The warehouse felt too quiet after Stone and Silver logged off. Their presence, brief as it was, had filled the space with potential, with the nascent energy of Dawn Guild. Now, only the echo of our swift victory over Shadow Temple lingered, along with the chilling confirmation that Wang Kai's gaze was firmly fixed upon me.
The System's reward – another permanent point of Perception – sharpened my senses further. The air itself seemed to hum with information. I could almost feel the digital heartbeat of Oakhaven outside, the flow of players, the underlying code. And faintly, persistently, the cold static of the watcher's presence, distant but undeniable.
Threat Assessment Increase: Significant. The System's words were a warning and a catalyst. Standing still meant waiting for the axe to fall. Forward momentum was the only defense.
Whisperwind. Hemlock's impossible ingredients. Heartwood of an Elder Treant was out of reach for now – Level 30 world bosses required a well-coordinated raid force, something Dawn Guild was far from assembling.
But Shadow Stalker blood… that was different.
Shadow Stalkers. Level 25 Elite stealth mobs. Found primarily in the Shadowmire Marshes, a notoriously dangerous zone northeast of Oakhaven. Foggy, treacherous terrain, filled with venomous creatures, environmental hazards, and the Stalkers themselves – masters of ambush, capable of bursting down unprepared players in seconds.
Soloing a Level 25 Elite zone at Level 10 was suicidal by any normal metric. Even with my gear, my skills, my System… it was pushing the boundaries to an extreme degree.
Exactly what I needed to do.
Before leaving Oakhaven, I reinvested a significant chunk of my remaining gold. Potions – stacks of health and mana potions, more than I thought I'd need. Antidotes for the various poisons prevalent in the Shadowmire. Scrolls of Warding against shadow damage, ridiculously expensive but potentially life-saving. Food buffs providing minor Stamina and Agility boosts.
Every edge, no matter how small, was necessary.
I also visited the Auction House again. No significant bow upgrades, but I found a pair of Rare quality boots – [Boots of the Swift Hunter] – offering another +7 Agility and a minor movement speed increase. Every point of Agility mattered, feeding Critical Combo, enhancing my reflexes. The cost (30 Gold) was steep, but necessary.
My gear was now a mix of high-quality Rares, far exceeding the standards for Level 10. My Agility, thanks to gear and the unshackled attribute, was likely higher than most Level 20 Archers.
It still felt like bringing a knife to a gunfight.
The journey to the Shadowmire Marshes took hours. Through rolling hills that gradually gave way to soggy wetlands, the air growing heavy with moisture and the scent of decay. The bright skies of Oakhaven were replaced by a perpetual, gloomy overcast. Fog clung to the ground, reducing visibility drastically.
This was where my enhanced Perception truly shone. I could see the subtle disturbances in the fog hinting at hidden pitfalls, detect the faint vibrations of burrowing marsh creatures, even sense the bio-luminescent glow of poisonous fungi before blundering into them. Normal players navigated this place by inches, terrified of ambushes. I moved with confidence, my senses painting a clear picture through the murk.
Level 18 Mire Lurkers and Level 20 Venomous Fleshtraps were common. Annoying, but easily dispatched with a quick burst from Critical Combo, conserving mana by not using Mark of Vulnerability unless necessary. The Chain Reaction enhancement proved useful, splashing minor damage onto secondary targets even in the dense fog.
The real danger was the Stalkers. They didn't just use basic stealth. They blended into shadows, moved without sound, and their opening attacks often included stuns or crippling poisons.
I entered the deeper marshes, the reputed hunting grounds of the Shadow Stalkers. The fog thickened. Twisted mangrove trees rose from stagnant, black water. The whispers from the crypt seemed to find an echo here, slithering through the fog, mixing with the buzz of unseen insects and the gurgle of mud pools.
And the watcher… its presence felt closer here. More attuned to the shadows. As if this gloomy, dangerous place resonated with its own dark nature. Did it guide me here? Or was it simply drawn to the concentration of shadow energy?
I slowed my pace, every sense on high alert. Bow ready, an arrow nocked. My Perception stretched out, filtering through the fog, searching for the tell-tale signs – a flicker of unnatural movement, a patch of shadow that seemed too deep, the faint scent of ozone that sometimes accompanied their shadow-step ability.
There.
A subtle ripple in the fog to my left. A momentary distortion, almost imperceptible. Not a mob's random movement. Intentional. Stalking.
I didn't turn. Didn't react overtly. Pretended I hadn't noticed.
Let it come closer. Let it commit to the attack.
The ripple solidified slightly. A vaguely humanoid shape, cloaked in shifting darkness, materialized less than ten yards away, raising a wicked-looking dagger coated in glistening poison.
[Shadow Stalker - Level 25 Elite]
Its opening move would be a Shadowstrike – teleporting behind the target for massive bonus damage and a likely stun.
It initiated the strike. I felt the subtle shift in the air behind me.
Shadow Step.
In the split second it took the Stalker to teleport behind my previous position, I teleported ten yards forward, simultaneously spinning around.
The Stalker materialized, dagger striking empty air where I had been. Its momentary confusion was all I needed.
Mark of Vulnerability. Applied instantly.
Thwip!
[-65! Critical Hit!] (Adjusted for higher level mob defenses)
[Critical Combo Triggered!]
The Stalker hissed, surprised by the immediate, powerful retaliation. It tried to meld back into the shadows, but the Mark kept it visible, and my arrow storm gave it no quarter.
Thwip-thwip-thwip-thwip-thwip!
Its leather armor offered little resistance to the sheer volume and critical force of my arrows. Its health plummeted.
[Critical Combo Stack x2!]
[Critical Combo Stack x3!]
It managed to throw a vial of Blinding Dust, attempting to disrupt my aim.
Useless. My Perception wasn't solely reliant on sight. I tracked its energy signature, its movements, the sound of its breathing. My arrows continued to find their mark unerringly.
With a final, choked gasp, the Shadow Stalker collapsed, dissolving into shadow particles.
Loot appeared: Vendor trash, a [Shadow Gland] (a valuable alchemy component), and… a small vial containing swirling, dark liquid.
[Vial of Shadow Stalker Blood (Quest Item)]
[The potent blood of a Shadow Stalker, required for certain dark rituals or enchantments.]
One down. Hemlock needed… he didn't specify how many. Better get a few to be safe.
The next hour was a tense, lethal dance through the fog.
I hunted them, but they also hunted me. My Perception detected several ambush attempts just in time. Each encounter was a high-stakes duel. Dodge the opener, Mark, unleash Critical Combo, burn them down before they could use their debilitating poisons or escape back into the shadows. Shadow Step became my most valuable tool, allowing me to counter their primary ambush tactic flawlessly.
The Chain Reaction enhancement was surprisingly effective here. Often, Stalkers hunted in pairs. While focusing down the marked target, the arcing energy would soften up the second one, making the subsequent takedown much faster.
I secured three more Vials of Shadow Stalker Blood, along with a decent haul of Shadow Glands which would sell well back in Oakhaven. My level climbed to 11 during the hunt.
The constant pressure, the need for absolute focus, was exhilarating. This was the challenge I craved. Pushing the limits, defying the odds stacked against me.
The watcher's presence remained a constant companion in the mire, sometimes feeling closer, sometimes more distant, but always there. It didn't interfere, didn't offer cryptic whispers like in the crypt. Just… observed. Was it gauging my ability to handle high-level threats? Testing my potential?
As I secured the fourth vial of blood, feeling confident I had enough for Hemlock, a new sensation prickled my Perception.
Something different. Not a Shadow Stalker's stealthy approach. Not the background thrum of the watcher.
This was… organized. Multiple signatures, moving with coordination through the marshes several hundred yards away. Too coordinated for random mobs.
Players.
And their energy signatures felt… familiar. Tinged with the same aggression I'd sensed from the scouts outside the warehouse.
Shadow Temple.
Not scouts this time. A full party? Maybe more? Hunting Stalkers themselves? Or… hunting me? Had they tracked me here?
My position was deep within the marshes, far from any easy escape route. If they were searching for me, confronting them here, alone, against potentially superior numbers and levels, was suicide. Even for me.
Time to disappear.
Using my knowledge of the terrain and enhanced Perception, I began a careful, circuitous retreat, avoiding patrols, using the fog and treacherous ground as cover. Every rustle, every shadow, felt like a potential enemy.
Were they actively searching for Fierce Arrow? Or was this just a coincidence?
I couldn't be sure. But the timing, so soon after the scout incident, felt suspicious. Wang Kai wouldn't let that humiliation go unanswered.
Retreat wasn't cowardice. It was strategy. Pick the time, pick the place. This wasn't it.
My mission here was complete. I had the blood. Now, to get it back to Hemlock, and perhaps, one step closer to the Whisperwind Bow.
Assuming Shadow Temple didn't intercept me first.