Paranoia held me prisoner for most of the ride ever since we left Drakoria. I couldn't place it but I felt uneasy. It was more than usual. I wasn't traveling alone, I had 8 knights with me, including Erik and Vojnka, but I found myself regretting not bringing more. With both hands at the back of my head while lying down staring at the roof of my tent I found myself in deep thought, totally uninterested to entertain the twin cat sisters I had made accompany me. Both seem to be sleeping peacefully at the foot of my bed while I ponder in life choices. Never thought I would ever regret never been interested in school.
I scoffed disdainfully sitting up. I would probably be dead by now, or someone's pawn piece. I stood up from bed, my movements rousing the cat twins but I paid them no mind as I walked to the table where the fine crafted jar of ale was kept. I poured myself half a cup and then tasted the foul tasting drink, but I appreciated the bite.
"Still," I thought to myself. "Imagine the vast knowledge I would had have..."
I would have found a way around the silly restrictions of the system. I found out recently that people can do damage to people, regardless of difference in stats. All depending on the circumstances of course but if an unawakened thrust hard enough he could bury a dagger into the chest of a knight. The factor of disparity in stats is a me problem. If I was a bit smarter I would have found a way around it. Create my own spells like the Dark Witch did. Something suitable to my condition. Anything to make myself stronger, safer from whatever malicious gaze had set sights on me and terrified me to the point of sleepless night.
I heard footsteps approaching my tent and I paused, giving it my entire attention but it stopped just outside the entrance to my tent.
"Your Majesty?" came the voice of Vojnka and I saw myself letting out a subtle sigh of relief.
"Yes," I answered.
"I have checked the entire surroundings and there's no sign of any problem"
That was the 6th time she had checked the forests and I should have been satisfied, knowing her skills and all, but my dread remained stubbornly present.
"Give it few more minutes then return and do another thorough check" I replied.
"...okay, your majesty" she said, and I heard her retreat.
I took a forceful mouthful of ale and then a refill and walked back to my bed. The scan spell found nothing either and I did it multiple times too, yet I wasn't convinced. Something was wrong, I could feel it. It's like an arm wrapped in invisible foil. You can't see it but you can feel it and know it's there...but what are they waiting for? More forces? We are already few hours away from Cremia where we will use the warp gate to travel to Un, an Estonia border town off the edge of the Dwarf kingdom, no matter how I think about it now is the best time to attack. No one wants to attack a king in a foreign kingdom, and the dwarf kingdom is unaffiliated, not a proper kingdom since they have no king or outright leaders, but they are a pretty important people of the continent and maintain a strict non-aggression policy. No one wants to get on their bad side so an attack there might be possible but highly unlikely.
I went and sat back on my bed and took a casual sip of the ale.
"What are they waiting for?" I heard myself ask quietly.
At the same time a group of wolves howled at a distance. I turned to the direction. It's always the suspense, worse than the actual thing. I stared for a moment then simply lifted my goblet again before draining it dry.
┌─────── ♕ ───────┐
The wolves howled loudly again, this time very close by and Erik jumped up, grabbed a sturdy branch with his free hand, made a half spin and leaped onto a more comfortable branch where he squatted and looked and searched the darkness. Few moments later he was already stringing his bow and taking aim.
"...you don't have to kill them" he heard the barbarian knight say from below. "Those are moonwolves, they won't attack unless we attack first"
He held position for a moment, almost like he was giving it a thought, then he unstrung his bow and jumped down from the tree, his expensive leather armor making for a very fluid movement.
"How do you know that?" Erik asked, dropping his arrow back into it's quiver, but the barbarian knight didn't reply. She doesn't talk much but he knows how resourceful she could be. And strong too. Erik have never seen anyone with as much raw strength as her and the last war made him thankful she was on their side.
"What do you think of the king?" the archer asked, few minutes after they've continued with their patrol deeper into the forest. It was the 8th one of the night and she was growing weary of them. The king had asked her to bring along the archer and at first she was thankful but now she's beginning to regret it.
"Generous to allies, ruthless to enemies" she answered him simply.
He was about to say something else but something caught her eye up ahead in the low shrubs and she walked away from him towards it. She squatted low to the ground to examine it.
"What is it?" the archer asked, standing closely behind her.
"Footprint" she said. It wasn't here the last time she came. She placed her large palm on the footprint, casually channeling mana into it before gathering a handful of dirt in a loose clutch. Wisps of turquoise colored smoke was seeping through her fingers from the trapped dirt. The footprint lit up too in same colored smoke and she followed the path as more footprints lit up into the deeper parts of the forest.
"Where are you going?" she heard the archer ask as he was trying to match her rushed steppings but she ignored him. Of course he can't see it. [Tracking] is a high secret skill taught to her by her grandfather. It took her 6 years to learn. It is unique to her people and invisible to all but the caster's eyes. It is a good spell but very unstable and short.
At least it did the job, she thought as it withered away. It brought her to the end of the trail. She released the trapped dirt and remnants of the turquoise smoke completely dissipated quickly. She went down to a squat, there were more footprints, two more.
She quickly recognized the one she followed as hers but she had no recollection of having been here at all, and by the way they were positioned it was clearly a meet up.
"Is there a problem?" the archer asked but again she ignored him and used [Tracking] on one of the other's footprint. It activated but there was no trail. It took her aback and her face grimaced in confusion and thinking. She did the same for the other and got same result. There were trees conveniently closeby, but how can they know that? Something was going terribly wrong and Vojnka could feel it. Panic was setting in and she doesn't easily get panicked.
"What is going on?" Erik asked, coming closer.
She released the dirt and stood back up.
"Nothing," she lied. "Nothing at all"
But her face wasn't selling it as much as she thought it was and unknown to her, Erik recognized the big print to be hers. At that moment they heard the king's recall horn. It was near midnight. Her arm was itchy, she tried to ignore it but it became insistent and unbearable and she began to sctrach it as they returned back to camp.