The chaos of Havenport and the battle with The Order of the Sunless was two days behind them, replaced now by the cool, damp silence of the forest. Doren, Meko, Katarina, and Anya had managed to put several miles between themselves and the guards, settling into a thick patch of trees just as the sunset began to turn the sky deep violet.
They moved with efficiency. Katarina used light, careful gusts of air to clear the damp leaves for their sleeping areas. Doren, focused and controlled, used his nascent Earth power to settle the ground and prepare a safe ring of stones for a fire. Anya watched the perimeter, her face still pale with shock, but her eyes sharp.
Their immediate problem was pressing and beginning to weigh on them. They hadn't eaten a proper meal since before the attack. Limka, the sprawling city on the edge of the Erenian Forest, was a day's journey away, offering a temporary sanctuary and supplies, but they needed sustenance now.
Just as Doren knelt to strike a flint, they heard a slight rustle from the treetop canopy above. The sound was distinct. It was not wind, but movement.
Meko glanced up and a grin, the first genuine smile Doren had seen from him in days, split his grimy face. He pointed upward, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"A Turkshumu (TURK-shu-moo), guys," he whispered, his voice hushed and happy.
Perched on a thick branch directly above them stood a turkey-like creature. Its body was a dark, mottled green, perfectly camouflaged against the descending night. It resembled a massive tom turkey, but its features were all plant life. Its dense tail was a huge, bright green bush. Its neck and legs were thick and rigid, resembling hard tree trunks. On top of its head, sat a crown of feathers, a small, simple crown with a little white flower sticking straight up.
The creature stared down at them, utterly motionless.
Meko's smile widened. "Don't move. They're dense, hard to spot, and tough. But they're the best meal you'll ever have. And he's standing right over our fire pit."
The air under the canopy was thick with tension, the silence of the four companions focused entirely on the potential meal perched above. The Turkshumu, with its dense, camouflaged form, held perfectly still, its small white flower the only speck of bright color in the gloom.
Then the silence shattered.
From the edge of the fire ring, Anya, in an act of desperation and hunger, made a decisive move. Without a word, she shot a single, tight blast of pure Fire toward the creature. It was an impulsive, risky shot, designed to get the creature out of the tree.
The shot hit the branch just below the creature's thick, trunk-like legs. The Turkshumu let out a fierce, mechanical gobble that sounded like a branch snapping. It sprang from the branch in a clumsy descent, using its powerful, earthy legs to crash-land near the edge of their makeshift fire pit.
The impact was heavy, shaking the nearby ground. The creature was tough, its body truly armored like a living tree. It immediately crouched low, its dark green, bushy tail flared out in a defensive stance, its eyes fixed on the four sudden attackers.
"Well, so much for stealth," Meko muttered, already pushing off the ground, a familiar layer of Earth armor forming on his arms. "The chase is on. Doren, keep it contained! We need to pierce that hide."
The Turkshumu didn't wait for a second attack. As it hit the ground, it didn't look for a fight; it looked for an exit. With a tremendous burst of power from its thick legs, the creature kicked up a chaotic cloud of dirt and dry leaves. The debris obscured the group's vision and created a deafening, rattling distraction. Then, with surprising speed for such a dense body, it bolted.
It fled not into the thick forest, but straight through the sparse trees and toward a dimly lit open field of grass beyond the immediate canopy. The creature was fast, a dark green blur disappearing into the open space where its camouflage would be useless but its speed a distinct advantage.
"It's running for the clear!" Meko yelled, spitting out a mouthful of dirt. He shoved his hands into the earth, immediately channeling his element. "It's faster than it looks! We need to cut it off!"
"It's going to outrun us in the open!" Katarina shouted, already running full speed after the retreating green blur. She didn't rely on brute force, but relied on precision. Drawing on her Air element, she sent a sudden, tight, horizontal gust of wind, like a perfectly aimed tripwire, just above the grass.
The Turkshumu hit the unseen obstacle with a surprised gobble-screech. Its thick, trunk-like legs momentarily lost footing, and the creature stumbled and crashed forward.
That was Meko's chance. "Now!"
He slammed both hands into the ground, commanding his Earth element. A large sheet of hardened dirt and stone instantly erupted from the ground and soared through the air, aimed to drape over the downed creature like a net.
But the Turkshumu was a creature of pure, instinctual defense. It righted itself with a violent, rebounding spring just as the earthen blanket arrived. The blanket slammed uselessly into the grass, missing the creature entirely. Meko cursed, realizing their coordinated attempt had failed.
Seeing the creature pull ahead again, Doren took off, ignoring Meko's frustrated calls. He focused all his energy into simply running, his Powerhart giving him an unexpected burst of speed that quickly closed the gap.
He wasn't the only one taking a risk. Anya, driven by pure rage and hunger, channeled her Fire element, releasing a powerful, short-lived blast from her palms to propel herself forward. She shot past Doren, closing in on Turkshumu's bushy tail.
The creature anticipated the move. Its dense, muscular legs coiled, and as Anya tried to grab hold, the Turkshumu spun and delivered a brutal, surprising dropkick. The impact was like being struck by a fallen tree. Anya was thrown backward with a yelp of pain, tumbling end-over-end, the fire dissipating around her. The Turkshumu used the momentum to spring forward, gaining another critical burst of distance.
The creature is fast, heavily armored, and unexpectedly agile, having just taken down Anya. Doren is now the only one close enough to engage, with Meko and Katarina racing to catch up.
Doren was close enough to see the panic in the Turkshumu's eyes, the same wild terror he himself had felt fleeing Havenport. He knew he didn't have Meko's control, but he had watched his friend work.
With a desperate surge of energy, Doren clapped his hands sharply, mimicking the motion Meko had used in Havenport to raise a shield. His hands then slammed onto the ground. The Powerhart responded instantly and a thick, solid wall of packed earth erupted from the grass directly in the Turkshumu's path.
The creature had no time to change course. It crashed into the earthen barrier with a dull, heavy thud, the impact momentarily knocking the wind from its lungs. It stumbled back, its dense, woody legs scrambling for traction.
As the creature shook its head, preparing to bolt around the obstruction, Anya picked herself up, ignoring the ache in her body, and sprinted toward the corner of the wall. Meko and Katarina were still closing the distance behind Doren.
The Turkshumu made its choice, trying to dart around the left edge of the wall. Doren roared, spreading his hands out and pouring more energy into the structure. The wall instantly grew longer, extending its earthen barrier and cutting off the creature's escape route.
The Turkshumu was now cornered, pinned between the wall and the rapidly closing circle of the four elementalists. It let out a frustrated, guttural gobble and braced for a fight, its bushy tail flared wide.
The Turkshumu is contained but fully prepared to defend itself with its tough, tree-like armor. The four companions are now close enough for a final coordinated attack.
Meko, the true master of the Earth element, didn't rely on brute force. He twirled a finger and commanded the ground directly beneath the creature. The earth instantly lost all rigidity, turning into a patch of soft, sucking mud. The Turkshumu's dense, trunk-like legs sank into the ground up to its knees. The creature fought the earth with furious gobbles, but it was immobilized.
Seeing Meko's success, Doren immediately poured his remaining energy into the earthen walls. He spread his hands wide and rapidly connected the two ends, effectively encasing the creature in a roofless, earthen room. The Turkshumu was now completely contained, a living, desperate prisoner of the earth.
Anya, her adrenaline spiking and her body ignoring the pain from the dropkick, scrambled onto the edge of the nearest earthen wall. Using both hands, she unleashed a continuous, concentrated stream of Fire onto the creature. The flames immediately caught the Turkshumu's bushy tail and plant-like foliage, which hissed and crackled as they began to burn away.
The dense armor was being stripped away, revealing the tender meat beneath. The four companions had secured their meal, but the final process was brutal and loud. The stench of burning vegetation filled the forest air.
With the Turkshumu secured and roasting, the immediate crisis of hunger is over. The four companions now have a long night ahead of them before reaching Limka.
Anya cut the stream of Fire, the smoke already thick and acrid. She leaned over the earthen wall, peering down to check the success of her work. The Turkshumu was blackened and smoking, its dense plant-armor mostly burned away.
Then, the creature twitched. It was a small, reflexive spasm, but it was enough. Anya let out a sharp scream and jerked back violently, losing her balance on the narrow earthen edge. She tumbled backward off the wall and landed hard on the ground.
Meko was instantly on the wall. He surveyed the still-living but heavily incapacitated creature and, without hesitation, drew a dagger from his waist. He hopped down onto the still-steaming, burnt patch of grass inside the earthen room. Meko grabbed the creature's head firmly, and with a single, quick, precise motion born from years of hunting, he lopped the bird's head off with the dagger.
The Turkshumu was finally still. The silence, broken only by the crackle of the remaining embers and the heavy breathing of the four companions, settled over the scene.
Meko climbed back out, wiping his dagger clean on a handful of grass. "Alright," he said, his voice flat but steady. "Now we clean and cook. We have a long night and a longer day tomorrow."
With a precise tap of his hand, Meko hit the side of the earthen wall just below the top edge. The structure responded instantly to his command. The meticulously packed dirt and stone crumbled into a loose pile of dark, warm soil. The short-lived earthen room was gone, leaving only the heap of dirt and the smoking carcass of the Turkshumu in the grass.
"Doren, grab the bird," Meko said, his tone all business. "Let's get back to our camp spot. The smell of that burning wood will settle out here, but we need to eat and rest."
Doren quickly scooped up the dense bird. It was heavy, its trunk-like legs still rooted with caked mud, but it smelled promising of roasted meat.
The flickering light of the campfire cast long, dancing shadows across the faces of the four companions. The air was now filled with the less aggressive smell of roasting meat, thanks to Katarina's careful coaxing of the fire.
Meko sat cross-legged, the heavy, blackened carcass of the Turkshumu laid out on a clean rock. His hands moved with an experienced butcher's ease, carefully using his dagger to slice through the thick, woody skin and dense muscle.
"You see, Doren," Meko explained softly, demonstrating a careful cut near the creature's thick leg joint. "The armor on these things isn't just skin. It's part of their root structure. You gotta cut deep, right at the joint."
Doren knelt opposite him, watching every movement intently, mirroring Meko's technique on a piece of the bird Meko had handed him. The lesson was twofold: a practical survival skill and a cover for the real discussion.
The smell of roasting Turkshumu was rich and mesmerizing. Meko continued to skillfully prepare the meat, using his knife to separate the joints while Doren followed his instruction. Katarina maintained the low, steady fire with gentle gusts of air, and Anya watched the perimeter.
"So, Limka," Meko began, his voice low. "It's the biggest city north of the Erenian river aside from Kingry. Everything runs through it: timber, stone, hunters, caravans. It's on the edge of the forest, so it's a crossroads. Which means it's full of transient folks. That's good for us."
He looked at Doren. "But it's not a port. They'll be watching the roads out of the region. We can't look like we just blew up a dock, which means we need a story that fits forest folk."
Katarina nodded. "We need to look like a small, poor, family-run hunting or trapping crew. We're rough, we're dirty, and we're looking to sell some pelts or supplies before heading deeper into the forest."
"We need a believable reason to be four people together, all needing to leave quickly," Meko summarized. "Here's the plan: we enter in the morning, posing as a trapping crew that just got hit by bad luck-maybe a nasty forest creature. We split the second we hit the gates."
Anya leaned in. "We need money and we need new clothes. I'll take the Turkshumu meat and try to sell it fast in a market."
Meko agreed. "Good. I'll try to get us a contact for easy forest passage, hopefully with someone who deals in moving people, not logs." He looked at Doren. "You're going to use your Earth power to turn this dirt into coin. Find a back-alley jeweler or a mine contact. Tell them you can source unique, untainted earth stones deep in the forest. You look like a naive kid and they'll try to rip you off, but they'll pay in gold."
He handed Doren the dagger to finish the joint cut. "We need to get far away from Havenport. Everything else.. money, new papers.. is secondary to that."
The four companions sat huddled around the fire, the smoky scent of the Turkshumu heavy in the air. As Meko continued the final, delicate preparation of the meat, he spoke low, weaving the details of their survival into the evening's conversation.
"Limka is a crossroads, Doren," Meko said, handing Doren a piece of the succulent, dark meat. "Scholars, merchants, military types, they all pass through. We aren't running away from Erenia yet; we're running into the information network. We need to know what happened to your father and figure out what the order wants with you."
He looked at Doren. "Your job is to make us money and find the oldest secrets. You'll switch out these stained clothes for rough miner's gear. You're going to be the 'rock hound'.. a naive kid who's stumbled onto something huge."
Meko detailed Doren's assignment. "You head for the greediest stone merchant you can find. Go in alone, sell the story about finding elemental-rich stones deep in the forest. You'll use your earth element to show them proof. Find some mud outside, and silently, but quickly, create a perfect crystal sample. Sell that sample for a huge deposit. Then you use that money and your display of power to ask about ancient artifacts, lost maps, or private historical collections tied to the war, and if you can, your family."
Next, Meko turned to Katarina, who was already carefully banking the fire. "You're the ghost. You're our eyes and ears."
Katarina nodded, adjusting her traveling cloak. "You'll go for the inns and the Guild Halls where the scholars and military contractors hang out. Use your know-how to eavesdrop, to catch the whispers that don't make it into the official reports. You're listening for two things: any rumor about the Frozetria war that mentions Sophron Mercer, or the Mercer name in general, or some kind of elemental flash. And the exact location of Limka's Central Archives, the kind of place that keeps records on old elemental families."
Meko sliced off a large piece of meat and handed it to Anya, who took it gratefully. "Anya and I will handle the logistics-selling the rest of this meat, securing the clothes, and watching the streets for anyone who looks like they're wearing the sign of the Sunless."
He finished the meal preparation and pointed a piece of bone toward the imagined city skyline beyond the trees. "We meet back at the Weeping Willow Fountain in the old Stonecutter's Square once the sun has completely set. Gold and answers are the priority. Now eat."
The meal was devoured with the primal intensity of people who had been running for their lives. The rich, earthy meat of the Turkshumu provided a much-needed warmth and energy. As the hunger subsided, a relative quiet settled over the camp, broken only by the crackle of the fire and the low, tense voices.