Chương 6: The Consequences

Ch. 06 - The Consequences [Skills] are incredibly useful. [Skills] can trap you by relying on them too much. Watching a duel between two mid-rank adventurers, ones without the experience to know better, can be a very strange sight. They will circle each other, block and dodge … not because they are avoiding attacks. No, they are waiting for their own skills to come off cooldown. - from the writings of Steadholder Eckhart The group set off in short order, Wyatt leading the way.

His skill, [A Safe Place to Rest], providing him the destination, even though he wasn't able to voice exactly where they were headed. All he knew was that if they walked in this direction they would reach safety. The little silver fox still sat perched on his pack, riding along like it was some kind of mascot. It would occasionally nuzzle at Wyatt's neck, letting out an amused bark when its wet nose made him flinch. The members of the squad reacted to the animal's presence in different ways.

David was clearly fascinated, watching the fox so intently that he frequently stumbled as they walked. Anders was noticeably confused, as if he couldn't quite understand how the fox ended up riding on Wyatt's back. Royce was just as dour as usual, but he coupled that with staring venomously at Wyatt's back — although whether he was glaring at the fox or Wyatt was anyone's guess. This would normally be very distracting, but fortunately Wyatt had a protector of sorts.

No matter which way Royce walked, or which angle he took, Sam always seemed to be between Wyatt and the [Hunter]. Samantha usually hung back when they were trekking through the forest, staying within sight but apart. However this time she was sticking close by Wyatt, right towards the front. It wasn't like he minded; Sam was easily his favourite person out of their squad, for all that he'd spoken to her more today than he had during the entire time they'd been in the forest.

Unfortunately though, Wyatt was pretty sure that her close proximity had more to do with his passenger than himself. Wyatt watched Sam out of the corner of his eye every time she drifted closer, moving a little too casually to be coincidental. She would reach out a hand … and then hesitate. Withdrawing, and moving further away. Then she would do it all over again. This time she just went for it. Sam moved closer again, and Wyatt swore that he heard her take in a fortifying breath.

Then she extended her arm, reaching out to the little silver fox, going in for the kill … or, rather, a pat. The little fox uncurled its tail from Wyatt's neck, swishing it in Samantha's direction like it was swatting a fly. It barked, just once, but somehow managed to convey a chiding tone. Wyatt glanced back at Sam as she withdrew her hand, a look of hurt and disappointment on her face. He shrugged, careful of the fox as it resettled.

"Sorry, about that. I guess she just wants to sleep?" Sam instantly schooled her features, and turned her head, projecting an air of nonchalance.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Wyatt hid a smile. That was almost … cute. Pretty sure she'd punch me if I said that to her though. Their trek through the forest remained as monotonous as it ever was. Wyatt had long since become inured to the scenery. Endlessly trudging through an artificial twilight under the boughs of massive, house-sized trees really shouldn't be something you could get used to, but there it was.

Spotting one of the rare shrubs or vines that dotted the forest was cause enough for comment. The group only paused once on the trip; stopping to resupply when they stumbled across one of the tranquil pools of water. It wasn't large, maybe a foot deep and twice as wide, and while the water was clear it was dark with tannins leeched from surrounding leaf litter. Wyatt made sure to use [Water Purification] before anyone touched the water, and then refilled their canteens.

After they had taken what they needed, they gratefully took the opportunity to wash the blood and grime off. While they didn't fully undress, they all stripped their outer clothes off — modesty being something that had fallen by the wayside in the first few days of their foray into the forest. The pool wasn't big enough for them to submerge, so they made do with wetting rags and scrubbing their bodies as best they could.

It was cold, and putting their dirty clothes back on wasn't pleasant, but Wyatt felt much better once he was nominally clean. The silver fox had sat primly atop Wyatt's pack next to his clothes as they cleaned themselves, cocking its head to one side as it watched them — seemingly fascinated by their antics. Once finished, they set off again, following Wyatt's skill.

He could sense that the place it was directing him to wasn't too far off, and he was already looking forward to roasting some of the stag's meat over a fire. Wyatt was keeping only half of his attention on his skill; most of his thoughts were preoccupied with the logistics of what he'd need for their camp this time. For instance, they'd need a lot more fuel for the fire than usual. So intent was he on planning, that when it happened he stumbled; his brow furrowing as he tried to work out what was amiss.

Then, he realised. They'd been so close, maybe half an hour of travel to go, but the surety given to Wyatt from [A Safe Place to Rest] had just … vanished. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Wyatt came to a stop, only vaguely paying attention as the others did so as well. Anders, who'd been guarding their rear, called out to him.

"What's the matter, Wyatt? Is this it? Are we there already?" Anders looked dubiously at their surroundings. Of course everything always looked the same, but Wyatt's skill usually led them to a place with water or something to forage nearby. Here there was nothing, not even a small glade. Just the endless expanse of giant trees. Wyatt absently shook his head as he concentrated. He ignored the questioning yip from the fox sitting behind him. He tried his skill again, saying it quietly under his breath.

"[A Safe Place to Rest]." Nothing. No information flowed into his mind, no sudden knowledge of their being a good spot to rest nearby.

"Wyatt?" Wyatt barely noticed Sam speaking, even when she put a concerned hand on his arm. He shook his head again, trying to think what could have happened.

"My skill. It … stopped working." Royce muttered a curse, shrugging his pack off his shoulders onto the ground. At hearing Wyatt's words, Anders brow had furrowed and he hurried up to them.

"What do you mean, is it too far? We are still relatively fresh, we can —" Wyatt closed his eyes, concentrating harder. Trying to recapture the feeling of his skill, but it felt nebulous, just out of reach. Every other time he'd followed its directions, it had led him unerringly until they reached the destination. Even if the spot was visually unassuming, Wyatt always immediately knew it when they arrived. His mind raced, thinking of what it could mean.

"I just tried the skill again — and it's not telling me anything." Sam folded her arms, her brow wrinkling.

"So we are too far away?"

"No, it's never done this before. Even if the only spot that was safe was far, I still knew it was out there. But now it isn't registering anything. We were close to the place it was leading us too as well. But now I can't find it." David broke in, sounding reasonable.

"Is it on cooldown? We usually follow you as soon as you use the skill, but this time we took our time. Maybe it timed out?" Wyatt shot that idea down, for all that he appreciated David trying to help.

"I still have one use left, so it's not that. I think that—" Royce rolled his eyes, and cut Wyatt off.

"Great, so we've been trudging along for nothing. We should have just stopped at the pool. Or stayed at the kill like I wanted. Stop inventing drama to make yourself important. Anders, sir, let's just get a fire going, hey? We could all do with some fucking relaxation." Sam ignored the [Hunter] as her brow furrowed in thought. She was looking vaguely alarmed, and Wyatt wondered if her conclusions were running in the same direction as his. Sam snapped at Royce, her voice tense.

"Shut. Up. Wyatt, if there was a safe place nearby, and now there isn't — what happened to it?" Wyatt nodded grimly.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too." Anders looked between them blankly, and then realisation dawned.

"So you think we might be in danger?"

"Yeah, maybe." Anders took a deep breath, and then squared his shoulders. His tone became clipped, authoritative.

"Okay, better to be safe. Everyone ready your weapons. We aren't in a position to seek out a fight, but we need to be prepared. My command skill has come off cooldown, but I only have one use. [Power Strike] is ready as well. What's the status of yours?" Royce muttered that his skills had recharged, and so did David. However Sam was just watching Wyatt.

"Wyatt, what about [Danger Sense]? Does that have a cooldown? That's not going off again is it?" Wyatt shook his head, giving her a tight smile. That was the main reason he was just being wary, not alarmed.

"No, that hasn't gone off. I think it's a passive, not an active skill. It's not something I can activate whenever I want —" Sam's eyes widened as she saw the colour drain from Wyatt's face.

"That doesn't — your skill just went off, didn't it?" Wyatt gripped his staff tightly, wishing now he'd taken the time to reaffix his knife to it. He turned on the spot, scanning the forest, but couldn't see any oncoming threat. Yet.

"Yeah, speak of the devil. [Danger Sense] went off."

"Shit." David shifted uneasily as he held his spear out in front of him. His voice cracked a little with nerves, but he held his ground.

"Like with the fox? Wait, it's not the fox again, is it?" David's eyes had widened and he took a few steps back from where the fox was still sitting on Wyatt's pack. Wyatt was quick to shoot that idea down; the last thing he wanted was someone antagonising the animal, particularly when it was sitting right behind his head.

"No, not the fox. It's, uh, a bit louder than it was with her. A lot louder." Anders was turning around on the spot, searching for something he couldn't see. His voice was tense, but controlled.

"Wyatt, report! What can you tell us? What is it? Do you know which direction?" Wyatt shook his head, feeling frustrated by the lack of useful knowledge.

"No, I just know we're in danger. It's not specific." At hearing that, Royce let out a scoff. He swaggered up to them and folded his arms as he grinned knowingly. Of the group, he was the only one who still looked relaxed, even amused.

"Come off it. This is just like before. It was only the boy's word that the fox was 'dangerous' — and now look at it! Riding around like some kind of house-pet. Mark me. He's doing this to make himself feel important! He got a taste of it before, and —" Royce spat out a curse and dodged. The little fox had sprung from Wyatt's pack, sailing right past the [Hunter's] face, and was now standing in front of Wyatt, its tail lashing the air.

What looked like shadows were gathering around its paws, licking along the silver fur of its legs. A low, rumbling growl was emitting from its throat, sounding too deep to come from such a small animal. The fox was staring, rigid, in the direction that they had been headed just a moment ago. Intent lay in every line of its body. David licked his lips, whispering.

"That can't be good." As if in answer to his words, a distant thundering came from off in the distance, echoing amongst the trees in such a way that made it difficult to pinpoint. It became louder with a swiftness that was alarming, and the group looked at each other, unsure of what to do. They had nowhere to fall back to; fighting the stag had been an anomaly they still hadn't reconciled after spending nine days wandering a seemingly barren forest devoid of life. Wyatt looked around swiftly, taking stock.

His [Danger Sense] was clamouring in his head, making it difficult to think.

"We should put our backs to one of the trees! I don't know what's coming, but —" David pointed, yelling.

"Look, there's a light! A glow in the trees! Over there, where the —" David fell silent, his face going even paler. Samantha just stared, clenching her jaw so tight that you could see the muscles tense in her face. She breathed out, slowly.

"… shit." It had been hard to see at first, but — as though heralding the origin of the thunderous sound — shining, crackling light was dancing off in the distance. It was bright enough to make the glowing orbs amongst the trees redundant, bringing a harsh illumination to the forest. Shapes could be seen, hard to distinguish, moving back and forth, flowing together like one enormous beast made of many parts. A charging, bellowing mass.

Resplendent with dancing currents of electricity that moved in a wave across them all. Electric deer. But not just one, a whole herd, charging along the forest floor, their hooves like thunder, kicking up a cloud of leaf litter and detritus, the tines of their antlers so awash with current that they glowed white-hot. They roared as one, a bellow that shook the world, and a palpable emotion swept ahead of them, so distinct that every member of the squad felt it. Rage.