Dungeon 42

Rewards

Chapter 175

Dolkom felt a mighty impatience building up as he took his morning coffee. Brinbarn had been tracking the demi’s for over two weeks. Despite that there hadn’t been a single sign of them meeting with a larger group.

Having come out so far on Jonus' suggestion he found the situation particularly irksome. The other man had been so certain a large gathering would take place. The kind that would surely have enough slaves to be taken to distinguish oneself. As it stood the foot sore group he’d been tracking would hardly be worth bringing back alive.

All of which seemed about right to him. Jonus was pious to the point of being blind at times but not someone Dolkom could ignore despite that. The clergy were fond of him which made his ‘suggestions’ all but orders. None of which made him other than someone who’d been a bit lucky and higher born than the rest of them.

After his coffee and a biscuit Dolkom signaled it was time to go. His men had broken camp at dawn and were eager enough to get moving. The rain had left them all cold and without being able to make a proper fire the best option to get warm was to get on the trail.

Demi’s tended to be good at woodcraft and the group they were following wasn’t an exception. If they’d been less tired they’d have been difficult to track. As it was, it still wasn’t easy.

Things went fine for the first hour but then took an odd turn. Dolkem’s master of hound, Cullen, called a halt and came forward nervously.

“Sir, I think there's something in these woods. Dogs are actin funny,” Cullen explained. Dolkem wanted to cuff him, but it was pointless. Beating the man wouldn’t make the dogs behave. He also knew better than to go after the animals themselves. There was no middle ground with the creatures. Anyone who wasn’t their master trying to discipline them would not be tolerated.

“Then get out of the way,” Dolkem said flatly. He only had one tracker aside from Brinbarn, but Hulnur knew his trade. He’d been a poacher before offering his services up to the seekers. A smart move since it came with a forgiveness of his past transgressions once he proved himself useful.

He signaled for Hulnur who slunk over at a steady limp. The man had volunteered, but not before he’d been caught. The arrow through the leg that brought him down partly lameing him.

“Cullen thinks there might be a monster in the woods,” Dolkem said dismissively. Cullen bristled but didn’t say anything. He was smart enough to know his place, even if he clearly didn’t like it.

“Bastards probably threw something down to foul the dogs, I aint seen monster tracks. Just dog,” Hulnur replied. He was always boringly matter of fact about things.

“Maybe, but they’re actin scared,” Cullen replied, thoughtful rather than upset.

“Done that before, used piss,” Hulnur replied.

“Monster piss? Because my dogs ain’t scared of bears and such,” Cullen asked, clearly intrigued. Dolkem ran a hand over his face, wondering what he’d done to be cursed with such help.

“I don’t give a fuck, just get us back on the trail,” Dolkem cut in to end the conversation. Both men looked at him in surprise. Cullen’s expression turning into the kind you’d have if someone shat at the dinner table. His deep offense at having his little discussion of the trade interrupted clearly written across his features.

Hulnur thankfully turned and went to work. It took a not inconsiderable amount of backtracking but he found tracks after a while. The group had changed course after fouling the dogs, which made sense.

It also suggested they thought they were being tracked but Hulnur had indicated they were still slow going. They might have simply done it because they found whatever was used to do it. That or they being a pit paranoid, unwilling to risk being followed before they found somewhere to rest for a few days.

Dolkem supposed there was an outside chance that they might actually be meeting up with another group. Not much of one, but the change did tell him something different was happening at the very least. Regardless, it suggested caution was in order.

Once it was found, following the trail was simple enough. They even found Brinbarn’s camp from the prior night, including the remains of a small fire. Dolkem made a personal decision not to have the man whipped for it after they were done.

It might have been why the demi’s changed course, but it had been raining and Brisban hadn’t been that close to them. They likely hadn’t seen it. Though even if they had it didn’t change that they should be careful.

Brisban himself had kept on tracking, apparently not forgetting his duty outright. He didn’t leave any intentional signs, but he wasn’t exactly stealthy despite his tracking skills. His path behind the demi’s was easy to follow.

It was nearing noon when they found themselves traveling near a cliff edge. The steep stony side towering above additional forest. Dolkem glanced over the edge occasionally, curious if Brisban hadn’t wandered over the side accidently in the dark. They didn’t know when the man had begun tracking and it would have been possible in the gloom of the early morning if he wasn’t careful.

There was no sign of anyone below, human or otherwise. Dolkem put the fanciful idea aside along with happy little visions of the men who annoyed him wandering over the edge. He’d volunteered for a command role because he’d thought it would be easier to give orders than take them. He hadn’t counted on the headache of trying to get everyone under him to listen.

Finally Hulnur signaled a halt and came to Dolkem holding a strip of white cloth in his hands. A seekers sign.

“How was it tied?” Dolkem asked.

“Round a bush,” Hulnur replied.

“What kind of knot?” Dolkem asked. He had to remind himself that Hulnur was a bit slow. Hulnur just stared back at him.

“Like you were shown, seeker signs?” Dolkem reminded him. Not that many of them ever used them but everyone was taught at some point. Trackers employed them frequently and were expected to know them from memory without needing a guide.

“Uh… the tied kind?” Hulnur finally said. Dolkem got his hand half raised before he could stop himself. He didn’t need smart men, but he had thought he at least had ones with basic competence.

“Fuckin igit… show me where you found it,” Dolkem said finally. Hulnur hadn’t even flinched at the upraised hand, just looked at it with a dull curiosity. He complied with the order with a similar level of enthusiasm.

The bush the strip of cloth had been tied to was next to a narrow trail leading down the cliff face. Too tight for horses. It would have been easy to miss without the sign. Down in the woods below Dolkem could see a bit of white, Brinbarn in his seekers cloak instead of the green one meant for tracking.

Dolkem paused a moment, taking the scene in. Brinbarn was too far away to make out clearly but he was leaning against a tree, probably smoking, rather than tracking. Either he’d lost the trail or he was confident it wouldn’t matter.

Searching the treetops Dolkem spotted several thin lines of smoke rising up from a sizable clearing. It was far enough off that he couldn’t get a real feel for anything about it, but it suggested a large encampment.

Word was quickly passed around to leave all but the most basic of gear with the horse and tie them up in the woods. They could have tried to find a wider trail down, but Dolkem didn’t want to risk loosing his chance by fucking about looking for a better option. Besides, they’d have to tie them up anyway before trying to get close enough for an attack.

Only Cullen balked at the prospect of heading down, not wanting to travel where his dogs wouldn’t go. Dolkem finally lost his temper and cuffed him. Master of hounds was too good a title for a wet behind the ears brat without the courage Strom gave a rat.

“Guard the horses then,” Dolkem sneered. The dogs would have been a liability anyway, but he’d thought to let the boy blood himself. He wasn’t even properly a seeker yet, having been conscripted rather than volunteering. He should have wanted to prove himself but he continually did the bare minimum. Dolkem wouldn’t try to do him any favors again.

The cliff trail was narrow but easy to walk down and there was a bit of a clearing at the bottom. Enough for everyone to rally while they waited for Brisban to come and report. Half of his men were down and the rest on the trail when the earth gave a sudden grinding groan. Dolkem didn't have time to do more than look about in confusion before everything went dark.