052

There were many things to do before Erick rushed out into the Crystal Forest to kill a wyrm.

Firstly, he read up on wyrm hunting in the Adventurer’s Guild Library. Books upon books had been written up on the subject, of the wyrms’ unnatural biology, of how to actually kill it. First hand accounts told Erick of what he needed to prepare, and he needed to prepare a lot. This was not just a one-day, rush out the door, tackle a task, sort of thing. Not at all.

So Erick read about wyrm hunting, and when he started to read the same information over and over again, he went out to talk to people.

 

– – – –

“How do you hunt a wyrm?” Erick asked.

Teressa answered, “With days in the Forest, watching the skies, listening to the land and the air, always ready, always hunting! When you find it, you armor up, bash the beast, and let the mages tear it apart.”

Erick grumbled.

 

– – – –

 

“How do you hunt a wyrm?” Erick asked.

Poi answered, “You leave it to other people, but if necessary, find a good tracker mage. For the actual fight, you stay far, far away, and you let the warriors hold its attention while you do the actual killing.”

Erick hummed.

 

– – – –

 

“How are those gems working out for you?” Erick asked, genuinely curious.

Ulrick Ulrick stood behind the counter of his shop, and laughed, once. “The silver one is terrible in all ways. I suspected that if I could even get an enchant into the thing, it would hold well, like with a pearl. But nothing sticks, and I suspect you already knew that.”

Erick frowned. “Sorry, Ulrick. I was hoping that you’d find a use for them.”

“No bother. I still have my livelihood.” Ulrick grinned wide. “Now as for the silver-crusted flawless diamonds that the Army has? Those are driving the Stat enchanters in town crazy.”

Erick winced. “Uh. Whoops.”

“They’re all predators; don’t worry yourself over their wellbeing.”

“If it’s any consolation, they’ll be able to do the same in a year.”

Ulrick nodded. “Maybe.”

“… Have you ever hunted a wyrm?”

Ulrick flinched. He quickly recovered, saying, “Demons and Angels, no! I have not hunted a wyrm! You’re not going out to hunt a wyrm, are you?”

“Well—”

Ulrick declared, “Don’t go risking your life for some stupid grand-rads. There are easier monsters to hunt and kill to refill your stock.”

“I’ll take it under advisement.” Erick said, “Thanks, Ulrick.”

Ulrick looked at Erick, concerned.

 

– – – –

 

“How do you hunt a wyrm?” Erick asked.

Mage Guildmaster Sirocco Zago, smiled behind her desk, saying, “I’m glad to finally see that you’re up and about; well enough to give me a visit.”

“Good to see you, too.” Erick said, “And that reminds me. She wasn’t downstairs.” He took out Sizzi’s [Familiar] journal and put it on Zago’s desk. “This was a great help, but I haven’t managed more than 2 requirements.”

Zago laughed, then said, “I hope to never see a failure like I saw out on that stone platform, but these smaller failures certainly make the rest of you seem more real.”

“I hope to never experience that kind of failure ever again.”

Zago nodded, saying, “You’re carving quite an irreplaceable niche for yourself here in Spur. Rain was a large enough change on its own, and now I hear you’re enchanting special Stat items and growing diamonds?” She spoke a bit harder, “So it pains me to hear that you’re now going after wyrms… for what? The lark of it?”

“Ah.” Erick nodded. “It does make me seem like a reckless idiot, doesn’t it?”

Zago did not respond to that; she just waited.

Erick explained, “Champion Yetta came to me, asking for my help in clearing Odaali. I said I would, but only if she kills Planter.”

“A reasonable request for unreasonable times.” Zago frowned, but nodded. “So? You’re doing this wyrm business in order to understand what kind of fight you have pledged yourself to fighting?”

“Got it in one.”

Zago thought. She said, “A tracker from the Wayfarer Guild would get you near a wyrm in under a day. But if you want to hunt one yourself—”

“Which I do.”

“—Then you must learn some sort of long range [Scan] spell. I suggest…” Zago paused. She asked, “Have you tested to see how fast you can fly with your [Flight Aura]? Perhaps you only need [Scent Tracker], [Ultrasight], and [Perfect Hearing]; combine them into [Tracker’s Instincts]. They’re part of the Ranger line of skills. [Swift Movement] and [Silent Movement] combine into [Lightfoot]. [Tracker’s Instincts] and [Lightfoot] combine into [Hunter’s Instincts]. With that, and a starting point, you can find almost anything that isn’t covering its tracks; even if your prey is airborne.” She added, “Though that would be a Vitality build, so maybe only pick out part of all that.” She continued, “Have you considered [Defend]? It’s rather necessary for fighting tougher opponents. It costs a tenth of your HP every time you use it, but you take 10 to 50 percent less HP damage for 1 minute. HP damage only, mind you. It doesn’t work with [Absorption Ward], but its not a bad option.”

Erick said, “That seems… niche. I have [Teleport] and [Blink] already.”

“That is a better option, in most cases.” Zago paused. She said, “I have [Defend]. It’s saved my life more than once.”

“You do?”

“Rank 10: 50% less damage taken, and you cannot take more than 90% of your HP in damage in 1 hit.”

“… I should probably get that, then.”

“It’s not perfect, at all. But if you can take the 1/10 HP drain necessary to activate [Defend], it does help when you’re running away, or to absorb one stray critical hit. As a mage, you should not expect [Defend] to save your life. We already don’t have much HP, and the skill doesn’t function well when you’re already low.”

Erick nodded.

“For a [Scan] for your needs, [Force Wave] and [Scent Tracker] for carrion would probably do it. Or you could fly around with [Scent Tracker] and [Ultrasight], either combined or separately. Combining them usually turns out well, if you know what you’re combining toward. [Perfect Hearing] is nice, but you might get overwhelmed out in the Crystal Forest.” Zago added, “As for actually killing the beast: you want [Force Bolt] and [Force Beam] for [Force Beam Bolt], then alter that into Decay.” She stressed, “And if you’re flying around, the wyrm will go after you, no matter what your people on the ground are doing. Even one meter off the ground is enough to anger the beast to targeting you.”

Erick smiled. “Thank you, Sirocco.”

Zago nodded, saying, “And don’t be such a stranger! You can come in any time, you know?”

“Speaking of strangers… I’ve heard of other archmages in town. One by the name of Opal? She popped the [Ward]s surrounding the daydroppers in Kal’Duresh from at least three kilometers away… How do you think she did that?”

Zago said, “[Dispel] for sure. But you shouldn’t try to combine [Dispel] with Particle magic; people have been laid up for weeks recovering from Error messages when they’ve tried to get around the [Ward] restrictions of Particle spells.”

“… There goes that idea!”

Zago looked at Erick, saying, “Quite.”

 

– – – –

 

Erick bought [Scent Tracker], [Defend], and [Force Bolt].

 

 

 

 

His Status looked a little anemic; he would like to have more available points than one, before he went out into the Forest. He’d save [Perfect Hearing] for later.

 

 

… It was time to make some magic.

 

– – – –

 

Erick sent a parakeet with [Exalted Storm Aura] to the farms, while he and a few others went to the platform in the Crystal Forest, where he had almost died. The platform was still there, still a 10 meter by 10 meter square of stone with the barest comforts of civilization; a few stone overhangs acting as umbrellas against the high sun, a few scattered thigh-sized pillars acting as chairs.

The corner of the platform where Erick’s blood had turned to water had a strange sheen upon the orange stone; there was no dark, dried blood, the place had been [Cleansed] by someone. But the ground was definitely not normal stone. Erick stood upon where he had almost died, and organized his thoughts. Poi was ready, with a rod of [Treat Wounds] in his hand.

Maia, Eduard, and Ramizi stood ready, too.

An hour ago, Erick had gone to the Mage Trio’s house, to say hello and to ask for their help; this time in a much less ambitious way. He wasn’t trying to negate any other spells. Today’s experiment would not result in war magic. He wouldn’t even lock these spells to ‘monster only’; the assault on Odaali would require spells that could harm the undead.

Erick would try to keep the ‘Particle Mage Only’ tag off of these spells, too, because Maia and Eduard would only agree to help if they got to direct the creation of the final spells, which they would then buy in a year; Particle Mages were the only ones who could make Particle spells larger than medium sized. This was fine with Erick, the average Fireball would be larger than what he made today.

As Erick looked across the sands of the Crystal Forest, he hoped he was doing the right thing.

“I’m first, right?” Maia said, stepping to the side of the platform to stand next to Erick. “I can’t wait to see this but larger.” She pointed at the ground in front of her. “[Incandescence].”

Four meters away, the ground glowed a foot across, sand melting into glass as heat rolled up and away from the burning land.

Eduard stepped to Maia’s other side, saying, “[Frozen Mist].”

The glowing ground shifted; the air cracked as sudden cold burrowed into the molten ground. Melted sand turned solid, fracturing at the temperature change; the whole hot space turned normal as the spells canceled each other. Erick couldn’t see the molecules themselves, but he understood how both Maia and Eduard had done what they did.

 

 

 

 

 

“Unlocked. Small areas, but medium range. So a medium spell?” Erick read Eduard’s spell, again. “Wasn’t [Frozen Mist]’s box a lot larger?”

“Story of the century!” Ramizi joked, “Cold causes shrinkage.”

Eduard glared at Ramizi, as he said, “It’s gone through a few changes. The mana cost used to be 10, but it also used to only last one minute, so I guess it’s a good change. The news coming from Oceanside is that there’s normalization happening everywhere.” He gestured to the blackened sands, saying, “A lot of spells are getting direct opposites; after Maia made her version, mine changed to match.”

Maia said, “Mine was simple; his was complicated. Of course his basic spell got gutted.” She looked at Erick, saying, “You’re sure what we want is available?”

“It’s large sized, so it should be,” Erick said.

Maia smiled, brightly. “Nice.”

Erick nodded as he turned toward the sands of the Crystal Forest, and threw a hundred mana into the sky, making sure nothing had changed.

Phagar’s imitation of Erick’s voice came back to him, ‘All good. Go for it.’

“Okay.” Erick said, as he popped a large, white [Temperature Ward] across the platform. “Good to go.”

Maia, Eduard, and Ramizi each popped more [Ward]s around the whole of the platform. Poi just watched, ready to rush in when he was needed.

Erick spoke:

“Restless air and churning heat,

“A spark of change, a bit of tinder,

“A hundred thousand glows accrete,

“Ignite the tiny little cinders

“In to a rushing, brilliant [Shimmer].”

Notifications rolled across Erick’s vision as Poi held him upright, tapping his shoulder with the glowing rod of [Treat Wounds].

 

 

 

 

 

The air turned into fireworks, mating season for a billion fireflies, the factory air above splashing pools of molten metal. Fire swirled, thirty meters away from Erick’s platform, touching upon the floor of the Crystal Forest in a ten meter sphere, ripping the sand into blackened glass, pulling bits of molten dirt into the swirl. The air crackled with heat. And then a minute passed, and the spell was done. Cinders fell to the ground, molten glass splattered. Heat lingered, but nothing penetrated the [Temperature Ward]s around the platform.

Maia stood entranced the whole time. When the spell ended, she whispered, “It’s beautiful.”

Erick handed her a copy of the spell.

Maia read the spell, and brushed away a tear. “Thank you, Archmage.”

Another box appeared in front of Erick.

 

 

 

‘Thank you, for that.’ Erick thought, to no one in particular. He said, “So then! Eduard? Any last minute changes?”

Eduard smiled. “Nope.” He added, “Even if you don’t make it how I want it, I think I can eventually manage it on my own.”

Maia punched him in the shoulder. “Don’t be an ass.”

Erick grinned, then turned back toward the Crystal Forest. He spoke:

“A chilling fog rolls ‘cross the land

“Stilling those who cannot flee

“Freezing air that does not stand

“but wraps around all those that be

“In this time of [Wintry Sea].”

Erick felt a spike of pain rush through his body, but Poi was there with the rod of [Treat Wounds] again.

 

 

 

 

 

Erick groaned out, “I’m done,” as he handed Eduard his spell, and the air shifted.

Eduard briefly read the spell, smiling wide, as he turned his gaze upon the magics taking form in front of them.

A sharp, glittering, faint blue light, breathy and insubstantial, floated in the air ahead. The air crinkled and cracked. The blackened ground under the blue spell frosted over as moisture in the air coalesced into tiny spikes of ice, atop blackened cinders.

And then the spell moved, rapidly left, across the ground, seizing upon a mimic that had been at least a hundred meters away from the spell. The mimic screamed, shrill. The spell ended before it could do anything but touch the monster. The mimic, enraged and very much alive, abandoned its idea of hiding, charging across the vast distance between itself and the platform—

A radiant red dot shot out of Maia’s hand, impacting through the center of the ten foot tall blue crystal monster, coming out the other side as an engulfing fountain of flames. The mimic was a brief conflagration of whipping blue spikes before it fell to the sand, burning, burning, dead.

Erick got a notification for 5% Participation. He laughed. “What the heck was that?”

“Fire [Force Beam Bolt].” Maia said, “Much too high of a spell for it to ever be subject to [Reflection].”

Erick watched the burning corpse for a long moment. He asked, “Have you guys ever hunted wyrms before?”

“We have. Many times.” Ramizi said, “Our [Familiar]s are still searching for that necromancer, though, so we’re stuck in this downtime. It’s been great for learning how to use all the new foods you’ve made, but not much else.”

Erick smiled. “You three can pick anything out of the garden, you know. I already told Ratchet she could as long as it’s for personal use, but all she likes is the lemons.”

Ramizi smiled wide. “I will take you up on that offer!”

Erick asked, “How would you three kill a wyrm?”

“Overwhelming firepower!” Maia grinned, then said, “If you think you’ve hit it enough, you are wrong.”

“I lock the wyrm down with ice magic.” Eduard said, “Then these two boom-happy, magi-tyrants unload on the insane dragon with everything they got. If that doesn’t work, it’s usually because the wyrm’s magic protects them somehow, so we all run away and put up a listing with what we know about what we found, so someone else will know what they’re going after. Don’t be afraid to run away.” He asked, “Are you going after wyrms?”

“Yup.” Erick said, “I promised the Champion of Atunir that if she killed Planter, I’d help them clear out Odaali. I’m preparing to keep my promise.”

Maia said, “She executed two merchants who went back on their promises of assistance, so that’s a healthy attitude you have.”

Erick paled. “Really?”

“Oh yeah.” Maia said, “They were merchants from Wellok, across the river from Odaali, and when Yetta helped them clear out their lands, they told her to take a hike. So she killed them and took their lands for herself.”

Ramizi said, “They had it coming.”

Eduard grumbled, “We’re not having this argument again.” He said to Erick, “Thank you, Archmage. The spell is exactly what I want, and in a year, I’m going to buy it.”

Erick said, “Thank you for allowing me access to the spells you have already created.”

Eduard said, “Let us know how your wyrm hunt goes. Don’t be afraid to run away; a higher Participation is not worth your life.” He held out his hands for Maia and Ramizi.

In a blink of cyan, they were gone.

Erick breathed the dry, Forest air in and out, relaxing for a moment. Crafting spells took a toll, but one application of [Treat Wounds] seemed to be more than enough to undo the damage of creating a 250 mana spell.

It was time to go back home, to make some final preparations. But first: Erick felt his link from the parakeet in his pocket to the parakeet out at the farms; mana was still flowing to where it needed to go. Looking to the south west, silver storms rained onto green farms, though the farm itself was much too far away to see without [Scry].

Erick looked over his new spells.

He spent a point on [Perfect Hearing].

 

 

 

– – – –

 

Teressa was waiting for Erick and Poi in the kitchen.

She greeted them with a smile. “Thank the gods you’re back. I have already prepared everything we could ever want. All we have to do is actually leave. We don’t even have to come back to town for days! Nights under the stars are wonderful.” She offered, “Or you can [Stoneshape] a castle, if you want. Some people do it that way, but we don’t have to.”

She had been busy. Four packs had been prepared; one large and three smaller sized.

Teressa pulled open one of the smaller ones, saying, “I’ve got all the camping tools in mine, but the food has been split rather evenly, and we’re going to be using [Conjure Item] beds and bedding. I’ve got jerky of all kinds, cheese and alcohol and— we’ll have lots of water, anyway. So I just packed the canteens, which we will fill before we actually leave. Breads, jellies and teas, and coftea. Desserts and nuts and berries, you know. Everything we could ever want!”

Erick smiled, and said, “Great! But before we head off… What kind of Stat items do you all want? I can’t believe that I haven’t given you all something.”

Teressa grinned like she was having a double Christmas. She giggled a little, as she forced herself to not dance, and said, “A Strength ring and a Vitality ring.”

“… You can handle that?”

Teressa answered, “Absolutely! It’s easier than Strength and Willpower, for sure.”

Now that Erick thought about it, he should make himself a Vitality ring as well, maybe even two; it would increase his Healing Fatigue limit by a lot, and would allow for a lot more uses of his new abilities. And, of course, he couldn’t forget a Willpower Ring in the beginning of the day for a larger [Personal Absorption Ward]. He absolutely needed one of those.

Erick asked Poi, “How about for you?”

Poi said, “Strength ring.” He looked around. “Rats would likely take a Strength ring, too, but I’m not sure.”

“He’s sleeping.” Teressa said, “Trying to get some shut eye in before we depart.”

Erick said, “I still need to pick up the quest—”

Teressa whipped a piece of paper from the larger bag. “Right here!” She pulled out even more papers. “And these are all the known wyrms on file! I know you read up on them, but Rats will want to read about them, too. It cost 15 gold but it’s necessary.”

Erick smiled. Teressa was really into this. Erick said, “Okay… Then… I’ve got most of the proper rings made, but I haven’t made many good Vitality ones, yet. After that, and after Rats wakes, we can go.”

Teressa forced herself to stillness, saying, “Very good, sir.”

Poi added, “Might as well make a few Focus ones, too. Rats might also pick Focus; hard to tell.”

Erick paused. He said, “It occurs to me that I have no idea what any of you can actually do.”

Teressa giggled.

Poi looked from Teressa to Erick, saying, “That’s been on purpose, sir.”

Erick laughed once. “Really?”

“Really, sir,” Poi said.

“Okay?” Erick looked from Teressa to Poi, grinning as he said, “Keep your secrets, then.”

“Thank you, sir.” Poi said. “We will do so.”

 

– – – –

 

Erick learned that two +28 Vitality rings forced him to take a detour to an unused bedroom for a hot five minutes. And then again. He had to take one of the rings off.

When he experimented with the Vitality ring and his Strength ring, the combined effect was rather muted compared to his experiments with Strength and Willpower, or two Vitality rings. Wearing Vitality and Strength, together, was actually quite easy, like Teressa suggested. Maybe the resonant differences between Strength-Crimson and Vitality-Cinnabar were complementary, somehow? While the resonances of Strength-Crimson and Willpower-Ultramarine were destructive?

Whatever the case, that would be an experiment for another day.

After wearing Strength and Vitality for several minutes, and feeling good about the experience —but not too good!— Erick decided to wear the Strength and Vitality ones from then on. He was ready to spend HP on his skills as needed. He was ready for wyrm hunting.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

 

– – – –

 

Erick finished enchanting his rings, but Rats was still asleep. So Erick began reading the Wyrm Report Teressa had bought. It didn’t tell him anything he didn’t already know.

After Rats woke up, Erick wanted to take them all out to a great big, late lunch, but all three of them said that was unnecessary. When Erick responded with the fact that everything in life was unnecessary, Teressa changed her argument.

She wanted to go. To be out in the blue! To walk the sands, and feel the wind!

So they went.

 

– – – –

 

The heavens stretched north, east, south, and west; an endless expanse of blue. Crests of grey, white, and pink accented the sky in the east; the moons were rising, while the sun was already on the way to the western horizon. Cold winds blew down from the north, where far, far in the distance, stood the white capped Wyrmridge Mountains; the northern, nigh-impassible barrier of the Crystal Forest. The Forest around here was sparse compared to the Forest around Spur. There were still mimics and crystal agaves, but they stood hundreds of meters away from each other. This was open, cold country.

But everyone was prepared for the chill, and it wasn’t that bad; like a brisk autumn day.

Erick turned on [Ultrasight] for a moment, and looked at the distant agaves. That one was an agave. That one was a mimic.

And they walked south.

Teressa dispensed nuggets of wisdom along the way.

In case of a [Dispel] wyrm, we run. In any other case, we stick to the plan.

If this happens, do that. If that happens, do this.

Teressa said, “Don’t use [Cleanse] while we’re out here. Half of a successful hunt is making yourself a target.”

“… okay.” Erick asked, “Could we make ourselves a target, then? Cut this experience short?”

Teressa rounded on Erick, a wild gleam filling her green eyes. “Do you want to try that?”

“Er… Maybe not.”

Teressa shrugged. She sniffed the air. “I don’t smell any wyrms or carrion, but we’ve only been out here for an hour. We would have to be uncommonly lucky to find a wyrm already.” She sighed out loud, stretching her arms, reaching for the sky, her grey armor creaking under her massive strength, which was even more massive because of the two rings glinting on her hands. “It’s so good to be outside!”

Erick smiled a little. It was good to be outside.

Rats frowned, muttering, “Finding a wyrm is not what I’d call lucky, but okay.”

Erick turned on [Perfect Hearing]. The sounds of the Forest washed over him in a cacophony of life.

Little glow bugs buzz buzzed in the air. Rats breathed beside him, while Poi breathed behind; Teressa crunched through the sand, her heart beating with joy, her grey armor not clanking at all. She had remade her armor for the long hike, and was breathing easy. Rats and Poi had switched out their own usual guard’s armor for hiking leathers that creaked in well used ways. Here and there, but never closer than ten meters, brown tendril worms squirmed out of the ground, catching the bugs that floated too close; crunch crunching them in tiny jaws. An ever-present tinkling in the air was like background rain; it was the sound of wind rushing across crystal agaves.

Erick sniffed the air with [Scent Tracker], and his world opened up.

He didn’t really want to, but he couldn’t help but smell his companions. Rats smelled of cinnamon. Poi was the ocean. Teressa was a dark forest. Erick focused on other scents; the ground was filled with all sorts of life, not quite earthy, not quite sandy, but more like a faint compost pile. Erick lifted his head to experience the wind coming from the north; he smelled frost and trees, a little decay but a lot more growth, with strange musks and the slight smell of flowers.

No. Wait. Erick smelled the air around him. The flowers were closer.

The agave smelled like flowers. It was a pleasant smell, like candy and roses.

Erick smiled as he hiked south across brown sands, under a blue sky, sniffing the air every so often, smelling the flowers and feeling great. He said, “This is nice, Teressa. We were cooped up for too long, weren’t we.”

Teressa turned to glance at him; smiling. She faced forward, saying, “It’ll be nice when we find a wyrm, too.”

Erick asked, “Any particular scents I should look out for? I know about the carrion.”

“That’s the only one I know about.” Rats said.

Teressa said, “With the wind at our back, we will smell them coming if they are behind us. But you also need to listen.” Teressa sighed out, into the sky. “Listen to the sky.” She stomped her foot. “Feel the stone under your feet. Silence is not safety, but it is a close cousin.”

The Crystal Forest was practically silent without [Perfect Hearing]; Erick’s troupe, or, more properly, Teressa’s Troupe, was a wrecking crew of noise compared to the land around them. Boots crunching into sand, the occasional rock getting kicked by someone’s foot. Armor and backpacks making noise as stuff shuffled around.

After ten minutes, Rats broke the not-silence, saying, “I need a direction. Something to walk toward. Please.”

Erick almost laughed, but then he looked to Rats, and with [Scent Tracker], smelled a stab of fear. Erick said, “I would appreciate one as well.”

Rats grinned, briefly.

Teressa pointed southwest as she walked forward, saying, “Vindin is 1500 kilometers that way. Or would you like something closer? If we continue just south, we’ll eventually hit the thousand kilometer ring around the city.” She offered, “We could even visit the city itself to see if their Adventurer’s Guildhouse has more information on wyrm sightings.” She glanced backward to see Poi. “Poi?”

Erick looked back.

Poi shook his head, saying, “We should stay away from the ring, as well. Any known landmarks are not a good idea. There are hunters out here, too.”

“Well that sort of defeats the whole purpose of this outing.” Erick asked, “Are you three going to come with me to Odaali, too? Because I have to go. Reneging my promise to Yetta is not an option.”

“Yup,” Rats said, as Teressa said, “Yeah.”

Poi sighed, then said, “Let’s head for the ring, then. Where’s the obelisk, Teressa?”

Teressa pointed directly south. “Directly south! If we don’t deviate, we’ll hit the obelisk in 10 days, but we should encounter a wyrm in 5. Maybe 6. Maybe tonight! But for sure, we’ll start to see people in four days.”

“Acceptable,” Poi said.

Rats sighed out, relaxing. “That’s perfect. We’re heading for the Eastern Obelisk of Vindin. Thank you.”

Erick smiled at Rats, then at the sky.

 

– – – –

 

Living in a city where assassins had tried to kill him and monsters regularly attacked had wrapped Erick in an unhealthy amount of paranoia. Spiders had invaded his house, and then began to invade his dreams. At night, he sometimes saw Jane wrapped in a cocoon. Once, he even saw Jane wrapping other people in cocoons.