Zara watched him, he felt it on the side of his face. "Yes."
They ran in silence after that.
The ground rose and fell frequently, the Hills living up to their name, but mostly the land consisted of the flat valleys between such rises where water pooled and flowed, often playing host to any number of monstrous creatures. Most of such creatures ran at his company's approach, though more than a few decided to attack them. The Legions, Warriors, and Dawnguard proved more than a match for any of them, though their organization left something to be desired. The giants were dour, solitary combatants for the most part while the Legions did not work very well among one another, Blade and Fist and Bone and Arclight all having their own way of doing things. The only exception were the Henaari, who quickly became the company's scouts as the hours turned to days among the Hills.
Moods were souring as their march pushed into its third day, the fighters tiring of the wet, humid air and the wet, muddy ground. The weather was warmer there, presumably because they were closer to the equator of the planet, but Felix had yet to see a map of the Continent that encompassed more than a small section. Buzzing insects hovered around them, at least until Vess and Darius started circulating flows of air Mana around the group, forcing them away. The bugs and most of the smaller critters around them were lower in level, barely pushing beyond level twenty, but every once in a while they'd encounter something bigger. A crocodile-thing the size of a minivan slithered through one waterway, and a moss-covered simian as big as a giant swung through the upper branches. Neither bothered to even glance at their group, which was a relief. As much as Felix could handle a giant, magic crocodile, he'd much rather run on uninterrupted.
Eventually, however, the Dawnguard approached him.
"My Lord, there is a town ahead," one murmured, low enough that only he would have heard it.
"Bogfeld?"
"So the signs declare, my Lord," another scout said.
Felix felt a slow tempo thrum from their Spirits. Caution, maybe. "What's wrong?"
"The Paladins, my Lord. They're here."
"Show me."
Bogfeld, despite its humble name, was a fairly bustling town. Situated on a hill that had its top chopped off and built all around with tall, wooden walls, the town was a fortress that few monsters could properly assault. Though it was clear many had tried. Large ditches surrounded the hill, easily twenty feet deep and filled with water and sharpened logs, and Felix could spot thirty or more monstrous corpses impaled on their defenses. Black smoke rose like a pyres all around the town's edges...and from inside.
"There was a monster attack?" he asked the scout.
"So it appears," the scout said, a woman named Krys. "You can see their guards still standing there and there. The battle was only in the last glass."
Felix followed the scout's finger and saw men in dark, burnished armor standing atop the walls. Knights, according to his Voracious Eye. They held very long spears, designed to stab from the top of the wall, and all of them were smoking as monster blood boiled off of them. "Where are the Paladins?"
"There."
In order to get a good vantage, the two of them had climbed a tall tree at least a mile from Bogfeld, but the scout's sight was good enough to make out basic details. Felix's own Perception was a good bit higher, so he could clearly see the men and women in dark red armor, strutting around the town's streets as if they owned the place. His Voracious Eye confirmed their allegiance.
"Forty or fifty have been spotted, and they are quartered near the far gates, where the fortified path leads to the Stormeater Peaks." Krys pointed them out. The wooden walls were built up and around a solitary path up and into the foothills that backed the town. Beyond that, the Stormeater Peaks dominated the southern horizon, so big that it was hard to tell its true size. It just looked like a wall at the edge of the world, miles high and miles wide. Somewhere, among the thick forests and guarded pathways, the Caleph Pass existed.
"Can we get around it? Bypass the town entirely?" he asked.
"It is possible, my Lord. My men have not completed their mapping mission yet, so I can tell you more by midday when they return," Krys said.
"Sounds good. Thank you, Krys."
"Of course, my Lord."
Felix nodded and jumped down out of the tree. He fell, heedless of the distance, until he hit the mossy earth below with a dull thump. A slight flex of his knees was all he needed to absorb the impact, and his Health didn't even flicker.
High Endurance and Vitality is so very cool, he thought.
The rest of the company were settled further back, in a hollow between two larger hills where their forces would remain invisible to even the keenest of eyes in Bogfeld. Felix approached them and quickly gathered up Zara and the others, leaving the Legion, giants, and Henaari to finish enjoying their rest. He quickly explained the situation.
"Circumventing the town seems the wisest course of action," Vess agreed. "Though the Pass is likely well guarded. It is one of the few ways through the Stormeaters and trade with the desert cities is very profitable."
"Avoiding Paladins. I'm not keen on that idea," Evie said. "How'll I kill em if I have to keep hiding?"
"The point isn't to fight them, Aren. We're here to find the...other, and get out," Alister said.
"The Paladins are a plague, but I agree that engaging them here is not the wisest course of action," Zara said. "My main concern, however, are our supplies. The food and fresh water are running low after our trek. It seems Frost Giants require a great deal of both throughout the day."
"Hm. Bogfeld looks prosperous. Should we send someone into town to resupply?" Felix asked.
"That is up to you, Autarch," the Naiad replied with a smirk that quickly faded. "It would be unwise to enter the Scorched Expanse without adequate water, at the very least."
"A death sentence," Atar said. "I also don't like the idea that the Paladins are controlling the Caleph Pass. Those Knights...they would have to work for one of the Princes. Why are they not contesting the Hierocracy's presence?"
"Not sure on the politics, but sounds like there's a mite few more holy idiots than Knights," Harn said. Felix nodded.
"Scouts have counted at least forty Paladins, and I clocked like barely half that of Knights. Could be more in the town, but there's likely more Paladins too."
"The Thousand Princes of Ghreldan are weak," Vess pointed out as Alister nodded. "If they could actually band together, they could amount to something. As it is, they remain fractious enough that they barely hold onto their capital cities and surrounding farm lands."
"Meaning those Knights are on their own," Alister said. "They'll likely be strongJourneyman Tier at leastbut without the threat of a proper backing, they'll not stand up against the Hierocracy's thugs."
Felix tapped his lips, thinking. "Then we have to go into Bogfeld, a few of us at least."
"Several teams would be best," Zara pointed out. "We cannot be seen collecting too many supplies at once. They will assume we're making for the Pass, but that is easier to pass off if we are a small group."
"Smart lady," Harn grunted. "I'll take a few in, get the water we need. Evie? Can you behave yourself?"
Evie blinked her big, green eyes at the grizzled veteran. "No promises."
Harn grunted.
"Right, then a couple more for food, and...we need information." Felix met Atar's eyes. "I need to know what the Paladins are planning. This many for one person? Something else is up."
"Perhaps. But do not miscount your value, Felix. Or our bullish friend's. Nations would move mountains to secure one such as yourselves," Zara said.
"Your code needs work, Zara," Darius said. He had been there the whole time and was most of the reason they had avoided using the word "Unbound." "Who is it we are chasing? And why would the Hierocracy be interested in them, to this extent?"
"I'll tell you once we're in the desert," Felix said. "I promise." Darius frowned, but nodded anyway. "For now, let's rest and wait on the Dawnguards' return. After that, to Bogfeld."
"I love a shopping trip," Evie said, but her eyes were staring intensely into the distance, as if she could bore a hole through the hills, straight to the town. Her fingers caressed the edge of her bladed chain.
Felix swallowed. It'll be fine. Probably.