Chapter Nine: Freedom or Death

The sun was just starting to climb above the trees when Rook finally stopped. He was exhausted, his clothes ripped, and his shoes were starting to fall apart.

There was no path for him to take, and it was very difficult to move through the dense forest, while at the same time trying to avoid leaving any obvious trail behind himself.

He had no doubt that they would be hunting for him. Perhaps not him specifically, but as the bodies of the mercenaries were absent from the camp, along with the mysterious, precious cargo, he was sure they must be combing the forest for any traces of them by now.

At first, Oberon had harshly criticized him for taking the bodies, but Rook was able to point out that if he had left them behind, then for certain, he would be the only suspect remaining. At least this way, they may see him as the least likely survivor of the attack. At least, this is what Rook told himself.

It was enough to shut up Oberon on the topic, who seemed to relish talking to Rook, shouting criticisms and useless advice.

［Look out for that root!］

［Don’t brush against bushes like that.］

［Make sure not to drop anything.］

Finally, the strap on Rook’s shoe snapped. Usually, he would tighten them each night before going to sleep. This kept the threads of the strap from getting too loose and breaking. Neglecting this cost Rook dearly as he stopped to see if his shoe could be repaired.

［What are you doing?］

“I can’t run through the forest missing a shoe can I?” Rook was getting used to simply thinking his statements so that he didn’t need to make any noise. The downside was that Oberon heard every thought, intentionally shared or not.

［I’m pulling you back in.］

“What? Is some-“

The world blinked out, and once again, Rook was alone in the cold, black space.

“-one out there?”

［No, you idiot. Why are you fixing your shoe?］

“Because if I don’t fix it now, it’s going to slow me down and…”

In the cold darkness, shoes started to appear, half a dozen of them, one after another.

“What?”

［Shoes, you idiot.］

“But… how? Where…”

［I’ve been going through the stuff you brought in. It’s going to take a long time, but I started with the personal belongings of the raiders. Found a bunch of clothes and things.］

It was clear that Oberon was proud of his accomplishment from the boasting tone of his voice.

［It was pretty hard at first. You brought everything in at once, so I had to unpack all the bags and everything. At first, I could only see bags and packs and things like that, but once I opened everything up and separated it all, I could sort everything into categories.］

“Huh?”

Rook had missed most of the explanation, partly from having learned how to tune out the annoying voice, and also because he was distracted by the parade of floating footwear.

［I said… never mind. Just find something that fits and dump your old crappy shoes. Might as well upgrade from the ratty rags you are wearing as well. I have some things that might be a bit more practical for running through the trees.］

Next to the shoes, various articles of clothing started to appear. There were trousers, shirts, vests, and even some pieces of light armor.

Rook was speechless. It did not seem real at all. In the past, he had only received new clothes when something wore out completely. Only then, was he allowed to pick out something from the pile of old clothes from the ranch house.

Rook felt enormously uncomfortable taking these things without permission. It didn’t register with him yet that the owners of all these things were now dead. It also escaped his attention that no one would be angry with him for wearing these items. Anyone who saw him would be far more angry about other things, after all.

［Hey! You’re wasting time. Grab something that fits and get back moving. You are still being hunted, right?］

That woke Rook up out of his shocked stupor. Then he realized that he had no idea how to take any of the items in front of him. He tried to step forward, but it didn’t work like he was expecting. The objects stayed the same distance away.

［Oh yeah, sorry. I forgot. I haven’t figured out that part yet. For now, just pick some things that look good, and I’ll send them out with you.］

Still unsure what was going on, Rook looked closely at the footwear and clothing. Like before, he realized that by focusing on an object, he could see it clearly. He could understand it, as though he had run his hand over every surface, inside and out.

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He quickly examined everything that was on display, then focused on a pair of light boots.

“These should fit.”

［Alright. Now, pick out something to replace those rags you are wearing. If any parts rip off, they could make a trail.］

This had also crossed Rook’s mind, so he quickly selected a shirt and a pair of trousers that appeared to be in good condition.

［Okay. I’m sending you back outside. Be careful when you appear. Make sure there is nothing near you.］

A moment later, Rook was outside again. He blinked quickly to get accustomed to the morning light, then quickly looked around and listened for any suspicious noises.

“I think it’s okay.”

［Put out your hands.］

Rook was confused for a moment, but when he realized what Oberon was going to do, he placed both hands out in front, palms up. As soon as he did, a small bundle of clothing and two boots appeared.

［Hurry, get changed, then store your old rags. Don’t miss a single thread.］

Rook quickly changed out of his old ripped hand-me-downs and into the new outfit. He marveled at the quality of the clothing. While certainly not new, the items were far better made than even the things Rhaeger wore.

After he stored his old things and searched the ground for any piece of fabric that might have fallen off, Oberon instructed him to put his hands out again.

Several new items appeared this time. A leather belt, a dark-colored tunic, a strange piece of clothing that Rook had never seen before, and what appeared to be some small pieces of leather armor.

Put these on, too. They should help protect you from branches, or even small animal teeth.

Rook first put on the tunic over his shirt. He tied the straps tightly so that the sleeves and waist would not easily get caught on a branch.

The leather belt was far better than the scrap of rope that he previously wore. It even had metal hooks and fittings and felt more luxurious than anything he had ever worn in his life.

The armor pieces tied onto his lower legs and arms, and just as Oberon had said, would both protect his extremities and wrap his clothing tightly to his skin so that no loose fabric could easily get caught on anything as he moved through the trees and brush. They were light, but putting them on gave Rook a noticeable confidence boost.

Finally, only the last piece of fabric was left, and Rook had no idea what it was for.

［It’s got a hole like a sleeve. Put your head through it.］

After fiddling with it for a minute, Rook figured it out, then put it over his head and pulled it down.

［I think it’s better if you put it on before the jacket. Anyway, it’s fine for now.］

Rook recognized it now. The attackers had all worn these. They wore it with the top of the sleeve pulled up to cover the lower half of their faces like a mask. There was also a pocket that could be pulled over the back of his head like a hood.

He was now dressed like a bandit, a criminal. It did not feel good at all, but he had little choice. Despite how he felt about wearing the clothing of murderers, he accepted, for the time being, that this would help him in his escape. He also realized that in the future, protecting his identity would be extremely important for his survival.

［Here, eat this, then start moving again.］

In his hands appeared a stick of dried meat and a small bottle.

As soon as he saw the meat, he realized how hungry he was. The last thing he had eaten was the poisoned stew from the night before, and as soon as he thought about it, he realized how parched his throat was.

The bottle had a stopper, and he pulled it out and sniffed the contents. There was no smell at all, but it was full of liquid, so he put it to his lips. Thankfully, it was water.

He drank half the bottle, all in one go, then ripped off a piece of meat and chewed the hard, salty treat. In no time, the meat was gone, and the bottle was empty. It was a pitifully simple meal, but he was so hungry, that Rook was immensely grateful.

He stored the empty bottle, then searched around again for any traces of the impromptu rest stop. Satisfied he had done the best he could, he started moving through the forest again. This time, to his satisfaction, he felt that he was navigating easier and moving faster than before.

Now that the sun was up, it was easier to keep a direction. At least, that is what he told himself.

Rook had occasionally heard stories about the forest from some of the hunters who had stopped by the ranch to borrow some of Rhaeger’s livestock.

Hunters knew how to track animals in the forest with ease. Even the small tracks of rabbits or even some kinds of birds. Rook had no idea how this was even possible, and so he had no idea if he was actually doing a good job of hiding his tracks.

There was every possibility that the bandits chasing him now were able to easily follow the path he had left behind, despite his amateurish efforts. If that were the case, they would certainly catch up to him, and when they did, the only thing he could do would be to hide in his soul space and hope they got tired and left.

All he was doing now, he realized, was giving himself some extra time. But what good was that? He had no plan, and nowhere else to go.

［You give up too easily. That’s always been your problem. No matter what happens, you just accept it like a wuss.］

Rook ignored the insult.

［Why don’t you ever fight back? You never pushed back, never resisted. That drunk would beat you for no reason. His twerpy kid would bully you just for fun. They sold you to a total stranger, and you just accepted it without a word.］

“Fight back? With what? I’m nothing but a bondling. They can kill me, and no one will care. They can beat me every day. I have no rights. No power.”

［Is that okay with you then? You were happy to sit on that ranch, shoveling cow shit, taking your beatings, without complaint, every day for the rest of your life? Is that what your plan was?］

“Of course not… But what else…”

［What would you have done? If you had the power? If you were not tied down? What would you have done with your life? Didn’t you ever want to do something?］

“Of course, I wanted something else… But it wasn’t possible. So what good would it do to dream?… I hoped that someday, I could…”

［What? Someday you could what?］

“Get away. Run away and be free. Free from the beatings. Free from the cold, from the moldy bread, from the stink of bubal shit. I just wanted to be able to…”

［To…?］

“Live like a person. I wanted… I want to live. I don’t want to die here. I don’t want them to catch me and send me back either.”

［Well, I guess that’s a start at least.］

“Huh?”

［Alright, if you want to have a chance, to get out of this forest so you can eat good food, sleep in a nice, clean bed, and walk upright like a human being, then we need to figure out how to get away from those guys. We have to get through the forest without getting eaten by wild animals, and we gotta make it to civilization without starving to death.］

Rook stopped walking for a moment. The words that Oberon was spewing out seemed to spell out certain death. It was impossible. But he spoke with such confidence, as though it was certainly possible that it could be accomplished.

“How? Can I really get out of here? Is there a way?”

［There better be. After all, if you die out here, my crystal either ends up in some bandit’s collection, or in the belly of a beast. I like it here. You may be a pathetic loser and an idiot, but you at least have enough magic in you for me to think, see the world around you, and..］

Oberon paused for a moment. Long enough that Rook started to worry. Then the voice continued.

［…and you gave me access to coins. Coins I can use to upgrade my abilities. Those abilities that just might get us out of here.］

“You? Can you get us out? How?”

［Yes. Yes, I can get us out of this mess. But first, I need to ask you something.］

“Uhh, Yes?”

［So… You don’t have a problem if I use all these coins you have here now, do you?］

“Huh?”