B2 Chapter 177: Journey to Holsborough

Leaving the wreckage and ruin that was the spider’s nest behind, Kaius and his party made their way down the road to Holsborough, slowly trekking towards the edge of the Hanset Woods. Two days of travel, hunkering down in their dimensional tent in the evenings, with at least another one until they hit the edge of the swathe of lightly packed trees. Then it would be a day of crossing the plains.

Intshire was closer by at least half, but the township lay further away from Deadacre. It would have been fastest for them to have simply cut back the way they had come, but none of them felt it would be right to leave without at least giving word on one end that the assassin spider had been slain, and the worst of the road’s threats cleared.

Plus, he was sure that whatever salvage the locals would find would be a significant boon in the current times. While it was of no use to the likes of them, there were plenty of goods that would still be serviceable, if weather-beaten.

The lockbox though, that they could use. After accounting for their finds, they had another sixty-eight silver and ninety-seven copper to their name. A paltry sum, compared to the earnings they would get from this mission, but it was convenient all the same. A single gold was a large sum of money to most people, and having a weighty supply of lesser coingage would certainly help with paying their way through common taverns and the like.

As the sun shone down on the widespread green around them, Kaius watched their surroundings closely. The way the breeze shifted the canopies and caressed the heavy brush beneath. The song of birds, and the low level buzz of insects. A background song that could be hiding danger.

Not that he was particularly worried. While he was certain threats even more dangerous than the spider were appearing with alarming regularity, the realm was a large place, and they would have to be unlucky indeed to stumble across one so close to the range of another.

Still, as it stood, he was the closest thing they had to a scout, so he planned on doing his job diligently.

His vigilance was rewarded shortly after, Explorer’s Toolkit nudging his attention to a flashing blur a good two hundred strides into the trees.

Tilting his head, Kaius focused on the flash, clarity coming to him quickly. A trio of wolves, skulking from tree to tree. Mangey and thin, they looked starved. Desperate.

His heart beat stayed steady, without the barest whisper of vitalising glee that came with the Blood Song. They were…weak. Focusing on one who was peering around a wide oak, he pulled up its status.

Forest Wolf – Level 21:

Beast, Skirmisher

Sighing, he slipped from his brother’s back and palmed the hilt of his sword.

Ianmus and Porkchop looked at him in confusion.

“Nothing bad. Just some desperate wolves.” he explained without turning back, waving off any questions before they were asked.

Striding off the road, he approached the tree line.

His blatant, unthreatening approach was too much for the small pack. As one they bayed, charging from their cover as they raced towards him with foaming muzzles.

Out in the open, they looked less decrepit than he had thought. Still obviously hungry, but not generally underfed, nor did they look wasted to the point of weakness. Their grey pelts still even had a sheen, without a mat in sight.

Poor bastards. They’d just skipped one too many meals, enough hunger to force them into a confrontation they had no idea would be their end.

Slowing to a stop, he let them approach. His sword was still in its sheath, and his hands rested comfortably at his side.

The sheer nonchalance sent the wolves into a frenzy, their pace redoubling. Each one sent plumes of dirt spraying behind itself, as they wove between the trunks at a pace only possible after a full life hunting through the reaches of the woods.

Slavering snarls slipped from their muzzles, brown eyes focused on him with furious intensity.

It was almost admirable.

Then they came into range.

Kaius swept his hand out towards casually, a baleful shower of orange sparks hanging in a trail behind it. Blue-white cracked, throwing the surrounding trees into stark relief as a writhing bolt of lightning appeared in his hand before arcing towards the lead wolf.

It impacted with finality, two lesser streams of potent magic splitting off to the other two wolves.

Each and every one seized, muscles clenching with every scrap of strength they could muster.

Tumbling into a ragged pile of meat, the wolves collapsed dead and smoking.

**Ding! level 21 Forest Wolf – Able Hunter slain – Experience Gained! Reduced Experience for slaying a foe of Insignificant Strength!**

…

**Ding! level 22 Forest Wolf – Able Hunter slain – Experience Gained! Reduced Experience for slaying a foe of Insignificant Strength!**

Watching their prone forms twitch with the remnants of his magic, Kaius sighed and made his way back to his companions. Disappointing, but surprisingly common.

They’d suffered two more attacks from a variety of beasts, either those desperate, or so territorial they would willingly throw themselves at death. Fortunately, most things in the woods had some instinctive understanding of their strength, and had steered well clear.

Still, a proper fight would have been nice. Even if it wasn’t as fraught as the spider, it still would have been good to see some more significant gains than the bare smattering of three skill levels he had seen since then.

Ianmus shook his head at him, a wry smile on his face. “You look like you just got sentenced to six months of hard labour.” he teased.

That set Porkchop off, his brother chortling at Ianmus’s joke. “He does! Like he had to dig the next den tunnel!”

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Scowling at his companions, Kaius quickened his stride to rejoin them. “I can’t help it! That wasn’t even a fight! I could do a dozen of those and not see a single skill level, let alone a class one.”

“Chin up, man, you at least had that insight into your Aspects—why don’t you do some more pondering now that a few days have passed and see if you can share anything else?” Ianmus asked.

Kaius sighed, he was right. He had shared his revelation on the truths he had brushed upon in their fight during their first day. They’d all been fizzing with excitement at the prospect of delving more into the secrets of the latest addition to the system. Both Ianmus and Porkchop had felt a little resonance – Porkchop with Corporus, and Ianmus with Mentis – but both had been lesser things, equivalent to the slight vibrations he had felt previously.