Chapter Nineteen: The Adventurer’s Life

The meadow was the most idyllic scene he could ever have imagined. The sun was just starting to set over the ocean, and the hillside leading up from the beach to the tree-ringed field of grass made a path of auburn light that washed over the scene like a flame.

After three days of navigating through the forest, Rook had finally emerged, reaching the western coast at last.

Things had become easier as he gained more confidence and experience with his skills. The abilities granted by the skill stones gave him a way to survive, and gain new strengths.

After figuring out how to use the camping equipment, he no longer needed to try to sleep while perched on a large tree branch, or huddled under a fallen log. There was a small tent and plenty of camping gear in the items he had taken from the campsite, and by the second night, they had decided to take the risk and stop to rest and recover his stamina when he was able to find a good place to make camp.

His wounds were now completely healed, and his health was brought back up to full. Meanwhile, he continued to practice using the skill stoned he had activated to raise their proficiency.

Before the sunset, Rook had set up a small fire and even cooked a pot of bread stew, a mix of millet, old bread rolls, and some spices Obi had found in the cooking gear.

He had also activated the warding stone, which needed to be placed in a stable location at a given time to warm up in order to function. Luckily, the knowledge of how to properly use it was pushed into his mind during the first time he had activated it.

Obi, for his part, was ecstatic to be able to move around with relative freedom. They had experimented with different forms for the shadow familiar, but the sable ended up being the one that gave him the freedom and control that satisfied him the most. Rook, however, was convinced that Obi simply liked the way the animal looked.

Through the shadow familiar, Obi could run and keep up with Rook as long as he was not using the sprint skill, and when they wanted to speed up, he would stay in form, resting on Rook’s shoulder and enjoying the ride.

They would take shelter in Rook’s soul space when predators entered the detect skills range. Something that only happened a handful of times, and the few run-ins they encountered caused no problems or even noticeable delays.

By now, Obi was feeling confident that they had eluded any pursuers, at least for the time being.

［The amount of space that would need to be searched increases exponentially with distance, and even though you were not perfect, I don’t think you left enough of a trail for anyone to follow you this far,］he had assured Rook.

When he first saw the ocean through the trees, Rook was shocked and speechless. He had been running through the trees when Obi warned him to stop. Ahead of them was a cliff, dropping off right into the sea.

Rook gingerly approached the edge, the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below was suddenly a deafening roar. The sparkling blue water reaching as far as the eye could see was beyond Rook’s imagination. It was so unlike the green and brown he had been surrounded by his whole life. His first reaction was to ask if it was some kind of magic effect.

After reaching the water, they slowed down, hugging the coast until they came across the meadow atop the hill. Rook wanted to camp there. It was such a peaceful and scenic place, so unlike anything he had ever seen before, that he simply wanted to sit and stare at the ocean for as long as possible to assure himself that it was real.

That night, they camped at the forest edge, and Rook stared at the stars over the ocean as the sound of the waves filled the air.

He wondered if it was possible to live in a place like this. If, somehow, he could build a cabin, learn how to hunt, and maybe do some farming. Live here in peace, without people ordering him around all day, or trying to use him, or hurt him.

He would like that. If he were to come up with a goal or a dream right now, that would be it. Maybe with the powers he had gained, or the coins he now possessed, it would be possible. If so, perhaps he would come back to this meadow someday and make it happen.

Obi popped up his head. The small shadow had been zipping around the area for a while. In a way, it was reassuring. Obi was likely using the shadow to scout the surrounding area. There are many things that detect would not tell him about the area, so taking a direct look around allowed him a chance to catch something useful.

［I’ve done it!］

“Done what?” Rook said with a yawn. He had already set up the tent, and stored the campfire, and was getting ready to try catching a full night’s sleep.

［I think I have finally synced the maps up.］

Rook sat up. Obi had explained that once he was able to determine their location on the map, he would be able to use the parchment document left by the mercenaries to plot out everything else on to his floating map. That included other cities and even the borders to other countries.

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Thus far, they had just been navigating based on random guesses. While they still did not have any concrete plans to go anywhere, there were a few options, including the city in the north that Thayn had asked him to visit.

“How did you do it?”

Just following the coastline a bit, I saw a cove leading to a river. The shape of the cove is rather unique, and there is a similar feature of the mercenary’s map, so if indeed it is the same place, well, then this is how the map should look.

The usual map was just a grey window, floating in the air, with just a few markers. Rook was always in the center, and Obi could channel the information from the detect skill to also show animals, or other humans on the map as markers of various colors.

Suddenly, the map pulled back. It now showed the view, including the campsite and even the village Rook had come from. Rook was surprised that he had covered so much distance in the last few days. The village was now very far away, and he was now more than twice as far away from the campsite where the bandits had ambushed him as the distance between the camp and the village.

The map window shuddered, and lines and markings began to appear inside it, filling it with details in various colors.

Along the left side of the window was a roughly drawn line. This was apparently the coastline, and now the green marker that signified Rooks’s current position was at a point on that line.

There were no special markings for either the campsite or the village. It appeared that, neither was featured on the physical map. There were, however several small drawings not far from Rook’s current position.

One mark of particular note was a picture of what appeared to be a tall and narrow building in an area along the coast, above where he currently was. It was the direction Obi called “north.”

“Is that a city?” Rook wanted to know.

［I would guess so. By the markings on the map, it looks like there is a large port city up north of here. Maybe a couple of days run.］

“Do you think we should go there?” Rook asked with a shade of reluctance in his voice.

［Maybe, but not yet. I don’t think we are quite ready to show up in public.］

“Why not?”

［Well, for starters, there is the small issue of that tattoo on your hand. Did you forget what happens if anyone sees you without the contract holder?］

Rook had indeed forgotten about that detail. Anyone who saw his palm would be able to demand to speak with his contract holder. If no one with the contract was located, he could be detained, or even imprisoned until the contract holder was located and confirmed.

“Yeah, I guess you have a point. Then what should we do? We don’t have enough food to keep camping forever.”

［Maybe we can find some smaller villages, like your old home. Places where we won’t draw as much attention. Unfortunately, the map doesn’t seem to have any information on small settlements.］

In the end, they were unable to come up with any concrete plans that night. For now, it was enough that they had a better grip on where they were, and felt more confident that, at least for the time being, they had eluded any pursuers.

When Rook awoke, the view of the ocean from the top of the view was just as breathtaking as it had been the previous evening. Watching the endless field of crystal blue water seemed to heal his soul, bringing up thoughts and emotions that had been dormant all his life.

The freedom he had yearned for now had a physical template in his mind. Whatever happened, Rook now understood that he wanted to see more of the world. To experience more sights like this that made him feel as though his heart was going to burst from his chest.

For the first time in his life, he leisurely made a small breakfast, washing down some porridge with a cup of heated water. As he ate, he stared out at the ocean and smiled.

The slow morning was a one-time luxury to celebrate reaching the ocean. He knew he had to get moving again soon, that he was neither completely safe from animals, or anyone seeking the cargo that Thayn had charged him to destroy. The same cargo that was still in his soul space.

Before he moved on, he felt strongly that this was the place to finish one of the self-imposed tasks he had promised to discharge.

In a protected area beside an outcropping of stone, Rook used his storage ability to remove a large area of the ground, creating a giant pit similar to the trough he had used to isolate the wolves in the fire trap.

This time, he only created a single pit before promptly climbing down to stand at the bottom. There, he laid down a large section of tarp, taken from one of the tents he had stored.

One by one, he brought out the remains of the mercenaries and positioned them side by side on the tarp lining the bottom of the pit.

Rook had no idea what the proper method of burial was, other than that the bodies needed to be placed deep enough so that animals would not dig them up later. He tried to be respectful, positioning them so that they appeared to be resting. Then, after taking one last look at the old man, the fierce woman, and the odd pair of brothers, he covered them with another section of tarp and used stones to weigh the fabric down.

Using the sprint skill, he was able to easily jump out of the pit. Just as he had done in the forest, he placed the stored earth back into the space it had been taken from. This time, he was more careful, and made an effort to make the site blend back into the area around it. He was able to replace the disturbed area well enough that it was difficult to tell that the ground had been moved at all. There was still grass growing, and after a bit of stomping down hard on the edges, the site would not be noticed, unless you knew where to look.

Finally, he placed a large stone on top of the ground. This was also made into a totem through his ownership ability. The stone was large enough that it would not be easily moved by wind or rain, so, even though he would lose the ability to connect to it once he had left the area, he should be able to find the location of the grave if he ever came back.

Even if it was invisible to anyone else who came this way, Rook felt better, knowing that the place was marked and remembered.

He only knew these people for the smallest fraction of his life, but they had been there at that key moment. Whether they had helped him out of kindness, or to further their own goals, the fact remained that they had helped him, and lost their lives, while he was given a chance to survive.

As he walked down the hill toward the sea, Rook felt a small weight lift from his shoulders. He hoped he had done a good thing. He realized there was so much he did not know about the world he had lived in for his entire life, and now he was eagerly looking forward to learning more and experiencing more of what that world had to offer.

Though he was still afraid, he felt he understood, at least in a small way, what motivated those who left the safety of the villages and towns, to seek the adventure of the outside world, despite the danger.