"I'm free!"
After 3 arduous months, Dante was finally free. Though he did not have the luxury to just stand around, he needed to truly escape and find somewhere safe. 'Somewhere remote would be ideal, as Kai said, I must rest and regain my vigour. I must be patient in order to achieve my revenge.'
Keeping true to his words, Dante swiftly left the barren landscape that surrounded the tower. Travelling in the direction of the nearest woodland, opposite that of the paved road where the carriages of the party goers were, dragging himself along at the greatest pace his pathetic body could take him.
'Whilst separated from the rest of civilisation, there could still be more of those freaks coming to attend the party. Not to mention any further guards or soldiers that might come along with them.' Dante scratched his chin whilst plodding along.
'Where should I go though, preferably some small village in the countryside. A place with those ignorant of my identity, where I can regain my strength for a while, I'll also need a blade to practice with. I'm afraid that I might have lost my edge from these months of imprisonment.'
Whilst lacking any talent in the magical arts, Dante had excelled in all other fields, one such field was swordsmanship, he also had talent and training with using all forms of weaponry, however his preferred weapon was a sword. Within the Brutus royal family, members are expected to excel in various crafts, as how can one aim to rule whilst being incompetent? They were expected to be skilled and knowledgeable in any and all important subjects, one must earn the right to be able to call themselves royal. Even among the family, Dante stood out, excelling beyond others in almost anything he did, apart from magic. Something Dante had absolutely no talent for, and still has no talent for, this power he received was both magic and not magic at the same time. It was not magic of this world, it was alien in nature and could hardly be considered magic at all if one were to use the common standards and principles.
Eventually he had managed to reach the extensive woodlands, having trekked a solid 12 miles with his withered body, night turning to early morning. The trees soared high, well beyond what Dante was used to, and were capped in a layer of snow that matched the thick layers of snow that covered the ground level. Dante had stolen himself some garments from the wealthy ball guests, slightly reducing the impact of the cold, though only slightly as the temperature was absurdly low. He had found himself in a great and vast taiga, a land of terrible cold and fearsome beasts. He knew that the tower's location would be remote, but this was far beyond his expectations, as he was now located within the northern territories of the Martarian Empire.
"This will be difficult. These conditions could spell the death of me, I need to find a settlement where I can truly rest. Yet I've found myself in one of the harshest lands in the entire fucking Empire." He pulled on his hair as he had come to understand his situation, had it been a woodlands in the central lands then he could have managed, but instead he found himself in the fearsome northern lands. His frail body would not last long here.
"Good thing I just so happen to have a blessing to aide in my struggles. I truly am thankful to that Kai fellow, he gave me such a convenient ability." Whilst he was walking towards the woodlands, Dante had been experimenting with his blessing, trying to find a way to keep himself warm in this harsh climate. He succeeded, using this power to increase his body temperature, it took some thinking and he had to formulate 'something' in order to actually perform this action.
"Does this count as a spell? I've seen plenty of magic, tried to understand it's principles and pathetically failed at performing it, due to my lack of affinity with mana and the mystic arts. I used some of the concepts from the scriptures that I have read, yet this seems different. More instinctive, more primal, simpler yet more difficult to understand. It's similar, but the rules are unknown, it'll take quite a while to get familiar with this blessing."
The snowy woodlands stretched on further beyond the eye can see in both length and width, meaning that walking around it wasn't really an option. He had two choices; either turn around and walk back the way he came, or to enter into the ominous forest. He chose the latter, he hadn't dragged his body along this far just to turn back, it would also increase his chance of being discovered and apprehended if he turned back.
He decided to enter this forest, what lay in store for him, he did not know, but he would push forward and not look back, and hope to find a settlement on the other side. He decided that taking this risk was necessary, he feared man more than he did beasts, if he was caught right after finally escaping, then it truly would have all been for nothing.
As he walked between the trees, he surveyed his surroundings, getting a grasp on the environment that will be his home for the coming weeks, potentially even months.
'I need to understand this land, if I want to survive. I should get familiar with any plants, insects, birds, animals, and most importantly monsters, that make up this forests ecosystem. One must adapt to their surroundings, if they wish to live long.'
As he walked and absorbed his surroundings, Dante continued to imbue his body with his blessing, circulating it throughout himself in rhythmic patterns. This was something he had learned in his studies, he had no talent for the application of magic and the mystical arts, but when it came to the theory he was an expert, the circulation of power was common practice in almost all practices. He had centralised the power that resided within his body, creating a storage vessel reminiscent of the mana cores he had read about, he wasn't exactly certain on what this power was and so was hesitant to give it a name. 'Perhaps I should ask Kai, the next time I speak with him. I'm sure he'll tell me about this gift and give me some counsel on how I can use it.'
The forest, which seemed peaceful for the moment, was quite certainly not, Dante knew this. He had heard tales of the north, how carelessness can lead to death in even the most trivial situations. How beasts lurk in any and all places, fearsome creatures that cannot even be compared to the monsters in the central lands. How the songs of northern birds can drive a man mad. How the trees themselves can have a mind of their own.
Dante wasn't certain on the validity of these claims, but he definitely kept them in consideration, he was not a fool and would not risk being careless in unfamiliar lands. His surroundings were surprisingly peaceful, the well below freezing temperature aside, the chirps of the birds were soothing and the snow capped trees were something straight out of a painting. There were no signs of the dreadful beasts that he had heard about, however that doesn't mean that they weren't there.
'They might be nocturnal, perhaps they are in hibernation. I can't be certain, there is little to no information regarding the creatures of the north recorded in the palace's texts. For all I know, these creatures could be hiding in the open, lying in wait, camouflaged on the trees or the snow. I really can't be sure. I hate this. Being so ignorant, so unsure, it's disturbing.'
He continued observing and absorbing his surroundings, gradually tracing the outer layers of the forest, making sure he was safe before he delved any deeper. He did so for a few hours, having gotten a decent understanding on the ecosystem of the outskirts of the forest. Snow began falling gently onto the ground, this was the first snow Dante had witnessed in over a decade, the last time being when he was just a child.
'Okay, fuck it! I'll take the plunge and see what lies deeper within these trees. It's inevitable that I'll have to pass through, if I want to reach a settlement, better now than never.' He strutted deeper into the terribly cold forest, bouncing on his feet with vigour and determination. His fancy shoes, which he had liberated from one of the pompous guests at the party, were drenched in snow, his feet growing ever colder. His steps lost vigour over time, weighed down by the accumulated snow and cold, his steps were now slow and heavy.
His long, unkept hair was now damp from the gentle snow, the white a contrast to his black as night hair. As he kept walking, his eyes constantly scanned his surroundings and his breath was heavy and uneven, clearly the cold still had some effect on him. He noticed the trees were thicker and older the deeper he went, he saw different types of mosses and lichens appearing on the trees, he noticed that the branches were swaying on these trees, even without there being any wind. Dante felt a building sense of unease, he didn't like the vibe that the forest was giving him.
Then he heard some rustling, then the sound of something rising, vibrations could be felt on the earth he stood upon. He turned, he saw it, and he turned back and ran as fast as he could. His breath even more laboured and his mind racing, fear and confusion evident upon his features. He felt the heavy vibrations approaching behind him, furthering his urgency. Even at full speed, he could feel that the cause of these vibrations was closing in on him. His heart racing, threatening to leap out of his chest, his thin arms were flaying around as he frantically ran.
The unknown colossus was closing the distance, it's steps deafening and destructive, intent on hunting Dante down. The haunting thuds of trees collapsing, could be heard from behind, the enormity of this entity was absurd. It did not care for subtlety or stealth, having absolute confidence in it's strength and size in this hunt, fervently chasing down it's frail prey.
'Shit! Shit! Shit! What the heck is that thing!?!?' Dante was absolutely terrified and stupefied, his situation was worse than abysmal. 'Of course a bloody behemoth of a creature has to chase me down in my weakest state. Curse it all! Is there anything I can do to escape this goliath?' He pondered amidst his frenzied sprint, escape certainly wouldn't be easy.
The monstrous creature was growing ever closer, now less than a hundred meters behind Dante and that gap would continue to decrease. He had to act fast. His mind scrambling together ideas, trying to formulate a viable escape method, or at least something to further the distance. Seconds passed, the creature getting closer and closer, Dante had found himself a solution, or at least he hoped he had.
This titan had a haunting, yet familiar appearance, a distorted visage of the trees present in these woods. It's size far surpassed the regular trees, a hulking beast with three rows of spear-like teeth visible in it's unsightly maw. The branches flowed, having a will of their own and seemed to be made of some strange material that had a similar appearance to those belonging to the other trees. The entire outer layer was made of some unknown protective bark, with a far superior durability. Four hexagonal eyes could be seen a meter above the nightmarish maw, these were arranged in a square with each eye as a corner, they glowed a fierce orange with hunger and frenzy.
Dante decided to act, having prepared himself to carry out his desperate plan. 'It looks like a tree, maybe it shares some of the same characteristics as a tree.' Swerving between the trees, Dante leaped up and landed on a slightly elevated branch a few meters above the ground. He turned, staring the terror in the eyes, it was now only 30 meters behind him and getting closer with every step. He gulped. 'Now or never.' He moved his arm forward and pointed his index finger, the creature now only 10 meters from him. And out fired a blast of concentrated flames of incredible heat. The monster received this beam at near point blanc range. A large hole was now located where it's face once was, the remaining bark was charred beyond recognition.
"Pfft hahahaha." He couldn't help but laugh. "What the heck Kai? Just what sort of power have you given me?!" He was elated, baffled at the output of the blast. His laughter rang out throughout the silent woods, not even the chirp of the birds could be heard. "Eat shit motherfucker! You're just an overweight mutated freak of a tree." Dante relished his victory and climbed down from his perch, planning to examine his kill.
The tree-like monster was similar to the trents seen in the midlands and southern regions, yet far more fearsome and warped, the size was multiple times that of a standard trent, and the defences and weaponry were far superior. The northern beasts were renowned for their fearsomeness and danger, trekking the northern wilderness was something that only those confident in their strength would do, or the greatest of fools. Dante was an outlier, he had arrived out of desperation and whilst his situation was lamentable, he planned to push forward and reach safety. In order to do so he needs sustenance, both water and food. And the latter was sitting right in front of him.
The charred corpse of the giant tree lay on the white backdrop of the fallen snow, blood leaking from it, forming a dark crimson pool and staining the snow red. The hole blown through the face of the creature was a perfect circle, as if he had used a cookie cutter to remove it. This was to be Dante's first meal that he had hunted himself, a bittersweet pride welled up within him.
'I would have preferred to share this moment with someone, my first successful hunt and I have no one to show it to. I really am alone.' His thoughts were now solemn, he longed for companionship or even just someone to talk to, he had been alone with his thoughts for over 3 months now, he was finally free and yet still so lonely.
He approached his defeated opponent, his eyes reaching the large hole that was oozing blood at a rapid pace. He crouched down and placed out his palm, touching the exposed wound and channelling his flames and evaporated the blood that remained within the creature, with the use of extreme heat. Dante was not familiar with preparing food, especially food he had caught himself, so he decided to just act via gut feeling. He yanked out any organs he could find and tearing out any parts of the creature he thought would be edible. He made his best attempt to cook the meat, though the result could hardly be described as food. Dante was completely inept in the culinary arts, before his incarceration he had lived as a prince, what need would a prince have with learning to cook? He finished his attempt at cooking and tasted the fruits of his hard work.
"Bleghh. It tastes like shit!" Dante physically cringed, his face contorting in disgust, his cooking was just that awful. "Still, it's better than that mouldy bread that I had to put up with for months." He continued to feast upon his appalling meal, forcing it down, and gorging on all of the meat he had collected from the monster, stuffing himself as best he could. After which, he put out his fire and burnt the remains of the corpse, leaving nothing but ash, erasing any evidence of it's existence, apart from the scent of blood that lingered in the air.
He once again climbed a tree, reaching as high a perch as possible and settling himself down, resting and entering a well earned sleep. It had been a full day since his escape the previous night, his first day of freedom had concluded.