lot differently back home." He gave a slight, knowing grin. "It's almost a waste not to use them." Gus let out a short laugh. "Can't argue with that. If I had powers like yours, I'd be showing off a bit myself."
They rounded a bend where the trail narrowed again, roots twisting over stone. The swamp mist hung low, clinging to their boots. Just as Joren opened his mouth to reply, a figure burst from the fog ahead. A man, wild-eyed and gasping for breath, sprinting toward them with ragged strides looked like he saw a ghost. The man locked eyes with Joren, and they could both sense a connection between them. "You... you're an Auspex too, aren't you? Help..." The man's coat was torn, mud streaked up to his knees. His breath came in ragged bursts as he stumbled toward them, eyes wide with panic. Gus instinctively shifted forward, one arm ready to catch the man if he collapsed. Joren's muscles tensed, instincts kicking in as he grabbed onto the man to help him stand.
"Whoa, easy! What happened?" Gus called from Joren's side. The man, still gasping, looked like a fearful dog. "Please help... get me out of here... fast." Gus frowned. "What's after you?" A sickening sound cut through the air in that moment. Shunk. The man's breath hitched, eyes going wider than before, when you could see the moment his eyes went glassy. You could just see this faint imagery in his eyes up close, as if the portrait were a part of him, but dissipated as his knees gave out in Joren's arms.
Joren looked down at the man's stomach, a spearhead poking clean through his abdomen. The blood was seeping into the man's shirt, growing fast, a truly visceral sight for Joren's young mind. For half a second, his mind refused to process it, how could this man be dead when he was just begging them for help. Then the weight in his arms shifted as the man collapsed fully, the life gone from him. Gus cursed sharply, eyes scanning the mist. Joren staggered back a step, heart pounding, vision tunneling. "Who—?" Gus started, but the answer was already standing at the other end of the spear. At the far end of the long black artifact spear, a figure stepped forward through the mist. Silent, deliberate, as though he had all the time in the world.
A lean man in a tattered cloak, short brown hair, and an emotionless gaze stood before them. One hand rested casually on the shaft of the artifact he'd just used to impale the fleeing Auspex while you could see a badge gleam from under his cloak. His eyes flicked once to Joren, sharp and calculating, then onto Gus, sizing him up. No fear came from his voice, why should he when he just murdered a man in front of them. "One target or three? I wasn't aware that he had companions." This was a government hunter, exactly what Tsunami had warned Joren about.