Chapter 38

Kimzi, I noted, was looking more than a tiny bit frazzled. Her glow was oscillating in intensity, her usually steady smile flaking behind a deep frown. She cleared her throat. ”Usually, my information isn’t life or death. But, in the case where they are, I find it’s best to just… lay it out there. Tell you what I can offer, what the price is, and what I don’t know.”

I didn’t respond. I still wasn’t sure that this actually had anything to do with me. Sure, there might be others like me, but Cuilcis had already said there were species looking just like me.

She shattered that illusion straight away. “Nearly four hours ago, just around noon, one of my informants spotted three people of your species. She’s got a high Identify skill, and could see everything about them. Species, Levels, Classes, Health. They were healthy, yet talking to somebody about a job. This is the reason why she told me. Because she realized that this job is likely to see them dead.” She steeled herself and faced me. “I know. This isn’t much to go on. But I do know that you’ve been alone and expect you would like to be among others of your kind. If you hurry, you might be able to reach them in time for them to survive. If not… well, I apologize for taking you away from Cuilcis.”

I looked down on her. Didn’t snap at her. Didn’t snarl. Just looked, shocked by what she was saying. I knew this was a strange world, but I wasn’t sure the fact of just how bloody it was hit me before this very moment. “You’re telling me, you know how to save some of my kind, but you’ll let them die, if I don’t pay.”

“I know enough to give you a chance to save them. There are no guarantees. And yes. If I don’t earn coin, I starve. I would rather your kin die, than be forced to starve myself. So, there you have it.” She looked me unflinching in the eye. “If we can reach an acceptable price, I will tell you everything I know, nothing held back. Then the rest is up to you. What’ll it be?”

I didn’t hesitate. Didn’t haggle. I simply grasped into my Personal Universe and extracted every single mana coin I had, regardless of size, spilling them into my hands. “You’re entirely sure they’re humans and not just something that looked like my kind?”

She nodded and looked at the stack of coins. Her grimace built into a grudging nod. “It’s on the low end, but… okay.” She oriented herself in the street, squinting up at the sun. “Humans. Three of them. Levels 12 to 14. A Mage, a Crafter and a Scout. They were haggling for a job with one of the self-proclaimed merchants. Only, afterward he bragged about setting them up. Apparently, some of them had interesting gear on them. So, he sent them into a nest of Ghastlings to get them killed and take their gear for himself. Their odds of survival are… not good.”

I took a deep breath. Then nodded, making an effort to keep calm. “Will my presence change everything? Those Ghastlings… are they certain death for anybody? Also, will I be able to catch up with them?”

“This is why I’m out of breath. I ran here as fast as I could. I doubt you’ll be able to catch up in time. They sounded like they were going to leave immediately. I’ll give you directions so you can find it. As for survival…” She hesitated. “I doubt it. But if you can take on a pack of Lyrian Rastlers and live, I guess it could be possible.”

“Okay. I… thanks, I guess. Anything I need to know?”

“Yes. Ghastlings are wildly territorial, speedy, and reproduce fast. They’re also insanely aggressive. They’ve been a thorn in the eye on Last Chance for a while. Yet, nobody, not even the untouchables, have been able to entirely clear out their infestation. You will need to get anybody still alive out of there. Toughing it out is not a chance.”

I took a deep breath. Then I considered my own state of being. My armor was a joke. My only shield was that ridiculously tiny buckler. My helmet was fine. My health was… astoundingly, almost maxed out. Okay. I might be able to actually do this. “Directions, please.”

Two minutes later, I was leaving Last Chance at a run. Apparently, the Ghastlings made their lair only about four hours north west of the settlement, which made them a constant nuisance, as they preyed on local travellers who veered too close.

Four hours. That meant that, if the humans had left directly, or hurried in the slightest … they were already there. About to get themselves killed.

I groaned and entered my system. Then I took a long, mournful look at the three talent points available to me, before I spent them all. Really. This was on me. I should’ve known I’d never have been able to actually get to spend them all on the taunt skill I needed.

Improved Run Speed

Passive talent. The best things in life are simple, as is this talent. Your natural run speed, whether jogging, running or all-out sprinting, is improved by 30%. This bonus is applied after any other modifiers.

3/3 talent points to unlock

I sensed the difference immediately as my new talent kicked in. And right that moment, I knew that this was no misclick. Delay or not, this was a wonderful choice, and I should’ve gone with it ages ago.

The change was insane. Every movement I performed simply shot me forward faster, as if my legs were nudged along by a divine wave. Yet, it didn’t feel unnatural. Rather, it simply felt like what you got on the best of running days, when the winds were at your back and your body was just firing on all cylinders.

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I loped across the plains like a gazelle, like a goddamn cheetah. What was even better, I realized through a wide-ass grin, I’d be able to keep this up. My stamina use was negligible, especially considering that I was probably going as fast as my flat-out sprint back on Earth.

The first few minutes, I took in the changes and allowed my mind the time for it all to comprehend the new state of being. Then, I sped up. I was on the clock, and arriving with all my stamina intact wouldn’t help me any, if my fellow humans were already dead.

My run was uneventful, if gruelling because of the pace I set. The only change in the scenery came when I passed by a trio walking in the same direction I was racing. Two Tavungor and one Moagie, the heavily armed travellers waved and smiled, seeming to be quite happy with their day.

***

I heard the roars way before I spotted them. I’d never been one to boast of my innate sense of direction, mostly because I didn’t have one. Yet, this was surprisingly helpful, because the roars did guide me in the right direction.

Into a damn abattoir.