Interlude: Companions Passing in the Night
“Another day in Ymata, another day in hell. These Ywana bastards have been chasing me for three days now, if there weren’t so many of them maybe I could shake them but every time I slip away from one group another somehow finds me just when I think I'm free. They shouldn’t care this much about the loss of a couple baskets of food. If they have some way of tracking me I may be screwed this time. The guard will turn a blind eye to some stolen food here and there but if I start dropping bodies because these assholes won’t leave well enough alone that's a whole nother thing. They absolutely have ways of tracking me.”
The sound of people milling about in the distance but it’s not the right time of day for people to be out and about. I cautiously move forward and see that people are lining up on the main street leading to the Elder’s Chapel, not a place I want to go but maybe I can blend in and use it as a diversion. There up above is an outcropping of rock that no one has bothered to knock smooth. It's a good fifteen feet in the air that should give me a good vantage point to see what’s happening.
Crouching down on all fours I plant my feet, tamping my hind legs and straightening out my tail I spring up to the outcropping. Latching my clawed fingers around the stone I keep myself from sliding off the outcropping. Hunching down in a crouch and wrapping my tail around my feet and hands I look around. I see no indication anyone has noticed me. Swiveling my ears back and forth I try to pick up the sounds of pursuit as well as figure out why people are gathered. I hear a low muttering as people in the distance say that they are out to see the Summoned Prince. The Elder Summoner wants the people to see the Prince as he is going to present himself to the Elders. They are also grumbling that this wasn’t supposed to be until tomorrow night.
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Not sure what a Summoned Prince is but if it gives me a chance to get free of the Ywana gang they’ll be my favorite person ever. It only takes a few minutes until I see a winged figure walking next to an old Kobold folk down the street. Winged folk never walk if they don’t have to so I guessed this was the Summoned Prince. He doesn’t seem to be anything special. Then he locks eyes with me and the whole world drops away.
System Message: Title Earned: Karmic Companion (hidden)
“When the System starts handing out titles for looking at someone it’s time to run. Nothing good comes from titles connected to mysterious strangers, especially when they are hidden titles.”
Breaking eye contact I activate my Hide in Plain Sight Skill and leap from the outcropping. Even as I ran away I could feel a tether form between me and the winged man and as I got further away I could feel it tugging and pulling me back in his direction. But the Ywana bastards had caught up to me again and it was time to really run.
“They must have some sort of tracking skill or have some sort of mark on me which means ditching my clothes and the remaining food and going for a dip in that gods-damned lake. Dammit! System help me if they put some sort of tracker in the food I’ve already eaten. If that’s how they are tracking me it's going to be a really long next few days.
System Message:
System Quest: Save the Prince – The newly summoned Prince of the Yamakai has made powerful enemies in his first day on Eirnath. He can’t save himself, isn’t prepared for this Sphere, and doesn’t really trust anyone. Good luck.
“Dammit, I am so screwed!”