Strength, endurance, and dexterity were stats I was musing about, unable to decide where to place that one point I had. It took me so long to make up my mind that fatigue, the rhythmic rocking of the wagon, the clanging of horseshoes, and the silence in my mind put me to sleep. But no dreams came to me, no answer to my dilemma, nor nightmares.
I had a rough awakening, though.
When the wagon came to a sudden stop, I hit my head on the bars pretty hard. Massaging the sore spot, I took a quick confused look around with my perception, finding to my disappointment that nothing had changed in the darkness under the tarp. There were still thirteen terrified slaves crammed into three small cages and a foul smell of feces and urine. Of course, I was huddled in here with them, breathing the same air.
According to the system time, I slept for at least three hours.
It was too damn little for a good night’s sleep that I so desperately needed, but enough time for Aspen to try to free me. A selfish wish considering she would be the one doing the fighting, and I was aware of that.
However, she was also the reason I was in this situation in the first place. It wasn’t just self-preservation that made me want to send her into battle, it was logic too. We were escorted by only two Shadowbreakers so far, which in my opinion, was the best opportunity to get rid of them, and she blew it.
Now, from what I could hear with my perked ears, we were at a fork in the road where more members of Shadowbreaker Company awaited us. Surprisingly, Ward was not among them.
“She’s…” Rutledge spoke but did not finish the sentence.
“The last cage, I see her!” scoffed one of the Shadowbreakers without looking under the tarp. His skill, whatever it was, must have had greater range than my domain because I didn’t see him in mine.
Moments later, I whimpered in pain into the gag as the tarp was lifted, and I was blinded by the light that penetrated the darkness of the cages. It also brought fresh air.
“Ughhh…” the man grabbed his mouth to stop himself from vomiting.
“Let me have a look,” a woman’s voice came from behind him, and a moment later, she appeared beside him. “Yuck, what a stench. Someone inside had to s*** themselves. Don’t you dare barf at me, Jad!”
“I’m fine,” he said, obviously struggling.
“Sure. That’s a pretty f***** up terran girl,” she remarked on my looks, not hiding her disgust.
“She looks exotic, though,” observed the man, still struggling not to throw up.
My urge to shout at both of them was not worth the effort and trouble, even though I found their behavior extremely humiliating. They made me feel like an animal in a zoo, trapped behind bars, something people came to see for amusement. It was a sickening thought, but that’s how they most likely saw me. Like a rare beast, they’re gonna make money off of.
“Guess, that’s why there’s such a buttload of gold for her,” said the woman, grinning and her words confirming what I thought.
“You two, what are you doing there? Move,” the man with that good perception skill ordered those two.
“Tss, I just wanted to see what was so valuable, oh great leader Isaac,” retorted the woman, but, in spite of her displeasure, like her fellow, she obeyed the order. The cage sank back into the darkness with their departure.
“Left,” said Isaac, this Shadowbeakers leader, to Rutledge. At least, that’s what I gathered from the voice that answered him.
“But that’s the way through Esulmor Woods.”
Isaac laughed scornfully. “Exactly, are you afraid of the beasts in there?”
“These are Esulmor Mossbears we’re talking about,” argued the slave trader, apparently fearing the path he was ordered to take.
The shadowbreakers leader snorted. “Yeah, they are, so what? I’ll help you deal with your fear right here, right now, just say the word, or shut up and drive.”
The ensuing tense silence was broken by the snapping of reins and the neighing of horses. As soon as the wagon started moving, Isaac sneered. “I thought so.”
Rutledge’s reluctance and the tension in his voice made me wonder what kind of woods it was. I was especially interested in the beasts there that he was so afraid of. Unfortunately, I didn’t have anyone to ask as my cellmates were silent all this time, probably unable to speak because of the orders they received.
Though their bodies spoke for them as most flinched at the mention of Esulmor Woods, and some began to shake even more than before.
Maybe I would have reacted the same way if I had heard of this damn place, but I didn’t.
Now I really regretted being unable to use mana. I would have immediately asked Aspen, among other things I would have used mana on. But thanks to the fiasco at the gate, I wasn’t even sure if she would answer me. She hasn’t spoken to me since. It was frustrating and made me feel alone again.
I was all the more surprised when I heard her voice in my mind a few minutes after we left the crossroads.
“Are you still there?” She asked me.
I was so annoyed by her stupid question I considered ignoring her as she has for hours ignored me. Where the hell else would I go?
“Korra … sorry for calling you by your first name, but I find it strange to call someone, whom I touched her ass, by surname.”
What? She touched my butt? When? During the fight in the square? As far as I was aware, I didn’t come into contact with her there. It was her partner who took me down.
“F***!” I cursed as I was unable to contain my frustration at not being able to remember the moment when she took advantage of me like that.
She laughed lightly. “That’s not what I was going to tell you, though.”
I tapped the bar several times in an attempt to get her to tell me more. She laughed even harder. “Maybe later, Korra.”
“Just so you know, I’m not upset about your attempt at the gate. It was a fair shot, but it turned out as I was afraid it would. It’s sad to see city guards like these,” she said somewhat disappointedly, and I tapped the bar once in agreement.
Aspen smirked at my response. “Yeah, I know it must be hard for you to believe, but not every guard is like that. Trust me when I say that San is doing everything in her power to keep order on the streets and the city safe. Those guards at the gate…if there really is an imperial agent,” she said and paused for a moment.
Yeah, the agent. Was he really here? Was he still watching me? I had no idea. Ever since I was brought to the slave shop, that weird feeling on the back of my neck I had disappeared.
“Unless those guards were doing it on her orders, they’re f*****.” Aspen added, finishing her thoughts.
Wait! I paused.
So like Rayden ordered them to get bribed and let the slavers out of the city with me on the wagon? I didn’t believe that, and by the tone of Aspen’s voice, neither did she. “It’s just that son of a bitch Egerton …”
I interrupted her by tapping the bar. I didn’t have to hear again how small the budget of the city guards was, thanks to the City Lord. I understood that a long time ago. Instead, I wonder why she spoke of Captain so familiarly and called her by nickname instead of her full name. What part of her body did she touch?
“I see,” she said in understanding, her voice shaking slightly. Then she thought for a moment. “You’re probably wondering why I have done nothing so far, thinking I’m trying to trick you.”
One tap. She wasn’t wrong.
“I thought so. S***…even I wouldn’t believe myself,” she said scornfully, mocking herself. “I bet you only noticed the two shadows that came with us until now. It’s not your fault, but the rest of them that joined us at the crossroads were in sight the whole time.”
Oh, still…
“You still think I should have taken the chance, huh?” Aspen laughed weakly. “Well, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it. I’m pretty sure I could take those two down, but the rest of them would come at me in a heartbeat.”
Okay? One questioning tap on the bar.
“I haven’t fought in weeks, I…,” she stammered, laughing wildly. “S***… even now it’s hard to admit, but I was scared. I’m terrified even now, and I honestly don’t know what to do. How to get out of this mess, how to get us both out of it.”
I was utterly taken aback by her emotions and what she said to me. I thought she was determined, ready to die, and instead, it was just a facade, hiding an insecure, frightened, and desperate woman.
That wasn’t the Aspen I needed right now.
I needed a warrior, or in her case, a mage capable of fighting her way through hordes of enemies. Instead, I spoke to the woman who gave me the magic ring to calm herself. That’s what it felt like to me.
Who the hell’s gonna comfort me?!
With no other means of communication, I tapped the bar.
“I’m sorry, Korra. I…I was having a weak moment. I just don’t know how to get us out of this alive,” she said and continued. “Though I know how to make it harder for them to sell you and kill me.”
That was not a good plan. I’d rather hear about one where they won’t sell me at all. Still better than giving up.
She took a breath. “Well, I was thinking. Why Granhill? What’s in there, what’s in that direction? The only thing that came to my mind was Esulmor Woods. I wasn’t wrong, and now it’s certain that the handover will take place there,”
“Have you heard of the place?” she asked.
Two taps to that.
“These are the dense woods lying between Castiana and Granhill below the Granora mountain range in the north. In the past, many travellers lost their lives while trying to travel through these woods because of the beasts living there, and not just one adventurer overestimated their strength when they challenged them to fight. Traders avoid the place, preferring to take the longer route around the forest,” she said and paused for a moment. I heard her sigh. “Quite a dangerous place even for someone like shadowbreakers or me. Esulmor Mossbears are resilient beasts, most with levels higher than three hundred.”
Aspen chuckled with a hint of desperation. “You’re probably wondering why the Empire won’t exterminate the beasts and I wondered the same thing when I first heard about Esulmor as a child. Well, there are many reasons for that. In essence, woods functions as surface dungeons that don’t occur around labyrinths. Such places tend to be good for training and raw materials, except that these woods are more dangerous than most of these places, and that brings me to the main reason. That is Esu, the King of the Woods. The last time I heard, his level was more than nine hundred. Can you imagine that?” she asked, her inner voice trembling.
Two taps on the bar to that.
She laughed. “Yeah, me neither. The Empire has some kind of non-interference agreement with him, though. Crazy, right?”
It didn’t seem that crazy to me. If they wanted to get rid of Esu, it would cost Sahal a lot and vice versa. It was easier for them just to ignore each other.
“The most powerful monster I faced with the other guards in the Falens Cry was a level 536 manticore. Two units, a dozen people, and yet we were glad we survived the fight. I … I don’t understand why they chose to hand you over there.” Aspen continued. I could almost imagine her shaking her head in disbelief.
But after what she told me, I wondered about the same thing. If they wanted to meet in a remote place away from the people and eyes of the Empire, they could choose any other forest, gorge, or cave. Why such a dangerous place?
Aspen seemed to read my mind. “The only reason I can think of is that hardly anyone can afford to start a fight there. The mossbears are quite sensitive to mana and intruders in their forest in general.”
So it was something like Labyrinth Square, only the order was not enforced by the runes but by the inhabitants of the forest. Pretty good place for a meeting like this, I’d say. Now I regretted my decision to use mana in the square.
If only I could somehow attract these beasts.
Aspen chuckled a little. “I bet you’re thinking the same thing I’ve been thinking since I realized where we were going. That’s the easy part. I’ll use magic, but the hard part is surviving. The beasts won’t care who’s who, and they’ll tear you apart just like any other man or woman. Not to mention everyone will try to stop me. Ward will no doubt be there too.”
She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts before continuing. “He forced us to take the geas and promised thirty percent, but that doesn’t fit his reputation. He likes to act like a gentleman, but you should watch your back if he doesn’t get his way. Plus, he certainly doesn’t like to share.”
It was hard for me to respond when I didn’t know how exactly geas worked. If it was something like Hal had, I mean Morton had in his head, I was glad I didn’t have it. Though, I had a feeling that Morton’s mind had been destroyed by something much more powerful.
In my opinion, Ward would be taking a considerable risk if he just let them go, and his only guarantee would be dubious geas. He admitted himself that it wasn’t the best. Aspens’ doubts were therefore justified.
I guess as the old saying goes: Dead men tell no tales, right?
“No matter how I think about it, I don’t think it was Ward who suggested an exchange at Esulmor Woods. He would risk a lot if he tried to get rid of us there….” she mused.
I didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but if I were him, I’d get rid of Rutledge and his crew before entering the woods or after the exchange. I could only hope Aspen was prepared for this possibility because I had no way to warn her except by tapping morse code on the bars, which I never learned.
She wouldn’t understand it anyway.
“The strange thing is that our exchange was supposed to take place in Mitta. Probably another buyer?” she wondered, but I froze at her words.
Mitta was a border town with the Arda Kingdom. The kingdom in which I had been imprisoned for more than a year. I shuddered at the thought that Rutledge was very likely to hand me over to Dungreen.
Even though I was spared that meeting, not much changed for me. The lab was still waiting for me, just in a different location.
“S***!” Aspen swore as realization dawn upon her. “He wants to sell us along with you for information on his buyer’s competition. Why didn’t I think of it before? Oh…and we go there with them like a bunch of unsuspecting fools, thinking we’ll get at least some money,” she said and laughing out loud. “I guess I deserve it. We all do.”
“What are you laughing at, woman?” the shadowbreakers leader growled.
Even Rutledge marveled at her behavior. “What the hell got into you, Aspen?”
“What? I just imagined what I would do with the money for that bitch,” she told them an outright lie.
I heard some shadowbreakers sneer and then whisper, but their leader didn’t respond further.
“What are you going to do with your gold?” the bruiser asked her.
“Is it not obvious?” butted in Rutledge. “She will pay off her debt. That’s what she will do.”
“Sure, Arlo, that’s what I’ll do first,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Imbecile,” she remarked through the connection. “Okay, Korra, listen. If we get to the woods, and it’s a big if, I’ll try to attract mossbears. There are no mages among the shadowbreakers I see, and it’s quite possible that Ward and I will be the only ones there.”
“Kill one bear, and you can call it a success.
After killing two, you should be distressed.
Killing three is the end for you.
As the next beast you will meet, will be Esu.
So they say. The King of the Woods doesn’t like anyone challenging his authority, which he considers killing his breed. That’s why no other predator lives in those woods. That’s what I hope the shadows will do after I lure the beast in, that they’ll kill some bears.” she said, her voice trembling.
I found myself quivering at the thought, too. The most powerful being I faced so far were the humans, whose strength was shown to me by the system as two question marks. It may well have been Zander Denholm, after whose death I could see that he was level 253.
Now I was about to meet beasts at levels higher than three hundred, and Aspen hoped their deaths would attract the King of the Woods himself. A nine hundred plus level beast. Almost ten times what I had.
So yeah, the thought of meeting this almost godlike beast was horrifying. Certain death, you might say. But considering what awaited me at the hands of the buyer, it was a fate I could accept. Though trembling and weeping.
“I don’t know what else to say, Korra. Prepare yourself as best you can,” Aspen told me, “because once the fight starts, there’s no turning back.”
That was quite clear to me, so I tapped the bar once, wishing I could do more.
My eyes then fell on my shackled hands. My wrist was already fine, the pieces of shattered bone in my right arm back in the right places, almost fused back together. Still hours away from getting the strength back in my arm, though.
Strength, huh?
Strength, endurance, or dexterity? My indecision was a terrible thing. Common sense was telling me this and that, the pros and cons and just made it worse. So I ended up following my gut feeling and decided to put that one stat point into strength.
Name: Korra Grey
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Age: 29
Class: Slave (Master – Arlo Rutledge)
Level: 93
Constitution: 73 (39)
Strength: 37 -> 38 (21 -> 22)
Endurance: 31 (25)
Dexterity: 23 (23)
Intelligence: 19 (11)
Wisdom: 17 (10)
