Chapter 367 - I Told You So (Patreon)

At Zeke’s nod, Pudge slipped away from the group. As he did so, he used [Concealed Steps] to mask his presence, augmenting it with his Will. His path of stealth only had one real purpose, but so long as he maintained concentration, it could combine with his skill to make him almost entirely undetectable to anyone without some sort of sensory powers. Hopefully, the giants in pursuit of the group were not counting among that group.

As his companions increased their pace, racing through the trees so they could stay ahead of their pursuers, Pudge doubled back so he could keep an eye on the giants. He came upon them only a few minutes later; they’d already gained ground, their incredibly long legs eating the distance with unmatched efficiency. Not only were they enormous, but the scouting party was equipped with the high agility typical of rangers. They couldn’t move as quickly as the kobold rangers, and they certainly didn’t bother with stealth, but they were clearly accustomed to the terrain.

The forest, which consisted of well-spaced conifers, scattered boulders, and minimal underbrush, didn’t slow them down, either. Meaning that, even with Jasper’s speed-increasing skill, the group wasn’t likely to leave their giant pursuers behind.

As for the giants themselves, they were much as Pudge remembered from previous interactions. Back then, he’d been a dire bear, and so his perception was a little skewed, but he remembered the Jotuns well enough to make proper comparisons with the new versions. They were similar in size, but the forest giants in pursuit of his friends were distinct from the frost giants of the Radiant Isles in a few key ways.

They were equipped with tough, bark-like skin and green hair that resembled moss. Their stone clubs were engraved with rudimentary runes as well, suggesting that they were at least advanced enough to enchant their weapons.

Not for the first time, Pudge wished he had some sort of identification ability. Most of the others could, with only a glance, determine another creature’s level and name. But Pudge was limited to his decidedly less accurate senses. Still, he didn’t need an inspection skill to know that these forest giants were much more powerful than him. Perhaps Zeke would have been able to take them, but with seven of them in the group, he’d quickly be overwhelmed. Retreat was the only option.

Pudge continued to stalk the hunting party for a few minutes before peeling off and dashing through the woods. With his connection to Zeke, he didn’t need to follow a trail, and so, he quickly caught up to his companions. When he did, he told Zeke, “No fighting. Too strong.”

Jogging through the forest, Zeke actually looked a little disappointed. He might claim safety as his primary motivator, but Pudge could see into his companion’s heart. He knew that Zeke craved battle – not because he was inherently a violent pers; he was, but he didn’t let it rule his life, but rather, because he saw every enemy as an opportunity for improvement. And because these giants were powerful enough to challenge him, he desperately wanted to test himself against them.

But even so, he managed to restrain his instincts and push the rest of them forward. For his part, Pudge increased his own pace and ranged ahead, looking for a viable path to safety. Periodically, he returned to check on his party and guide them forward; they were keeping just ahead of the giants, but if they hesitated for even a few moments, the gap would close. So, Pudge’s role was vital in that he managed to keep his friends moving in the right direction without them having to stop and look for a proper route.

Like that, the next few hours passed.

From Pudge’s experience, most people had a very skewed vision of what it meant to be hunted. It wasn’t a full-speed sprint through the forest. Rather, it was an endurance test, and one they were destined to ultimately fail. With their long legs and unflagging stamina, the giants would eventually run them to exhaustion.

Pudge’s role was to help his companions avoid that inevitable eventuality. And so, in addition to searching for a viable path through the woods – not so easy, given that it was strewn with deep ravines, piles of boulders, and myriad cliffs – he also had to keep an eye out for some means of permanently ending the chase.

It was in the fourth hour of the chase that he found what he was looking for, and after spending a precious few minutes investigating, he returned to the party. When he did, he saw that, other than Zeke, the rest of them were already beginning to flag. They had the benefit of high stats, but they’d also been going almost non-stop for days. That, combined with the stress of being chased through the woods, had quickly robbed them of any energy reserves they possessed.

But the worst off was Sasha.

She had proven her worth time and time again, and Pudge didn’t question his friend’s resolve. However, she was a creature of intelligence and wisdom, so she didn’t possess the endurance or vitality to see her through. But even Pudge, for all his inexperience dealing with people, could tell that pointing that out was a recipe for disaster. So, he tried to ignore her sagging shoulders, labored breathing, and stumbling steps.

Though all he wanted was to reach out, grab her in his arms, and carry her to safety.

Instead, Pudge turned to Zeke and told him what he’d found.

Zeke clearly wasn’t convinced it was a good idea.  Likely, he thought they were trading one quantifiable danger for an unknown one. However, with the forest giants so close behind, he didn’t have the luxury of choice. So, he nodded at Pudge, saying, “Lead the way.”

And Pudge did, ever since seeing their destination for the first time, he’d felt a rising sense of trepidation building in his heart.

* * *

Zeke followed Pudge through the forest at a jog, dodging between the towering pine trees and leaping over shallow ravines as they fled the forest giants. He wanted nothing more than to turn around and take a stand, but it only took one look at his other companions to know just how disastrous that strategy would be. Eta seemed okay, but Jasper was clearly exhausted. And Sasha, for all her magical power, was on the verge of collapse. Silik was outwardly unaffected, but Zeke knew the kobold was just as tired as the others. He simply refused to show it.

No – taking a stand was a mistake. In his heart, he knew that. However, that didn’t keep his every instinct from screaming at him to turn around and fight the forest giants. He spent as much willpower squashing those instincts as he did continuing on through the forest.

After another twenty or thirty minutes, he and the others finally reached what they hoped would be their salvation.

It was an arch, through which they could see the grounds of an abandoned manor house that, in a lot of ways, reminded Zeke of his own home within the tower. However, instead of the perfectly manicured grounds of the Lord’s Manor, it was all overgrown and rotting. But most of all, Zeke focused on the mana wafting through the arch.

“Are we sure this is a dungeon?” Zeke asked, looking at it skeptically.

“It is,” Pudge and Sasha said in unison. Then, Sasha glared at the former dire bear before saying, “I grew up in the shadow of a dungeon. I’d recognize that feeling anywhere.”

Zeke nodded. Then, he said to the others, “We need to obscure our trail. Can you do that, Eta?”

She said that she could. Then, Zeke asked Pudge to head back out into the forest and create a false trail. Neither of them thought it would fool the giants for long – eventually, they’d pick up any new trails – but if the group suddenly disappeared, there was a good chance that the giants would simply give up.

For his part, Zeke had never really been in a dungeon, so he didn’t really know what to expect. The troll caves in which he’d originally been reborn didn’t really count because, according to Oberon, they weren’t the same as a normal dungeon. In any case, it didn’t seem like they had much of a choice in the matter, so after only a couple more moments, he sent the others off on their assigned tasks.

Pudge disappeared into the forest while Eta sank her fingers into the ground. A second later, vines emerged from the earth and swept the evidence of their passing away. It was an impressive use of her powers, but when she finally finished a minute or so later, she wobbled with exhaustion.

“That takes a lot,” she said. “It’s not a skill, so…it’s just pure Will.”

Zeke nodded, but he didn’t give voice to any of the questions in his mind. Instead, he focused on the forest as he waited for Pudge’s return.

“This is dangerous,” Eveline said.

“I know. But dangerous is kind of what we do,” he answered in his thoughts.

“That flippant response tells me that you have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, uncharacteristically serious. “Dungeons are not all created equal. That little dungeon those two beastkin went in had minimal power. But even then, they were well-tested. But this…you don’t feel how strong the mana fluctuations are?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then you’re a fool not to be terrified of what’s in there,” she stated.

Indeed, the current of mana flowing through the arch was incredibly strong. But as anxious as it made Zeke feel, they really didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. Sure, they could probably outrun the giants for a little while longer. And maybe they could use Pudge and Eta to steer the scouting party off their trail. But now that the forest giants knew about them, they’d eventually be found once again.

“If we just disappear for a few days, they’ll just assume we got away,” he said, letting a little hope bloom in his heart.

“You have no idea how naïve you sound,” Eveline stated. “You could be in that dungeon for a day or a year. Going in blind is a good way to end up dead.”

“I’m open to suggestions.”

“Run. Just take off. Break the little pig girl’s legs,” she said. “Sacrifice her to distract the giants while you and your bonded companion flee.”

“I’m not sacrificing anyone,” Zeke stated flatly.

“Then carry her. Put her on your back and –”

“The others are almost as exhausted as she is,” Zeke stated. “There are only three options here. If we keep running, the giants are going to catch us. If we stop and fight, they’ll probably kill or capture us. But the dungeon, that gives us a shot.”

“Not like you to run from a fight.”

“I’m not alone,” he said. “If it was just me…maybe I fight. But that’s not the situation, is it?”

He’d briefly considered summoning the tower and stashing the others inside, but that would only pique the giants’ interest further. Now, he had a scouting party after him, but if they saw the tower, that could quickly become an army.

“Even if it’s just the scouts, no one but me and Pudge are up for a fight,” he stated. “Maybe Silik. It’s hard to tell with him.”

“I think you’re selling them short,” Eveline responded. “They can fight.”

And maybe she was right. But Zeke wasn’t willing to chance it – especially not with a viable alternative right in front of him. The reality was that it was easy to commit himself to a battle of attrition, but it was something else altogether to potentially sacrifice the people that depended on him. Back in the Radiant Isles, he’d seen how that kind of thing worked out, and while he could keep going almost indefinitely, that just wasn’t the case for his companions.

“This is my decision,” he told her. “Get onboard or shut up.”

Eveline grumbled something unintelligible – which, given that communication between the two was carried out via thoughts, meant that she’d garbled her words intentionally. But Zeke didn’t care. He didn’t need her acquiescence.

Soon enough, Pudge returned and said that he’d created a false trail before doubling back. When Zeke asked him if he was sure he wouldn’t be tracked, he just gave him a flat look and said, “Yes.”

Finally, with their subterfuge taken care of, Zeke led the party through the archway and into the dungeon.

The moment he passed that ephemeral boundary, he let out a gasp of surprise as the surroundings transformed. The basic setting remained mostly the same, but before, it had seemed like he was looking at a painting. Or a movie. But now, everything felt all too real.

“What is that I’m feeling?” he muttered aloud.

“Rot,” said Eta. She glanced his way. “This was a mistake.”

“Told you so,” said a smug Eveline.

“I feel it, too,” Sasha said with a shudder as she looked across the grounds.

To Zeke, it felt like he’d stepped inside of a horror movie. A low fog hung in the air, obscuring the landscape and casting everything in deep shadow. A low, moaning wind blew through the grounds, rustling the leaves and carrying with it a scent of decay. In the distance, Zeke saw the manor – or castle, really – looming out of the fog.

“We should head back,” said Jasper.

“Head back? I don’t think that’s possible,” Sasha said. “At least not if this is anything like the Trials back home. You could only leave at certain intervals.”

“That…is not ideal,” the dark elf remarked.

“It’s fine,” Zeke said, looking around. “We’ll be fine. For now, we need to rest. Sasha, start one of your fires. Pudge, scout our immediate surroundings. The rest of you, just rest for a few hours. Eat something. When we’re all up to it, we’ll see what this place has to offer.”

“Death. It offers death,” Eveline said. “You feel it, don’t you? You should recognize it.”

“Undead,” Zeke said.

“Exactly. Like I said, I told you so. You really should start listening to me.”

Zeke gave a mental groan before saying, “Just leave it alone.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? But no. I don’t think I will. Every time I give you advice you ignore, I’m going to remind you of this.”

“Of course you are,” Zeke muttered to himself.