Encounter

Dori wasn't sure what to make of it.

She heard a few notifications but forced those aside. She could see that the monster wasn't dead, its chest was still rhythmically heaving, so she kept her distance. She was hoping for a more dramatic effect from her only unique grade bomb but it was a little over the top.

Where was the 'chaotic dome of Disruption'? Why was the kitty still alive?

But before she could close in with her knife to finish the job, her senses picked up movements closing in on her position. Muffled footsteps, multiple ones, not as sneaky an the wolves earlier.

Humans.

Dori dashed toward a large tree and hide among the large, mossy roots.

"Are you sure? It's too silent." Her ears picked up the distant voice. Male, boyish tone. Familiar.

Minutes later, a group of three people entered her vision and her thoughts were confirmed. The boy from the Megor family. She also recognized two of his companions, the scary guy and the spying girl.

Did they follow the noise or her tracks?

The group stumbled when they saw the large monster sleeping on the ground.

"Finally," the scary guy muttered.

The oldest guy, Kaish, was leading the group and covering for his mates. His eyes were scanned the surrounding and a few times brushed past Dori's hiding place, making her choke. She wasn't in her persona and once she actively suppressed her roots and channels, her Spirit Energy shouldn't be easy to discover, but she wasn't really sure.

Then out of nowhere, he turned toward her general vicinity and yelled, "I know you're hiding. Come out."

Dori cursed at her luck and her lack of experience. But before she decided to exit her hiding place, she noticed the guy's line of vision passing over her. A bluff? She slowly slumped backward, trying to melt into the thick layers of roots.

To her shock, she heard someone walking by the tree she was hiding under. Another one?

It was a boy, probably fourteen or fifteen years old. Buff as Dori's brothers, and just as tall. Ear length, dark hair, smooth, pale skin. She couldn't see his face from behind.

"Greetings." The boy said. His voice watery, mesmerizing.

Kaish looked visibly wary and signaled his companions to move back. "Who are you, Sir?"

"I'm just a traveler." The boy laughed. "I was watching a good show but you people ruined it."

"I don't know what you mean," Kaish replied. He was probably in his twenties and his demeanor was way scarier than the boy. Yet, Dori picked up the reservation in his haughty tone.

"You should go. This monster was defeated by someone else. It doesn't belong to you," the boy said.

"Doesn't matter who defeated it. It's still alive and we have a permit to hunt for it." said the boy hiding behind Kaish.

The new boy didn't look distraught but neither did Kaish. "I don't wish to fight but if you plan on stealing someone else's effort, I can't condone it."

Dori wanted to clap at the boy's sense of justice. If she could bring back the body of the kitty, thousand Aures wasn't a small sum. But she was worried about the boy that had clearly stalked her from afar. Being at the mercy of others' whims was a big no-no for her. Besides, the boy must have seen her using a few of her trump cards, which was equally depressing.

"I don't care about the monster's body," said Kaish. "But from what I can see, you were hiding there and I am not leaving it for you to take."

The boy suddenly looked at hiding place directly and called out, "If you want the monster, come out. Or I'll let them take it."

Dori wanted to curse and yell, 'You were doing so well…Why bring me into this!?'

She pulled her cowl even lower, almost covering her half her face and then walked out of the roots. "Hello." She waved at the audience.

Kaish's face was a sight to see but Dori couldn't care less about the guy's wounded pride. "I knocked out the beast. Can I take it away now?"

"You? You are way too weak to knock this monster out." Kaish declared.

"I saw her do it," the boy interjected. "If you have a problem with it, I'll be happy to host you."

Kaish was surprisingly calm even after the taunt. "Whatever. You two can fuck off now."

The boy suddenly whipped his hand and a sword appeared out of nowhere. "Are you sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be sure?" Kaish unsheathed his sword too.

"You look a bit nervous. I'm just asking."

"If I look nervous, maybe you should come and try your luck."

"I don't believe in luck."

Dori rolled her eyes at the bickering guys trying to flaunt their dick sizes. "Take the rest of the body. I'll just need the head."

Kaish frowned at the sudden interruption. "You can take it after we are done."

"Oh, so you admit you'd lose," the boy laughed childishly.

Kaish cut the air to test his sword's sharpness. "No, but I might feel generous after I beat you up."

"Weren't you calling me 'Sir' a moment ago?"

"That's called being civilized, but I'm not surprised that you didn't know."

Sighing, Dori started walking away, leaving the two dumbfounded guy behind.

"Oye, what about the monster's body?" the boy yelled.

Dori came back, slit the monster's throat and then walked away again. "Do whatever you want." Dori wasn't keen on getting into fights with people from Gurjua yet. If they saw her face and reported back, her trip might be cut short. She was satisfied enough with the new notification, and the thousand bonus points she got would suffice.

Besides, she was wondering about something else.

Was the monster luring in fresh food for its babies? She had seen its belly and the swollen nipples. If there were really flesh-eating monster babies, and she left those alive, could spell trouble for the Nau residents.

Maybe they'd pay more for those babies?

But only if she could find its habitat. She didn't track the kitty down in the first place. She made enough noises for it to find her. But both times she was attacked near the area and the kitty had even tried to lure in somewhere near. Shouldn't be too far away. She was still convinced that the den was near the hills. She could see the silhouettes of a few peaks with the starry sky as background. Not that far away.

But after a few minutes, the boy came running after her. "Wait up."

Now what? "Do you need something, Sir?" The boy was older than her by at least four or five years, and she was still a bit worried.

"I was trying to help you but you walked away," the boy complained.

"There was no need for a fight. I was just trying to kill the monster and it's done."

The boy looked amused. "Are you from Nau?"

That made her pause. Was the boy just guessing? The guy didn't look local. "How long did you follow me?" she confronted.

But the boy just grinned. "I saw you a few days ago when you broke camp. I only followed you to the village and came back looking for the monster. It was too strong and cunning. Every time I had the upper hand, it ran away. Then I saw you again today, burning the wolves."

No wonder the kitty had swollen breasts. The beast probably avoided going to its den with a hunter on its tail. "How come you didn't help me then?"

"You didn't look like you needed help. And I wanted to see how strong you are."

Dori started walking again and the boy followed. She wondered if she should leave the trouble of finding the den to the boy. It was already nightfall and her senses were as keen after the effects of her potions wore off.

She didn't have to ask. The boy seemed to be looking for tracks on his own, and she ended up following the boy eventually. "Where are you from?" she asked as the walked deeper into the forest, toward the hills.

The boy avoided her question and replied randomly, "I saw the bounty in Gurjua's Mercenary Guild. Thought it'd be a nice experience."

Dori didn't trust him for a bit. She was sure the permit Kaish was talking about was from the guild and no way they'd assign the same mission to two guys that didn't know each other. She had noticed how the boy wasn't interested in the corpse of the monster and more keen on finding the den.

She didn't ask how the boy ended the quarrel with Kaish. He didn't look disheveled enough for a fight. They walked peacefully, yet cautious of their surroundings.

The boy was a treasure trove of knowledge and spilled out news related to the nearby countries and the sects. How the local sects were rearing for a possible conflict among themselves, how the kingdom was unstable now because of that. She finally figured out why Herbart and the dozens of other younglings with good Spirit Roots weren't very keen on joining a sect. They were probably waiting for the threat of war to pass.

She wasn't planning to join any sects right away but it was good to know what she might be going into.

The boy was sharing other pieces of news but he kept his own story a mystery. Dori didn't poke around. To each their own secret. He asked to buy a few of her bombs but she refused, telling her the numbers were limited and she needed every single one. The boy didn't push.

The moon was starting to peek through the tops when they reached the nearest hill. Cloud covered its peak and the wide waist was riddled with volumes of mist.

Once she saw the bumpy slopes and how far the hills stretched on both sides, she lost hope that they'd even find a den even as big as to shelter the huge cat in this huge mass of land.

But the boy seemed unfazed. She saw him fiddling with something and then hid it back into his pants. Why not store it in your ring? "What's that?" she asked but the boy waved his hands that told her nothing.

"If we can get near the den, I might be able to find it," the boy said.

Dori laughed. "if we can get near the entrance, I might be able to find the den too."

The boy frowned. "I don't need to get that close. Probably a hundred feet or so."

She didn't ask how. The guy was probably using some items and although she was curious to see what it was, she kept her tongue resting.

For hours they followed the base of the hill, checking any places that looked suspicious enough, but nothing bore fruit.

Dori wasn't physically tired but being wary of her surroundings while keeping an eye out for the boy while still trying to find a lair of a monster was mentally exhausting. So when she suddenly saw the boy turn toward her awkwardly and almost bumped into her, she lashed out, "What do you think you are doing?"

The boy looked at her curiously. "What? Weren't we searching for the den?"

"Yes. But I thought we are going that direction."

"What are you talking about? We came from that direction." The boy blinked with a vacant expression. "Are you tired?"

Dori would've been really annoyed if she didn't suddenly felt her cowl slightly quivering. A dizzying feeling, almost unnoticeable. She went vigilant, pulling the knife out of the sheath, she chugged a 'Tranquility' potion and gave one to the boy too. "We are being attacked."

The boy was alert too and conjured his own sword. "I don't hear anything."

"It's a Psych Attack," Dori said.

"Huh?"

"You know, Spirit Arts aimed at your mind?"

The boy seemed finally convinced and started scanning the surrounding. "Illusions. But I didn't notice any Energy Dilution. Are you sure?"

"Yes. We are supposed to go that way but you suddenly turned toward the other way. I think we are near the lair."

The boy gave her an incredulous gaze. "How come you weren't affected?" He still hadn't drunk the potion, probably worried about her honesty.

What a waste of points, Dori thought. She gestured at the boy to give back the vial but the boy refused. "Hey, a gift is a gift." The potion vanished into his ring. He muttered, "I'm not sure why I didn't notice it. Even though the monster was good with illusions but it wasn't that potent. What's in that direction?"

That's what Dori wanted to know too.

It was her time to shine. The boy was still under the illusion so she guided him to the direction they were heading previously. He would once in a while start walking this way or that way, so clenching her jaws, she grabbed his hand and led the way.

Minutes later, even though the effect of Tranquility ended, she still wasn't under any illusions. She could feel the tinge of discomfort rising in her head and back, but it wasn't enough to deter her from following a straight path.

Then the discomfort suddenly started to lower, making her frown. She was now walking farther from the source probably. Adjusting the course, they started to walk toward the hill.

Bumpy, rocky, unstable, there was no real path to tread and the boy was stumbling way too often, and sometimes hugged her to prevent from falling. It was irritating to the extreme but she didn't rebuke. Her curiosity won over her annoyance.

Half an hour later, when the silvery moon was almost upon their head, she finally decided to gulp another 'Tranquility' potion. Her headache was getting stronger and she knew they were close.

Clear headed, she pulled the boy onto a low hanging cliff and finally found what they were looking for.

A hole on the slope covered with vines, some intact, some broken.

The boy suddenly exclaimed in wonder, "That's a large entrance!"

She let go of his hand and asked, "Are you still affected?"

"Not sure. But I can see a cave in front of us. Is it real?"

She sighed in relief. "I think so. Do you think there's another monster inside, using Psych Attacks?"

"Illusions are hard to sustain. It's probably a formation," the boy said as they slowly walked toward the hole. Then he scratched the stones near the entrance. "Yes, definitely a formation."

Dori had no idea what the guy was talking about but she followed him as he walked inside.

For the second time, Dori realized she wasn't equipped to travel at night times. The cave was darker than outside and she had no torches or Light Stones to navigate with. Luckily the boy had, and he handed her one.

Channeling Spirit Energy lit up the tunnel and she stared in awe. The gaping hole was so long, she couldn't see the end. The ground was a little slippery but the moss beneath their feet looked regularly traded on. She found a few black strands on the floor. Definitely kitty's lair.

The long tunnel a few bends and turns, eventually expanding into a large cave. There were natural looking rocky pillars, huge stalactites and stalagmites, and a glowing pool in the middle.

Once they were closer to the pool, Dori saw the liquid was somewhat transparent. She stirred it with a stick, heavy as honey.

"Stop polluting it," the boy said excitedly.

"What is it?" Dori asked.

Before the boy could answer, she heard a growling. She wasn't that alarmed when she saw half a dozen miniature kitty-monsters, grayish dark fur, each one the sizes of a dog, snarling at them.

Too big, too ugly, too wild. She threw a fiery bomb and the tiny pack turned into ashes. Three hundred points for six monsterlings.

The boy stared at her.

"What?"

"...You are too vicious."

Dori swallowed that insult. "It was a quicker death than poking them with blades."

They focused on the surroundings. There were a few skeletons near the pool, a few old broken pots, rotten mattress, books that turned to mud, stone holders. Someone used to live here long ago. There was a crevice on the floor, Dori couldn't see how deep and she didn't care investigating.

She noticed by the corner of her vision that the boy pocketed something from near the pool. There was a alter and she saw a missing gap there. The boy was stronger than her by a good margin but she was still somewhat angry. They found the place with her help. How much does it take to ask?

She didn't call him out.

She was curious about the pool. She had even touched the liquid sneakily, warm and sticky.

♪ ♫ ♬ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♪ ♫ ♬

✌ Discovered Phenomenon! ✌

☢ Essence Purification ☢

🎉 Unlocked Potion: Coagulator (100%)

🎉 Unlocked Item: Dust [Apprentice]

🎉 Unlocked Skill: ??? (insufficient access)

Dori ignored it. It wasn't the time nor the place to get busy with her tabs. She checked the alter, eroded metal with greenish rust.

"You didn't tell me what's in the pool?" Once done exploring, she asked the boy.

"It's 'Concentrated Earth Essence'."

Dori blinked. "What does it do?"

The boy looked at her like he couldn't believe his ears. "You don't know what Earth Essence can do?"

Dori didn't feed his ego and stopped asking. She suddenly had an idea. She used one of her vials to scoop out a bit of the golden liquid. But when she tried to analyze it, she was surprised.