A Hero With/Out Time

Chapter 2: My Mistake. (Part 4)

"R-right...." I nodded. "Thank you."

"Get some rest Rain. Don't let Ronalt push you around too much."

I left the room and once outside, leaned against the closed door. If no one would listen then I'd have to take things into my own hands. I refused to die in that forest again.

*

Just before noon we left Greytree and took the road North before quickly heading west once out of sight from the town. A strained nervousness had taken over everyone aside from Earnest who just slept like he usually did. For most it was the first time they'd enter the demon territory. For me it was the 'I really don't want to die' vibe. To be honest chances were in about five or so hours I'd be listening to the Queen once more.

Once we reached the forest Ronalt signalled for me to pull over.

"This is the route," he handed me a badly sketched map. "Can you get us through?"

"If the path is big enough for the carriage, sure," I sighed internally. Unfortunately it was. The path was incredibly old, worn and downright creepy but surprisingly spacious enough for the carriage.

"Whatever you do, stay to the path. If we go out of its bounds we may be spotted by the demon's patrols." He really didn't need to glare at me. "I trust that you'll see this through."

"Yes sir," I bowed.

"Good. If anything happens or you see something let us know." With that he just turned his back to me and guided the Hero who had stepped outside back in.

If they were really concerned they could always keep me company outside. Somehow the sense of trust they had in me was oddly strong. Then again when I was kidnapped for the job, several higher ups had made it painfully clear what would happen to me if I deserted the party. Let me tell you that death wasn't the worse of it.

I took a moment to caress Pina's feathers. The bird chirped happily and rubbed its large head against my chest.

"There, there girl. We'll make it through this." I gave her one last pat and mounted the carriage. With a simple flick of the reigns Pina began to enter the forest and join onto the path.

The trees here were tall and thick. Despite it being midday the coverage of leaves blocked out most the sun and with the naturally overcast day a dreary atmosphere settled in. I didn't mind it however. To me it felt eerily calm, but strangely soothing like watching a thunderstorm roll across the plains from afar. What I didn't like was my heart hammering into my chest dreading every minute that passed.

Last night I had collated as much of the rumours about the Monster as possible. Luckily Taylor had found someone else to 'mess' with and didn't follow me. Old hunters and guardsman who'd been on patrol, they told me stories of the trees shifting and seeing clouds of birds flock to the skies. None of them had seen it directly but from their words I was able to sketch out a general area where the Monster would likely be. Combined with my previous knowledge I knew where the Monster would be in the next few hours. I just had to not be there at that time.

The minutes ticked by into hours and we even rested by the path. It wasn't for long however as the Hero didn't like the feeling in the air and asked to keep moving. Her actions had a cute anxiousness to them that although concerning, softened my heart. We moved on and Ardent had even kept his word and a shimmer of light protected the carriage as we progressed.