Chapter 28 — Horror Hounds (Part I)
Leaving town involved an irritating number of stops that only increased Toren’s misgivings about running into trouble, but the timing turned fortunate as they were able to travel together with Joric, a teen boy escorting unsold horror hounds from the livestock pens outside the town’s gate back to his family’s stead.
“They’re really loyal and great at sensing and fighting zoots, and if one dies, their durable skin makes sturdy leather for armor,” Joric was explaining to Falma as they walked the raised road leading away from town, the faceless, eyeless, and furless hounds stalking around them and occasionally tasting the air of the jungle they were walking through.
“That does sound useful. Is it hard living outside town?” Falma asked, scritching behind an ear-hole on one of the hounds that seemed to have taken a liking to her.
“Zoots are the main problem. Farmer’s Weed does a good job of keeping away the drain worms, but the zoots love it—that’s probably how they are immune to the drain worms. Dark stalkers and saber birds can also be dangers but as long as we don’t encroach on their territory, they don’t tend to bother the steads much. Though beast swarms and high tide change things, so it’s best to be prepared.”
“Wow, it’s really that terrible?”
Toren lent only half an ear to their ongoing conversation; his main focus was on [Mana Sensing]. The decreased field-of-vision from his newly purchased metal helm still left him feeling vulnerable even if [Mana Sensing] and [Combat Awareness] directly compensated for lack of peripheral sight. Intellectually, he understood that the padded metal bucket suspended from an internal leather-strapped skullcap would keep him safe from almost any tier-1 attack, but the reality did little to make him less unnerved after a life spent as [Hunter] relying on subtle cues from his hearing and sight.
The creepy sightless hounds really did seem to scare off the local predators and opportunists. Other than a few colorful large-beaked saber birds watching from the trees, most everything fled the slinky four-legged terrors that made enthusiastic and quick work of anything that tried hiding instead. Joric had to call a few back to the collective pack when they became obsessed with digging at the cage-like roots of a tree to get at a critter hiding inside.
The high-tide situation did have Toren worried. He’d know more once he saw the orchard property, but the way the road was constructed as a high earthen berm with deep gullies on either side and the high roots and waterlines on the region’s odd trees suggested that the flooding would be extensive. Many animals and monsters would undoubtedly seek high ground during such flooding, and if his guess was right, most of the steads were built on such ‘high ground’.
He returned his attention to his companions. The family of four was looking jumpy from the unfamiliar surroundings and rapidly reaching mental and physical exhaustion from the long day and its life-changing events.
Falma had initially fussed over her sister, but understandably there wasn’t much to be said. Warnel wasn’t a total jerk, but it was clear that he was having some difficulty coming to terms with what had happened, and though he was outwardly supportive of his wife, the awkwardness wasn’t going to be resolved anytime soon.
Just like the oddly detached manner from Laiya, Toren could only hope that ‘awkwardness’ wouldn’t grow to a future problem.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Fortunately, things in town had gone surprisingly well. Worryingly so, maybe. Unless the [Haberdasher]'s spate of bad luck had restored the balance due.
After getting the wife and eldest daughter more rugged clothing, they had stopped at the [Alchemist] that had placed the job postings on the task board.
At least, one potential source of future friction was easily solved with the help of the [Alchemist]. The Conclave bastards hadn’t provided it, probably planning to cash in on the child credit, but such preventatives were one of any [Alchemist]’s most lucrative business. Toren suspected for [Herbalists], as well.
Curiosity eventually prompted Toren to ask Laiya about the lack of clients during the rescue. The girl had the answer. From what they were told, this group of Conclave members didn’t accept daytime ‘clients’ on ‘new arrival’ days when the incoming transports were scheduled. Which meant his acting as a client had failed from the start.
They never did encounter a tier-2 Conclave member. Even so, Toren didn’t think seeking aid from the followers of Eshem`Zel had been a mistake. The cover would help discourage retaliation, and he found it hard to believe that some random group of tier-1 thugs would run such an operation without someone strong around to prevent what his group had just done.
When they returned to the market square, Warnel had offered one of his daughters to Eshem`Zel’s service as promised. Laiya accepted the responsibility, receiving a leatherbound catechism of the faith from Reaver Uvros. The one mana-coin deposit proved adequate for the monetary offering, but it was exchanged for equivalent silver to lighten their travel load.
While the [Haberdasher] family was offering prayers of thanks for the successful rescue, Toren had slipped away to visit the celestial temple across the market square. He needed to offer prayer and thanks to Horevi and find out about what was required to speak with Yana. Both of which he accomplished.
Horevi had heard his prayer and given him a Quest.
Quest: Hunt a tier-2 monster or beast and return with its core as an offering.
Reward: Commune with a departed spirit.
Whether the Quest was a godsent boon in his time of need or not… With the enchanted blade, hunting a tier-2 wasn’t an impossible task, but… was Horevi telling him he wasn’t yet ready to speak with Yana? Or was there some significance to the required offering that was important to the miracle being sought?
How to feel about the Quest? Toren still wasn’t sure. Was it really too expensive to pay a [Priest] of Moreva for the same miracle? Not that he would risk offending Horevi by asking.
Occasionally, Falma or her mother would hold up their progress to brave the gully and jungle undergrowth with their new hip-secured foraging baskets to harvest alchemy-related plants they spotted. Each time, Laiya or Warnel would slide down the gully alongside to guard, Laiya with her new spear and Warnel with the acquired short blade.
The reason for the effort was a desire to broaden their currently possessed [Dyeing] Skill into [Alchemy]. To that end, the family had purchased a starter alchemy set and a handwritten book of techniques and recipes.
Emina also negotiated for the [Alchemist] to take on Falma as an assistant on low-tide days and after monster swarms when there would be an excessive influx of ingredients to be processed into potions, salves, and more stable substances for later use or sale. The man copied down the expected low-tide dates onto a small patch of stained parchment and handed it to Falma.
“Say, if you all are planning to spend the night in the jungle, we have room at our family’s stead,” Joric offered. “I’m sure my dad would let you stay the night for cheap.”