I finished dismantling the protective wards on the warehouse, since we would be gone for several days, while Vel was handing in the healing missions we had completed the previous day. The few silvers we would get as a reward weren't much but the smiles from the people we healed were their own reward.
Our next three missions were back in the Jungle. Vel had picked some straightforward missions not too far away. They hadn't already been snatched due to the location, a swampy jungle like the one we had traversed after our trial.
From the looks of it, few groups were capable of traversing the jungle above ground level, something necessary to traverse the swamps without the help of a boat. Darrel and Gwynn would have been unable to wade through the waters with their heavy armors.
Vel could use her control over plant to move between trees with ease. With the Spatial Movement skill at its maximum level, I could walk mid-air on the summoned platforms and my monstrous mana regeneration meant the skill was practically free to use. I had also gotten better at using my webs but this little stroll would also be another opportunity to practice.
I found Vel waiting for me on a stone bench in front of the guild hall.
"Ready?" She asked as she stood up and embraced me.
"Yes. And you?"
She answered with a nod and a grin. I lowered my abdomen and let her climb behind me. We received some odd looks from a few of the gathered adventurers but I ignored them. Vel embraced me from behind and I strutted towards the exit with a big grin on my face.
"Names and adventurer plates, please," the guard asked.
"Liscura Vas-Maezra," I answered and summoned my plate.
"Velatha Vas-Maezra," Vel did the same.
To avoid attention, we decided to obscure our true origin. If what the guild master had said about the Crimson Lys was true, then it was best to let them think we died after escaping. Anyone unfamiliar with Dark Elven culture asking about the two girls from clan Maezra would get a good laugh out of anyone they asked. Claiming to be from clan Maezra was the equivalent of calling yourself Miss Nobody.
"Everything is in order," the guard said. "Happy hunting!"
----------------------------------------
The ground flew underneath as I ran between the trees. I was faster on eight legs than I used to be on two, even more with the buffs from Mystic Enhancement. At that speed, the increased reflexes brought about by Mystic Perception was required to avoid any obstacle in the way.
Like the two Barbcat Hunters that were hot on our heels. We hadn't seen one in a while. It looked like we had encroached on their territory. My scrying orbs had detected them well before we crossed paths but I hadn't expected a pursuit.
"I'll take the one on the left," I said to Vel.
"And I'll take the one on the right," she confirmed.
I switched my enhancement from pure speed to something more balanced and extended it to Vel. It would be our first fight without a team in a while. I was a bit apprehensive, we had only fought by ourselves once after my transformation, but also excited.
Wind surged around us and I kicked off the ground. As I spun around to face the two Barbcats, Vel threw a vine whip upwards and hooked into the lower branches. She flew upwards and over the two monsters. I used the cushion of air behind me to slow down. Without missing a beat, I had more spells on the tips of my fingers. Two crimson beams of arcane energy seared through the air, the first Barbcat dodged but the second one was a hair too slow. It tumbled to the ground from the hit.
Vel took the opportunity to attack it from above. Poison tipped wooden stakes rained down on the injured Barbcat. With surprising agility and speed, the monster managed to turn the tumble into a dodge and avoid most of them. Only one projectile hit its mark and sank between scales. The Barbcat fired its stinger at Vel. I felt a brief moment of panic but she avoided it easily. We weren't as inexperienced as the first time.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
With one spell, I raised a field of obsidian spikes underneath the Barbcat still aiming for me. At the same time it took evasive action, I shot a hail of ice daggers from above. Most missed but one hit and it was all it took to seal its fate. The Arcane curse embedded inside the ice discharged and the Ichor magic spread through its body. Unlike the Curse of Decay I had healed the day before, this one was much less potent but faster acting. Blood and gore rained on the jungle floor as a chunk of flesh exploded from the Barbcat.
It fired its stinger at me but I was ready for it. With my enhanced reaction time, I managed to catch the barbed projectile mid-air with Psychokinesis. Wounded from the curse, the Barbcat couldn't get away when I shifted the earth underneath its feet to quicksand. Pinned in place, it couldn't avoid the next strike. I pierced its head with a spike of obsidian and killed it.
The fight had felt … easy.
Your group has defeated [Barbcat Hunter (Level 168, Rank 5)]
Your group has defeated [Barbcat Hunter (Level 166, Rank 5)]
Experience gain reduced by 20% for fighting with a group
Essence Absorption collected 30 ES (5x3x2)
----------------------------------------
The rest of the day continued much like it had started. We made excellent progress towards our destination, the two days of travel had been an estimate based on our old travel speed after all. Along the way, we had to stop and fight the occasional monster that was both too aggressive and persistent. Even if it would have likely been possible to lose them by using illusions, the fights were a reprieve from the monotony of simply running through the jungle. It was also good experience now that it was only the two of us.
Your group has defeated [Constrictor Baron (Level 171, Rank 5)]
Your group has defeated [Crested Duke Cobra (Level 165, Rank 5)]
Your group has defeated …
Experience gain reduced by 20% for fighting with a group
Essence Absorption collected 150 ES (5x3x12)
Reached Level 176 (Rank 5, +1 level)
Gained: 5 ES
When we stopped for the night, I created a web in the canopy for us to sleep in. Vel prepared us a victory meal using the Barbcat meat with bread and spices she had bought in town. While she busied herself with cooking, I created temporary wards to protect us during the night. It wouldn't stop us from keeping watch but more layers of defense were always better.
"You made us a Barbcat sandwich?" I said the last word in English.
"I saw them at the bakery," she smiled. "She said the idea was brought back from the northern countries by an explorer. Their bread is very different, a lot more … airy and crunchy?"
She wasn't used to leavened bread, it was cute in a way. I had no idea why the cooks in Niu and Asril only created flatbread. Maybe it was simple cultural inertia, the bread they made was excellent after all, why change things?
"It's leavened bread," I explained between bites, "they use yeasts during the process, it produces gas bubbles that aerate the dough if you let it rest for a while, and then it's baked like normal." I wasn't an expert on bread but I remembered the basics.
"Did it also exist in your old world?" Vel asked.
"Yes, for thousands of years," I smiled.
One thing I hadn't seen from any of the vendors was mayonnaise, at last not the formulation I recognized. Tomatoes didn't seem to be a thing either which was a shame. There were some fruits that came close but they were too sugary or acidic.
----------------------------------------
The night was quiet. I summoned Alan to help with the watch since he didn't need any sleep. I hadn't brought him into the guild to avoid any awkward questions about his origins. It turned out to be the right decision since summons were not allowed in town. Familiars were but Alan was a mix of both and I still wasn't sure which set of rules applied, the guild rulebook didn't specify.
When it was time to leave, I tore down the wards and the web, then we were off. The second day was more of the same though with fewer monsters. After the first hour or so, the jungle changed to a rough rocky terrain. The trees were larger than usual, a single one covered dozens of meters with their strange canopy that formed arch-like structures to support the wide network of branches above. Underneath, small shrubs and moss reigned supreme.
With no thick vegetation to hide in, the larger roaming predators like Rune Panthers or Barbcats avoided the area. Instead, camouflage and ambush were the name of the game. Our first taste of it was the Shadow Kameleon, disguised with illusion magic it waits to strike when a prey passes by. It was the size of a large dog and spit a paralytic poison.
Danger Sense warned me ahead of time and I managed to avoid directly stepping on it but the large lizard still tried its chance at us. However, lounging on a bed of stones was not somewhere to be when facing an earth mage and it was promptly skewered. The meat was a little bland but worked very well with the right vegetables as Vel proved later that day.