Chapter 11: Just The Road Ahead

The path up was rough. Loose stones shifted under their boots, and the walls were damp from old water running down through the cracks. Vaelira kept a hand against the stone as she climbed. It wasn’t far, but it felt longer after everything they’d seen below.

Behind her, Edrin helped Thalen over the last ledge.

They stepped out into the fading light of evening. The forest looked just as strange as when they’d entered. Trees curved and twisted at odd angles, like they’d grown in the wrong direction. One near the path had bent in on itself, its bark split down in unnatural lines.

The air felt still. No wind, no birds. Just the soft crunch of boots on dry needles.

Vaelira turned back toward the cave. The stone split in the ground where they’d come from was half-hidden by roots and moss, like the forest had already started to swallow it up again. She stared at it, quiet, then turned away.

Edrin stepped up beside her. “So,” he said, wiping dust off his arm, “no world-ending artifacts? No some showcase of your ice magic?”
Vaelira didn't look at him. “You could’ve just walked away, you know.”
He gave a half-smile. “And miss the part where you finally find that spell and freeze the world by accident? No thanks.”
Thalen joined them a moment later, brushing dirt from his sleeve. “I’d rather deal with frostbite than boredom, honestly.”
Vaelira let out a breath and shook her head. “Lucky for you, I’m good at both.”
They stood there for a few seconds longer. Then Edrin started walking down the path without another word.

Thalen followed.

Vaelira stayed behind just a moment more. Then she turned and walked after them.

“You know… should we really have left that broken staff there?” Thalen asked.

“It doesn’t matter. Its magic was spent. What was important was probably the other half… the part someone took,” Vaelira sighed.

“That someone being Marwyn?” Thalen looked at her.

“Maybe. But we can’t be certain.”

The forest stayed strange as they walked. The trees still leaned in odd directions, and some of the roots stuck out of the ground like they didn’t belong there. The path wasn’t clear, but they followed Edrin’s lead.

“I think this place hates us,” Edrin said, pushing a branch out of the way. It whipped back and hit Thalen in the face.

Thalen blinked and kept walking. “Strong start to the evening.”
Vaelira stepped over a thick root. “You two complain more than tired goats.”
Edrin looked at her. “Is that an actual saying?”
“Maybe,” she said.

“It sounds real,” Thalen added. “Do Ylvaari actually keep goats?”

“Only the ones that don’t run off cliffs.”

The forest slowly began to change again. The trees weren’t as bent now, and more space opened between the trunks. It was still quiet, but not the same heavy silence as before. The air didn’t feel as tight.

“Feels like we’re finally getting out,” Edrin said. He stepped over a low ridge of tangled roots and waited for the others to catch up.

Vaelira glanced up. The sky was getting darker, and the moon was already out. A few stars had started to show between the clouds.

“Good,” Thalen said. “This whole place gives me the creeps.”
“You’re only saying that because it smacked you,” Vaelira said.

“I’ll have a mark for a few days. I’m calling it a battle wound.”

They passed a crooked tree that looked like it had been bent by hand. After that, the forest began to thin properly. The ground leveled out.

“Let’s stop soon,” Edrin said. “I don’t want to set up camp in pitch black.”
Vaelira nodded. “Somewhere with fewer trees that might try to kill us.”

They found a flat patch near a low ridge, just far enough from the treeline. The ground was dry, and the trees weren’t twisted here. Edrin dropped his pack with a sigh and started clearing space for the fire.

Thalen sat down on a nearby rock. “This spot has potential. Not cursed. Not haunted. Barely smells like rot.”
Vaelira raised an eyebrow. “High standards.”
He held up two fingers. “I’ve adjusted.”

Edrin lit the fire with a flint and steel. It took a few tries, but the kindling caught. The glow spread across the clearing.

Vaelira sat near the edge of the light and held her hands out toward the heat. She was tired, but she didn’t want to show it. Her sleeves were damp from brushing past too many twisted trees. Her boots were still muddy from the cave.

“Food?” Edrin asked, digging through his pack.

“I’ll take anything that isn’t roots,” Thalen said. “Or dried bark.”
“You didn’t even eat the bark,” Edrin muttered.

“I tried to. It splintered.”
Vaelira didn’t answer. Instead, she pulled out her waterskin and looked at the half-full kettle nearby.

“I can chill the water a little,” she said.

Edrin raised a brow. “No offense, but last time you said that—”
“It’ll be fine.”
She reached out with one hand, tracing a simple thread from the Codex. Just enough to cool it down.

The kettle crackled once. Then a sharp crack rang out as a jagged spike of ice burst straight from the pot, freezing it solid.

Vaelira stared at it.

“...That wasn’t what I meant to do.”
Thalen clapped once. “Outstanding.”
Edrin pinched the bridge of his nose. “I didn’t want tea anyway.”
Vaelira crossed her arms. “That was a controlled reaction.”
“You froze our water.”
“Exactly. I controlled it.”
Thalen chuckled. “Maybe we should start rating your magic.”
He pulled out a small strip of dried meat and tossed it to Vaelira. She caught it without looking.

“So,” Thalen said, taking a bite of his own. “That thing gave me the creeps, by the way.”
Vaelira looked at the fire. “It was just a broken staff.”
“Yeah, a broken staff in a locked ruin with weird runes and dead air. Totally normal.”

Edrin leaned back against a log, arms crossed. “It didn’t do anything.”
“Exactly,” Thalen said. “That’s the creepy part.”

Vaelira rolled her eyes but didn’t argue.

“I half expected it to scream when you touched it,” Thalen went on. “Or bite you. Or I don’t know — turn into a snake.”
“Next time,” she said dryly, “I’ll hold it longer. Just for you.”
Edrin smirked. “Maybe Thalen’s right. You do attract trouble.”
“I don’t attract it,” Vaelira said. “I just don’t walk away from it.”

Thalen raised his hand. “Respectfully disagree. I think the staff saw you and gave up.”
Vaelira actually snorted. “Good. That makes the two of us.”
They sat with that for a bit. The fire crackled low, and the woods around them stayed quiet.

Thalen leaned back and looked at the sky. “At least the stars are out.”
Edrin nodded. “First calm night in a while.”
Vaelira didn’t answer. She was still looking at the flames, not quite thinking, not quite resting either. Her shoulders had relaxed, but just barely.”
Thalen looked at Vaelira.

”Actually… This staff, how did you get it in your possession?”
Edrin nodded. “That’s a good question.”
Vaelira’s face turned red as she coughed. “I found it.”

“Some ancient artifact… You just stumbled upon it?” Edrin raised an eyebrow.
“I bought it.”
“Huh? How rich are you then!?” Thalen looked at her with interest.

Vaelira sighed and nodded. “Fine, fine. I stole it from an Elder and my teacher back home.”

Both Thalen and Edrin looked at eachother confused. Then Edrin said. “Just like that? What about all the defensive magic? There was some, right?
“Oh, that…” She paused for a moment, looking at the campfire. “Well, yes. For outsiders. No one expected someone from the village to steal it. Thanks to me, that’ll probably change.”

Thalen let out a low whistle. “Remind me not to leave my pack near you.”

Vaelira didn’t respond. She just pulled her cloak tighter and stared into the fire.

Edrin gave a small shake of his head. “You know, most people just argue with their teacher. You went straight to grand theft.”
“I don’t like doing things halfway,” she said.

That made Thalen laugh. Edrin chuckled too, shaking his head again.

The fire crackled softly between them. For a while, no one spoke.

Thalen yawned and leaned back on his bedroll. “Well, I’m sleeping with one eye open now.”
Edrin stretched out beside the fire. “If anything goes missing, we’ll know who to blame.” He stood up to take his watch.

Vaelira laid down, arms behind her head. “Please. If I wanted your things, you wouldn’t notice.”
That got another laugh out of both of them.

She closed her eyes with a small smile.

The morning was quiet. Birds chirped somewhere up in the trees. One let out a loud caw and flew low over the camp.

Edrin sat up just in time to get hit in the shoulder by a wing.

He grunted. “Seriously?”
Thalen snorted from his bedroll. “That one liked you.”
Vaelira opened one eye, then the other. She sat up slowly and rubbed her face.

Thalen was trying to fold his blanket again. It looked worse than last time.

“You’re doing it wrong,” Edrin said.

“I’m doing it with creativity,” Thalen replied.

Vaelira pulled on her boots, one was still a little damp. She ignored it. Her cloak smelled like ash, and her hair was a mess, but she didn’t bother fixing either.

The campfire was out. Just a few cold stones and blackened wood.

She picked up her staff and gave it a quick glance. The carved runes near the grip were faint now. Not glowing, nor pulsing.

“We ready?” she asked.

“Everything except Thalen’s packing skills,” Edrin said.

“I fold with passion,” Thalen said, stuffing the blanket into his pack.

They stepped back onto the trail. The forest around was thinner now. The trees looked less twisted, and patches of grass grew along the edge of the path.

Vaelira took one last look back, then kept walking.

The path curved between the trees. The ground wasn’t rough anymore, and the forest was quiet except for the birds and the soft crunch of boots.

Thalen walked a few steps ahead, talking like he was giving a sermon to the trees.

“And so, from light comes guidance. From guidance, purpose. And from purpose—”
“Comes noise,” Vaelira said.

Thalen kept going. “—we learn to walk paths that are not our own, to test the shape of the world through faith and—”
“Do you ever not talk like that in the morning?” she asked, brushing a branch out of her face.
“Faith doesn’t sleep.” he said with a smile.

Edrin stayed behind them, quiet, arms folded as he walked. He looked like was trying not to laugh.

“I swear,” Vaelira said, “if one more sentence starts with ‘and so,’ I might explode.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Thalen said, raising a brow. “Some say the Gods listen closest when teased.”
“I’m not teasing,” she said. “I’m threatening.”
The trees grew thinner as they walked. Grass showed along the trail’s edges, and the sky looked clearer ahead.

Edrin caught up to them. “You know,” he said, “I’ve missed this.”

“What?” Vaelira sked.

“The part where we walk and no one’s bleeding.”
Thalen nodded. “A rare blessing.”
Vaelira didn’t answer, but her steps slowed just a little. The tension in her shoulders had started to fade without her noticing.

They followed the path as it curved around a low hill. Ahead, rooftops peeked through the trees.

“Civilization.” Thalen said, with a grateful look ahead.

“It better have food,” Vaelira said.

The town wasn’t much. A few homes, a stable, and a crooked sign that creaked in the breeze. A tired-looking guard sat on a stool by the gate, chewing something and pretending not to notice them.

A couple of kids ran by chasing a wooden hoop, shouting at each other in a game that made no sense.
“This is what I needed.” Vaelira said.

“After everything we went through… I agree.” Thalen nodded.

They walked past a worn well and a watering trough with a single chicken roosting on the edge. A wooden board stood nailed between two posts near the center of the square. Dozens of papers fluttered on it, some torn, most sun-bleached and crooked.

“Looks promising,” Edrin said.

Vaelira stepped closer and scanned the top row. “Lost pig, missing wheel, barn repairs, a cat in a tree—twice.”
Thalen tilted his head. “That’s a busy cat.”
“Or a weak tree,” Vaelira responded.

Edrin leaned over and pointed. “This one’s offering four pieces of copper to clean out a root cellar. Must be fancy.”
Thalen frowned. “I am not doing anything involving cleaning duty.”

Vaelira scanned the rest of the board. Most of the papers were old. One had a smear across it that looked suspiciously like blood. Another had been scribbled over three times in different handwriting. Then she spotted a newer page near the top — pinned neatly and written in clean, careful script.

“Escort required. Urgent. Details inside the Red Ash Inn.”
She pointed it out. “This one looks less awful.”
Edrin read it over her shoulder. “No pay listed. Could be a trap.”
“Could also be real work,” Thalen said. “And probably more than four copper.”

Edrin nodded. “Let’s check it then.”

They crossed the square at a slow pace. A pair of older men sat on crates near the well, passing a flask back and forth. One gave them a nod. The other didn’t look up.

A dog barked somewhere down the street, but it didn’t come closer.

Vaelira glanced back at the square. A quiet town. No ruins. No cursed trees. No one watching from the shadows. Just a job board and a place to rest.

It felt normal

She wasn’t sure how long that would last, but for now, she’d take it.

Thalen walked a little ahead, humming something that didn’t have a tune. Edrin stretched his arms over his head with a quiet groan.

“I don’t care what the job is,” he said, “as long as it doesn’t involve swamps.”
“Or undead,” Thalen added.

Vaelira raised an eyebrow. “You two are no fun.”
The inn looked weathered but solid. Its shutters were open, and the faint sound of voices drifted from inside — low and steady. Not loud, not rowdy. Just people talking.

Edrin nodded. “Let’s check it then.”

She didn’t know what waited behind that door.

But for once, it didn’t feel like danger.