I Don't Want to Be the Hero Vol. 5 by M.E. Thorne

Author:M.E. Thorne [Thorne, M.E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2022-05-21T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

We ended up picking the swamp since it seemed much more likely to be Reverkar’s hiding spot.

“The Grand Glacial Chasm is a narrow mountain pass between two major cities, deep in the Rentril Mountains. Much of it is unmapped and unexplored, since only a few routes are passable and safe. I can’t see Reverkar resisting the urge to poach travelers off the roadways, but there have been no reports of unexplained disappearances.”

“So, the swamp it is,” I agreed.

We were back in our shared suite. Charlix had joined us, briefing us on everything we knew about the swamp.

“The Swamp of Dissolution was the site of one of the first battles between the empire and the dwarves during the war,” she explained as she unfurled a map.

Next to it, she placed a magical crystal, which began projecting images of a dark, fetid swamp.

“Have we searched it yet?” Annie asked.

Charlix nodded. “Only a preliminary aerial sweep. The swamp was highly corrupted by the battle. Untold thousands died, and their bodies were consumed by the swamp’s muddy waters. There are regular zombie sightings, as well as ent activity.”

“A regular monster’s nest,” Krencha said excitedly.

“And there are hundreds of places Reverkar could be hiding,” Charlix agreed. “The initial searches we conducted before the First Tool began reacting didn’t spot anything from the air.”

Annie pointed to a town marked on the edge of the map. “Any reports of strange incidents?”

“None,” I could almost hear the revealer frowning. “In fact, looking at the reports from the local government, there’s a surprising dearth of information. No reported issues in the last two years.”

I snorted. Amalgam was an empire plagued by monsters and magic. The fact that the locals hadn’t reported a problem was more suspicious than if they had.

Annie’s eyes burned in mute anger, and I suddenly felt very bad for the local officials who would be meeting us.

“So, there’s every chance Reverkar is there,” Gilly nodded, tapping the center of the swamp. “I imagine he’s buried deep, like a tick.”

I glanced at the First Tool, which sat at the end of the table. “But why did this thing start reacting now? What’s changed?”

“We don’t know,” Charlix mentally sighed. “We’re dispatching another harpy scout, but we won’t get a report back for hours.”

“And we’ll be on the road by then,” I agreed.

We had plenty of time to prepare, we hadn’t been idle in the previous weeks. Our gear and supplies were already packed and waiting by a teleportation pad. As soon as the briefing was over, we’d be taking off after the dwarven king.

Charlix reached for her bag and produced a scrying crystal.

“You must be getting really good at producing those things,” I said as I admired the spellcraft she had enchanted into the stone.

“Unlike the one I gave you before, it won’t include any teleportation functionality, the swamp is far too corrupt to allow anyone to teleport in safely.” She gave me a speculative look. “Are you sure you’re strong enough to push off its effects?”

I nodded.

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