Meera watched the Mistblades disperse into nothing as the first rays of the sun touched them. Tamas sat hollered and yelled more curses. For the first time in what felt like a long time, the threat of the Mistblades was gone, at least, till nightfall.
With a start, she realized that Onyx was still running away. She called him back to her soul, and the tattoo returned to her hand. She called him out, and Onyx appeared before her.
"You're safe!" he cried and nuzzled her with his head.
Meera chuckled. "Yes, we're safe. The sun saved us."
"Huh? Like the actual…"
"Yes, the actual sun. Turns out the Mistblades cannot survive in the sun outside their mists."
"You're going to have to explain who they were and why they were chasing us and…" He lowered his voice. "And why are we lugging this fellow around?"
Meera told him of her adventures since she last saw him, how these Mistblades had been hunting Tamas' folks, and who he was. It took a while, but it gave Meera a moment to rest. Tamas, for the most part, was okay, aside from some fresh new cuts and scrapes.
"Okay, this kingdom does not sound like a nice place," Onyx said. "Do you think we'll be able to find your brother here?"
"Your brother?" Tamas asked. "That's why you dragged me back to this hellhole."
Meera winced inwardly. Onyx gave away the one piece of information that she did not want anyone to know, not in a land like this. So much for me posing as a bounty hunter.
"Yes, he came here for…work and hasn't returned home in a while," Meera said. "I've come looking for him."
"Do you know which town he went to?" The cook asked.
Meera shook her head.
"Did he write any letters or give any indication of where he was headed before he set out?"
Again, Meera shook her head. "I was away on business, and he was gone by the time I returned and left only a letter that stated he was coming here."
"And nothing else?"
Meera thought about it for a moment on how to best keep this lie going. Thankfully, Onyx kept quiet and didn't spill the beans even more. "No, not that I can think of."
"Is he an adventurer like you?"
She nodded. "You could say that."
"Then he most likely went to join one of the Kingdom's armed forces. We can think about this later. For now, I think we should rest and—"
"No, no resting," Meera interjected. "Knowing us, we'll pass out and not wake till they are on us again. Let's put as much distance as possible between us and that border wall. We'll rest when we can find some shelter for the night."
She looked to Onyx, and he neighed. "You know I don't need to rest."
She helped a grumbling Tamas get on top of Onyx and jumped up herself, this time taking the driving seat. She asked for directions to the nearest town, gave Onyx a slight kick, and took off at a trot.
Another great thing about Onyx was that he didn't need much maneuvering. Once Tamas gave the direction, Onyx took care of the rest. It took them only a short time to get up on a paved path.
Tamas fidgeted behind her. "Uh… are you sure it'll be safe for us to be on the road with-with—"
"With who? Onyx? Yes, we'll be fine." Meera said. "Tell me where this road leads?"
"To the town of Rosmis," he replied. "Nothing too fancy but big enough that it gets its share of passersby. We should be able to blend in quite well, provided we walk into the town and not—"
"Not ride in on a ghostly horse," Meera finished for him.
"You know, Tamas, you're really making me regret saving you," Onyx commented.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Tamas quivered.
"I'm sure you didn't," Meera said. "Now, try to get as much rest as you can and hope they have hotels with rooms for us."
Tamas frowned. "What's a hotel?"
"You know, a place where you can rent a room for the night or maybe more."
"Oh, you mean an inn. Do they call it a hotel outside of Azeria?"
"Yes." That was all Meera said. I need to watch my words. Note to self, use more fantasy words.
The trek on the road got boring soon enough, as there was a winding paved road ahead and trees on either side. With time to kill and to make sure she didn't go to sleep, Meera caught up with her notifications. By now, she must've gained many skills after the amount of Mistblades she fought last night.
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*ding!*
[You have killed 13 Warriors of Whispers – Level 154 – Level 158]
*ding!*
[Congratulation. Mirror Image Hunter has gained 12 levels and has reached Level 152. You have been awarded 36 stat points]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Chakram of Echoes effect activated. Upon reaching Level 150 in your main class, you have earned one more Chakram.]
A chakram appeared on her arm, bringing her total back to thirteen. It would have been fourteen if not for the one she lost to the witch. That would sting until she got that chakram back.
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror's Affinity has gained 9 levels and reached Level 112. All of your mirror-based attacks will get a 115% boost.]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Armor of Mirrors has gained 9 levels and reached Level 39]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Ambush Tactics has gained 8 levels and reached Level 56]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Shroud of Shadows has gained 8 levels and reached Level 47]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Vampiric Chains has gained 10 levels and reached Level 19]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Shadow Affinity has gained 9 levels and reached Level 32. All of your shadow-based attacks will get a 34% boost.]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Eagle's Perceptivity has gained 3 levels and reached Level 63]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Shield has gained 5 levels and reached Level 40]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Blast has gained 3 levels and reached Level 65]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Shard Barrage has gained 5 levels and reached Level 24]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Vitalize has gained 5 levels and reached Level 59]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mirror Wing has gained 8 levels and reached Level 21]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Nimbus has gained 2 levels and reached Level 7]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mistbound Illusions has gained 5 levels and reached Level 6]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Identify has reached Level 6. You can now Identify people up to seventy levels higher than you.]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Alpha Aura has gained 7 levels and reached Level 22]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Wild Instincts has gained 6 levels and reached Level 22]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Tactician's Gaze has gained 3 levels and reached Level 45]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Spectral Resistance has gained 7 levels and reached Level 39]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Prismatic Distortion has gained 2 levels and reached Level 13]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Absorption has gained 2 levels and reached Level 26]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Soul Bond – Onyx the Stallion has gained 11 levels and reached Level 12]
Next came the task of picking her new skills, and she prayed she got Mist Affinity after killing thirteen of the things and hitting many more. She deserved that much, or her chances of getting it increased. She was sorely disappointed.
She got the same skills again, for the most part. She accepted Mistwalk every time it showed up. Mistbound Illusions was next, even though it was practically useless now that she was out of the mists. Mist Strike showed up so many times, and she had to ignore it, which crushed her each time. Nimbus showed up a fair number of times, and she was quick to grab that.
As she had just about given up hope for getting something new, this showed up.
*ding!*
[Class Ability activated. You have stolen the skill – Mist Concealment. Mist Concealment – Type: Passive. You can cover your immediate area with an ethereal mist, obscuring vision and allowing for strategic maneuvers. Would you like to acquire this skill?]
Meera smiled. Finally!
*ding!*
[You have acquired the skill Mist Concealment – Level 1]
She finished up the rest, picking the skills she already possessed. When the last one rolled by, she was almost depressed that she never got Mist Affinity and had to let go of nearly ten Mist Strikes. A skill perfect for an assassin. Sometimes, I hate my ability.
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mistwalk has gained 2 levels and reached Level 8]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Nimbus has gained 3 levels and reached Level 10]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Mistbound Illusions has gained 2 levels and reached Level 8]
*ding!*
[Congratulations. Stalker has gained 4 levels and reached Level 25]
That concluded all her notifications. It surprised her that she had hit twenty-two extra Mistblades and not killed them, on top of the thirteen that she did kill. If only she had killed them all, she would have been swimming in experience. Not receiving Mist Affinity was a blow she would not soon recover from.
Next, she did the only thing remaining, which was spending her attribute points. She distributed a few points to everything aside from Power. The majority of the points went into Endurance and Agility. Overall, it was coming along nicely.
Attributes
[Constitution: 111]
[Power: 30]
[Dexterity: 89]
[Endurance: 119]
[Focus: 142]
[Agility: 96]
[Perception: 91]
She focused on the road, and as the day wore on, they didn't see many travelers on the road, for which she was thankful as she did not want to raise any concerns that the ghost of a horse haunted her.
Around late afternoon, she noticed a brick wall in the distance. Meera squinted, zoomed in with her eyes, and saw the town of Rosmis. The wall was a boundary wall; beyond it, she saw houses. There were two guards with spears posted on the gate. She saw some people milling about, but it was hard to discern anything noticeable.
"Onyx, go a little faster," she said.
Tamas, who had been dozing off leaning against her back, sat up straight. "W-What?"
Meera had seen something posted on the wall by the guards that she wanted to make sure of before she decided to move in. She kept her vision focused and gasped when the poster became clear.
She pulled on Onyx's hair. He quickly came to a stop.
"What is it, Meera?" Onyx asked.
There was no mistaking it. The poster was a wanted poster of someone who looked exactly like Neel.