CHAPTER FOUR
THE FOREST
Mercius woke with the sun, and stretched his limbs before heading out into the courtyard. There he found, to his surprise, some provisions that Jax had left him: a skin of water, some dried meat, two sets of simple clothes, and, most astonishingly, his sword Illuricht. He had not thought of the blade since he arrived here, being far too focused and concerned with things that had been going on. He stared at it for some time, and the thing seemed to emit a low, throbbing hum that called to the very blood that coursed through his veins. When he finally picked it up and drew it from its scabbard, it sent a jolt up his arm. It wasn’t painful, just shocking. It seemed as if the sword had read his thoughts, and was angry with him for forgetting about it. Ridiculous, Mercius thought, but there it was. Even now, as he gripped the hilt, there was a resonance coming from it that seemed to mingle with him. He and Illuricht had spilled blood together, and were somehow bonded by the experience. Yes, he thought, this demon-blade and I will be parted only at death. He did not rejoice in the thought; in fact, he wished he could simply throw the thing away and run. But he knew without a doubt that he would simply end up coming back for it, or it would somehow find him against all odds. With a sigh, he strapped the thing to his back, picked up the rest of the gear Jax had left him, and headed for the outside world.
It was immediately apparent which direction the villagers had gone: there were deep wagon tracks and footprints in the dozens. They had turned right at the door of the courtyard. Directly in front of him, he knew, beyond the forest, lay the desert; Asgoroth’s desert, and Asgoroth’s dungeon. So, he decided to go south: the opposite direction of the villagers.
He walked aimlessly, keeping the sun on his left. He had no idea where he was going, or indeed where there was to go. He had been entirely unable to get any information out of Jax during their time together, so he knew nothing of the surrounding area, or where there were any other settlements. The forest was dense here, with towering trees and very little undergrowth. He had no real concept of distance, and no way of telling how far he walked. He decided to journey according solely to the needs of his body. If he got tired or weary, he would rest. If he got hungry, he would eat.
About mid-morning, Mercius decided to stop and rest for awhile. Just as he sat down and leaned comfortably against a tree trunk, he caught a noise off to his left. Slowly and stealthily, he rose and circled the tree. He crept on all fours in the direction of the sound, and finally came within sight of a little creature that he would later discover was called a rabbit. It was munching amiably on a tuft of grass, and seemed to have not a care as to what else roamed the woods. With the deft ability of a predator, Mercius crept closer. Still, the animal was unaware of him. Suddenly, he leapt on the thing. He caught it with his outstretched hands, snapped its neck, and ripped its tiny head from its body, all in one swift motion. Now that he had his prey, he was unsure as to how he was supposed to eat it. He took a large bite out of the things hind leg, and spit out a mouthful of fur. After that, it wasn’t long before Mercius had the thing stripped of fur, and was devouring the raw meat and skin. It wasn’t nearly as good as the human food he had been served in the village, but it was what he was used to: raw meat and blood.
Mercius was crouched on the forest floor, crunching bones between his teeth, when he heard a wailing screech from the air. He looked up, alert, just in time to see the thing wheel in the direction he had come from. It struck him as odd, seeing a demon flying in broad daylight; they were much more comfortable and efficient at night, and would only venture out during the day at the great necessity of their masters. But, Mercius decided that it was no threat to him, as it obviously hadn’t spotted him, and he would put it out of his mind. Almost immediately after he made this decision, however, he heard the same shriek, but this time it was amplified into a chorus of discordant cries. He saw above him a troop of flying demons, with hideous riders atop them, all heading north. Staring at them, he began to get an uncomfortable feeling in his gut that they were searching for him intently, and believed they had found him. They were going after the villagers, believing Mercius to have traveled with them.
The feeling in his gut intensified, and he knew that he could not leave them to their fate; a fate that he was both directly and indirectly responsible for.
Strapping Illuricht to his back, he darted off through the forest, following the demons with demon speed.