“Report!” A word bearing no emotions leaves the gray-eyed man’s mouth in a room devoid of any other souls.
This time there’s no bookshelf or desk in sight with an army of documents littering its top. Instead, the place is decorated lavishly with mirrors and portraits, carpets and a treatable, and lastly a bed large enough for an entire family to have a good night’s sleep with ample room left.
“Your Grace.” Shadows crawl forth from beneath the bed and consolidate into a human shape. “The ambush was carried out as you requested but-”
“So another failure.” Despite sounding like an absentminded sigh the man’s tone carries emotions much deeper. “How many escaped?”
“Three. One is dead while the rest escaped in a hardfought retreat. Our casualties were heavy.” The shadow adds the last part with a heavy heart.
“Understandable, the Fist took their job seriously even after we pulled some strings. A shame but at least that’s one less variable to calculate with. What about public perception, were the rumors suppressed?” The grey eyes turn their attention to the shadows, highlighting the importance of the matter.
“We did succeed in convincing the local garrisons and the general public, but Malcador…”
“That rigid old fool. Can’t he see the Magisterium’s power is waning?” The young man’s temper has been on the rise and as the bad news keep piling up he’s about to reach a breaking point. “Failing the mission is one thing, I can just have the useless dogs executed but a scandal… an international one? Do you understand-”
A knock on the door interrupts the eruption of his boiling-hot rage.
“Your Grace we’re landing in six minutes.” The gentle feminine voice informs before falling silent and likely disappearing.
A deep sigh helps the man rein in his temper and think with a clear head before issuing new orders. “Reduce the scope of operations and move with utmost subtlety in case Inquisitors arrive. They take any breach of the Prohibition comically seriously and we don’t want any trouble, not yet.”
“As you wish.” The shadow answers curtly before leaving through the open windows leading not to a garden this time but something much more ridiculous.
The open sky and the birdseye view of a sprawling city far below in the distance.
----------------------------------------
“Sorry little buddy, you can’t come along.” Right now my soft little cuddling toy is nowhere as energetic as he usually is. He’s just moping in my lap, delaying my departure and looking like a sad puppy. “I know staying for so long is boring, I couldn’t stand it either but it’s not all bad. Peace and family are great treasures, make sure to look after them, okay?”
I sound like my parents.
It’s been only a day since the pack of shadows discovered me. They’ve probably already grouped up, ready to launch an assault or whatever they’re planning so it’s best I move as fast as possible.
Traveling south, towards Sereban is obviously a no-go, I’d walk right into their arms. To the east I have Grandhall but the entire stretch in that direction is covered by the forest and according to Big Fluff, his gift wouldn’t mean much in the domain of the other Lord. That leaves west and north.
Logically speaking, moving west would be the safest and easiest option. All I need to do is reach the Whateveritsnameis Sea, which shouldn’t take more than a day or five hopefully before following the shoreline all the way to Sereban. Sounds nice and easy. And if I were the hunter I’d expect my prey to do just that, especially if that prey is as weak and young as me.
I’m not saying trouble is guaranteed but underestimating my opponent is not my thing. I’d rather face bloodthirsty beasts than those brainwashed servants wearing all black.
So north it is.
“How about this then,” I finally push myself up to Fluff's great dismay. “next time we meet you’ll have your Class, or Species or whatever and we’ll go adventuring together. We’ll show all those pesky bears and wolves who’s the boss, alright?”
I know well he doesn’t understand a word I say yet I’m okay with that, he already knows why he has to stay back. Being weak is frustrating, and helplessness only adds insult to injury, but they’re great fuel for ones with a spark already burning in their hearts.
“You’ll do great little buddy.” I give the little calf one last hug before bidding farewell to my host.
Distance great, danger many. Be strong.
I think this could be translated to; ‘Your journey will be long and difficult but I wish you good luck.’
“I’m grateful for everything and I hope you don’t mind me popping in once the danger is gone?” I mix a respectful bow with a cheeky wink. A blasphemous combination but I think it has its charm.
Welcome, always.
I decide not to drag out my departure any longer, not because it’s so difficult or heartfelt but due to the awkward atmosphere growing thicker by the second. Bye means bye, none of that one last word tomfoolery.
The journey is long and I want to cover as much ground as possible while Solaire is still lazing around on the sky. The first stretch won't be much of a challenge, or so I’ve been told. Inside Big Fluff’s turf my lucky charm will act like a beast repellant, however, most of the northern woodlands belong to another Lord with different rules and little respect for me.
And so armed with a simple knife, a chunk of Hadron crystal, and my unparalleled genius I depart to conquer the world.
***
“Man, this is so boring.” I’ve been whining for almost an hour now to no one in particular and I see no end in sight.
Every big bad hungry predator just huffs and gives up on this juicy bite with the lucky charm around my neck, which is great, but the quiet and monotony are killing me. What do even travelers do on a long journey without anyone to annoy? I’d even settle for a book at this point.
With that said, no longer do I believe the forest is deserted despite the lack of beasts roaming around during the day. There’s life all around, plenty of it, and I was simply too blind to see it. Being fast or extremely resilient is a great way to survive any confrontation but there’s one other method.
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Camouflage.
It’s insanity how well some of these beasts can hide themselves and if it wasn’t for some of the Sancturay’s inhabitants sharing their wisdom I’d still have no clue what to look for.
I’ve seen foxes with big bushy tails that were actually bushes and they could wrap it around themselves to disappear. Frogs with the size, shape, and texture of a rock, lizards burrowing underground with only their eyes sticking out of the dirt and many many more contestants in this game of hide and seek.
Can’t hit what you can’t see. This also means I probably have walked into like sixteen ambushes today without even realizing I was a hair’s breadth away from turning into lunch. Even Mana Perception is of little help when most living things around me are at minimum twice my level.
I still caught two, just saying. Only because I’m that good.
With that said not every beast is an absolute coward, even though the strat is absolutely brilliant. Some just retreat to caves or find comfort on the top of a tree and sleep through the entire day before going on the hunt at night. Now these are the ones I’d like to avoid if possible.
The only thing I can put my mind to is-
[The general Skill [Survival] has reached lvl 41.]
Yes, yes whatever, this is like the fifth level Survival has gained in the past three days. The Skill is only moderately useful, telling me which plants are poisonous, in my case most of them, and some other basic stuff like which way is north. Okay, it’s an extremely useful Skill.
Still jogging past tree after tree, not in a hurry but not wasting my time either I finally notice some change in the forest ahead of me. Then I realize it’s not the forest that’s darker in the distance, it’s the skies. The light of Solaire is obstructed by a veil of storm clouds sluggishly dragging themselves southwards, carrying a cooling breeze along with them and the promise of heavy downpours.
“I didn’t mean that type of bath...” I come to a quick halt.
I’d rather melt in the heat than get soaked, have mud cover my feet, and then be boiled alive when the warmth returns in combination with humidity. The only time I like rain is when I’m comfortably in my bed, inside.
“Well, bitching won't keep me dry.” A shrug and sigh is all the reaction I can muster. “Time to look for someplace to hide.”
I could just keep the water away with magic or make a small burrow with earth but the first would slowly eat through my mana while the second is… it’s just really uncomfortable, okay? I can’t spend another night like that, I refuse to.
Instead of running straight toward the stormcloud, I switch directions and aim for a more hilly region nearby. I’m hoping for caves obviously, they’re the best place to hide from the hissy fits of nature, especially since the trees around here aren’t large enough to make shelter between their roots.
In the end, I lose the race against the pesky winds carrying an entire herd of thundering clouds overhead and arrive at the hills with my mana already dwindling. The paper-thin shield fends off the vile waterdrops by simply floating above me courtesy of Maintained Magic but it can’t do anything against the harsh gales.
“Now, if I were a cave where would I-” Just as I walk past a thinker bush the mouth of something distinctly cave-like falls into sight. “Okay… a rare gift from fate, maybe?”
Just to be sure I check the cave itself with Identify because after everything I’ve seen it wouldn’t surprise me anymore if the black rocky hole was the maw of a massive beast lying in ambush.
It is not.
I don’t waste more time, scampering deeper into the belly of the tiny mountain to be finally rid of the stupid wind messing my hair up even further. A small spark hovering above my shoulder provides ample light for me to see as I walk just a little deeper. There’s a chance I’m not alone in here, a very non-zero chance.
“It’d be nice to have some meat with me right now, or potatoes, or any food for that matter.” I mutter while settling down in a less uncomfortable-looking nook.
I haven’t eaten since leaving the Sanctuary, so maybe in the last seven or eight hours and all this running really doesn’t help with my appetite. I can always make a hideout as a last resort and collect some water from my surroundings but food… that’s the only necessity magic can’t solve.
“And why does it smell like fish in… here…” The stench is the first thing I notice, quickly followed by a pair of gleaming yellow eyes staring at me from the endless dark. “Oh, no way.”
I don’t panic, not right away, I have my cheat talisman.
Holding the antler piece between my fingers I lift it slightly and pour some mana through it, causing the bone to shine with a gentle white light. I don’t know if it’s the light it emit or any smell I can’t register or simply the antler itself but this usually works to make local beasts back off, respecting their Lord.
Not this time.
As the eyes draw closer my fire illuminates the rest of the body belonging to those two yellow eyes, painting the silhouette of something lean, scaly and… quite small. Like a child small, shorter than me by quite a bit.
[Lizard lvl 78]
No shit it’s a lizard who could’ve guessed…
Its jaws are comically large in proportion to its body, filled with countless tiny teeth, and opened wide right towards me threateningly. The dog-sized creature is still crawling right at me, hissing and flashing its eyes, not the least concerned by the shiny little thing in my hand.
What’s wrong with them? Are they too dumb to recognize it? Maybe or am I no longer in Big Fluff’s turf?
“Hey, don’t come any closer!” I warn the aggressive chompy little thing while taking a few steps back. I know it’s not the greatest powerplay but as it turns out, this one is not alone. “Back off, I don’t want any trouble!” I flare the fire floating above me which only aggravates the lizards.
They’re not too strong but the terrain is really not in my favor and neither are the numbers. If possible I’d like to avoid a life-and-death fight on my day of departure, even if it means giving up this spot. If I had to choose between catching a cold or having my arms chewed up…
As I keep weighing my options the walls of the tunnel begin to vibrate slightly while more and more lizards gather just outside the boundaries of my torch.
“Fine, you win.” I huff and begin to make my way out. “I bet your meat would taste like shit anyways.”
Without much choice, I return to the embrace of the storm where the wind is trying to rip my hair off and the droplets literally sting when they hit my face. The search for a shelter continues.
Fallen trunk, occupied. Small fox burrow, most definitely occupied. Heck, even the branches of the lushest trees are teeming with life as the beasts have come out of hiding to take shelter. Not because the storm brings any danger but to preserve their camouflage, and hide their scent. Wet animals reek.
My long search finally brings me to a sizeable river just about when I’m beginning to shiver from the harsh weather conditions. Its water is crystal clear and the flow is relatively gentle but that’s not what caught my attention.
A small drop covered by a curtain of water raining down below. A waterfall. More water won't really help my case here but it’s something else that made me stop… the stories I read back home in our backyard under the shade of my favorite tree.
“But what if it’s true…” I just keep staring at the waterfall. “What if there really is a secret hideout behind it?”
There’s only one way to find out.
After a deep breath, I take a running start and throw myself over the tiny lake gathering underneath, through the veil of water, and right into a solid wall. The shock of the impact is nearly as great as my disappointment, followed by a cold shower to bring me back to reality.
“That was stupid.” I grumble after crawling back to shore, now completely drenched and absolutely quivering. “At least the water is somewhat warmer than-”
Wait, so what if there’s no hideout behind the waterfall? I can just make one myself.
And with that brilliant thought shining bright in my mind I get to work, cold and exhausted but more motivated than ever.
Everyone loves making secret hiding spots after all.