Chapter 75: A trial
Clayton stood in the flickering glow of Verdis Hold’s tavern, 200 kilometers west of the Forgotten Atlanta Expanse, his Shedskin armor morphed into a scavenger’s tattered cloak, masking his Verdant Lord aura.
The tavern’s hearth crackled, Mycoglyphs casting bioluminescent shadows.
"We’ll pass through the Scorchpaths, right?"
Clayton’s question hung in the air, directed at Torren, the Luminous Seed Awakened who was the leader of this Awakened party.
Torren’s team comprised of 2 Luminous Seed Awakened apart from him; Veyra, a Thornstrike Archer, and Lorn, a Sapflow Healer. And then the two Initiate Ember scouts, Kaelin and Soren.
As soon as Clayton asked the question, the 2 scouts eyed him, their Verdant Artifacts humming.
Verdis Hold, a 5 square kilometer pacifist Rootbound town, thrived with vine-woven huts and Groveheart Bastion, but Torren’s group was bound for Africa’s Ashen Covenants, braving the Scorchpath’s perils.
Torren’s eyes, sharp as ember-flint, studied Clayton’s cloaked form.
"Scorchpaths, yeah," he said, voice steady. "You’re offering to join us, scavenger?"
Clayton grinned, humor dark, Shedskin masking his Embers. "Got a nose for trouble and a knack for surviving it. I’m in".
Veyra’s rootwoven bow twitched, her Thornstrike Archer Aspect probing. "You talk big, wanderer. Africa’s no stroll, definitely not for Awakened molded in the protective confines of a town".