Chapter 23 - Teamwork

Leon knelt on the ground while breathing harshly, trying to take deep breaths and slow the mad hammering of his heart. He leaned with one hand upon the trunk of the giant tree where he waited, his eyes searching the shadows around him for any hint of a threat.

Within moments, a smaller shadow landed within a couple feet of him, but Leon didn’t show any reaction other than to wave a weary hand in its direction.

“See anything up there?”

Skyle nodded grimly, adjusting the splint on his wounded leg and wincing slightly at the pain. “You want the good news or the bad first?”

“Bad first. You know I’d rather stare defeat in the face than turn my back on it and run like a coward,” Leon muttered darkly.

“Kind of grim of you, and I appreciate the sentiment. Still, I’d rather shoot an arrow at their back, then run away while they bleed to death, thank you very much,” Skyle snorted, then shrugged at the face Leon made. “They’re definitely following us. I can’t be sure about whether they’re following our tracks or using another method, but we have a tail that is getting closer and closer, no small thanks to the fact that they can actually see where they’re going-”

“Not my fault I don’t have magicked eyes like you,” Leon grumbled with his head down, still breathing heavily, but Skyle ignored his comment and kept on going.

“-and they don’t have to haul over a hundred pounds of deadweight on their backs,” Skyle finished wryly, shaking his head while gesturing helplessly towards his bandaged leg.

Leon immediately looked up at that, and indignation shone in his eyes at that last comment. “That’s preposterous and you know it. You’re the only reason we’ve made it this far. I can’t see anything in this forest, and you’ve already steered us clear of god knows how many foul beasts. Damn place is crawling with death at every turn!”

Skyle shrugged, not denying it. In fact, if it hadn’t been for their teamwork, they would have never made it this far.

“So, what’s the good news?” Leon muttered.

“They’ve had to split up several times, and their numbers have thinned. This time I could only see around a hundred people or so in the group in our trail. My guess is they’re trying to spread their men in order to spread a wider net and capture us before we make it deeper into the forest.”

“A hundred people is still a hundred more than we have, Skyle,” Leon remarked, shaking his head. “And at this pace, it will be a hundred more people than what they’ll need to finish us off. We can’t go much further at this breakneck pace.”

“You mean..” Skyle left off, staring at Leon.

Leon took a deep breath and lifted his head to meet Skyle’s gaze, meaningfully closing his hand around the handle of the sword strapped to his side. It had been the only weapon Leon had been able to scrounge up in their haste while the boys had made their escape across the battlefield.

“I mean we need to thin their numbers and lose them somehow, or they will run us down sooner rather than later,” Leon stated matter-of-factly, the fingers around the hilt of the sword tightening until they turned white.

Skyle did not reply as he found himself studying Leon’s newly acquired weapon. It was a serviceable sword, plain without any decorations, but made of good steel and still carrying a sharp edge. The blade was a double edged length of steel about thirty five inches long, with a thin channel for blood in the middle.

That was it, just a simple yet effective tool for killing. Recalling the expensive focus weapon Leon had at his side before coming through the rift, Skyle had to acknowledge the fact that sometimes you just had to make do with whatever you were given.

“I have a plan,” Skyle began, his tone low and quiet, but it instantly made Leon’s ears perk up. “It carries a great deal of risk, but I see no other choice at this point.”

Leon nodded wordlessly.

“I have been purposefully avoiding any signs of life or activity, steering us clear of danger along the route. There are tracks everywhere, some small, some bigger, but there have been a few that frankly scare the crap out of me,” Skyle confessed with a shudder.

Leon’s face turned slightly green as he recalled the fiendish monster that had drooled all over his leg and had almost gobbled him up.

“We came across a whole set of such tracks about ten minutes back. I think it was a whole pack of them. The tracks were fresh enough that I veered us right off their path. However, at this rate our pursuers will be upon us before dawn breaks, so we might as well try to use the darkness to the best of our advantage.”

Leon frowned as he considered his companion’s words, “You mean to draw them towards the beasts?”

Skyle nodded firmly.

“What if the beasts find us before they do the soldiers?” Leon asked slowly.

Skyle just shrugged helplessly, not bothering to answer.

“Huh, should have known better than to ask,” Leon muttered, rolling his eyes. “Well, guess having a plan beats running myself to the ground while hauling a lazy farmboy on my back like a damn packmule.”

“Hey, you said it, not me,” Skyle chuckled.

Leon simply knelt on the ground with his back to Skyle, growling under his breath. “After you, smartass. Just remember that if any beasts pounce on us, it’ll be your ass going into their maws first when I flip you overhead and haul my own the hell out of there.”

“Given the maneuver a lot of thought, haven’t you?” Skyle pointed out dryly, gingerly climbing on top of Leon’s back.

“You bet your ass, what else do you think I’ve been thinking about while sweating rivers as you pull me left and right in this god forsaken forest?” Leon climbed to his feet and shuffled Skyle’s weight on top of his back a couple times before turning his head back towards his passenger. “So, which way to the pack of giant, vicious man-eating beasts?”

Skyle pointed out the direction, and they quickly backtracked along the way they’d come earlier. The boys had long developed an understanding, with Skyle pointing out any uneven ground, along with low branches and any other potential obstructions. Leon simply had to focus on keeping one foot ahead of the other, not having to worry about the dangers that may lurk in the dark woods around them. This simple trust allowed Leon to focus all his attention on preserving as much energy as possible while moving along the forest. Thankfully, Leon had a much bigger frame than Skyle, and in truth the hundred pounds was only slightly heavier than the full gear he had to wear when undergoing basic training in the army.

There was also the fact that Leon had been a renowned genius fire summoner. Usually, mages and summoners did not devote as much attention on strengthening their bodies with elemental energy as warriors did. After all, upon the field of battle they were too precious to waste in close range combat, and were usually escorted by a sizeable contingent of elemental warriors. Much more so in Leon’s case, as he was not only a summoner, but also the heir of the House of Draxas.

Still, in keeping with the deep martial traditions of the House of Draxas, Leon had devoted a great deal more attention and energies towards strengthening his body with elemental essence. In addition, he had been wielding the element of fire since he was a young boy of four. All these years, he had been feeding elemental essence to his body, to the point where at 13 he was already the size of most fully grown adults, and could more than match the strength of most initiate warriors.

This meant that not only were they able to make much better speed with Leon bearing Skyle on his back, but they were also able to run longer than they otherwise would have been able to, since Skyle had never been able to strengthen his own body with the elements at all.

“Wait, those vines up ahead, make sure to circle wide of them,” Skyle murmured, tapping Leon’s shoulder on the left.

Not even wasting energy with any questions, Leon immediately followed the instructions by turning left and circling wide of the spot Skyle had pointed out. The bigger boy couldn’t make out any vines in the gloom, but he didn’t doubt his guide’s words at all.

“Wait, another couple steps left,” Skyle commended, tapping the left shoulder once again.

No sooner had Leon complied, when he felt a slight breeze upon his face. Leon blinked a couple times as he found an acrid air assaulting his eyes, then blanched visibly as his eyes slowly focused in on a double row of sharp teeth-like thorns running along the edges of a vine that looked more like a snake than anything else, as thick around as his own legs. It snapped loudly in Leon’s direction, but was unable to close in any further than three feet from him.

Swallowing loudly, Leon carefully sidestepped around the quivering vine, wincing as it snapped loudly in their direction every time he took another step. The smell of rotting meat assaulted his nose as they moved forward, and not for the first time Leon was glad he couldn’t see as well as his friend could in this nightmarish forest.

“Are we on the right trail yet?” Leon muttered, knowing he shouldn’t waste the breath, yet unable to contain himself any longer.

“We’ve been on their trail for a while now. Don’t worry,” Skyle quickly added as he felt Leon immediately tensing under him. “I should be able to spot them before they do. My True Sight seems to have received somewhat of an upgrade.”

Indeed, Skyle was marvelling at how much easier it was to use the True Sight to scan the surrounding area now. Back at the enemy’s camp, it had been a heavy burden to constantly use the True Sight to search for dangers. Skyle’s vision had been blurring constantly, and a massive headache had threatened to split his head in two every time he used it. Truly, it had been a constant drain on his body, taking a huge toll on his reserves.

After training in The Infinite Eye, however, Skyle had seen immediate results as soon as he activated the True Sight. The whole process was much smoother, costing him less time and effort for better results. Before, Skyle could only use the True Sight to scan auras within thirty meters or so around him. Beyond that, only huge auras that were blazing like the sun could be distinguished. However, after touching upon the borders of The Infinite Eye, Skyle had quickly learned that he could narrow the scope of his vision in order to zoom in on a specific direction.

Whereas before he had been spreading his vision in a wide circle all around him, Skyle had recalled the technique he had used to focus on a single mote of light as he followed its movement across the dark void space. By thus shaping a rough cone of vision with his True Sight, he could now scan a much more narrow and tightly focused area that extended to a distance of up to one hundred meters. By making a periodic sweep with this narrow band of vision, Skyle could safely scan a much wider area with much less effort.

Still, Skyle was now focusing much more tightly because instead of trying to avoid any danger areas, he was now trying to purposefully skirt the very edges of them while closing in on the trail of the pack of giant beasts. This was because he was hoping their pursuers would have to sustain at least a few losses or slow down in order to deal with the hazards Skyle was weaving through.

Leon was stalwart as he wordlessly complied with Skyle’s instructions, and the most reaction he showed to the next few close calls was a barely audible grunt. Carnivorous plants and poisonous flowers were only a few of the dangers on the trail. Thankfully, the trail they were following was devoid of any other beasts.

While Skyle was thankful that they did not have to deal with any deadly creatures, he also realized that it was only because the pack they were following was so domineering that lesser beasts would instinctively seek to avoid any confrontation. The further they advanced, the more worried Skyle became as the path ahead continued to be completely devoid of any activity.

Then finally, a few minutes later, the boys spotted other beasts after they had started to follow this trail. Or rather, they found their bloodied remains. Skyle tapped Leon’s shoulder with his open palm, indicating that they should stop. He hardly needed to do so, however.

Leon had already come to a complete stop as the stench of blood and feces filled their heads, and Leon’s boots squelched wetly as he shuffled his feet warily. Leon’s eyes couldn’t quite make out the shapes collected in a messy pile at their feet, but he didn’t need to. He could tell by the sight of the broken corpses lying before him that whatever it had been, it was now simply meat waiting to rot. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to make out any distinct shape even if he could see in the dark as well as Skyle could.

Skyle, in the other hand, grit his teeth as his eyes took in the scene before his eyes. After taking several deep breaths, Skyle motioned Leon to set him down.

“You sure?” Leon asked.

Skyle nodded wordlessly, and though Leon couldn’t see the motion, he still complied with the request.

Skyle slowly approached the pile of meat, examining various parts of it closely, and even reaching out a few times to shuffle a few pieces one way or another.

Skyle had been trained to read tracks by the best hunter he knew, his father. Just as he could read the traces left by another living being upon a tree or a patch of soil, he could also read the tracks left behind on the dead bodies before him.

“They must weigh over two tons from the depth of their tracks, with long, agile limbs from the length of their stride. They should run low to the ground judging from the lack of disturbance on the branches above, so most likely some sort of hunting cat, larger than any I’ve ever seen. Sharp claws with brutal strength, and teeth used to tear flesh but with the strength to crush bone.”

“Two tons? You’re saying we’re after a pack of tigers that’s more than double the size of a mature bull!” Leon cried out in disbelief.

“Two tons is a conservative estimate,” Skyle nodded calmly, pointing out to a few of the trees around them. “Many of these trunks have snapped violently, and I can see claw marks etched deeply on them. Our cats likely used them to pounce on their prey from an angle. They’re too heavy to truly perch on top of these trees, but they’re agile enough that they can use them as footholds.”

“That’s insane,” Leon whistled.

“Well, at least there’s good news,” Skyle continued. “These beasts have been slaughtered but not eaten. That means they’re fiercely territorial and will ruthlessly kill anything that enters its territory. It is no wonder we haven’t seen any other beasts while on this trail.”

Leon coughed. “You really, really need to work on your definition of good news.”

Skyle shrugged, slapping his hands together to brush them clean. “It’s the only hope we have of losing our pursuers.”

“If we’re not eaten long before that,” Leon muttered under his breath, but nonetheless knelt down as he motioned to Skyle.

“Relax, you big baby,” Skyle chuckled. “I told you they’re not killing to eat. They’ll pounce upon us from the shadows and crush our heads to pudding with a single swipe of their claws before we even know they’re there.”

“Thanks, I feel so much better now,” Leon grumbled.

“Don’t mention it. That’s what friends are for, right?”

Leon suddenly let out a soft chuckle.

“What?” Skyle asked while climbing on Leon’s back again.

“With you on top of me, if anything pounces on top of us, you’re taking the dirt nap first,” Leon grinned. “Now, that’s what true friends are for.”

“Shhh, I think I see something up ahead,” Skyle suddenly tensed up, narrowing his eyes as he focused his gaze on the darkness ahead.

Leon suddenly held his breath as he squinted uselessly at the trees in front of him.

“Twelve,” Skyle suddenly mouthed.

“Minutes?”

“Giant murderous cats headed our way.”

“Shem’s balls, this was a bad idea..”

“Technically, the last stand thing was your idea, you know?”

“Cilcer’s bloody ulcers, why’d you ever listen to me?” Leon moaned loudly.

“Point taken.” Skyle acknowledged.

“Ah, run now?”

“Too late.”

“Toss you overhead now?”

“Too early.”

“You sure?”

“Quite.”

“What now?”

“Dig.”

“Huh?”

“Dig,” Skyle repeated flatly.

“Our graves?”

“Quite likely, but hopefully not,” Skyle shrugged, pointing with his finger.

“Wait, you can’t mean..”

“Yep, exactly what I mean.”

After a final glance of shared understanding and flawless teamwork, both boys nodded resolutely and said together as one.

“Dig!”