Chapter 74 (Patreon)

Mayalyn’s Perspective Continued

Mayalyn hastily crept out of the small, abandoned farm the tunnels had led her to. Three unused fields were overgrown with bushes and sprouting trees surrounding the dilapidated shed and single-story house. A barn missing one of its walls, which looked ready to collapse, was the only other structure.

She had to move quickly to keep up with the rapidly fading scent left behind by Miila. After running for thirty minutes, she crested a tall hill.

A small valley speckled with shrubs and a few trees spread out beneath her. She immediately spotted the two men climbing a ridge on the far side of the valley. The sacks with the twins were tightly secured to their backs, giving them the appearance of merchants out for a hike.

If I chase them now, they will instantly spot me if they turn around. But if I don’t go now, I might lose the scent.

If I wait for them to leave the valley, then rush to follow, all it would take to spot me is one of them staying behind for a few minutes.

What should I do?

I have to risk it, I can’t afford to lose the scent.

I’ll try using a full masking. I’ve had so much practice lately that I should be able to do it.

No, I will do it!

Mayalyn evenly spread mana through her body, letting it rest just below her skin. As the familiar feeling of the masking settled into place, she watched her pink flesh change to the dull green of the surrounding grass.

Huh, this is actually easier than just doing my ears and nose separately. I guess I’ve gotten a lot better at this with all the practice.

My dress is going to stand out like a blighter in a field.

She quickly took off her dress and folded it into a small square. After pressing it to her lower back she wrapped her tail around her waist to pin the cloth behind her.

The fresh air feels nice. I wish I was out here enjoying a nice picnic instead of running toward my death like a madwoman!

Preparations complete, she dashed to the nearest bush. She paid more attention to the two figures in the distance than her own footing as she ran. Ready to stop immediately if they showed the slightest hint of turning around.

The first two sprints went without issue. On the third, she tripped and fell. She slid several meters, frantically grasping at the wet slippery grass of the steep, sloping hill.

When her momentum finally ground to a halt, she breathed a huge sigh of relief as the two men continued to hike up their hill without any sign of alarm. After a moment to collect herself and ensure her underwear was still secure, she resumed her advance with slightly more caution than before.

The men soon crested their hill and predictably turned to watch the valley. Mayalyn crouched behind a tree, having stopped to wait for them to leave before moving forward.

Several tense minutes passed as she waited for both men to leave. When they finally gave up, satisfied they were not being followed, she pressed on.

Not wanting to be caught in the open if they doubled back, she maintained her vigilance.

When she was nearing the bottom of the valley she stopped cold in her tracks, a realization twisting her stomach into knots.

I forgot to make Jiran a trail after leaving the farm!

No no no, what do I do now?!

There’s no way I have enough time to go all the way back to the farm. I'll never find the scent again if I do.

I have to press on and hope Jiran can find me.

Mayalyn frantically looked around for a solution. She bit her lower lip as her toes curled with the overwhelming anxiety of her situation.

You can figure this out Maymay! One step at a time.

What will Jiran do when he gets to the farm?

He will look for my trail. When he doesn't find it, he will start to search. He’ll definitely be flying to cover ground more quickly. I need to leave him something easy to spot from the air.

With a heavy sigh of regret, she scampered up the tree she had been using for cover and tied her beautiful, new white dress to the top of the tree.

After leaping to the ground, she resumed cutting her arm to leave a trail of blood for Jiran.

Now I just have to pray to the saints that they don’t check to see if they are being followed. They will instantly spot my dress if they do. But it was worth the risk, because if Jiran doesn’t find me, I’m dead anyways.

I just need to make sure they don’t find me. Slow and steady, stay hidden, don’t slack on the masking.

You can do this, Maymay!

Twenty minutes later, she arrived where she had last seen the men at the top of the ridge.

Upon cresting the hill, another valley laid out before her. This one was much larger, spreading nearly fifty kilometers in front of her and twenty to each side.

Two creeks snaked through the area, cutting deep gouges into the landscape. They wound down hills on opposite ends of the valley and met in the middle, forming a small lake.

A dilapidated stone keep stood on the lake’s shore. It rested upon a high rise that gave it an excellent view of the surrounding terrain. Massive vines, thicker than trees, strangled the ancient walls and courtyard. The single thick tower that reached for the clouds relied on its two remaining outer walls for support.

Through gaping holes where stones had fallen over the years, she could spot rooms long since picked clean by scavengers and beasts.

Both men headed straight for the intimidating structure. They were moving far faster than her, but knowing their likely destination, Mayalyn decided not to risk pursuing further.

If they go beyond that place, I’ll have no choice but to keep following. Hopefully, Jiran will catch up to me before then.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, a figure flew overhead. Jubilation surged and then was instantly snuffed out to be replaced by fear.

The blond man in a military uniform headed straight for her at speeds far faster than she had ever seen Jiran fly.

Mayalyn leaped to her feet and sprinted away. Before her third step, the blond man appeared before her with a pop of displaced air. His aura wrapped around her and the twisted, vile emotions that flooded through it invaded her.

His shoulder-length blonde hair framed a tan, handsome face. His elegant features were ruined by the bright white teeth that formed a malicious smile. His dark eyes shone with a fervent intent to do her harm.

Mayalyn froze in fear, stumbling away from him. His hand landed on her shoulder, pressing painfully into her skin. Before she could scream, the fist of his other hand buried itself in her stomach so hard she doubled over, retching.

Had he not been holding her shoulder, she would have been thrown through the air by the force of his punch. With her lungs forcefully emptied, Mayalyn tried to take a deep breath but his free hand clamped over her mouth and nose, sealing her ability to breathe.

His aura pinned down her arms and held her body fast. Unable to even grab the handle of her tonfas, she felt overwhelmed with despair.

She looked up into his pitiless eyes as her vision began to shrink.

Jiran, please hurry.

The last thing she saw before darkness took her was his too-wide smile, beaming down at her.

Jiran’s Perspective

Jiran steadily followed Mayalyn’s trail of blood through the streets of Cruex. Every drop of the crimson liquid was another needle in his heart. He understood logically that she could replenish the fluids nearly instantly with her chakha’s amazing healing properties.

That knowledge did nothing to ease his rapidly mounting fury.

Whoever is responsible for this had better never stop running.

By the time he found the alley, his aura was nearly recharged. Unrelentingly, he forced ever more mana into the energy field, determined to be in perfect condition by the time he caught them.

Through his aura, he immediately spotted the trapdoor leading below ground. With a flick of his hand, a glob of blue flame impacted the wall. The explosion, contained within multiple layers of aura, annihilated the stone wall. All that remained was a gaping hole into the sewers below the city.

Jiran rapidly flew through the tunnels, easily finding the clues left by Mayalyn. His own blood dripped steadily from his eyes and nose as his organs trembled from repeated abuse. Uncaring, Jiran sent wave after wave of regenerative mana through his body, patching up any damage done.

Repeatedly he stole mana from beyond the gate and forced it into his aura. Only the remnant feelings from that borrowed mana remained in his body after the waves of healing.

He had never drawn on the power so heavily, nor for so long. The emotions that filtered through and remained in his body did not feel negative or evil. Far from it; they were dominated by desire bordering on lust and greed akin to a man hoarding his wealth he had spent a lifetime to accrue.

Hopefully, these emotions fade like any other over time.

With a brimming full aura and topped off mana, Jiran reluctantly closed the gate. Determined to experiment with it further after the current crisis was resolved.

He wiped at the blood dripping down his face, only managing to smear it further across his features. He was about to shape some water and clean himself when he came across a room with several exits.

With intense focus applied through his aura he scanned every path until he found the next stains left behind for him. With a sigh of relief he pressed on.

Poor girl must be terrified out of her mind. Yet she’s down here chasing after these bastards while leaving me a trail of freaking blood. I swear I’m going to make this up to her.

If by some chance they catch her and hurt her, I’ll build a damned mountain out of their bones.

Jiran’s jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached as he sped through the tunnels. He cut off his fantasies of what he would do to them as he arrived at a dead end.

Through his aura, he saw the abandoned shack, spiked traps, and complicated mechanisms hidden inside the walls.

The blood Mayalyn left haphazardly on the walls was the only trace of the girl he could find for thirty meters in any direction. He stood still in the dark tunnel searching for any further sign but found nothing.

A creeping fury loomed just behind the knot of fear in his stomach. For only a brief moment, he contemplated her being captured with the twins. When his eyes opened again they shone with a fierce green light that illuminated the tunnel.

Another flick of his wrist destroyed everything in front of him for twenty meters leaving a gaping hole into the world above. He searched randomly at first then backtracked and made methodical expanding circles looking for clues.

Come on Mayalyn, give me something! A broken branch, footprints in the mud, anything. Where did you go? And why are you so freaking good at not leaving a trace of your passing when you don’t want to?

Mayalyn Perspective

Sounds of men arguing invaded dreams of running peacefully through fields of bright orange flowers. Her mother’s strong, cold hand held her cheek as she leaned in to whisper in her ear.

Be brave little love, be fierce, show them who we are.

Mayalyn’s consciousness returned to a cold stone floor pressing against her face. The visage of her mother faded as wakefulness crept through her pounding skull. The invasive aura she had felt before her capture was all around her.

The instincts of a beast, passed down through her lineage, held her body fast. They screamed at her to be still, that her best defense was remaining unseen.

I’m still alive, thank you saints. Stay calm, breathe naturally, listen.

“Yeah, that's definitely the one from the inn. It looked like a human though, I wouldn't have held back if I knew it was some damn beast in clothes.

“That thing is a freak, why are you leaving it alive? We should just kill it.”

“Shut up, Daveen. Whatever it is, we’ll let the colonel decide what to do with it. If it's really the same creature you spotted in the middle of Cruex, that means it can blend in well enough to remain unnoticed.

“What if there are a thousand more of them running around? Can you even imagine an army of beasts that can think, talk, and infiltrate our cities? No, we’ll gather intel and let someone higher up the food chain make the decisions.”

“C’mon Silver, there’s no way that thing can talk, right? This whole situation is getting out of control. We should just kill the kids and the beast and get out of here before the Fireling shows up.”

His words caused Mayalyn’s heart rate to spike in fear.

“Shut up, Daveen! Not another word from your mouth, understood?” The threat in his aura was so strong, Mayalyn felt like she could die any second and his anger hadn't even been directed at her.

“Besides, we don’t have to wait any longer for some answers.

“It’s awake.”