Walls of the royal palace were nothing like the visually soothing architecture beyond it. The twenty-foot-wide fortification always made Reis wonder if there was some ancient civilization living inside. There was enough space in there; he wouldn't be surprised by the discovery.
That was back in the game. Back when he hadn't made its acquaintance yet. Looking through Ann's eyes, it was more like a barrier that wouldn't let him out, but still let burdensome creatures in. So many fond memories of hanging from those walls, falling down, being dragged away.
Even though the walls weren't visible from every corner of the capital, the torches lit on every pillar and the mana crystals shining at the guard posts above the walls were hard to miss. It was a landmark of Vidalia.
Reis could still see them. Shining like distant stars waiting to hear the prayers of mortals. So distant that they definitely wouldn't hear his screams even if he suddenly conjured up microphones.
At least that would wake the kidnappers sleeping not too far, scare away the bats resting peacefully on the branches, and perhaps attract a few wild animals. As long as someone benefited, it didn't really have to be him. Right?
|Before you complain, the other path is closed, and you wouldn't have been able to open it.|
The brain understood the logic. No one in their right criminal mind would keep the secret passageway open in the palace after kidnapping a prince. But the heart… his weak, pained heart, couldn't help breaking after seeing the dense formation of trees on all sides. Whoever called the Eastern forests a peaceful garden of Mother Nature needed a good beating.
Weal, weaker, weakest wouldn't have been Ann's default adjectives if he had the skillset to survive in a forest.
One look at it, and Reis knew he wouldn't find a way out if he went any deeper. Not before becoming an unsatisfactory meal for wild animals. He even considered stepping back into the passageway and resigning to his fate.
Obviously, that wasn't happening. He didn't spend twenty minutes hopping around traps just to go back like a defeated soldier, no matter how tempting the idea was.
Walking back to the other end was also out of the question. Hell, he wouldn't even try traveling all the way there on a horse when he could definitely faint and fall off at any moment.
Trees to the left, bushes to the right. The judgmental gaze of an owl proudly sitting in a tree.
Did ghosts exist here? He would make a perfect ghost if he died here. A beautiful ghost that lured travelers into the forest and fed on their blood. But I look too much like a ghost.
Reis didn't know that travelers would definitely follow him, even as a ghost, and offer their blood willingly if he actually tried it. Ann had that devilish charm. But neither of the two was interested in drinking blood. Unhygienic.
On a positive note, Reis had grown so used to the cold sensation of being watched that the air reminiscent of winter didn't really bother him much. Or maybe it was the numbness that stubbornly followed the pain.
The remaining option was to hide. He was no better than a vegetable with working limbs. With no guarantee that they won't fall off.
|Your mana channels will be fixed within an hour. You do not need to worry about your limbs.|
An hour. Reis could probably manage that long. Once the sun rose, he could find a way to the capital.
"Where is he!?"
Shit. The distant echo put an end to his thoughts. Reis wasn't expecting them to find it so fast. Was the universe personally pouring water on his plans?
"Go south."
Reis had no time to fret over the entity that suddenly took the microphone again. He ran, as fast as his body allowed him to, ignoring the uneven stones and blades of grass cutting into his feet as well as the fog blurring his vision.
That was a bad idea. A hasty decision that just left him more injured than before. Forests weren't the best running tracks, especially when you can't really see where you're going.
Reis realized that only after having his sleeves torn for the third time. But in the end, he managed to drag himself into the shadows. The ghost of a person found the most secure formation of bushes, curled into a ball, pressed his back against the rough bark of a tree, blurred by darkness.
"He couldn't have gone far! Find him!" The Counselor's roar tore through the quiet of the forest, followed by the sound of crashing.
The shouts filled the silence of the forest. Hurrying footsteps shook the ground.
Reis shut his eyes and controlled his breath. One sound could get him captured again. He was good at staying still, just like he did for half a day not long ago. They wouldn't find him easily. It was one thing that they managed to find him in the palace. That was like the most lightened place in the kingdom.
And the Eastern forest at night, plus the fog, was basically a semi-void. I just need to be as quiet as a mouse. Or a tree. Pretend I'm a tree.
"Meow."
Yeah, meow. Meow?
Reis looked down at the source of the sound. The glowing eyes almost scared the soul out of him. The small ball of fur slowly became visible as his eyes adjusted to the dark. Didn't he say mouse?
Shoo!
The wide-eyed feline ignored his gesture and continued to stare with terrifying intensity. "Meow!"
Shh!
Forget going away, the furball the size of a shortcake climbed onto his lap and started rubbing against his stomach. It took no more than a few seconds. No waiting for permission. No nothing.
|Due to your affinity with felines, the kitten sees you as its own kind.|
|The one-week-old kitten thinks you are its mother.|
The what now? What part of him looked like a cat?
'No. Absolutely not,' Reis hissed in the privacy of his mind. 'I am in the middle of a kidnapping, you tiny menace!'
The kitten ignored his attempt to push it away, letting out a loud, vibratory purr and kneading its claws into his blood-stained shirt.
"I see footprints here!"
Reis was out of his wits. He was in no condition to appreciate affection. He needed to find a way to move before they caught up. But there was no way he could outrun them if they caught his trail.
He stood up, planning to move, but his shirt caught on the thorns. And that much was enough.
The bushes were shoved aside with a violent rustle. The Counselor stood there, his face flushed and his eyes wild with a mixture of frantic relief and pure, distilled bitterness.
"You little rat," the Counselor spat, stepping forward. "You actually dared to run!"
Reis smiled bitterly. So much for being a mouse. "Don't tell me you really believed I wouldn't?" Given his track record, that was the farthest truth anyone could come up with.
The furious man pulled him by the collar. "I tried really hard to deliver you unharmed, but you do not seem to like that." Reis was thrown back violently, his back hitting the ground with a thud.
The kitten hissed at the crowd, causing Reis to grumble. This thing didn't learn to run from danger as it seemed.
The angry man was ready to kick it away, but Reis pulled it back to his arm. Why must I take responsibility for you when I'm barely hanging by myself?
The counselor crouched. "A rat with a cat." Reis held his gaze. Up close, the disdain was no longer concealed. "Did I mention why you are still alive?"
He did. The counselor had made his intentions very clear. Someone out there had use for him.
"Owning you would definitely be so much trouble. He'd probably appreciate it if I made it so you cannot think of running ever again. Don't you think so?"
A chill ran down Reis's spine, and not the usual kind, that one, he knew too well. "Don't cross your limit, counselor."
The counselor ignored him and gestured for the henchmen. "Knife." What they called a knife looked like a medium-sized butchering tool to Reis. It wasn't pretty like swords and daggers used in the game. Just a sharp metal blade.
"A missing limb won't make much difference, right?"
It would. No matter how stick-like these limbs were, he needed them. Hello? Anyone up there? Mr Guardian?
"I am listening."
Don't you think you should do more than listen right now?
|The Guardian has permitted you to use the modified version of Insta Klean.|
Reis couldn't even frown this time. Is this how he was meant to suffer?
"Are you sure about that counselor? Aren't you worried you'll be caught if I manage to reach the palace?"
"Not at all. We'll make sure you never reach the Vidalian royal palace."
"Please help me. I'll give you offerings for the rest of my life."
"Is that so? You do not wish to use the gift and seek my help instead. I'll have to revert the gift in that case."
Yes! Just help me. I'll die if they actually cut off a limb!
"Fine."
|The Guardian has taken back the modification. Energy distribution has evened out.|
|Your mana paths are complete.|
The man approaching with the knife froze, eyes fixated behind Reis. The men behind fell to the ground in panic.
Trees in the clearing trembled as if something vast had stepped into the world. Reis felt the air shift. He felt the coldness spread through every inch of his being the moment the pain in his heart subsided. He saw the people before him who no longer paid him any attention.
An instant. It all happened in an instant.
The courageous, kidnapped from another world, ungrateful prince looked behind him, no longer stopped by a wire for a hand. He looked. Just like the rest of the crowd.
High.
And higher.
As far as his neck allowed without a sprain before finally meeting a set of eyes. Eyes that might as well be doors to hell.
"Still want to pull my hair out?"