Chapter Seventeen: Those Who Know Do Not Speak

Chapter Seventeen: Those Who Know Do Not Speak

If they hid, they would likely be found and recaptured. The orcs seemed much more at home in the woods than them, and must have been tracking them somehow; Tom didnt back himself to be able to hide from them, let alone hide three people from them.

He was at an impasse, but they had to do something. Simply allowing themselves to be killed or captured was not an option. Tom knew that if they were captured again, there would be absolutely no escape. After observing the orcs for almost a week, he gave it even odds that they were tracking them purely because their running had triggered some primal chase response in them.

After another half hour of breakneck pace Tom stopped them briefly.

Theyre going to run us down, he said, breathing hard. We need to either fight or hide, but keeping on running will only tire us out when they eventually catch up.

Sam just looked at him with wide eyes, shaking her head very slightly back and forth, heaving massive gasps of air.

The soldier was in slightly better condition, still panting for breath, but somewhat controlled. His face, however, told a different story. It was stamped with fear. His eyes darted around like mice in a box. His lips were drawn into a thin line. His face was white enough for a priest of Truths undergarments.

What? No! We cant just wait for them! the soldier said. Thats madness, man! Theyll catch us for certain!Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

Think for a second, Tom said. We dont have much time. We need to find somewhere to hole up and hope they pass us.

Youre fucking crazy! You stay here if you want - He thrust an accusing finger at Sam -but

Im not just gonna fucking wait for them to catch me again!

And with that, the soldier turned and ran off through the trees, leaving them. Tom went to shout after him, but the howls from behind stopped him. Hed give away exactly where they were, and then they might as well keep running themselves.

Sam, listen to me! he said in a rush. We need to find somewhere to hide, somewhere they wont find us. Then we can just wait while they pass us by and go a different direction, okay? She looked blankly at him.

Okay? Sam? Keep an eye out for somewhere for us to hide, he urged, grabbing her shoulders. She gave him a weak nod, tears leaking down her grubby face.

Good enough, thought Tom. He started them moving again, looking for any likely spots as they followed after the soldier.

They searched and searched as the orc hunting party grew closer. There were places to hide, but they all seemed flimsy at best. Tom wanted to pull his hair out; wanted to shriek in frustration. For the last month and more as theyd explored the Deep Green, there were infinite places to hide. The undergrowth was abundant. It was difficult to avoid divots and cutaways and gullies. Trees with roots that came up to his waist were everywhere. Just not here.

This section of forest was relatively flat. The forest floor was covered in the usual coating of leaves and branches, but it was clear of larger deadfall. There were no large rocks, and the usually ever present low shrubs and bushes were sparse.

They continued on, becoming more and more frantic as they searched. Sam looked like she was about to have a breakdown. Her hands were shaking, and she was whimpering as she followed Tom around.

As the sounds of pursuit grew frenzied, the reason for the lack of ground cover grew apparent. The land tipped into a rise, gentle at first, then escalating quickly. The ground became broken with stones, and the trees were spaced slightly more widely apart. Tom pushed them for even more speed.

The ground cover grew as they moved. Tom reasoned that the trees here must be exposed to greater winds given their wider spacing and higher elevation, and that it cleared dead and weak branches from them more frequently. The large stones persisted, and boulders peeked from the soil. Onwards, they fled.

Tom was certain that any minute now he would look over his shoulder and see dark red skin moving through the trees. Or that he would hear an excited howl and turn to see orcs running them down, having finally sighted their quarry.

At last, Toms nerve gave out. The howls sounded almost right on top of them, echoing through the rocky slope after them. He picked the next place he saw that would give them any kind of cover - a small crook made by two largish boulders wedged together.

His wisp pulsed, and the limning around its pink core turned black.

Ideal manifested.

Ideal Two (Classic):Silence.

Skill One (Classic):Hush (Active).

Mana cost: Moderate.

Cooldown: Moderate.

Range: Medium.

Duration: Moderate.

Apply Silence debuff to target. Puts caster to sleep if self-targeted.

The world snapped back into focus. The soldier opened his mouth.

Hush, Tom said, in the barest whisper.

The soldier drew in a deep breath and tried to set it free in a screaming plea for their help, the muscles in his neck straining, his face going deep pink. But no sound came out. Not even a whisper. A wild, confused expression crossed his face as he tried repeatedly to get their attention.

Tom quickly turned his head to Sam. Hush, he said, but he felt no outflow of mana this time.

Shit! Still on cooldown, he realised.

Looking at her, it was like it had worked anyway though. She was still drawing in air; but there was no noise passing her lips.

The orcs pulled the soldier onwards, back down the slope, out of sight, oblivious to his silent struggles. Tom stayed tense, every muscle in his body rigid, expecting them to return at any moment. He spent long minutes peering between the branches, straining his ears to hear any sound.

Sam began to kick against his legs again. He turned to look at her again. Her face was also going purple. Froth was settling around her lips. Her breathing was extremely shallow, and her eyes were unfocused.

Tom reached out to nudge her. He didnt dare speak for fear of being heard. Her whole body was completely rigid now. He couldnt understand what had happened - the Silence debuff didnt seem to stop them from breathing.

Then Tom felt a sharp pain in his leg.

Skill activated: Sweet Suffering (Passive).

Grey Moss Scorpion Venom -Negated: Extreme muscle relaxant buff applied. Extreme analgesic buff applied. Moderate duration.

His wisp bobbed gently in front of him, and he felt like he was floating with it as he slipped into unconsciousness.