TWBFHA 08

Chapter 8: The Chosen

Amidst the shattering of hope, Alex’s mind raced frantically, trying to conjure thousands of lies.

How did the Chosen find me?
We’ve only been on the road a day!
What are the odds they’d find me this quickly?

Theresa stood frozen by the gear, and to Alex, everything seemed to move in slow motion.
The Chosen took a step toward Alex.
His gaze lingered on the red sphere hovering beside Alex.

“Magic, huh… That’s a hell of a talent, friend. In all my days, I could count on one hand the people who could wield it like that. The people here are alive because of you. Silence Spiders, nothing to laugh at.”

He looked steadily at Alex and asked.

“Are you… a wizard, by chance?”
“The Chosen! We’re safe now!!”

Before Alex could answer, someone in the gathered crowd shouted.
People surged forward, pushing to get a closer look. A murmur spread through the crowd.
The Chosen smiled again.
As the closer firelight illuminated him brighter, Alex noticed one of his teeth was made of gold.
He tossed the monster head he was holding to the ground.

“Yeah, I’m the Chosen.”

Then he gestured toward Alex with his chin.

“But the one who saved your hides is this fellow right here.”

He extended a rough, thick-fingered hand toward Alex.

“Need a hand up?”

Alex hesitated.
There was no sign of suspicion now, but who knew what would happen the moment their hands touched?
But there was no path of escape.
Alex took a breath, silently pleading for luck, and grasped the Chosen’s hand.
In that instant, a strength like that of a lifting ox hauled Alex effortlessly to his feet.
Thankfully, the Chosen didn’t recognize Alex as a Marked hero.
He brushed the dirt from Alex’s shirt.

“There we go, there we go. Can’t have the hero of the hour covered in dust.”

Then the Chosen’s gaze turned to Selina.

“You alright there, little one?”

The small girl was staring up at the red-haired hero with saucer-wide eyes.
He smiled at Selina and took a step toward Brutus.

“This fellow seems hurt, though.”
“What are you doing?”

Theresa snapped upright.

“Just looking to tend to this brave soul.”

The Chosen raised both hands. A gasp went through the crowd.
The gleaming spear in his hand warped like quicksilver, flowing down his arm. It began to encase his arm like a gauntlet of liquid metal.
From his now-uncovered hand, a soft, white glow with a hint of blue began to emanate.

“Easy, easy, good boy. Not gonna hurt you. This’ll take the pain away.”

He knelt before the growling Brutus and began a prayer.

“Great Uldar, hear the plea of your servant, and share your divinity with this brave soul. Heal its wounds, ease its suffering, so it may walk in health from this day forth.”

The light pouring from his hand grew into a brilliant radiance, and the moment it touched Brutus’s wounds, they began to glow with the same light.
In mere seconds, the wounds sealed as if they’d never been.
He stood up proudly, hands on his hips.
Brutus stared at him for a long moment, then snorted derisively and returned to Theresa’s side.
Alex felt a little… pleased seeing that.
Theresa nodded, examining Brutus’s flank.

“Thank you.”
“Ah, it’s nothing. The least a Chosen can do.”

He said with a laugh.

“Just let him rest well, and he’ll be right as rain, like he never fought at all.”

He turned and spread his arms wide to the crowd.

“Alright, show’s over. You’ve seen me bag the beast.”

He gave the dead Silence Spider’s corpse a kick.

“I was on my way back from clearing out a pack of the monsters moving south from the cave. The dungeon’s become active again.”

A groan went up from the crowd.

“Yeah, yeah. But I carved up the first wave pretty good, so it’ll take ‘em a while to crawl back out. So, let these poor folks rest, and everyone get some shut-eye.”

He put his hands on his hips and continued.

“And you’d best be moving on the moment your eyes open. The priests say it’ll take the dungeon core a few days to print out the next batch. Use that time to get as far away as you can.”

For a moment, silence fell over the clearing.

“What, still here?”

He waved a hand sheathed in silvery metal.

“Planning a winter festival? Get going, go, go!”

Startled travelers hurriedly offered thanks and began to stir, making their way out of the clearing.
Some cast uneasy glances toward the trees.
After the last person had left, he raised an eyebrow toward Alex’s party.

“And you?”

Theresa approached the monster carcass, observing it with a cool eye.

“Did you truly clear out all of those things? So this was the last one?”
“Yep. This one just slipped away. They’re…”

He scratched his head.

“The priests gave them a name, what was it…”

Alex’s ears perked up at the word ‘priests.’

“Ah, they’ve got something inside them, some kind of mechanism. Don’t remember the exact name, but it’s why they make no sound and no scent.”

The Chosen explained.

“Really creepy bastards. A nightmare to track when they’re up in the trees. But why ask if it’s the last?”
“Because if that’s true, it’s better to stay in the woods. We know the Coil well, and if you cleared them out, that means it’s safe here. But the fields are different. Who knows what’s hiding out there?”
“Hahaha!”

The Chosen threw his head back and laughed heartily.

“A smart and brave one!”

Alex and Theresa quickly exchanged a glance.
Alex’s mind spun.
Instinct screamed at him to run from this man, but his reason suppressed the urge.
For now, he had to hide his feelings and respond calmly. This was a rare chance to get information.
Alex stood up with a smile.
Holding Selina, he focused on controlling his expression, careful not to use the Mark.
Using magic in front of a hero was far too dangerous.

“Um…”

Just as Alex was about to ask, the Chosen waved a hand.

“Oh right, I should introduce myself first, manners slipping. My Ma would tan my hide for this back home. Name’s Cedric. Of Clan Duncan. And you?”

Alex paused to think.
Should he lie?
…No.
If it were just him and Theresa, maybe. But Selina might get confused. And if that got exposed, it was all over.
There was no avoiding it.

“Alex Roth.”

Alex said, forcing a smile.

“And my sister, Selina.”
“Theresa Lu.”

Theresa also cautiously gave her name.

“Good to meet you.”

Cedric smiled, his gold tooth flashing.

“So, Alex. What was your question?”
“Where are the priests right now?”

Alex asked, his throat dry with tension.
He wanted to look toward the trees but forced himself not to.
Cedric paused for a moment, then coughed awkwardly.

“Eh, well, they’re operating separately for a bit. Good folk, but they were keen on dragging me straight to the capital. But just passing by the ‘Wayfarer’s Cave’ near Arik didn’t sit right, you know? It was on the way, so I slipped off to hunt down the ones that got out first, planning to rejoin them before sunrise.”

Alex frowned.

“Isn’t fighting monsters the hero’s job? Why would they stop you from doing that?”
“Cowards?”

Cedric said, averting his eyes.

“Something about… ‘the Ravener dungeon is too dangerous for a single hero,’ or some such. But that’s our task. I figured I’d at least clear the woods for tonight and come back tomorrow to properly tackle the dungeon. Besides, they’re taking forever searching every nook and cranny right now.”
“Searching?”

Alex asked carefully.

“For the heroes?”
“Yeah.”

Cedric plopped down on the monster corpse.

“But don’t worry. They’ve found almost all of them now. Just the ‘Fool’ left.”
Alex fought to keep his expression neutral. Theresa’s face tightened slightly too, but it was subtle enough that an outsider wouldn’t have noticed.
Fortunately, Cedric wasn’t looking at her.
Alex shrugged.

“Still, lucky it’s just the ‘Fool’ left. The legends say a hero party can manage without a Fool anyway.”

Cedric’s eyes narrowed.

“Hey, a hero is a hero, no matter the Mark.”

He said firmly.

“Champion or Fool, each has a role, a duty, a reason. I think we need to find them all. The Fool’s Mark might have a bad rap in the histories, but I’d still protect him. I just pray to Uldar he isn’t hiding.”
“The priests will find him soon, though.”

Alex ventured cautiously.
Cedric snorted.

“I hope so. I was right nearby when their holy artifact started singing.”

Alex couldn’t help but grimace.

“…Singing?”
“Yeah!”

Cedric’s laughter echoed through the clearing. It sounded like warm thunder.

“Honest! The artifact itself was singing! Thought it had swallowed a train whistle! Though it doesn’t get loud unless you’re close. The Saint’s different, they say. Can spot a hero from farther away than the priests can.”

He shrugged and continued.

“Anyway, we’re all to go to the capital for ceremonies and such, and if the Fool isn’t found by then, we start hunting for where he ran off to. The priesthood is searching with all they’ve got right now. My priests too. Half guards, half hunters.”

Alex’s heart was pounding loud enough for his own ears.
But he kept his expression bland and said calmly.

“That’s a shame. I’d think deploying the Saint for the search as soon as possible would be better. If it were me, I’d gather the heroes found first and have them, along with the Saint, track down the remaining ones.”

Alex took a step forward.

“Meanwhile, station the priests at the ports. On an island nation like this, covering the main ports would probably snag the Fool easily enough.”
“That’s what I said!”

Cedric slapped his gauntleted hand down on the spider carcass. Crack! The exoskeleton fractured slightly.

“Ah, friend. Finally, someone who gets it. Thankfully, they are doing that last bit. Priests are stationed at the coastal outposts now. They’re setting up a divine network, like this in a circle.”

He made a circle with his hands.

“When the artifacts within that circle connect, they say it can stop Ravener monsters from crossing over the sea. And they can instantly detect if a hero passes through the circle too.”

Alex’s blood ran cold.
But he still wore a smile.

“So you’ll definitely find him then. There’d be no escape from that.”
‘…And no escape for me either.’

Alex added bitterly to himself.
Cedric nodded, seeming to regain his vigor.

“Right. The sooner the heroes are together, the better. Say, you know. Should I pass a word to my escort? Maybe they could assign a guard or two to your party since you’re heading for a ship too. With luck, they might even cover your passage. You took down a monster holding your sister. You deserve that much at least.”
“No, that’s alright.”

Alex raised a hand in refusal.

“Duty comes first, right?”

He threw Cedric’s own words back at him.
Quoting someone doubled the persuasiveness.

“You’ll need every priest to find the Fool.”

Cedric looked a bit disappointed.

“…Fair point. Still, feels wrong to just send you off like this. And seeing your sister, definitely. She looked worn out.”

Cedric groaned as he stood up, grabbing the severed Silence Spider head.

“Alright, friends! Time I found those priests again. They’ll set the forest on fire looking for me. You sure you’ll be fine here?”
“Don’t worry.”

Theresa said firmly.

“Well…”

Cedric looked at Alex’s party for a long moment.

“Have a good night, then, and safe travels.”

He stretched with a long groan, then strode into the woods with the Chosen’s swagger, the strange, shifting silver gleam of his weapon soon swallowed by the darkness.

They moved their camp to a different part of the woods immediately.
Putting Selina to sleep required constant soothing and reassurance.
Meanwhile, Alex was already exhausted.
The fight had drained him, the force ball had nearly emptied his mana, and the encounter with the Chosen had frayed his nerves to the breaking point.
He and Theresa sat facing each other in a new forest clearing.
The surrounding trees felt oppressive in the night’s darkness, and even the rustle of leaves sounded like the breath of hidden beasts.
Brutus sat with his haunches planted, six eyes watching past a tree trunk, while Selina snored softly a few paces away.
Theresa whispered.

“We’re in deep trouble, Alex.”
“I know.”

Alex glanced around. Between the night’s events and his mana depletion, his eyelids felt like lead weights.
Theresa asked.

“So what are you going to do now?”

Alex took a moment to breathe.

“I know what you have to do. Take Selina and head for the port.”
“What? Why? Even if we go there, we’ll get caught anyway.”
“No, not ‘we.’ I’ll get caught.”

He tapped his own shoulder.

“What they’re looking for is right here. This Mark. Not you, not Selina. You’re just two more people fleeing Arik among thousands.”
“Wait, so you’re going to stay behind alone?”

Theresa’s body went rigid.

“Alex, if Brutus hadn’t caught that monster, we’d be dead already. You heard Cedric. He dealt with a pack of those things. That’s… what you’d have to fight.”

Her lips trembled.

“You’d die…”
“Hold on, hold on!”

Alex raised a hand to stop her.

“Who said anything about fighting a pack of monsters with Cedric? I’m not doing that.”
“Then what… hide and run alone?”

Theresa narrowed her eyes.

“No.”

Alex looked at her with a serious expression.

“What I need right now is a way to get to the continent without triggering that ‘divine net.’ Right?”
“Right.”
“And what did Cedric say? He cleared out the monster pack in the woods, and it would take the dungeon some time to spew out more?”
“Y-yeah…!”

Theresa’s eyes widened.

“…No, Alex. That’s absolutely not an option.”
“Yes, it is. I’ve thought it through, Theresa. The only way for me to get out of Tameland…”

He clenched his fist.

“…is to go through the Wayfarer’s Cave and head north.”