Echoes: A Second Skin Novel (Second Skin Book 6)

by M Damon Baker

  Fortunately, he had no intention of engaging in any such confrontation. Endreí may have missed the opportunity to leave behind a few surprises for Dreya that day but, starting the next morning, his trail would not be quite as safe for her to follow. Adding his new talents to those he already possessed would only expand the scope of the mayhem he’d create for their adversaries, and with any luck, one of his little ‘gifts’ might even take out Tási. Without their bloodhound to sniff him out, Endreí could begin to plan their escape rather than simply prolonging the chase. As his eyes began to close, Endreí allowed himself to consider—at least for a moment—that they just might survive.

  Chapter 11

  Rissa’s gentle jostling woke Endreí early the next morning. Daylight had yet to even penetrate the deep shadows of the forest, but he was the last to rise. With his mind still churning over the possibilities, Endreí retrieved a cold biscuit from his pack and stalked over to where Kara was anxiously waiting to get started.

  “We need to take some time before we leave here,” Nate eyed him suspiciously as he spoke to Kara, but Endreí understood his mistrust. “Our ‘friends’ are probably going to have a good look around this campsite; we should leave them something to remember us by.”

  Kara had appeared quite tired when Endreí first approached, but all traces of exhaustion instantly vanished from her face as she grasped the meaning of Endreí’s words. Digging into her pack, Kara pulled out her trap kit—a bundle Endreí was quite familiar with—and they went to work immediately.

  While she set her own snares, Endreí busied himself with placing a few more… mystical traps. Although they’d lit no fire the night before, Endreí realized that their pursuers would likely want to know how far ahead their quarry was, so he quickly rigged up a small pit that he hoped would pique their curiosity. After charring some wood to make it appear as if a fire had been burning there, he cast Empower, and then put a Cyclone Trap over the staged scene. He followed that up with a couple of Flame Traps around the camp’s perimeter before taking a moment to thoroughly look over the area—an important requirement if he wanted to know just how well his traps had functioned.

  Confident in his work, as soon as Endreí finished the inspection, he tracked down Kara while she set one last device. Although it was cleverly disguised, considering the likely skill of their opponents, Endreí was concerned that even the thin tripwire she used might still be too easily detected. Casting Camouflage on the tiny strand made it practically invisible, obscuring even that bare trace of the deadly snare. Without Endreí needing to utter a single word, Kara led him to the rest of the traps she’d placed, and he added the concealment of his new Spell to each of them in turn.

  With Tási’s ability to track him, there would be little point in using Erase to hide their trail, but Endreí still cast the Spell over their campsite as they departed. Hopefully, obscuring the area would also make detecting the traps they’d left behind a little more challenging, perhaps even enough for them to eliminate a few of their pursuers.

  Yet as they began heading off again, Endreí was not content to simply rely on that one set of snares to save them, so while he walked, he placed even more of them along their route. Leaving Flame Traps and Cyclone Traps in his wake drew a smile across Endreí’s face, and he imagined that each and every one of them might be the one that would finally set him free. The thought was more than enough to sustain him throughout the long day, and Endreí was actually taken by surprise when it came time to stop for the night.

  They’d traveled fast and hard, eating on the run when Kara’s relentless pace hadn’t allowed them to stop along the way. Since she had no way of knowing they were aware of her pursuit, Endreí couldn’t imagine that Dreya would be keeping the same rigorous schedule, and he thought that perhaps they might have stolen yet another march on their hunters. With that additional comfort, Endreí felt some of his previous concerns melt away, offering the first sliver of relief since he’d seen the Empress step into the early morning light the day before. Although they certainly weren’t out of the woods yet—quite literally—at least he thought they finally had a fighting chance of surviving.

  Despite the increased gap between them and their pursuers, no fire was lit that night either. The cold rations he chewed on dampened some of Endreí’s enthusiasm, but he grudgingly gave in to the need for discretion. The bare remnant of Dreya’s army wasn’t the only danger stalking the wild; many other monsters also roamed these untamed lands. The territory around his village’s high walls might have been somewhat pacified, but the passing years had provided more than an ample amount of time for threats of all kinds to multiply and even flourish elsewhere. Openly broadcasting their location to the world would not have been a wise course of action.

  Yet, at least for the moment, they were safe. Endreí had his Detect Life Spell around them at all times, and it had uncovered nothing more menacing than a passing deer or two during their entire trek through the forest. Even if they encountered some danger in the wilds, with Evoker’s Aegis and Reflection protecting him, and the latter Spell also surrounding both Rissa and Kara, Endreí felt far more at ease than he had the day before. Still, considering the hazards that were present in these lands, he was grateful they’d avoided any encounters with its more fearsome denizens.

  In their exhaustion from the previous day, no one had remembered to set any watches. Endreí and his friends had simply passed out, with the lingering presence of Detect Life providing their only protection. Despite the grueling pace of that day’s march, no one forgot the importance of adding a pair of sharp eyes to their security. Although she lacked his acute vision, Kara insisted on taking the first shift—a demand that none of them offered any objection to. With the Ring of Detection Endreí had made for her, nothing would slip past Kara, regardless of whether or not she could actually see it.

  No one else possessed such a gift, however, and Endreí volunteered to take the second turn on watch. When Khael quickly picked up the third, everyone began to settle in for the night. Although they had enough food for another day or two, no one had anticipated that their mission would become a seemingly endless pursuit, so the need to take some game or forage along their route was becoming quite obvious. Endreí doubted they could maintain their vigorous pace for long unless that situation was remedied soon. Yet that was a thought for the next day, and Endreí put aside all his concerns as he laid down beside Rissa. Unlike the night before, when they’d simply collapsed on the ground, the two had taken the time to spread out their bedrolls and make a more comfortable resting place for themselves.

  Rissa drifted off quickly, a habit of hers that Endreí sorely resented. While he struggled to fall asleep, Endreí’s eyes caught sight of Kara staring at him from the other side of the campsite. In the gloomy darkness, he was certain she couldn’t see him staring back at her, which probably explained the expression on her face. Although he’d never seen Kara display the emotion before, Endreí recognized the jealous look she cast—not at him, but towards Rissa’s sleeping form.

  Considering the dire circumstances, it seemed like a ridiculous thing to him. Despite his growing confidence, Endreí knew they were all barely a few steps ahead of certain death. Yet over the years, Endreí had realized that everything always seemed to come back to one basic theme: love.

  Even in the old world, most people struggled to improve their situation in life, not for themselves, but for the people they cared for. That dynamic hadn’t changed much in this new world, only the methods had been altered. Although they no longer tried to climb some corporate ladder, people still fought for something better—usually quite literally. As misguided and vindictive as she was, Tási’s goal had been similar: to get back someone she thought she loved.

  Endreí shifted uncomfortably when he thought of Tási as a spurned woman, desperate to regain her lost love. Her method of doing so had failed, entangling him and Kara in a web of emotions that may have been contrived at first but were now all too rea
l, yet he also recognized the stark similarity with his own struggle to regain Jen’s affections. Whatever else might take precedence for a time, no matter how important or critical it might be, people always returned to that one, powerful emotion.

  Yet that same emotion had nearly ruined everything. Tási’s self-absorbed obsession with him had twisted it into knots, turning what he’d thought was a beautiful if doomed relationship with her into a bitter thing. Even the genuine feelings he and Kara shared were dangerous, threatening to destroy both their marriages. Should they survive the threat of Dreya’s revenge, the consequences of the closeness that had developed between the two of them still loomed over the horizon—another threat lining up to shatter everything Endreí had hoped to build with Rissa.

  As he vainly tried to escape the roots digging into his back, Endreí realized that despite how much all of that troubled him, there was nothing he could do about it at the time. The only problem he could address was his need to get some sleep before his shift on watch, so Endreí closed his eyes, banishing the image of Kara’s face from his vision. It seemed as if he’d only just done that when she was right in front of him, waking Endreí gently when it came time for him to take over.

  As Kara retreated, Endreí didn’t bother to leave Rissa’s side. He only sat up, propped himself against the tree at his back, and listened to the sounds of the nighttime forest. Detect Life would let him know if anything truly dangerous tried to sneak up on them, far better than even his own keen eyesight. Hours went by with nothing more than the chirping of crickets and a passing raccoon to keep him company, mercifully ending when it was finally time for Khael’s shift.

  Endreí had just settled back in, relishing the unique warmth of Rissa’s body after enduring the cold night for so long, when the alarm went off in his head. The warning sound indicated the presence of something truly dangerous within the bounds of his Detect Life Spell, and Endreí snatched up his staff as he roused Rissa from her slumber before moving off towards Khael.

  “Something’s close by,” Endreí utter a hushed whisper to the dwarf. “Get everyone up.”

  The dwarf muttered a curse under his breath, requiring no further explanation to understand the situation—they all knew about Endreí’s Spell and what its alert meant. After Khael made a quick circuit of the camp, Endreí pointed out the direction the warning had come from, and they peered into the darkness together, seeking out the unknown danger that was stalking them in the night.

  Unfortunately, whatever it was had retreated from the confines of the bubble of Detect Life’s magic, and Endreí could only stare helplessly into the gloom alongside them. He had no idea what sort of creature had wandered so close to their camp, or what might have caused it to retreat farther away. For a moment, he hoped that would be the end of it, but Endreí’s days of being that lucky seemed to be over.

  Just as Endreí’s shoulders relaxed and the tension began to flow out of him, the alarm in his head chimed again, this time repeatedly, and Endreí watched as a slew of bright red dots swarmed into view on the mini-map in the corner of his vision. With only seconds to spare before the horde was upon them, Endreí abandoned any thoughts of stealth and called out to his friends.

  “They’re charging from that way!!!”

  Rissa and his companions reacted to his shouted warning, each of them taking their place as they prepared to confront the still-unknown threat. Daisy’s axes flashed out, spinning in tight arcs in front of her as she took up her position, while Khael and Runil brandished their weapons with an obvious sense of eagerness. Flanked by Rissa on one side and Steph on the other, Nate stood at the center, anchoring their formation as they braced for the coming assault. While nearly all of his friends formed a line in front of him, Kara took her place nearby, nocking an arrow as she prepared to defend against whatever it was that might emerge from the forest. With absolutely no reason to hold back any longer, Endreí cast Empower then readied a second Spell, waiting only for his targets to come into view before unleashing it.

  “Let’s kill these assholes,” Daisy spat on the ground in front of her.

  “’Bout fuckin’ time,” Nate’s rare note of anticipation for the battle was surprising.

  “Aye,” Endreí could almost hear Runil’s grin. “Couldn’ta said it any better myself.”

  Barely a few seconds later, the brush ahead erupted as a bloodcurdling scream that was all too familiar shattered the stillness, echoing through the darkness around them. A slew of heavily muscled bodies emerged, launching themselves forward almost recklessly; each one seemingly intent on drawing first blood. Had the green-skinned creatures been a mere band of goblins, the scene might not have been quite so dire, but the orc warband was a threat none of them could take lightly. Luckily, Endreí had gained several talents and a great deal of strength since the last time he’d seen combat, and he immediately put them to the test.

  With the orcs abandoning any pretense of a surprise attack, Endreí could see many more surging forward behind the first few that had already broken from cover. Although the creatures were powerful foes, with the levels Endreí and his companions had gained, they would be no real threat in a fair fight. But the growing numbers he saw streaming towards them told Endreí they were vastly outnumbered, and this conflict would be nothing close to an even affair.

  With a quick series of gestures, Endreí sought to not only even things up a bit but also give his friends a little space before they’d have to deal with a second wave of attackers. Activating his Spell, Endreí laid down a Flame Barrier practically on the heels of one of the orc marauders, setting the night ablaze with a burst of searing fire.

  The combination of the levels he’d gained and the surge of might provided by Empower caused the Spell to erupt in a manner that Endreí hadn’t anticipated. Rather than a modest curtain of fire, Endreí’s magic brought forth a wall of blistering flames that soared into the nighttime sky. Not only did the inferno reach higher than he anticipated, but the breadth of the Flame Barrier Endreí called forth stretched much farther than anything he’d ever created before. The combination not only stunned him, but it also threw the orcs into a frenzied rush to retreat from the blatant display of power.

  Within seconds, Rissa, Nate, and the rest of the front line had slain the unfortunate few orcs that had been stranded on the wrong side of Endreí’s inferno—not that it was much of a challenge. The bare handful of creatures were in a near panic state, desperately searching for some way to retreat, and were unable to offer any real opposition to their slaughter. As the last of them fell beneath the arcing stroke of Rissa’s blade, Endreí watched the few survivors escape beyond the range of Detect Life, melting away into the forest just as rapidly as they’d appeared.

  Despite how absolutely one-sided the combat had been, as soon as it was over, Endreí searched the battlefield for first Rissa and then Kara, making sure each of them was unhurt before looking over the rest of his friends. Thankfully, no one had been injured beyond a few minor scrapes and bruises, largely due to the incredible shock Endreí’s Spell had induced—a fact that Khael didn’t miss.

  “Holding out on us again?” His friend inquired with a mixture of both irritation and amusement.

  “Not really,” Endreí smiled awkwardly. “I had no idea it would do that.”

  “Fortunately, most of us are used to your little surprises,” Runil chimed in, slinging his hammer over one shoulder as he echoed his brother’s suspicious tone.

  Despite his repeated denials, no one was quite ready to believe Endreí hadn’t known exactly what he was doing. Glancing at Rissa only earned him a subtle shake of her head, leaving him absolutely no support. Luckily, the fight had gone well, and no one was truly upset with him for his perceived actions. The raging inferno presented a danger all its own, however, and they had to quickly gather up their possessions and move on before the flames could spread too far.

  Once they’d traveled a fair distance, the darkness surrounded them again, and Rissa
was forced to guide the group through the night once more. There was simply no way they could camp anywhere near the destruction Endreí’s Spell had caused, and with Dreya pursuing them, they also couldn’t afford to rest for any prolonged period. Kara took over scouting the path as dawn arrived, clearly intent on trying to expand their lead even further.

  Despite the grueling pace and lack of a full night’s rest, no one complained when she led them for several more hours without a break. Endreí was concerned that Kara intended another day of traveling without any respite at all, but she stopped before midday, allowing a brief period to have a more ‘leisurely’ meal. As he washed down several bites of his rapidly dwindling supply of rations, Endreí regretted missing the opportunity to sow a few more traps at the campsite they’d been forced to abandon so hastily. The ambush they’d narrowly escaped made it clear that Tási and Dreya weren’t the only hazards the wilds had to offer, and Endreí resolved to place his snares before going to sleep at night, rather than take any chances.

  Recalling how he’d also missed the notifications that had wound up providing him with so many levels, Endreí opened up his UI to review his messages. While he was certain that the orcs they’d slain wouldn’t be enough to get him his next level, Endreí wanted to make sure all his XP was accounted for as soon as he earned it. Recognizing the inevitability of it, he hoped to earn a few more levels—and perhaps even another Spell—before Dreya finally caught up to him.

  Experience gained – You have gained 990 XP.

  …

  Experience gained – You have gained 990 XP.

  The individual XP rewards were high for orcs—really high. Obviously, it was no typical band of the creatures that had attacked them. The monsters he’d slain were yet another group of former adventurers like themselves; the only difference was they were the sort who’d not merely played as evil beings, but also had a wide streak of that darkness inside themselves as well. With the XP totals so much higher than he’d anticipated, Endreí snuck a peek at his sheet to see just how close he was to gaining his next level.