Chapter 27: Trailblazers

Chapter 27: Trailblazers

Chapter 27

Trailblazers

Ryne heard a rumorit was an unbelievable rumor, the ilk that a mind immediately dismissed due to it being utterly insane. But she heard it, over and over, in fact, while staying in the castle. There was an expedition being formedan expedition meant to chase ghosts beyond the wall. Her eyes immediately gravitated toward the tallest spire, bounding in awe and confusion. Was there anyone truly that moronic in charge? Or, perchance, that brave?

From what she heard, it will be a medium-sized group led by two Guard Captains, and the expected length of the expedition was two months. They were also only taking veteran guards along. It sounded pointless, dangerous, and moronic but Ryne was intrigued. She was truly intrigued. Though her Master told her to never cross the borders of Human Kingdoms, she was tempted; to be told not to do something, after all, inspired a soul to do that very thing.

She walked into Nether and began listening in on the conversations from close by. She quickly found her point of entry: potterboys. Though she was neither a potter nor a boy, she could always play a role. That was all her life was in the endplaying roles and losing her true self in the process. Determined, she made her way to the central castle where they were taking the applicants.

**Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

Sylas lazily ignored Tebeks death glares while chewing away at some dry jerky, looking at the completely empty line in front of the table manned by Tenner. Nobody volunteered. Literally nobody. Not a single soul came forth of their own will. Shit, is the forest really that scary? Sylas wasn't a superstitious sort, and that part of him traveled over. Even with magic being a reality, there was an explanation to the Ghouls just spawning where they shouldnt. It might be a magical explanation, but it wasnt a random act of nature.

He was confident in figuring out what the hell was going onnamely in that he could continuously die and reset it alland he had to figure it out. It had little to do with just his curiosity, but there was also a factor of necessity. The more he knew about the world, the more likely he was to unlock its secrets.

After nearly four hours of silent wait, just as Sylas was about to give up and go and take a nap, the sound of footsteps drew three men's attentions. Coming through the arched doors was a frail-looking figure, a handsome boy that seemed no older than fifteen. He was of a slender build, looking like he was made of glass, but he walked with a certain level of confidence.

Sylas nearly gaped, however, upon a closer look; though others likely wouldnt question it, since he met her once already, Sylas immediately recognized that the boy in front of him was very much a girlthe same girl who approached him randomly in one of the loops. Just as he was about to tell her to piss off, he held back; there had to be a reason why she was going this far.

H-hello, (s)he spoke shyly, bowing toward Tenner whose smile widened. The man truly was weak toward the weak.

Hello, he replied.

Why? he asked, his expression void of emotion. Ignore the two geezers behind me, they dont matter. Tell me. Why do you want to come with us so badly? Its not the respect. If its the respect you wanted, you could have just broken some big dudes spine and earned it that way. So, why?

staring at those resolute-looking brown eyes, Ryne felt her walls weakening. Startled, she barely held back a yelp of shock. I I want to know. I want to know what that place is. Why it is the way it is.

Fine, Sylas shruggedif she wanted to come, she would come. Besides, the fact that she could so easily lift roughly fifty-sixty pounds and carry it over spoke of the fact that she wasnt quite normal either. It was better to keep her by his side rather than in the castle where she could kill the Prince or something. You can come with us. I just hope youre comfortable pissing and shitting in the woods. If not, you have a day to get some practice in. Now, get lost. Two days from now, meet us at the big hole in the wall at dawn. Got it?

G-got it! still reeling from shock at the mans curt language, Ryne sped off, disappearing. She would get her vengeance, she swore, one day for the man embarrassing her.

Staring at the fading back, Sylas turned toward the two Captains; they truly were different, in all aspects. Tenner was like a middle-aged man who wanted to help everyone so, sometimes, he overstepped and became a nuisance. Tebek was like an angry middle-aged neighbor who just yelled at the kids on the street and told them to bug off elsewhere. Nonetheless, both of them were necessary for Sylas. No matter how well-versed hed gotten with the sword, he was still a piss-weak beginner, especially compared to the two of them.

In fact, hed already asked Tenner to spar with him seriously and got his ass beaten so hard he had to reset the loop due to the levels of embarrassment. He wouldnt be able to survive against even a small pack of ghouls, let alone any larger number, on his own.

Write hewrite he down.

Humph, you mean write him down? Tebek growled while Sylas merely rolled his eyes.

Are you certain? Tenner asked, looking at Sylas with a concerned expression. He

He can clearly lift stuff, and thats all potterboys dolift stuff. If you're concerned, then just make sure that the front ranks are never broken if we ever get into a fight. I'll go take a nap. If nobody else arrives within an hour, go out and order the ten men you trust the most. If they refuse, take a whip, bend them over your knees, and whip them until they pop a hard-on. Then use that to blackmail them into coming."

leaving behind confused and mortified Captains, Sylas made a beeline toward the now-royal chambers to consult with Cyrs and Valen one last time. He had to leave behind some Godly instructions for the Prince and some do-goody instructions for Cyrs. Though it was dangerous leaving the two of them alone, especially because Cyrs guilt was still riding that coked-on high, the risk was worth it. The more quickly he began unraveling the world at its seams the more quickly will he begin understanding its core nature.

He felt it, in his bones, that whatever lay between the castle and the cliffed shores bore answers to many of his questions. And if he could answer those questions, he'd be a few clicks closer to answering the penultimate question: who had designs against the castle, why, and how the hell did they manage to 'control' the Ghouls to attack it?