Kapitel 55: Walking The Almost Untraversable Path
The next morning, the group heard marching noises. They went outside to see the guards already marching down the path.
"Looks like they are ready to storm the barricades and outposts," Kell remarked.
"We should make our preparations before heading out first," Ian reminded them.
-x-
It did not take long for them to prepare, mostly because they already made the necessary preparations the night before. The only thing left is for them to grab the rations as well as some items Ian had requested the night before.
While the girls head towards the provision storage, Ian and Kell go to meet the head, who is waiting for them at the weapon storage.
"Here is what you asked for last night," the man gave them several cloaks, which Kell took three while Ian took two.
"There are Hiding Cloak, a magic item that makes it harder for any beings, monsters, beasts, and humans, to detect and perceive your existence.
As long as they don't touch you or get very close, they will not be able to see you. This should provide sufficient cover for all of you," the head explained.
"Thank you. We will make sure to return it after this," Ian told the man before saying his farewell, preparing to meet the girls at one of the camp's entrances.
-x-
"So this is the cloak," Lisa said as she examined the piece of clothing.
"Yes, when we get to the path wear it, and make sure to never remove it," Ian reminded them, the others nodding in understanding.
Soon, they head toward the route they are supposed to take, preparing for the worst.
-x-
"I had imagined it before, thinking about the most disgusting place I have seen and making it a hundred times as bad. That is what I think the route will look like," Ana lamented.
"I was wrong. It is 10 times worse than even my worst imagination," she finished. Frankly, Ian could not blame her.
Even the swamp he was forced to traverse in the past is not as bad as the place they have to pass through. And don't even say anything about the smell.
He took out several flowers, all having a good but slightly overpowering smell, and gave them to the others, along with a piece of clothing to be used as a makeshift face cover.
They accepted it readily, inhaling the smell like it was a gift of the gods before looking at the area in front of them with a steely gaze.
"Let's move out,"
-x-
The bog, there is no other way to say it, makes it hard for them to walk on it. If they step at the wrong spot, their leg might be submerged until the part above the thigh can be seen, as they have to pull out both Lisa and Fiona already.
Thankfully, Kell decided to use his brain grabbed a long stick, and poked the ground. The others decided to follow behind him, paying attention to where he stepped so they would step there afterward.
Soon, they look more like a bunch of ducklings following their mother instead of adventurers but it is something they have to do or they will be stuck in the place.
At the very least, the wildlife doesn't attack them yet. Yet.
-x-
"Slimes should not be this hard to handle," Ana grumbled as she tried to swing at a slime, that jumped out of her strike zone before jumping towards her once more.
They had been harassed by slimes when they reached the middle of the bog, the slimes somehow able to bounce on the bog without repercussions.
They wanted to cry foul and ask why those monsters possessed a skill they all wanted. It would make getting out of there much easier.
Unfortunately, the slimes decide to make their lives miserable as their job, bounces, attacks, and taunts the heck out of them. Ana had lost her patience more than once and tried to chase after them only for the monsters to bounce away while she was forced to wade through the bog and generally be unsuccessful in her attempt to make the slimes in the area extinct.
Even worse, both Ian and Fiona could not cast any spell less some goblins could see them and attack them while they remained stuck there. The only thing they could do was try their best to get out of the bog as quickly as possible.
-x-
"Burn down the fortification and make haste to the next one," one of the captains of the guards ordered, the guards carried torches and burned down the towers as more guards poured through the route and headed towards the next barricades.
Soon, another group came toward his position, ready to continue the assault. "Looks like this stretch of the road already cleared," his colleagues said, looking at the burning woods with a smile.
"Yes, though there are still a lot of barricades left. It still surprises the goblin chieftain is smart enough to order its subordinate to make this many defenses when it is likely the ruler of Thrine Forest," the captain remarked.
"Yes, and maybe that's why the mage and his group decided to circumvent the entire thing, so they could be prepared for whatever the chieftain is planning. If it is smart enough to make this kind of fortification even when it is never attacked, who knew how many nasty surprises it would create for us," the other captain agreed.
"Yes, and that is why we must make haste. For all we knew they might reach the camp already,"
-x-
"How long until we reach the end of this sludge hell?" Ana whined, trudging through the sludge. Thankfully, they have extra clothing so they will not have to wear soggy clothing while they wait.
Still, it started to drain them as they were forced to traverse the path. Ian was even hoping to strangle the fool who found the path. How did they reach the end when they have to pass through the damn bog?!
However, complaining will not solve anything, so they keep marching, hoping to reach the end as quickly as possible.
-x-
To their joy, they were able to reach the end of the bog before sunset. After splitting up to change to less damaged clothing, they returned and threw the damaged clothing into the bog, with Kell pushing it deeper.
There is no need to carry it all the way and disposing of it normally requires fire so they have to do the next best thing and throw it into the bog.
As they walked past a tall natural stone pillar, they spotted their target, the goblin's camp.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein