"What did y'all snatch?" Elias asks as he continues following us down the dirt road, peering into the forest, seemingly making sure we weren't be followed or tracked.
"I got this hatchet" Dorian says, waving the small axe in the air. "And I also found this empty canteen."
He passes the aluminum container to me, giving me a chance to examine it. The canteen seems old with a few dents and chips on its black paint, yet it has no holes. Its cap is attached to a small clip allowing for it to easily be attached to something like a belt. This might seem useless now, but once the supply of old plastic water bottles from the tree house and other buildings start running dry, this'll be very valuable.
"Make sure to hold onto that" I say, passing it back to him.
"What did you find?" Dorian asks, bouncing in his saddle as his horse continues to trot forward.
I smile. Dorian seems to have little to no experience with riding a horse. And neither does Elias. Their posture and form are all wack.
"Well, I obviously found this old uniform." I say, referring to my new helmet and boots.
"And I found the flashlights, an old revolver, and an old, outdated military vest that I put in my bag."
Dorian nods.
"Seems like you found a lot." Elias comments, his horse picking up the pace, riding side by side with us.
"I only found this shotgun and few extra shells in that first crate"
"Only." I scoff.
He chuckles innocently before leaving us in silence once again.
We trot for a few minutes. The pair are too inexperienced to control a horse at top speed. It turns out that they've never actually ridden one before. Luckily, they seem to learn fast.
The last time I rode a horse was many years ago. I was gifted one on my birthday from an extremely rich business owner who lived on one of the upper layers of Tundrell. It was a magnificent beast. I spent a few months learning to ride it, but quickly got bored of it. Why ride a horse when I can fly a vessel? I later handed over the white Arabian to Aurelia as part of a wedding gift, forgetting about the creature until now. I wonder how it's doing.
"Look," Dorian says, interrupting my thoughts. "There's a fork in the path."
Looking up, I find the path splitting into 2, with a sign in the middle. We come to a stop, taking a moment to examine our surroundings. The sign has two arrows, one pointing to the left and one to the right.
The one pointing to the left read "Wyndmoore castle," while the one pointing to the right read "Wyndmoore village."
This was new and uncharted territory.
"We should turn back." Elias says to me.
"Yeah, I think were far enough away to the point where we won't be followed. We should retreat back to the cave and regroup with Zane and Theodore." Dorian chimes in.
I give them both a glance, debating on what to do.
I can't help but imagine all the loot waiting to be picked, yet we also need to get back.
"You two go. I'll take a look around."
Dorian's posture slumps, and he takes a moment to look back, peering into Elias's brown eyes. Elias shrugs.
"You sure?" Dorian asks, looking back at me with a hint of concern.
I stare down the path to the village, then toward the path to the castle
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Ima just do a bit of snooping and catch up with y'all later."
I look back at them, giving them a reaffirming nod.
"Go, Theodore and Zane ought to be close to the cave by now. We don't want them thinking we died or something."
"Yeah, alright." Dorian says, turning his horse around.
Unlike Elias, he takes a moment to look back.
"See you soon."
I wave to the pair, watching as they gallop away back down the dirt road through the forest.
"Now, let's get to work."
I take a moment to dismount my horse, tying it to the signpost before shrugging off my backpack. With a quiet sigh, I slip off my bow and quiver. Carrying both had been exhausting—they limited my movement and were far too large to stow away in my bag. Still, I couldn't afford to leave them behind. My new revolver only held six rounds.
Not nearly enough if I got into a shootout.
I set the gun down for a moment and unzip my bag, pulling out my new vest. It took me a few seconds to figure out how to strap it on. Once secured, the weight settled on me, noticeable, but lighter than the full armor I was used to.
The vest was intriguing. These days, elite soldiers are usually encased in metal, steel or some other hardened alloy from head to toe. But this vest used solid metal plates to protect only the chest and back. It was outfitted with a variety of pouches and holsters, clearly designed for carrying all kinds of tools, supplies, or weapons.
I shake my body, taking a moment to get a new feel for my new armor. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it could've been worse. Spotting a secure holster, I slide my new revolver into place.
It fits perfectly.
I then take a moment to pull out my map, charting the path I have taken. I draw a small line from my drawing of the tower to where I am now, representing the dirt road I've taken. I then draw a fork in the road, making sure to label the left road Wyndmore castle, and the right road Wyndmore village. Now with that done, I had one thing left to do.
Decide which path I want to take.
Wyndmore castle sounds like a secure defensive position, one a team that has come through here would obviously take advantage of. The village however would obviously be more open with a lot of buildings. It would obviously be harder to defend, and the village could be huge meaning that I'd get more loot...
I rub my eyes, letting the forest's silence envelop me. After a few minutes, I untie my horse, and mount it, heading toward the village.
I hope I find some good loot.