HBWnovel Chapter 537: Cutling Remains
Chapter 537: Cutling Remains
Chapter 537: Cutling Remains
Four Moons remained in the sky as the sun came up. Even in the bright light, none lost their glow, observing the world like hawks on a mountain peak. Interestingly enough, it was the Moons of Awakening and Perception that werent present. There was a time when this would be seen as a bad omen, especially for hunters. Even after all this time, however, Dallion hadnt quite accepted the local superstitions, possibly because he still held to the ones from Earth. Either way, he felt a dull ache in his stomach, as if hed eaten shardflies for breakfast.
Theres every chance the person carrying the sword will be expecting us, March said, as if last night hadnt occurred. If anyone spots something remotely strange, we attack. Understood, Dal?
Dallion didnt respond right away.
Dal? March repeated.
Got it, he said, snapping to reality. Got it.
Were you trying to level up?
No. It was the truth. Considering how often hed resorted to such action before an important battle, it was unsure whether March would believe him. I was just thinking about something. Do you think hell be alone?
Impossible to say. All we know is the location of the sword. The mage was very clear about it.
That sounded suspiciously convenient. The mage claimed she could see the location of the sword, yet couldnt tell how many people were there? Either magic was a lot less straightforward that logic suggested, or the mage was lying. Given that Nil refused to provide a straight answer, it could well be either.
Eury will keep an eye out for trouble. You focus on sensing emotions. Ill be ready to react.
They passed by another imperial watch tower. The imperial soldiers performed a quick check before letting the group continue on their way. From there on, it was just walking through the wilderness with brief breaks for water.
Soon it became obvious that whoever had said that the village was half a day away had lied. Evening slowly approached, and there still wasnt any trace of any settlement. One thing that became immediately noticeable, though, was the changes in vegetation. The further the group went, the more patches of distorted plants they came across. It was agreed that none would eat or drink anything until the mission was over, one way or another.
Around sunset, Euryale spotted the first sign of concern: the remains of a large corpse in the middle of a meadow of wild wheat that was so deformed it looked as if it had gone through a microwave.
Its a cutling, the gorgon said as they approached it. Its been dead for a few months, at least.
Dallion looked around. There was no sign of the grass being harmed. And yet that was impossible. Unless it specifically wanted to conceal itself, a cutling would slice every blade of grass on contact.
Maybe the plants surrounded it after it had died? Dallion suggested. The plants are all around it.
See if you can cut them, Eury said.
Ruby, Dallion said to the shardfly fluttering next to him. Just wind. Dont touch them directly.
The creature went a short distance away, then flapped its wings violently several times. Slashes were released from the tips of its wings, slicing through the plant stalks like a blade through twigs.
Guess that proves it, the gorgon said. Body was first, plants came after.
It doesnt explain what killed it. March drew her rapier. A cutling this size isnt an easy target.
Its not that tough either. Even I can handle one of those now. Dallion concentrated, focusing on the remains. I cant sense any residual emotions. It could have gotten poisoned. Cutlings are also awakened creatures of sorts. Maybe it had ingested a few spores somehow. They killed it, then went on to grow in the surrounding area until this was formed.
Is there anything you know that grows in void?
The answer was supposed to be obviousa resounding no, proving that Dallion was mistaken. However, after all his experiences so far, the apprentice hunter was no longer sure. He had witnessed items guardians be corrupted, changing into large octopus-like creatures. He had seen furniture created entirely of semi-sentient void. Why shouldnt plants be able to grow in it as well? If that were the case, all their conclusions so far had been completely wrong.
Nox. Dallion took out the crackling dagger. Do you feel any of them?
Difficult to say, the puma yawned within his realm. There might be something faint.
What about now? Dallion took a step forward, approaching the knife to the ground.
Doesnt help. Theres a faint sense everywhere.
Flames emerged on the ground. Starting from the cutling corpse, they twisted and winded through the plants, forming strange runes and symbols. There was something mesmerizing about them, almost as if
A line attack cut through the grass, extinguishing the symbols as it did.
Close your eyes! Eury shouted.
Dallion burst into instances again. In some of them, he closed his eyes. In all of them, he grabbed the kaleidervisto. Black symbols appeared in the sky, draining all colors from the immediate area.
What the heck? Dallion wondered and instructively did a point attack through the symbols. The blast of force passed through, though nothing changed.
Guardian, whats going on? Dallion asked.
There was no response.
Guardian!
Everyone stood ready for the next surprise attack, but none occurred. To be on the same side, Dallion kept on making dozens of instances, having them dash in all directions constantly, in a final attempt to locate the culprit. The effort proved unsuccessful.
Several minutes later, colors slowly returned to the scene.
Stay where you are, March said, remaining about fifty feet from both Eury and Dallion. They might return.
I didnt see anything, Eury said, her face-eyes closed once more. What do you think it was?
It was human, Dallion replied. It had a guardian. There was a moment of hesitation. Sharing that the person was another empath was quite important in order for the rest to know what they were facing. At the same time, he still had to keep the secret. In the end, Dallion decided to risk it. It was also an empath.
An empath? a cluster of snakes turned Dallions direction. Are you sure?
Im sure.
The ground had become a battlefield, utterly destroyed by fire, line and point attacks. The cutling remains were all but gone, as was half of the poison plant patch.
I fear I have a bit of bad news, dear boy, Nil said.
Its a mage, March said before the echo could tell Dallion. Apparently, even in such circumstances, the woman was faster. A rogue, by the looks of it. We were lucky that he ran off.
Whats a mage doing here? Do you think someone else sent him after the sword?
Its possible. Nobles make it their business to learn secrets that others keep hidden. Gaining the sword would definitely grant a lot of power to a family or even a single individual.
The whip blade descended from the sky, making its way into Dallions sheath.
At least that means were on the right track, Dallion tried to find a silver lining in the situation.
Possibly. March didnt sound certain. Well have to be more careful going forward. He attacked us directly. Hell do so again.
Ive just one thing to add, dear boy. March might be correct about the danger, but shes wrong about your adversary. The thing you thought wasnt a mage. It was an echo of one.
Echo in the real world? Dallion asked. Wasnt that impossible?
Youve seen the Moons do it.
Youre telling me that Im facing someone as strong as the Moons?
Of course not, Nil grumbled, as if being mocked. Im just saying that its possible. And if its possible, magic has a way to achieve it. More likely than not, what you encountered is a scout echo. It did what its original would have done, with the limited amount of skills it had, then ran off to warn the person. Now the real mage will be prepared, and trust me, the next fight wont be limited to simple parlor tricks.