Chapter 49 - The Mind Of A Warrior

It had been about a month since Drake left Blue Coral City, and many things had happened. He was a different man, one who didn't hesitate to stand up for others, but also wouldn't flinch at the thought of putting others down - for good - if they stood in his way, or against him.

As such, while he respected soldiers and the military in general, he wouldn't mind killing Major Erinster if he attacked him. Unfortunately, doing so would bring a lot of trouble crashing upon him, so he opted for the second-best option, which was to disarm him. Painfully.

In the split-second that it took to draw his pistol, aim, and squeeze the trigger, Drake couldn't help but recall something Higler had said to him. The ranger had pointed out that he was talented with guns, and, while at that moment Drake didn't agree or disagree, now he was forced to admit that it was true.

Having been in six or seven life-or-death situations since he first entered the wilderness, he had long noticed that his fighting skills had improved immensely. Maybe it was because the other option was death, or maybe it was, like Higler said, talent. Anyhow, Drake was sure that none of the people there were faster or more accurate than him. That thought didn't bring him pride, like it once would have.

He watched the major hold his bleeding wrist and groan in pain with cold eyes. The soldiers behind him did nothing, having already understood that Major Erinster was done for. From the start, none of them liked him, so they were quite satisfied, even if a little shocked, with this turn of events.

"You got what you wanted, Allure. So, if you don't have any ploys you need me to partake in anymore, I will be taking my leave."

He turned to the agent, a nonchalant look on his face. However, Allure could see the intense emotions he was hiding. For once, she put a serious expression on her face, knowing that if she provoked the boy any more, she would regret it. She, like all the others, was shocked by how fast he drew his weapon, and knew she wasn't a match for him.

"You don't want to watch the rest of the show?"

"Hum!"

Deciding the question wasn't worth answering, Drake turned around, and walked away. He only stopped next to Scarlet for a second, and whispered something in the police chief's ear, earning a nod. Allure kept her watchful eyes on him at all times, while Major Erinster was still whimpering in pain.

"Zaplin, follow him."

Discreetly, she commanded her companion to go after Drake. The Ifere flew up from her shoulder, avoiding the eyes of everyone. After seeing that, Allure turned back to the major, a smile blossoming on her face again.

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"That's case solved, I guess... Man, I feel like sh*t right now."

As it had become his habit, Drake was complaining with Frainer and Kniivar. The two Iferes were good listeners, mainly because they couldn't understand what he was saying, and felt happy just by hearing his voice.

Sighing at their happy expressions, he poked the Yscalent under him with his heel, urging it to go slightly faster. He had already entered Kinton Valley, and wanted to deliver the good news to Tauron River as soon as possible. Later, he would meet Scarlet on the Velvet one last time, to say his goodbyes. The next day, he would leave Ricker. Now that the problem that was tying him to the city had been solved, it was time to go. He didn't want to get too attached to one place.

"Ihaaaa!!!"

His line of thought was suddenly interrupted by what he could only assume were hundreds of wild Iferes roaring at the same time. However, when he raised his head, all he saw was Fleeting Stone running at him from a hill up ahead. He shook his head, and grinned. Only a Barbarian could make that much noise all by himself.

Stopping his mount, Drake eyed the young man. He seemed no different than when he first met him. Well, that was understandable, considering only a week had passed. Because of the reallocation of their village, and them having to evade the army, Drake had half-expected Fleeting Stone to look older, but he guessed that his lifestyle hadn't changed much.

"Keeping watch again, Fleeting Stone? Is it a coincidence that every time I come you are the one to receive me, or do you have some divination abilities?"

"Hã? I can not see the future, huh! What brings Drake Stronter to Kinton Valley again? Huh."

"Good news, fortunately. Can you take me to Tauron River? That way I only have to tell the story once."

"Yes!"

Excited to hear that Drake - for once - wasn't bringing bad news, Fleeting Stone ran ahead, guiding him through a maze of natural stone formations. After about half an hour, they arrived on a small hill, upon which sat the Tauron village. Drake had to admit the Barbarians had chosen the location well. Not only it was incredibly confusing and difficult to get there, but there was also a small creak on the hill's foot granting them a steady supply of water.

Several Barbarians acknowledged his presence as he rode up the hill, some with hostility, some with hope, and others just with curiosity. He could empathize with all those feelings, since he knew they didn't trust invaders like him much, and with reason.

"Drake Stronter, you are back! Huh! Fleeting Stone is smiling as if he caught a Merrtlope, so you should have good news, no? Huh!"

Halfway up the hill, he saw Tauron River himself carrying a bucket of water. He wasn't too sure why the chief of the tribe would be doing such menial task, but it wasn't his place to ask. Instead, he greeted him politely, and dismounted from his Yscalent.

"The man responsible for your troubles, Major Erinster, is already receiving punishment. The Taurons are free to return to your old village, if you want."

The old chieftain raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting this. The Barbarians nearby cheered, but he kept a skeptical attitude. Gesturing for his people to keep quiet, he looked at Drake with doubt.

"I know what your worries are, chief. You fear that you will go back, only for it to happen again. Unfortunately, I can't promise you that this situation won't repeat itself. There's a lot of bad blood between Ricker and the Taurons, and it won't dissolve quickly. But by going back, at least you show you are willing to amend relations, and your people won't have to suffer so much. Please, give it a try. If you ever face any problems, I will rush back to help. I swear."

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"Where are you going to go now?"

"Dunno. I have to get to Sapphire City someday, but whatever happens along the way happens."

Scarlet shook her head in resignation at Drake's half-smile, before letting one of her own take her face. She patted his Yscalent behind it's ears before scratching Kniivar's chin, and Frainer's... Mist? She still couldn't get used to the weird feeling of touching the Ifere.

"Well, now that this whole sh*t storm with Erinster is done, I'm sure Ricker will more than welcome you if you ever decide to come back."

Drake nodded slowly, and stretched his hand to the police chief, who shook it. He had already told her about his aspirations to become a ranger, so she knew that trying to make him stay more would only make things awkward. Rangers and adventurers couldn't stay still. It was against their very nature.

"Someday I will have to go back home, otherwise my gramps will kill me. When that time comes, I will make sure to drop by."

Having said that, he rode his Yscalent out of Ricker, with his companions next to him. He didn't see Allure or the Nulls anywhere, which was probably for the best, but he noticed that the Zaplin Frainer had warned him about was still following them. For now he would ignore it, but when he was far away enough from Ricker, he would take care of it.

...

Zaplin was flying leisurely, stalking his targets. At the moment, they had disappeared under the coverage of a few short trees, but it wasn't too worried. It had already been following them for a long while now, including when they went to see the weirdly tattooed humans, and not once had they showed any signs of noticing it's presence.

Suddenly, the Ifere felt something. After so many years of being contracted to a Secret Service field agent, it had long learned to follow it's instincts. They had saved it's life more than once. Unfortunately for Zaplin, the attack was well coordinated. While a ball of green energy flew past him from under the foliage, something else attacked it from the side.

Forced to dodge Uproot, Zaplin didn't manage to evade Frainer, who instantly latched on to it's head, and used Dreamscape. All the Ifere managed to do before falling unconscious was start releasing Static, but Frainer just shrugged it off.

Using Telekinesis to lower their dropping speed to a calm drifting, Frainer flew back to Drake and Kniivar, who were waiting for him. Using two skills at the same time was a huge burden on the young Ifere, so, as soon as it reached the ground, it fell asleep.

Drake shook his head, and sighed. Preferably, he would like not to make his companion overdo himself, but he really had no other option. Zaplin had been in the sky, meaning that he had no way to catch it, unless, of course, he decided to shoot the Ifere. However, he would never do that, especially considering that Zaplin was just following orders from it's companion. As such, he had to have Kniivar use Uproot as a distraction, and Frainer capture it.

As soon as Frainer stopped Dreamscape, Zaplin woke up, and, finding itself held by a stranger - and it's target, on top of that - immediately used Lighting Rod. Unfortunately for the poor Ifere, Drake was expecting that, and grabbed Zaplin in such a way that the small spike missed him by a good meter.

"Calm down, buddy. I don't want to do you any harm. I just don't like being followed, okay?"

Thankfully, the Ifere understood his intentions, and stopped struggling before using one of it's more destructive skills, such as Electronegative. If that came to happen, Drake would have no other option than to kill it. A pity as it would be, his own life still came first.

After making sure that Zaplin wouldn't attack him anymore, Drake let go of it, and the Ifere zoomed around nervously, trying to check the base of it's tail, where Drake had held it. Seeing such childish behavior from an adult Ifere, he ran his hand through his hair in exasperation.

"Come on now, calm down. If you want to blame anyone, blame Allure for making you track me. Go back and tell her that if she really wants to know what I'm up to, my final destination is Sapphire City."

He wasn't too sure on how exactly the Zaplin was supposed to convey his message to it's companion, but he didn't care. All he wanted was to travel without having eyes follow his every step. Watching the Ifere fly away, the frown that had been etched in his face since he left Ricker disappeared.

Looking at the shadows on the ground, he realized that the small altercation with Zaplin had caused them to lose more than half an hour of light. Soon, night would arrive, and with it many new dangers. He would have to set camp, but he still had to find a suitable spot.

Outside of their big cities, with their giant walls, humans were, by no means, the apex predators. They didn't have powerful skills like most Iferes did, neither were they adapted to survive in the wilderness. That's why so few people dared to venture outside of the cities alone.

Well, Drake knew how to take care of himself. Plus, he wasn't entirely alone. There was no one he would rather have by his side other than his companions. Ruffling Kniivar's fur, he smiled. Regardless of whether the Mystic Iferes were real or not, he was grateful to them by creating the Spirit Contract. It gave him the chance to create relationships he would have never thought possible otherwise.

"Well then... Shall we keep going?"