Osmal carefully dug at the base of some moss. The rain was coming down softly, creating a dull patter, the brick wall it was clinging to slick and musky. He worked quickly, anxious to gather the three small mushrooms from where they grew.
With nimble fingers, he gently uprooted the mushrooms and tucked them in a small pouch. Another valuable herb was harvested, filling his pockets instead of the silver spoons.
He glanced around the dark ruins, his eyes roving over the buildings. No one in sight, the place dark and foreboding. The rain was good cover, perfect for this little escapade.
Avoiding the deeper muddy puddles, he hurried back to his post. The ruins were a treasure trove, but no need to get too greedy.
With careful navigation, keeping low, he made his way back. Their post was atop a ruined building, several walls still intact, with a tarp stretched above to keep out the rain.
Careful not to make too much noise, he scaled the ruin. After a few tense minutes, Osmal slipped into their little shelter quietly, a smile tugging at his lips.
Over the rain, a soft snore filled the air as his companion slept. Perfect. No one had to know he had abandoned his post to go treasure hunting.
If one was willing to risk their neck, this place was quite the treasure trove. There were dozens of buildings yet to be harvested, and already his pockets were filling up with none the wiser.
He glanced from his still sleeping companion back to the dark forest. The harvest was good, but the problem was that there was still no sign of the apes. Not to mention the assassins Ash had warned him about.
It had been nearly two full days since then, and still no assassins jumped out of the woodwork. Osmal sighed. Just what he needed. More things to worry about.
His eyes darted up to gaps in the canopy, towards the clearing sky. The sun would rise soon. Time to wake his unwitting helper. He kicked Landon's boot, startling the man awake.
"What! What's going on!" Landon asked, blinking back the drowsiness of sleep.
"The sun is rising, you don't want to get caught napping," Osmal grunted.
Shaking himself, Landon yawned and stretched. "Thanks for letting me sleep. I really needed it. You sect members aren't half bad," Landon said.
Osmal smiled. "I'm sure you would do the same for me,"
The gullible idiot's retort was cut short as the splash of boots in water approached from the camp. Osmal peeked out, noticing a woman in the uniform of an Adro soldier.
"Here to take over watch?" Osmal asked warily.
"No, we are moving pickets. Word is we are going to push for the heart of the ruins soon," the woman said.
So, it was finally time. It wasn't long before they were moving towards the center of the city. The sixty-odd soldiers were spread out, with sect members speckled amongst the groups for additional support. Thus far, they had met little to no resistance.
The only danger had been stinging insects and the occasional death trap left by long-dead Sumatrans. As one of the forward groups, Osmal was anxious.
The bigshots, like Katherine, and Lord Finlar were near the back about a hundred meters behind the lead elements, letting their troops take the vanguard.
Better test the waters with disposable troops rather than your own lives. Osmal understood this fact. Those silver spoons would sacrifice them all to test the enemy.
He was carefully scanning the still dripping canopy when he felt it. His head snapped to one side as his energy flow was severed.
Something in the canopy had just torn into his web.
"They are coming!" Osmal shouted, as multiple threads of his iron web technique were shredded at once.
Only an hour after setting off from the ruins' edge, they were attacked. The apes must not have appreciated them approaching the center of the ruins. The trap sprang, apes of all sizes falling upon the spread-out soldiers in a flurry of fists and hoots. Screams of pain and the challenging hoots of apes going to war shattered the calm day.
The jungle came alive as large red-furred apes fell from the trees. Osmal only had moments before he was in a fight for his life, several apes charging their group.
Several hundred pounds of angry ape slapped a spear to the side, punching a soldier in the chest. The soldier folded, ribs crunching from the force of the blow.
A second soldier thrust his spear into its side. Ignoring a spear, the ape rushed Osmal, seeming to target him directly.
He hardly had time to curse before it was in range. Osmal ducked low, contorting as the large ape tried to tackle him. Carried forward by its own weight, it flew above him.
He pivoted and struck upward, all the while drawing energy from his core. An illusory phoenix formed mid-air, scorching the air as his fist struck it in the side. Flesh parted, rib crumbling to ash. Like an incredibly hot parasite, the conjured phoenix dug its way into the wound.
Howling in agony, the ape skidded across the ground, thrashing from the pain. It shrieked and thrashed but was likely out for the count after having its organs scorched to a crisp.
Osmal didn't have time to appreciate the effects of his technique as a loud thunderclap shook the ruins. He leapt back, his gaze darted to the side, to where a large silver ape stood amidst a group of scorched soldiers.
Only fifty meters away, a half dozen soldiers thrashed on the ground, their skin sizzling from the lightning that coursed through their bodies. The silver ape reached down and gripped the mangled form of a Red Sky Sect member like she weighed nothing.
She screamed as the ape gripped her in both hands and ripped her in two. The ape bellowed a challenge to the stunned soldiers, as a shower of blood and gore splashed onto the ground.
The challenge didn't go unanswered. A streak of light seared his eyes, slamming into the silver ape's chest. Osmal shielded his head as a tremendous explosion shook the ruins, rock and dirt showering the area.
Swearing internally, Osmal scrambled to his feet. His gaze flicked towards the back lines, where Lord Finlar was standing.
The man's hands and the front of his robes were scorched, the crumbling remnants of a scroll he used still drifting in the air. It was no doubt a treasure given to him by Duke Wastroll's son.
The air began to crackle, the forest shaking as a taunting hoot echoed across the Plateau. Blue arcs of lightning shredded the area, throwing away mangled corpses and debris with a deafening boom.
The ape looked a bit worse for wear, with the fur on its left side melted. The burns covered much of its body, but judging by the steady legs, it wasn't out yet.
The monster glared hatefully at lord Finlar, the air crackling as power built.
"Let's go, get behind that rock pile! We don't want to get caught up in their battle," Osmal shouted, already scrambling for cover.
He didn't wait for the others. That battle was not his problem. Let the big shots kill each other. The soldiers in his six-man squad didn't need to be told twice, hot on his heels as the battlefield erupted with thunder.