by Aleron Kong
Richter got his shit together. Getting back on the okami, he took a firm grip and the animal took off again. The sensation of riding was like nothing he had experienced before. He had been on a horse in his old Earth life. A canter was jarring and a gallop could be thrilling. This was no comparison.
The okami moved like the wind. With each lope of its body, it extended one front leg and then the other. The back legs moved forward almost as one. The disjointed movement made the animal’s back rise and fall like a wave. Only with an intensely strong grip did Richter avoid falling off again. He shifted his weight forward and back trying to keep up with the wolf’s movement, but with every leap it made, Richter felt himself getting closer to falling again.
Finally, he found the sweet spot. Just behind the wolf’s shoulders was a point that barely moved as it ran. He realized he had been working against the wolf with his constant adjustments. Instead, he focused on staying in that one spot and just following the wolf’s own natural rhythm. The okami looked back for a second and Richter could swear it gave a head nod. Without him fighting it, the green wolf’s speed increased even further.
Learning to work with the wolf granted Richter a new prompt.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Riding. ‘In relying on your mount, a rider may find true freedom.’ You have learned to work as a team with your mount. Progressing this skill will make both of you more powerful.
They ran through the night and into the morning. The mists were quickly left behind. Once he had learned to keep his seat, he cast Haste on the wolf periodically. The first time he did it, the okami looked at him in curiosity before just enjoying the boost of speed. Alma did the same. At that point, Futen began to flag behind, but the problem was easily fixed. The remnant simply floated over to Richter and he held it between his chest and the okami’s back.
The entire time he rode, his thoughts were dominated by only two goals. He had to save Terrod and he had to end that sadistic assassin’s life. Richter had initially been concerned that his quarry might have had a ship waiting, but because he couldn’t do anything about it either way, he shut it from his mind. Either way, he would not stop until he had done what needed to be done.
The gold arrows remained in Richter’s vision. The one he followed pointing west and partly south. After hours of running, the other two pointed almost directly behind him. As he and the okami sped through the forest, he occasionally yelled course corrections into the wolf’s ear. His plan was not to simply rush in and attack. As driven as he was, Richter had not abandoned all good sense. An unplanned battle with two killers did not bode well for either him or Terrod’s long term ability to keep breathing. No, he had to be smarter.
The problem was that as wonderfully useful as Sumiko’s spell was, it didn’t give him any idea as to how much distance remained. If he mistakenly stumbled into the three of them, Ronin’s hired goons could just slit Terrod’s throat. He planned to circle in front of them and carefully pick the terrain of the encounter.
Occasionally, Richter looked around for his familiar. He was always reassured to see her flying nearby. Though the okami was fast, the dragonling didn’t have to deal with issues in topography and so easily kept pace. With each of the wolf’s strides, Richter prayed that they were closing the gap. The sky lightened after several hours, heralding the coming of the dawn. As they crested a large hill, Richter could see the molten crown of the sun peaking over the trees in the distance. They kept running.
The sun was nearly overhead when the gold arrow indicating Terrod’s direction began to slowly shift farther to the south. Excited that they were closing in, Richter leaned further over the wolf’s neck and told him to continue straight. Over the next hour, they continued to head due west and the arrow continued to rotate counterclockwise. Finally, it started to point behind him to the east. He had passed his quarry!
When he saw that, Richter shouted a direction into the okami’s ear, and the wolf turned and began running to the southwest. For the next twenty minutes, they sped through the trees on the new heading. When Richter finally asked the okami to stop, they were several miles ahead of the point where they changed direction. The wolf slowed to a halt, barely winded. The animal’s stamina was incredible. Richter didn’t have time to appreciate the remarkable beast, though. He was painfully aware that the location spell had a finite time limit. He had to find the right ambush point now!
While they had been moving, Richter had been consulting his map. It seemed clear that Natosca and her compatriot were following a specific river towards Yves. It generally was easier to travel along a waterway than trying to cross through unbroken wilderness. The river also offered a much better line of sight than trying to see through the large trees.
Richter kept scrolling along the river. He hadn’t been through this particular part of the forest before so everything on the map was still depicted in black and white. He examined the topography in detail praying that he could find the perfect spot.
Finally, he smiled. This just might work, he thought. He had to see for himself, though. He couldn’t hang his hopes on an old map.
At his prompting, the okami resumed running. Richter watched his map gain color as it traced his position. The elevation increased slightly and then Richter saw what he was looking for. The river had widened by this point to be twenty yards across. The flow had adopted a mild amount of turbulence. It wasn’t impassable if his quarry decided to cross, but the waterway was prohibitive enough that no one would choose to cross without a good reason. The trail climbed up a hill until it was thirty yards above the river and a second small twenty-foot-high cliff rose on the right, narrowing the trail to only five feet across. It was basically the perfect choke point.
Richter figured he had, at most, two hours before Natosca and her Warrior reached his position with Terrod. He had to prepare the scene and then ensure they didn’t deviate from the river. Richter dismounted at the western end of the short passage. The entire chokepoint couldn't be more than thirty paces long. His plan rested on setting traps and then driving the two into them. The problem was that he couldn’t risk harming Terrod.
A tree had fallen from the ledge above the passage, about twenty yards up the hill. It now made an almost forty-five-degree angle over the path. They would either have to go over the trunk or climb under. Richter was fairly certain which they would pick. It would just be ludicrous to climb over a tree with a large drop waiting for you if you slipped. That was where Richter decided to place the sticky trap. Even if Terrod was caught in it, his Companion wouldn’t suffer any real damage. He connected the trigger to a wire that he strung along behind a vine. When the vine was moved, the trap would deploy.
The dart traps were more difficult. There was just no way he could predict a place that he could be sure that Terrod wouldn’t be hit. He decided to place them at the end of the passage. If his enemies rushed forward, it was unlikely that Terrod would be leading. It was still a gamble, but Richter was positive that a fate worse than death awaited his Companion if he was taken back to Ronin. Risks had to be taken.
He didn’t use his shrink trap. He just didn’t see how it could help. Same with the razor wire traps. He didn’t need to slow anyone down. He could already outrace them on the okami. The adhesive fire acid trap captured his attention though. If he could separate the glass sphere holding the acid, he’d basically have a Molotov cocktail. When he tried to dismantle the trap though, a prompt appeared.
You lack the Crafting level to successfully dismantle this trap. You may continue to try and remove a component, but you have a high chance of destroying the object and/or triggering the trap.
Richter froze, his hands on the device. He carefully placed the object back into his Bag. His head turned east and his eyes glared with a baleful intent. It was time to stalk his prey. His analysis of the okami had said they were naturally skilled at concealment. It was easy to believe looking at the huge wolf’s leaf colored pelt. He bid Futen to turn invisible and
had Alma fly high above. Richter mounted his steed. He oriented the gold triangle in his vision just to the right of being dead on. A whispered word and the okami moved forward at an easy lope.
Richter couldn’t be sure how much noise they had made at top speed. All he had heard was the wind rushing past his ears. Now though, they moved forward at an easy lope and in absolute silence. Richter activated Stealth. He looked above, but couldn’t see Alma flying amidst the canopy above. He felt reassured. If he couldn’t detect his familiar’s movements, it was a good bet that his enemies wouldn’t detect her either.
He kept the same pace until the arrow started turning in his vision again. Then he slowed the okami to walk. The wolf ghosted through the trees, almost more wraith than flesh and blood creature. After a few minutes, he heard a woman’s voice that made his heart beat rapidly, not in love, but in hate.
“Oh sweetling. Why do you make us hurt you so much? I mean, I do enjoy seeing you bleed. It’s such a pretty shade of red, but I don’t know why you would like it? Are you insane? I do hear that it happens quite often to men in captivity.”
“Will you shut up?” Orvin shouted. “I can’t keep hearing your inane babble. And YOU, keep walking or I’ll teach you another lesson.”
Richter heard a smacking sound followed by a grunt of pain. For a few seconds, the only sounds were the trio walking through the woods, occasionally snapping a branch in their passing. “I mean if you bled different colors sometimes, I could understand why you would want to be hurt! Who wouldn’t want the surprise of seeing a vibrant shade of orange or a plucky purple liquid coming out of them? Ohhhhh, what if you bled pink?! I love pink! I had a pink sweater once…”
She kept up with her insane stream of consciousness. After listening for only a few minutes, Richter could understand the frustration of the Warrior. He almost sympathized with Orvin, but then he decided to just brutally butcher the man instead.
Richter followed along silently no more than ten to twenty yards away. The group was often out of his line of sight as trees, bushes and scrub came between him. It almost wouldn’t have mattered if only five feet separated the two parties because both he and the wolf were indistinguishable from the forest around them. Richter wasn’t willing to take the chance though. Occasionally, he did catch sight of each of the party he was stalking through the large trees. Terrod was bruised and bloodied, but still able to walk, albeit with a small limp. That helped to explain the group’s somewhat slow pace. They must have been overzealous with their treatment of the former innkeeper and hobbled him. It was ironic that Terrod’s bad leg just might save his life.
Richter was also able to catch occasional glimpses of both the Assassin and Warrior. He was displeased to see that both of Terrod’s captors were well armed and armored. They must have hidden a cache of equipment outside of the mists. As they fled the village, it would have been a simple matter to stop and gear up. It was going to make taking them out more difficult, but Richter wasn’t deterred. There was work to be done.
The two groups traveled together, though only half of them knew it. With every step forward, the need for revenge grew stronger in Richter until it outshone even his goal of saving Terrod. His fingers tingled in anticipation. He imagined wrapping his hands around her throat, slowly tightening, her eyes bulging until a vessel broke and flooded one white globe with blood…
The okami stopped walking. The lack of movement shook Richter from his dark musings. The wolf had recognized the waking of another predator, one that happened to be riding on its back. It instinctually wanted to protect itself from a new potential threat, but was confused because it had also been charged with protecting this human.
Richter recognized the tenseness of the okami and forced himself to calm down. It was like forcing a thundercloud through a strainer, but he finally controlled his fury. The wolf began walking again. Richter knew he couldn’t control himself while continuing to spy on his quarry. They were close enough that he could assume that the three would continue straight into his kill box. He moved forward and prepared for the fight to come.
Richter situated himself on the cliff above the traps. He sent Futen back to follow the group invisibly. The remnant would come warn him when they were close. Richter removed his weapons from his Bag, pleased to see they still maintained their poisoned status. Alma alighted upon his shoulders. Richter took three Potions of Clarity out of his Bag. He drank one and fed another to Alma. Then he looked at the okami.
“I’m not sure how much you understand,” he said softly, “or if you intend to help me, but I’m going to kill the people who took my friend. Whatever you decide to do, thank you for getting me here. I would like to offer this as a thank you. It will increase any experience you gain. Will you take it?”
The wolf looked at him. Its lupine expression was as inscrutable as a sphinx, but when he was done talking it nudged his hand with his head. Taking this as a good sign, he then realized that giving the wolf the potion could be difficult. None of the leaves on the nearby trees were large enough to serve as an impromptu bowl and he didn’t have any utensils in his Bag. Ultimately he just steeled himself and formed his hand into a cup and poured the precious liquid into it. Praying the okami was smart enough to understand, he moved his upturned palm towards the forest hunter. When the wolf lapped the potion up, Richter exhaled in relief. The wolf’s tongue was rough like wet sandpaper. Not unpleasant, but he still quickly took his hand away from the predator’s mouth, relieved the process was done. After that he cast the buffs that he could and then settled in to wait.
Before long, Richter heard Futen’s seemingly disembodied voice saying that the group was close. When the group came into his field of vision, he gave a grim grin. Their time of reckoning had come. He nocked an arrow to his bow, but didn’t draw it. The three walked forward. Orvin led his party with Terrod a few steps behind and Natosca bringing up the rear. The Warrior frowned at seeing the narrowing of the path up ahead, further complicated by the fallen tree, but didn’t pause overly long. After a quick look left at the choppy river water and right at the jumbled forest terrain, he kept walking forward. Reaching the site of the sticky trap, he looked over and under the log. Richter held his breath for a moment, willing the man to go under and trigger the trap. Even his heart felt like it paused mid-beat.
With a relaxing exhale, he watched the Warrior push the vine with the trip wire. A host of sticky threads shot out to ensnare all three! Richter immediately began imbuing his arrow. Killing his enemies should be like shooting fish in a barrel!
Richter was wrong.
As soon as the trap was triggered, Orvin roared in anger. He tried to reach for his sword to cut himself free, but the web like material effectively cocooned him. Terrod looked up and about with a detached surprise. Both men were incapacitated. Natosca on the other hand, showed exceptional agility by flipping backwards into a series of handsprings. Her quick reflexes saved her from the trap. No matter how crazy she might be, she definitely had skills. Richter still didn’t understand how her level had appeared so low when he initially analyzed her. He quickly did so again and was shocked by what he found.
Name: Sonirae. Half-Wood Elf, Half-Human. Level 33. Health 450. Mana 290. Stamina 370. Racial blends are erratic in their disposition. They can end up with some or none of any of their parent races characteristics. Profession: Rogue. Specialization: Assassin.
What the hell, Richter thought. When Natosca… Sonirae, Richter corrected himself, had said she was an Assassin he hadn’t known it was a formal title. He hadn’t even known it WAS possible to specialize in a profession! Richter didn’t even want to think about what abilities or skills the woman might have access to. He had to take her out quickly.
The Assassin’s acrobatic maneuvers may have saved her from the trap, but the last flip brought her perilously close to the edge. In the split second Richter had left before Sonirae righted herself, he loosed his arrow. His stealth dropped as he did, but it no longer mattered. The short dis
tance between Richter’s bow and his target didn’t allow her anytime to dodge. The arrow struck her squarely in the side. The result brought a true smile to his face.
The arrow he had chosen was one of the Heavy Cobalt Arrows from the armory. The loss of accuracy was not much of a problem at a range of only a dozen yards or so. The glowing arrow struck the Assassin’s armor with a small boom. Even more, the ‘Heavy’ quality of the arrow worked just as Richter had hoped and she was knocked off of her feet. The momentum took her right off of the edge and out of sight.
The attack elicited another roar from the Warrior and a cheer from Terrod. Richter pointed at the man, “Alma, drain him! Futen, find the woman and let me know if she is getting close.”
His familiar swooped onto Orvin. There was a rumble in the ground suddenly, but there was little noticeable effect other than to cause a faint ripple in the ground that soon faded, so Richter put it out of his head. The fighter’s level was too high to be stunned, but that didn’t mean the man could simply weather his familiar’s attack. He started screaming as soon as Alma clamped onto his head. The physical response of Alma’s Brain Drain seemed to vary, but Richter was happy to see that the pain that was caused stayed uniform. Richter drank in the man’s screams and enjoyed watching Orvin’s futile struggles.
Richter knelt and grabbed the edge of the cliff he was on. He turned around and quickly eased himself over the lip. A short drop down, and then he was on the same level as the two bound men. A soft thud heralded the arrival of the okami behind him. He turned and ran to where Terrod was caught.
“Hey buddy,” Richter said. “You look like crap.”
“Good to see you too,” the man said in a pained voice. “If I knew you were coming, I would have gotten pretty for you.”
“Well I’ll let it go this time. Besides,” Richter said with a vicious smile as he listened to the Warrior’s screams, “they are playing our song. Let’s get you out of here.”