Chapter 81: The River Path
The forest along the river route grew denser as they walked, and Mark filled the quiet with a steady stream of half formed strategy which he did more for his own comfort than any real necessity.
"So here’s what I was thinking," he said, walking to Bertram’s side in comfortable pace. "River path probably means that we’ll be dealing with something aquatic eventually. Makara territory to be specific, maybe worse."
"What can be worse than being in Makara territory?" Bertram asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Uhhh multiple Makaras. It literally can’t get any worse."
A pause. "Anyway, We keep to higher ground where we can, avoid deep water unless we absolutely have to cross it."
"Sound logical," Bertram said, machete resting easy across one shoulder. "Shame you didn’t lead with that instead of the fishing joke."
"It’s still funny though. Strategy and humor aren’t mutually exclusive." Mark said in a gloating tone.
"They are when the humor’s that bad"
Mark clutched his chest theatrically, staggering a step. "Shit! My pride took a hit right there...."
Kai laughed from a few paces back, and Mark shot him a grin over his shoulder before his attention drifted toward Sera, walking quietly in a cordinated pace at the far side of the group. She held her blade, clutching the hilt as if preparing for something to jump out any moment from now despite the lack of any visible threat.
"So," Mark said, falling back to walk beside her instead. He said this keeping his tone light and easy. "What was it actually like? I’m Ryker’s Faction, I mean. Before all of this. I’m kind of curious, you see?."
Something flickered across Sera’s face, her expression controrting into something that suggested that she had a lot of things she didn’t want to answer, before she answered. "Chaotic," she said, "he was impulsive. Made decisions fast and expected everyone to fall in line without question. And worst of all, he didn’t like being challenged."
"Ohhh," Mark grimaced. "Sounds exhausting."
"It was." She was quiet for a moment with her eyes fixed on the path ahead. "The last clear thing I remember is arguing with him. Really arguing — I don’t even remember what about anymore. After that, everything gets fuzzy with the days blurring over. I know things happened, I know I was there, but trying to actually recall anything specific after that feels like looking through fog."
Mark’s steps slowed slightly, understanding settling in his chest. "That’s the [Hypnosis]. Has to be. Probably kicked in right around when you started pushing back against him."
"That’s what I’ve started to assume too," Sera said, her voice carefully even. "Doesn’t make it feel any less unsettling. Knowing that I was being mind controlled by someone I thought I trusted."
Mark winced, the weight of the conversation landing harder than he’d expected when he’d casually opened it. "Sorry. Didn’t mean to step on a landmine there. And sorry we uhhh killed him. Lucas I mean..."
"Doesn’t matter. He deserved to die. He didn’t deserve to live... not after all he did..." She answered coldly.
Mark stared at her in silence for a long moment. He wasn’t sure if it was right to apologize either. He just thought it would be right to show some kind of respect for killing Ryker. He was a human after all...
After a while, he shrugged. "Sorry again if I overstepped. Was just trying to... I don’t know, get to know you a little. Build some team rapport before we walk into whatever’s waiting downstream."
"You don’t need to do that," Sera said, sounding irritated.
Mark most probably noticed this. But of course, he chose to ignore it entirely...
"Sure I do. Bonding’s important. Team cohesion and all that." Mark grinned, some of his usual energy returning now. "Besides," he said looking at her with a smirk. "I’m realizing you might be a bit of a tsundere."
Sera’s eyebrows rose. "A what?"
"Tsundere. Tough on the outside, secretly wants the bonding." Mark nodded in self satisfaction, entirely too pleased with his own observation. "Classic case."
"I genuinely have no idea what that means, and I don’t think I want to."
"Kai," Mark called back, "take notes. This is a masterclass in reading people."
"I really don’t think it is," Kai called back, trying to hold in a laugh.
"Everyone’s a critic," Mark sighed, though he was smiling too, the easy banter doing exactly what he’d intended even if the method was a tad... off.
"Stay close, kid. I’ll teach you the ways of winning people over eventually. Takes years of dedicated study, obviously, but I’m a generous mentor."
"I think I’ll learn from literally anyone else," Kai said.
"Rude. My pride took two hits in the last thirty minutes"
***
The trees thinned ahead, and the group emerged onto the bank of a wide, slow moving river, its dark water reflecting the overcast sky in a rippling sheet of black that stretched toward the opposite shore.
The riverbed itself was visible in places near the edges, smooth stones worn pale by being hit with water for who knows how long, and thick reeds grew in dense clusters along both banks, swaying faintly in a breeze felt cold to the skin.
Fallen logs bridged parts of the shallows further downstream, moss slick and half submerged as they approached the river slowly.
"Well," Mark said, surveying the scene with a low whistle. "At least it’s pretty."
"It’s too quiet," Bertram said, scanning the far treeline with a wariness that destroyed the easy mood immediately. "I’m not seeing anything over here..."
Mark’s grin faded, his own instincts catching up to the same unease. "Yeah. Noticed that too, actually."
They approached the water’s edge carefully, weapons still sheathed but hands hovering close, and Mark crouched near the bank, studying the riverbed for any sign of anything that could kill them.
"Looks shallow enough right here," he said. "Should be an easy—"
The water erupted before he finished...
A massive shape tore up from beneath the surface in an explosion of water, spraying droplets in different directions. It’s scales gleaming in dull grey that wasn’t anything that Mark remembered. The horns were curved and reinforced like something built rather than born, and eyes glowing faint amber along a skull too angular to be anything natural.
[Warning: Makara Class entity Detected.]
[You have encountered a Makara Golem.]
[Objective: Slay the Beast.]
[Survival probability: 45%]
Mark groaned, already backing up with his gauntlets flaring bright as the creature loomed over the shallow end of the river, water streaming off its armored body.
"I guess this was never going to be easy..."