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Chapter 89: The Outside World

Chapter 89: The Outside World

Day One of Michael’s Pact with Erebus.

I stumbled out of the portal and fell to my hands and knees, struggling to catch my balance.

I was blinded.

Light. White and brighter than anything I had yet felt in this world filled my vision. I squeezed my eyes shut.

Bloody hell, that’s bright.

I waited for a heartbeat or two to allow the dancing afterimages to fade. Then I opened my eyes to careful slits.

Green. Trees. Rocks.

That was what I saw. My heart thudded louder. I had done it. I had escaped Erebus’s dungeon and largely unscathed too.

I opened my eyes wider. The light, while still harsh and painful, was no longer blinding. I was standing at the mouth of a cave set high on the slope of a mountainside.

Below me was a verdant expanse of green, a forest of tall trees. Oaks, redwoods, sequoia, and many others for which I had no names filled the horizon. Beyond them, I saw more mountaintops in the far distance, cradling the forest on all sides.

I am in a valley. This must be the dire wolves’ home.

I had made it. I was safe. Or was I? Multiple messages from the Game were waiting for my attention. Turning my focus inwards, I scrolled through them.

You have completed the task:

Escape the Dungeon

and failed the task:

Find your own way out

. The Marks on your spirit signature have changed.

You have escaped the dungeon using the exit crafted by the Dark, yet in a manner wholly of your own making. The Dark is pleased by your pursuit of self and your refusal to bind yourself to another. Your Dark Mark has deepened.

Shadow is satisfied that your actions have not disturbed the balance between the Forces. Your Shadow Mark remains unchanged.

Light is dissatisfied with the manner of your escape. You have scorned unity and pursuit of the greater good. Your Light Mark has weakened.

Wolf admires the strong. Wolf acknowledges the leader, but at the same time, Wolf accepts no being as its master. You have refused to bow to any Power and held true to your lupine heritage. Wolf is pleased. Your Wolf Mark has deepened.

Congratulations, Michael! Your Wolf Mark has advanced. You now bear the Mark:

Wolf-brethren

. Most wolfkind will react favorably to this Mark and welcome you as an honored guest, defending you as one of their own against outsiders but still considering you as apart from their pack.

I paused the flow of messages while I considered their implications. My Wolf Mark had strengthened. I wasn’t sure yet what this boded for me, but I was certain it was important. At the very least, it would ease my introduction to the dire wolves.

With a flick of the hand, I willed the messages to continue scrolling.

You have entered sector 12,560 of the Kingdoms. This area is part of the Forever Kingdom’s wild borderlands. It is currently neutral territory, unclaimed by any faction or Force. No additional restrictions apply to this region.

You have accomplished the feat:

Novice Dungeoneer!

Requirement: complete your first dungeon. You have been awarded an additional life! Total lives: 3.

By the terms of your agreement with the Power Erebus, your non-aggression Pact with him has commenced. For the length of this Pact, neither you nor those bearing Erebus’ Mark may take hostile action against each other. Remaining duration: 7 days.

I chewed over the alerts, especially the final one. So I wasn’t safe. Not yet. And perhaps, I never would be.

Seven days,

I thought. That’s how long I had before I could expect reprisals from Erebus. It was nice that I had gained another life, but I had no illusions that it would make much difference if the Power’s people caught me after the Pact concluded.

I glanced over my shoulder. The shimmering curtain was still there, shining brightly in the darkness, and I was sure Stayne was still on the other side, straining against the Pact that leashed his actions.

He will pursue me as soon as he can.

I had to conclude my business in the valley quickly and be long gone before then. Shouldering my backpack into a more comfortable position, I stepped onto the rocky slope leading downwards in search of the dire wolves.


The descent to the bottom of the valley was gradual enough to be manageable without climbing gear and easy enough to allow me time to think. As I made my way into the valley, I reviewed my plans for the immediate future. I intended on finding Aira and Oursk to see what more I could learn of the ‘Wolf,’ as the Adjudicator so often referred to it. I wasn’t sure what the Wolf was yet. It could be a being—another Power perhaps—or it could be a metaphor for a path, a wolven way of life maybe.

Whatever it was, I knew I needed to find out. It was important, I sensed, and not just to my choice of tertiary Class.

It could determine my future in this world.

By now, I suspected I was different, apart even from other players. It was the only explanation I could come up with for the attention Erebus, Loken, and Ishita had paid me.

Why

I was different remained a mystery, but I was sure that the Powers’ interest wouldn’t make my life easier.

I would have to play every angle I could to survive.

And that meant finding out about the Wolf and what it held in store for me. I only hoped the dire wolves would be able to enlighten me.

I skipped down the final stretch of the rocky slope, jumping lightly from boulder to boulder.

I had no actual destination in mind yet. I didn’t know the wolves’ precise location, only that this valley was their home. I wasn’t worried about finding them, though. I suspected they would find me if I ventured far enough into the valley.

I reached the bottom of the mountainside without incident. Standing on the forest’s edge, I studied the trees arching high over me, then glanced left and right. The woods extended in both directions as far as the eye could see. From what I had seen from the cave mouth, I knew it filled the entire expanse of the valley too.

The forest was not silent either. Insects chirped, birds sang, strange hoots sounded, and eerie howls emanated from within. All in all, I preferred the mountains. Still, there was no going back. I sighed.

Onwards, Michael,

I encouraged myself and took a tentative step forward.

A branch crackled underfoot.

I froze and glanced at the ground askance. Twigs and fallen leaves littered the forest floor.

Huh. Sneaking here isn’t going to be easy.

Holding my pose, I stared into the forest depths. The longer I looked, the more uneasy I grew. I got the distinct feeling that whoever I’d been in my past life, I had been no woodsman.

I sighed again.

No time like the present to learn.

After all, I couldn’t very well follow the path of the wolf and be afraid of a forest, now could I?

I’m not afraid,

I thought stubbornly. Pulling the shadows around me, I stepped into the forest’s depths.

A hostile entity has detected you! You are no longer hidden.

I bit off a groan at the Game message. The hostile in question was a level one squirrel scolding me from the tree above. I glanced upwards in a parting scowl before moving on.

Treading softly in the forest was even harder than I suspected. I didn’t let it dissuade me though, and kept at it. But even at my seemingly high skill level—rank four—I often dropped out of stealth almost as soon as I cloaked myself.

It has to be the light,

I thought squinting suspiciously upwards at the sunlight filtering down through the trees. But it was more than that, I knew. It was the environment itself.

The forest isn’t as conducive to sneaking as dank, dark tunnels,

I thought morosely.

The animals moving unseen through the foliage weren’t helping either. I knew they were there. With simple mindsight, I was able to see the dozens of tiny minds scurrying through the underbrush, flitting through the trees overhead, and even digging in the earth below.

I had even charmed a few. Not that it helped train my telepathy any. Most of the surrounding animals’ levels were far below my own, netting me nearly no experience. And leaving my mindsight open drained my psi even faster than my single-cast abilities. Simple mindsight, I realized, was not an ability I could use for scouting, at least not for extended forays.

But as full of life as this bloody forest is, at least I won’t go hungry,

I thought grouchily and stomped deeper into the underbrush.

The leaves rustled overhead. I paid them no mind.

Probably another damn squirrel.

A heavy weight landed on my shoulders. Alarm flashed through me before instinct kicked in, and I fell forward into a somersault. Claws raked at me through my leather armor as my maneuver flung the attacker off.

Not a squirrel then,

I thought inanely.

I bounced back to my feet. Drawing both my blades, I spun around. A shape flashed through the air—a four-footed creature of some kind.

I ducked.

The beast sailed over. I was about to whip around when another blur of motion caught my attention.

A second attacker.

I crossed my blades in guard position a heartbeat before the creature’s jaw snapped for my throat. Stymied, the beast dropped to the floor and darted forward to nip at my legs.

I kicked the creature in the mouth and thrust spider’s bite downwards. I still couldn’t quite tell what the thing was. Its skin—scales really—were mottled shades of brown and green, perfect camouflage for the forest. The beast, whatever it was, seemed a weird combination of serpent and cat.

Webbed triggered! An unknown assailant has failed a physical resistance check! You have immobilized your target for 1 second.

As my enchanted sword made contact with my foe’s skull, magical webs spun out of the blade to wreathe the creature.

I didn’t waste the opportunity.

Leaping forward, I straddled the beast and plunged my second blade deep into the snake-cat’s throat. Life drained out of it.

You have killed an unknown assailant.

I sensed movement on my flank—my original attacker rejoining the fray. The creature was sprinting towards me. Releasing the blade still buried in the dead beast, I flung up my left arm. The beast ignored my upraised hand and leaped through the air to bridge the distance between us.

I drew psi from my mind and sent it rippling down my hand and directly into the beast as it crashed into me. Paralyzing energy flooded the creature’s muscles, locking it in place instantly.

An unknown assailant has failed a physical resistance check! You have stunned your target for 1 second.

The beast bowled me over, and I fell backward onto the soft earth. My breath was knocked out the next moment as the creature landed atop me. I had been expecting the collision though, and managed to keep hold of spider’s bite.

Before the dazed creature could recover, I slapped my left hand to its side again, freezing it with stunning slap once more. Then I stabbed into the scaled beast.

Once. Twice.

The beast’s paralysis faded, and it mewed pitifully as it felt the bite of my sword. Weakly, it tried to clamp its jaws around my throat. I fended off the feeble attack with my left hand and slashed at it again with the sword in my right. I kept at it, stabbing repeatedly. With each fresh strike, I tore gaping holes through the creature. Finally, the Game notice I had been waiting for arrived.

You have killed an unknown assailant.

With a sigh, I abandoned my frenzied assault and let my head rest on the soft grass. Chest heaving, I stared up into the silently watching trees. It was over. More messages were waiting for my attention, and I perused them while my adrenaline subsided.

You have reached level 24!

Your shortswords has increased to level 39. Your two weapon fighting has increased to level 34. Your light armor has increased to level 24. Your chi has increased to level 21.

Long seconds later, I felt recovered enough to move again and pushed the corpse off me. The thing was heavy, but eventually I freed my trapped legs, and rested my back against a nearby tree trunk.

Looking down, I took stock of myself. I hadn’t sustained any significant injuries, nothing more than a few scratches. Despite the suddenness of the ambush, I had weathered the attack surprisingly well.

Still, I was covered in blood and gore, and I was sure I stank too. I wiped the filth off my face, grimacing in distaste. Cleaning off was going to be a chore.

“Bloody hell,” I muttered. “I hate this forest already.”

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