A small black bird fluttered through the air, observing the ground. Suddenly its eyes lit up. It dove towards the ground, its beak snapping forwards, closing around a brown worm. The worm was startled and wriggled its body, disappearing through a crack in the ground.
The bird cocked its head. There was confusion in its eyes. It could have sworn it caught the worm. How did it escape? And why did it even try to bite the worm? It wasn't feeling any hunger.
The bird hopped on the spot as its head spun. Suddenly a strange will woke it up. Right, right. It was supposed to gather information. No time to hunt worms.
"Hurry up! We need to inform the king!"
"Shouldn't we organize a scout team?"
"Let the king decide. The danger of being seen by that army is too high."
"Alright…"
The little bird looked towards the source of the noise. It spotted two fog demons rushing past in a hurry. It didn't understand much but a single word endlessly rang in its small brain. King…
Flapping its wings the bird urgently landed on the head of one of the fog demons, letting itself be carried. The fog demon stopped for a moment, turning left and right.
"What?"
"Hmm, nothing. Let's go."
The two fog demons continued. They rushed past some buildings, attracting the attention of a few scattered peers. But they had no time to talk as they continued to hurry. Soon, they reached an area where fog demons congregated. A solemn atmosphere hit them. The rolling wall of black fog came into view. There was a large gap, guarded by multiple demons.
"Make way! Make way! We have an urgent massage for the king!"
The little bird watched as one of the guarding fog demons turned in their direction, saying:
"The king has already left. I can relay the message."
"No need. I will go personally."
"Hmm."
The guarding fog demon hummed and fell silent. Obviously, the other had a higher rank although the little bird couldn't understand such complicated connections. It continued to hitch a ride as the fog demon fearlessly left Fog Demon Ridge. No roars of beasts could be heard as if the area ahead had already been cleansed. The fog demon and his partner obviously had a clear path in mind.
After a while the two fog demons noticed the stirring around them as the ubiquitous fog was pulled towards a certain direction. They sped up and half a minute later spotted their kind.
"Halt! Le? Ov? What are you doing here?!"
"Ma! We have a message for the king! It is urgent!"
"Alright. Come with me…"
The fog demon called maw wielded a long stick in her hand. She was a seasoned soldier under their king, guarding the rear of the army. As Ma led Le and Ov they passed a large group of fog demons, at least three or four hundred. The fog moved around them, attracted by their breathing, slightly thinning out.
Soon a strange sensation overcame the fog demons. Their emotions brewed within their hearts. Ov and Le trembled, hastily adjusting their minds but the effect was limited. Threads of elusive green fog seemed to drift through their vision.
"Is this the influence of the rift? So strong?"
"Yes. Even the king doesn't dare to approach hastily."
Ov and Le felt their foggy bodies surge under the strong impact. But it was even more brutal for the little bird. All kinds of strange illusions filled its vision. A single word echoed again and again. Rift, rift, rift…
Suddenly another will appeared. It pierced through all the illusions, chasing them away, but it was only temporarily. The little bird felt in immense danger. It didn't dare to stay any longer. It took to the skies, escaping as fast as its little wings allowed it to. Just before plunging into the fog, it seemed to feel something, glancing backwards. The shadow of a tall fog demon, bigger than all the others, was revealed at the edge of its vision. But it quickly disappeared.
Rey rode next to Oru, scanning the surroundings lazily. Compared to the countless ghosts the group from Feathered Blade had too few members. Within the thick fog the small area they could scout made almost no difference. Thus, Rey couldn't get herself to muster any effort. Through the ghost army her contribution was already more than enough.
"Don't let your guard down, everyone. We are deep within the Boneplains. Who knows what dangers are waiting here?"
Oru's voice was subdued as he warned the younger members and even himself. They mustn't get a false sense of security only because of the ghost army. Being complacent was the biggest danger.
Rey also straightened her body and adjusted her mind. She recalled the lessons learned more than two decades ago. Underestimating the Boneplains was a beginner's mistake.
Just as the group regained some vigour, Rey noticed something. Turning her head to the right she saw a small ghost bird coming out of the fog. Its eyes lit up as it finally found its queen. It sped up and landed on Rey's shoulder, opening its beak without any sound.
Yet Rey somewhat understood the bird's meaning. Especially three words echoed in her mind. Fog, king, rift!
Rey involuntarily raised her brows. Oru noticed the change in her expression.
"Did something happen?"
"Yes. One of my scouts returned.", responded Rey with a grin.
"I left it in Fog Demon Ridge, and it seemed to have found the rift."
"Great…"
Oru's expression was caught between joy and solemness. It was great that they managed to find the rift so early. However, from what Rey said they had to consider the possibility that the fog demons had discovered it even earlier.
"Hmm, but there is more. These fog demons seemingly have a king among their ranks."
"I know."
This information was not new to Oru and Feathered Blade. If Fog Demon Ridge didn't have a king, and a powerful one at that, how could they have carved out a territory for themselves? Someone from Capital City would have long cleaned them up.
"What's the plan now?", asked Rey as the group came to a stop.
"The mission is to scout the rift. We only need to verify its existence and position. However, if the fog demons are already occupying it, they won't allow us to get close. Can we send some of your ghosts?"
"Sure. But only mature ghosts are intelligent enough to pinpoint the location."
Oru fell silent, pondering. He knew what Rey meant. Minor ghosts like the little bird where invisible to most people. Even the instincts of veteran warriors wouldn't alarm one of their presences as these kinds of ghosts simply posed no danger. If it weren't for Rey's unique ability these ghosts would serve absolutely no use at all. Oru knew no one who could communicate with them. Thus, these minor ghosts served as perfect scouts for Rey. Unfortunately, their intelligence was basically non-existent.
Intelligent ghosts were more substantial, powerful. Like the ghost general or its soldiers. They had elusive movements but were unable to hide completely. They could scout the rift and remember the location but as long as the fog demons were on guard these ghosts could be spotted should they get too close.
"But so what if get found?", asked Soros unexpectedly. Oru froze for a moment, wrinkles forming on his forehead. Soros was… not wrong. These ghosts had no relation to them. They were disposable pieces. Couldn't they just send a bunch of ghosts towards the rift? If even a single one made it back to transmit the information their purpose would be achieved.
"Rey, what do you think? Should we send the ghost army? We don't need to go personally."
"Sure. Let's just keep a few back for security."
"Good!"
A faint smile formed on Oru's face. Although it felt strange to rely on Rey so much, but this was why Feathered Blade liked to work with contractors. Compared to Oru some of the youngest warriors had even more conflicted emptions. They were annoyed at themselves for being no real help. But when thinking about confronting the fog demons and especially their king… perhaps it was better to let the ghosts do it.
The group came to a decision. But they didn't act immediately. The rift wouldn't run away. First, they had to get away from Fog Demon Ridge. Naturally, there was a way around the ridge, but it would be a big detour for the group. Hours passed. Finally, they entered a mountainous region.
There were multiple paths through the mountains, but the journey was arduous and many beasts were waiting in ambush. Thus was the reason why most groups preferred travelling through Fog Demon Ridge.
"Let's occupy a cave. We can rest here. It will take a while until the ghosts return."
The others nodded, agreeing with Oru. They trekked along one of the broader paths. After a while a bear-like beast suddenly attacked. They swiftly disposed of it and stole the beasts cave, perfect for the group to rest. Meanwhile Rey gave a command and the ghost army swarmed out.