Chapter Eighteen: Test Drive

It seemed strange to tidy up the forest, but Obi had a point when he had said this was a priority.

Rook had just sent up a giant signal fire that could have alerted anyone in the area to their exact location. Not only that, but the bizarre appearance of the aftermath would draw even more attention to what had transpired there.

He wasn’t worried about completely undoing all the damage he had wrecked, but he could at least disguise what had happened.

He refilled the trench with the soil and other forest objects that he had removed earlier, dropping it haphazardly so that it also covered much of the scorch marks on the surrounding ground. The remains of the wolves, he pushed into the trench before filling it, adding the corpses of the other wolves he had killed so that the pack could rest together.

Luckily, their dropped coins seemed to survive the fire without even a scratch, so those were collected quickly to refill his reserves.

Finally, he surveyed the area, making sure that he didn’t leave anything behind that could be tracked back to himself or the mercenaries. It was a rushed cleanup, and it would be obvious to anyone who found it that something had happened here. What, specifically, had happened would be almost impossible to discern. At least, that is what Rook hoped.

With Obi pressing him to quickly move on, Rook took one more look at the spot where the last wolf had fallen, then activated sprint and started to run through the forest. This time, he was moving to the south, wanting to avoid moving in a predictable pattern. From now on, he would change directions randomly, though his ultimate goal was to get to the coast.

The map had remained clear of human signs all night, but that giant fire was likely visible from quite a long distance. Even though he still felt a bit guilty and conflicted for the way he had ambushed the wolves, he knew that he had no other choice if he wanted to survive, and to his benefit, the positive returns had been more than he could have ever predicted.

Just the pile of loot that the last wolf, the leader apparently, had dropped, had been eye opening in more ways than one.

More than three hundred coins had dropped, all from a single wolf. The pile had been shocking to see on the ground, like a goblin treasure from the children’s stories. But that was not the only thing.

Atop the pile was a small, bright green crystal. Another skill stone.

Skill stones from animals were very rare. Even low-quality ones like the one Thayn had offered to Rhaeger were worth more than a thousand coins. But just as some abilities were more useful than others, not all skill stones were considered equal.

Usually the brighter and clearer the color of the stone, the more valuable they were. Not in the way that a gemstone was, but because they were drawn from more powerful animals, and would usually have more powerful skills hidden within.

While Rook now possessed a number of skill stones, none were as bright and translucent as the wolf’s stone. A reflection of its power and strength. The skill stone contained a crystallization of a powerful ability that the pack leader had developed over its lifetime.

［I should have guessed it. I knew something was off about that big black murder dog.］

Obi had been extremely excited by the treasure left behind by the wolf. It was the answer to the mystery of the ghostly scout and protector that had almost killed Rook in an ambush.

SKILLS

CORE: SHADOW FAMILIAR

Low-grade summon: Summon a small familiar to assist you.

Proficiency: 1 / 100%

At first, Rook had no idea what the stone did. Even after Obi enthusiastically explained it, it still didn’t make much sense.

［The big black wolf! That was a summon! That’s why it was so strange, why we couldn’t detect it at first. Because it was not alive, it was just a big ball of mana dressed up like a wolf.］

“I assume you want to activate it, right?”

［Are you kidding me? A summon skill? Who in their right mind would turn down a summon skill. It’s always been a dream of mine…］

Obi stopped, mid-thought, as if he had forgotten what he was about to say. Then he jumped right back into the conversation as though nothing had happened.

［Look, if it works the way I think it will, this could be our ticket out of this haunted forest. We gotta do it. You owe me!］

Obi was getting manic in his excitement over the new stone, but Rook had no opinion either way. Obi had come up with the plans that had kept him alive so far, and he was positive that without the strange entity pushing and pulling him along, he would not be around at all. When it came to the stones, he had objections following Obi’s lead.

［Over there, Let’s stop for a moment on that boulder and try it out.］

Although it was still dark, it was easy to see where Obi wanted them to stop as there were several gigantic blinking arrows floating in the air, pointing to a large, flat rock between several trees.

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Sitting atop the rock, Rook mentally recited the name of the skill to activate it.

“Low-grade summon.”

As soon as it activated, the knowledge to use the skill filled his mind. The limitations at this level were numerous, so it took him a moment to complete the summoning.

At first, it was hard to tell if it even worked, but then he saw two tiny white dots appear on the rock in front of him.

It was hard to see it clearly, because it was pure black, and blended in the shadows so well. Only the two beady white eyes gave its location away as it sat, patiently looking up at Rook.

［What is this supposed to be?］

“Huh? It’s the summon. Can’t you tell? I thought you knew how it worked.”

［I do. That’s why I am asking. How could you… How could you summon… this thing?］

“What do you mean?”

［Why this form?］

“Oh, well, it’s just that it looks like I can only summon a small animal at this level. It probably needs to be pretty advanced to get something as big as a wolf.”

［Yes, but… Why this useless… What were you thinking?］

“Huh? It’s a pig. What’s wrong with that?”

It was, in fact, a small baby piglet—the very one that Pig was named after.

Truth be told, that pig had been named Hermi, and belonged to the village head’s daughter. Rook had seen them both a few times when the head had come out to the ranch to borrow some bubals.

Then, one day, she arrived without the pet. When Rhaeger called out to Pig to do some chore at the house, the young girl had burst into tears, and after that, she never came back to the ranch again. Rook assumed that something bad had happened to Hermi.

“I don’t know. The skill can currently only take the form of a small animal. I thought this would be okay.”

［No! No-no-no! This is not okay. Look at those legs! It’s so… roley-poley. No, absolutely not. Do it again.］

“Again? Why? What’s wrong with Little Pig Junior?”

［DO NOT NAME IT! What the hell’s wrong with you!］

Rook was starting to find this skill highly amusing. He didn’t quite know what he could do with such a small summon, but he had to admit the potential was there, especially if he raised the level high enough to summon larger animals.

“Fine,” Rook conceded with a smile. He waved his hand, and the pig vanished.

“So what should I summon?”

［Hmmm. Something fast… Something that can move around quickly and cause mayhem.］

“Like a mouse?”

［NO! GOD, NO! You are such an idiot. You don’t deserve this skill,］ Obi grumbled.

“Okay, how about this, then?”

Rook reactivated the skill, this time selecting a different form for the summon.

Again, the small black form was difficult to see in the blackness of the forest, but just enough moonlight was filtering in to make out the rough shape.

It was long, about as long as a person’s forearm, but also very thin. It stood up on two tiny legs and raised its paws in front of its’ tiny chest. Its tiny, pointed face featured two tiny glowing white eyes and a mouth filled with small, sharp-looking teeth.

［A sable, huh? Yeah, now we are talking. This, I can work with.］

Rook was about to ask what Obi had meant by that when the sleek black creature moved, sliding around the rock as though it were made of quicksilver, then jumping on top of him, coming to a stop, perched on top of Rook’s head.

He knew instinctively how the skill worked, and this was not supposed to be possible. The summon was not a living animal, despite appearances. It would only move according to his directions. They could mentally order it to move or even give it simple commands that it would follow. It would not, however, act on its own. Except, that is exactly what just happened.

［Don’t freak out. I’m just taking it for a little spin.］

“Obi?” Rook asked and reached up to grab the animal.

He was again shocked when the sable dug it’s teeth into his hand, hard enough to draw blood.

“Ouch!” Rook yelled, then canceled the summon, banishing the rebelling animal.

［Hey! I was driving that!］

“Obi? That was you? How did… Did you just bite me?”

“Heh. Yeah. I’ve been waiting a long time to do that. Oh, that felt so good. Bring it back!”

“You can control my summon? You? How?”

［Same way I’ve been doing everything else. I can’t believe you are surprised. I can’t actually do the summon. Not sure why, but I’ll figure it out eventually. Once you pick a form, though, I can take it for a spin; no keys are required. Anyway, enough jabber. Gimme! Summon it again, NOW!］

“Hold on. Did you know this whole time you could do that? Take over the summon? Make it bite me?”

［Yeah, I mean, since we picked up the skill stone, at least. I thought it was obvious.］

Rook was troubled. What if Oberon was really a demon? Was he giving a body to an evil spirit? It could even hurt him.

That thought reminded Rook to use heal on his finger.

［This again? How many times do I have to explain that I am not a demon? Geez! Hey, I have been cooped up in the closet in the back of your brain for a decade. Can you honestly withhold a few moments of escape? Deny me the freedom to run around and stretch my legs after all those years?］

Rook was starting to feel bad when Obi continued speaking into his head.

［Also, I want to bite you a few more times, and make a nest in your hair.］

“…”

［I kid! Sheesh. Come on, please? I need this!］

“…”

［Please!］

“… Fine. But no more biting, or it’s over.”

At least he knew he could cancel the summon at any time. He brought back the sable, and as soon as he did, Obi took control again.

Watching the shadow dart between trees and jump around, Rook contemplated the skill. As Obi had promised, it was a powerful and likely a very useful skill. It might even let Obi move around outside while Rook was taking refuge inside the soul space.

［It will.］

So, it was like a totem that could move on its own.

The summon would also get stronger as he raised the proficiency. For now, he could only create small animals like the sable, and the range it could move was also limited to around five hundred paces. He knew instinctually that with each new tier, he would be able to increase both the type and size of animal to copy, and increase the distance it could move away from him.

Thinking back to the wolves, that grey wolf must have raised the skill to a very high level. The black summoned shadow was larger than the summoner, and it was moving independently at a far greater distance than Rook was currently capable of.

“Hey, I know you are having a good, time, but don’t you think we should get moving?”

［Sure, let’s go!］

Rook was surprised when the sable ran at him and jumped onto his shoulder. It appeared that Obi wanted to stay outside while Rook continued his trek through the forest.

It was an odd feeling. Rook had spent his entire life around people, but he was always alone. The people he was with did not care about him, and he felt the same way. He lived a safe but terrible and lonely life.

For the past few days, he had been in a constant state of life-threatening danger. His only companion was a strange voice in his head.

Now, thinking about the small animal clinging to his shoulder, and the mind controlling it, Rook felt a sense of camaraderie that he had never once experienced before. He knew the name of that feeling, but was hesitant to commit to it yet. Was Obi really his friend?

“Obi?”

［What is it now?］ The voice was clear in his mind despite the wind in his ears as he ran through the trees.

“Do you mind not gripping so tight? Those claws are really sharp.”