The Song of Sword and Magic - Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Yodon River

[Translator — Asuka]

[Proofreader — Karane]

Fern led the way while Niss followed him carefully. After a night of snowstorm, the snow on the ground reached the magician’s knees, which was why it became more difficult for her for every step she took. On the other hand, Fern was much taller, so it didn’t affect him much.

The terrain around them grew more varied as they were reaching the edge of the mountain range. They still came across many mounds. Sometimes, when they thought they had reached the end of the road, another long road would come into their sight after they took a turn. At a moment like this, Niss would take a seat on a rock dejectedly for a rest while Fern would stop to wait for her.

After they continued walking for a long time, the sky was turning dark. Just then, they could faintly hear the sound of flowing water.

Excitedly, Niss ran after him as her eyes beamed with delight. “Fern, do you hear that? It’s the sound of water!”

“Yes, we should reach Yodon River soon.” Fern replied and thought for a bit. “This place is further in the North of Doyle and Sara, but why is the river still flowing?”

However, Niss didn’t mind it one bit. “It must be the Dark Lord’s influence. We should go there quickly.” Upon finishing her words, she quickened her pace, as though they could set up a tent for a rest when they reached the river.

***

After taking one more turn, they finally saw Yodon River, which was flowing along a valley. The river was wide as it was the main river in Sara, but the banks on both sides were frozen a little. In the middle of the river the clear water was flowing smoothly. The view on the other side of the river was different from that of the side they were coming from as there were no mountains and cliffs—it was a seemingly endless flatland with some Coniferous forests.

Fern took out the map and tried to look for any bridge that would allow them to cross the river. “Niss, I’ve always wanted to ask you how you got this map. I’ve never seen such a detailed map before. Even the bridges on Yodon River are marked.”

“Well…” Niss didn’t dare to meet with his gaze. “An archmage gave it to me. I guess it’s not hard for them to make such a map.”

Fern heaved a sigh as he was in a dilemma. “There are a total of three bridges. Talheim is in the North of Yodon River, so we have to cross one of the bridges.”

Niss asked in puzzlement. “What’s the problem with that? We can just choose one of the bridges.”

With a solemn expression, Fern kept the map in his clothes. “I don’t think it’s so simple. If I were a friend, I would tell the zombies to keep guard on the bridges and even do it myself.”

“But you’re not a fiend, and they aren’t as clever as you are.” Niss flashed a smile at him.

“I hope so.” Fern looked around and tried to get to the riverbank. They were at the bottom of a cliff, so most of the sunlight was blocked.

Niss used her flying skill and landed beside him. “Flying is more energy-saving than walking in such a circumstance.” However she was soon shocked by the huge cliff and the dim light. “Fern, I don’t feel so good about it. Are we going to move along the river?”

“Yes. Even though there are some forests on the other side of the river, there’s not a single tree on our side that we can hide behind. Walking along the river is our safest option.” He took a seat on a flatter rock. “Let’s eat something first. We’ll have to walk a lot later.”

“What?” Niss thought they could call it a day, but his words suggested otherwise. “Do we have to keep going at night?”

Fern took out the flint to kindle a fire. “We have to reach Sadova Bridge tonight and cross it while the sky is dark. If we wait until morning, we’ll be discovered by the Dark Tide easily.”

“What if they are not on the bridge?” Niss protested.

“Niss, we can’t take the risk. If we waited until morning and realized that there were zombies and even fiends on the bridge, we’d have to wait for the sky to turn dark even if they didn’t discover us. If that’s the case, we wouldn’t be able to reach Talheim in five days.” After kindling a fire, he started boiling a pot of water.

Dejectedly, Niss took a seat on the rock and started searching for food in Fern’s bag.

***

Without wasting any time, they quickly finished their food and went on with their journey. After moving along the twists and turns of the river, they realized that it was now the middle of the night. The weather was lovely in the morning, but the wind was howling and the dark clouds had covered the sky.

Feeling fearful, Niss tagged closer to the mercenary as she listened to the sound of the flowing river. “Fern, it’s my biggest wish to build a house by the river and listen to the flowing water before bed.”

“It’s simple. If you really want it, I can grant your wish after your trial.” Fern never looked back and maintained his walking speed.

“Really? I’ll remember it. Don’t go back on your word.” Niss replied joyfully.

“Don’t worry. But will you stay there forever once the house is built?” Fern realized that he wanted her to live in the house he would build for her.

“Maybe not.” Niss lowered her voice. “But I’ll stay over for a few days when there’s a chance.”

“Alright. I’ll visit you when you have a stay there.” Fern realized that he had said something inappropriate. “Maybe Stan and Rae will come along as well.”

“That’s wonderful!” Niss smiled gently as she took the promise seriously.

After taking one more turn, Fern stopped in his tracks suddenly. “We’ll reach Sadova Bridge soon. From now on, we have to keep a distance of ten yards with me being at the front so that the Dark Tide won’t discover us.” Upon finishing his words, he picked up two stones on the riverbank and passed them to her. “If there’s an emergency, throw the stone at me without saying anything. With the sound of the flowing river, they shouldn’t be able to hear the sound of a stone falling to the ground.”

Nervously, Niss nodded and clenched the stones in her hands. After nodding at her in response, Fern turned around and trudged forward carefully.

***

As they neared Sadova Bridge, Niss could faintly see the bridge with the help of the dim moonlight. It was a splendid bridge which was supposed to be an important route for people and goods to cross in peaceful times. However, looking at it from afar now, it was just an abandoned structure.

Fern lowered his body as he trudged across the rocks on the riverbank and kept an eye on the bridge. Niss lowered her body as well and followed his route.

Without coming across any danger, Fern was nearing the bridge as he was just a hundred yards away from the structure. Stopping in his tracks, he hid behind a rock and observed the bridge. All of a sudden, he saw that there was a head that was looking around from the column on the bridge, so he hid his entire body behind the rock and only stuck out his head. After pondering on it for a moment, he thought, Could it be a zombie?

With the help of the moonlight, Fern saw that the head turned around and snuck back behind the column, as though nothing had happened on the bridge.

Fern beckoned to Niss, who then walked toward the rock he was hiding behind. “I saw something on the bridge, but I’m not sure if it’s from the Dark Tide. However, in such a circumstance, we should just expect the worst and see it as the Dark Tide’s soldier.” He lowered his voice.

“What’s your plan?” Niss looked worriedly at him and clenched her magic cane.

After thinking for a bit, Fern still couldn’t come up with any solution. “Why don’t you wait here? I’ll go over to have a look. If there’s nothing unusual, I’ll call you to come over.”

Niss objected to his idea. “That’s too dangerous. You already saw something on the bridge, so how could you still go over?”

“There are no other ways now. Someone has to go over to have a look.” Fern forced a smile. “I’ll be alright. If there’s really any danger, you can immediately assist me with your magic.” Upon finishing his words, he turned to leave, but he soon felt a grab on his arm.

Turning around, he was met with Niss’s furious expression. “Fern, if possible, I’d love to cast a spell on you to stop you from doing anything silly in the face of danger.” She pouted and stared at him.

“If that’s the case, we’ll never be able to cross the river and move forward. Sometimes, it’s necessary to take a risk.” Fern pulled her hand away and nodded at her before turning around again. Left with no choice, Niss hid behind the rock and kept watch on the bridge.

Just when Fern was thirty yards away from the bridge, Niss saw the sight that he had described earlier. A head stuck out of the column and turned around before disappearing from her sight. She even saw a small part of the body. Despite feeling that there was something wrong with the head, she didn’t have any clue for the moment.

Fern carefully approached the bridge as he was just ten yards away from the structure. Just then, Niss finally realized the problem with the head. She wanted to shout out to him, but that would reveal their location. Left with no choice, she hurled the stone in her hand forward. However, there was a long distance between them, so the stone fell to the ground a long way behind him.

Hearing the noise from behind, Fern turned to take a look, but he couldn’t see Niss in the darkness, so he turned around again and kept walking.

Feeling flustered, Niss was on the brink of tearing up. She thought to herself, Fern, come back! That’s not a human’s head! Its body wasn’t moving but its head could turn around! Come back, Fern!

***