Chapter 1135: Kavad's Lance II
The forests that blanketed Kavad’s Lance weren’t quite like what Leon was used to. They were narrow, broken, and rocky, though still grew quite thickly. Animal and bird calls still filled the air, as did the clicking of giant insects that watched them from the shadows of more thick-canopied trees, but the forest itself was rather narrow, not even a quarter mile wide. This made sense to Leon given the geography, but this also meant that this far down the Lance, Grandin’s path was one fairly well-trodden, almost carving a path right down the middle of the forest.
Leon’s practiced eye picked out numerous tracks as they moved through the forest, noting some fairly familiar and mundane tracks to some that were quite alien. He was also rather amused to see hidden snares and traps just off the path, though none had been sprung. He wondered how many he missed given the general rustiness of his ranging skills.
The party moved in relative silence, falling into much the same routine as they had when Davin had taken them through the Redspark Forest. Grandin, however, set a much faster pace, and he didn’t bother to explain much as they moved through the forest.
It wasn’t until they reached the end of the short forest that he spoke again.
“We’re going to start climbing again,” he said as the trees seemed to just end at a jagged incline, though many ferns and flowers continued growing in the incline’s stone cracks. “Before we reach the top, we’re going to start feeling the wind. Stay steady, don’t rush.”
With that, he scrambled up a boulder so fast that it seemed the easiest thing in the world.
“Not a patient guide, is he?” Valeria groused.
“Patience is for those who have time, my lady!” he called back down. “I’ve been led to believe that you don’t have much, do you?! Or are you here as a tourist?”
Valeria rolled her eyes.