Chapter 95 The Follower

After leaving the room, Dario and his two soldiers mounted their horses and hurried out of Silverleaf. As Sheriff, he had plenty of other matters to attend to. He would not have come all this way himself if the matter had not been so urgent.

The three companions returned to the room and sat down. Raymond addressed Henk earnestly. “Henk, I'm not trying to force you into anything. You're free to make your own choice. I just think the risk is too great.”

Henk said nothing, only nodded quietly.

Mara spoke up instead. “I don't think these Blackstone Mountains sound like such a big deal. Do you know where the pass is? Why don't we go and have a look?”

The suggestion interested Raymond. There seemed to be no harm in going to look at the pass, but he had never been there. Henk had followed the gnolls after the previous exchange. The question was whether he still remembered the way.

Raymond looked at him, and Henk immediately understood.

“I remember where it is. I think we should take a look too.”

They quickly agreed on the plan. After putting on all their gear, Raymond made a point of informing the village head. Then, taking only a few basic supplies, they set off in the direction Henk remembered.

On the way, Raymond looked at Henk's stern face and could not help asking, “Henk, I'd really like to know why you need money so badly.”

Normally, it was better to respect each other's privacy and wait for someone to bring up their own troubles. But after what had just been said, Raymond wanted to know why Henk needed money so urgently. He knew Henk came from the north and had been sending money home, but he had never asked much about conditions there.

Henk kept his eyes ahead and let out a long breath. “Last year's harvest was poor. This year's drought is bad. The village doesn't have enough food to last through winter. I need to earn more and send it home. The people there raised me. I have to repay them.”

“I see.”

Mara suddenly spoke. “There's plenty we need money for back home, human. You have no idea. That lot at the fortress take people from the villages to fight, or haul them off to work there. They say it's our duty in return for their protection. But if you pay enough, you don't have to do any of it.”

This is a copy of the author's NovelPhoenix chapter made without approval; reading the chapter at its publication supports their work.

Raymond was taken aback. He had not realized how hard life was for ordinary people in the north. Henk showed no reaction, which only confirmed that what Mara described was no isolated case.

After a long while, Raymond sighed.

“I see...”

Raymond fell silent, and the three continued toward the mountain pass without a word.

“Wait. I think something's following us,” Mara suddenly said in a low voice.

“Something?” Raymond noticed her choice of words. He did not reach for his weapon, but kept walking as though nothing were wrong. Henk understood his intention and maintained his pace too.

They walked on, stopping from time to time, until they paused at a fork in the path. Mara narrowed her eyes and listened carefully. “No doubt about it now. Something really is following us.”

Raymond considered it for a moment. “Pretend you're checking another route. Circle around and see what it is.”

“Got it.”

“Be careful,” he added.

Mara turned and studied him, then smiled. “Don't worry, boss.” She moved off to one side and called loudly to the two men, “I'll have a look over there. Wait here.”

“All right. We'll wait for her here,” Raymond told Henk. “You can take a little more time to work out the route.”

The forest was very quiet, apart from the faint rustle of leaves in the breeze. Raymond leaned against a tree and pretended to rest with his eyes closed, straining to catch every sound around him.

A sudden burst of barking and whimpering came from among the trees. Raymond sprang up, and he and Henk rushed toward the sound.

Not far away, they could already see Mara charging after a panicked figure. Her unrestrained laughter rang out from time to time. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the hunt.

Raymond and Henk exchanged a glance, then split up to close in on the small figure from different directions.

It fled blindly, looking back at Mara every few moments. It tried to escape eastward, but Henk had already moved ahead to cut it off.

At the sight of his towering frame, the little figure faltered and stopped in its tracks. Mara's laughter sounded again behind it. It immediately turned and ran the other way.

That brought it toward Raymond. Rather than block its path outright, he drew his weapon and hid behind a tree, quietly watching it approach.

The little figure kept running, glancing back at Mara and Henk. As it passed the tree where Raymond was hiding, it turned to face forward—just as a foot came straight at it.

Raymond's kick sent it flying backward. It hit the ground and rolled once before coming to a stop.

It tried to get up and flee, but an arrow suddenly flew through the air and struck the ground beside it.

“Don't move, or I'll kill you!” Mara shouted.

The threat left it trembling with fear. It dared not move, frozen in an awkward position between sitting and standing. It looked rather ridiculous.

“You're a quick little thing!” Mara drew her shortsword and approached, looking as though she meant to kill it on the spot.

Only now could Raymond see clearly that they had surrounded a kobold. He kept his weapon drawn and watched its every move.

The kobold held out a scaly claw and begged in a trembling voice. “No! Don't kill me.”

“Oh, so you can talk?” Intrigued, Mara hauled it off the ground.

Fear was written all over its face. It looked warily around, then fixed its gaze on Raymond and stared.

Looking at its face, Raymond finally recognized it. His eyes widened.

“It's you!”