Author's Note: Well, what do you think of the last chapter? Who do you think that was? We will have to wait and see to find out. Let's get back to what Alex will be doing because, as you can guess from the title, sort of explains everything. This will be the last chapter today before the next ones come out on Wednesday. Enjoy!
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It seems that the wish I had right before drifting off to sleep was answered, in a positive way. It seems like there are new quests to take that are located in the nearby Atlas Mountain Chain. Oh, and this will be quite good for me as I was able to talk the receptionist, Shirley, into telling me the location of this city.
It seems like I traveled quite far into the north of the Kragstelo Continent as Audaceus is actually higher up in latitude than Quaran. However, the only thing that is common between both regions is the fact that the Atlas Mountain Chain separates the both of them into the north and south.
The Divine Thunder Beast is somewhere in those mountains as the general location is near Quaran so, my best bet is to look around those mountains for any signs of clues. I was able to take the quest Shirley said was located in the Atlas Mountains and went off on my way. And before that happened, I heard the adventurers talk about me behind my back once more.
Moreover, their talks have also started including Calido as, surprisingly, he is now always on my shoulder now instead of inside my inner pocket. It just shows how much we grew in this city all by ourselves as new adventurers. It is good that no one questions Calido's existence as I was able to convince them that Calido is a monster I tamed using a magical contract.
And I, of course, declined any of their requests to check my MEP Capacity and my other information via Analysis Stone. That further cemented my spot as the mysterious adventurer who no one talks to because they think I am some sort of recluse or something. Not that I mind as this was my choice but, it sort of makes me feel out of place, even though I always was if you think about it.
I left the Adventurer's Guild just as fast as I entered and tried to get to the mountains as fast as I could. I could let loose in the wilderness as I'm pretty sure only higher ranked parties would think to journey all the way to these mountains, especially because it is still early in the morning, which means that most people won't think to come as the dawn's light is only barely upon the land.
Once I am able to reach that place, I will be able to have hours of free time to scour every inch of that place. By the way, the quest I took was to eliminate some Soaring Snatchers. They are a kind of monster that is able to wrap their long and extendable limbs around objects and swing from them at high speeds, hence their names.
They also have a peculiar habit of taking the small items off of adventurers who encounter them first and then attack them. According to what I have heard from their description, they only attack things much larger than themselves, which applies to humans and other monsters. They seem to take these items to some sort of nest they build to attract mates. Meaning that, they are quite inquisitive creatures. One more thing.
They hunt in groups of 6 almost every time they go out hunting. Well, if I just take them by surprise and subdue them quickly then, they should be no problem at all. Even though I sound like I am strategizing quite calmly, my actions don't really reflect them as I am running as fast as I can up the slope, using both Calido's sight and my tendrils to make sure I don't run into anything.
I keep running until I hear Calido tell me that he has sighted what appears to be the Soaring Snatchers that are just north-west from my current location. I change directions and keep going until Calido tells me to stop running. I instantly stop and get on the ground and start worming my way forward as to not alert the monsters.
I spread my tendrils as far as I can and, sure enough, I can feel 3 of them on the treetops around a nest made out of mostly wood but I can make out the textures and shapes of compasses and bags in there as well. If there are 3 here then, there are another 3 somewhere around here.
(Calido, can you see any more around this area?)
(Sorry, Alex but, I don't see any of those guys near here. Can't you use the darkness to spread your tendrils even farther?)
(I am definitely capable of doing that but, I want to refine my hunting sense without using it. Who knows? What if I am somehow trapped in a place with only bright lights or I am cornered by anything that can somehow control light or something? My tendrils will be completely useless so, I should at least learn how to fight without using them.)
(Fine, fine. Why are you always able to give a reason? Why can't you at least let me win once during these conversations?)
(It is because I can't lose... yet.)
(Okay...?)
Just then, I felt the 3 I was keeping track of suddenly leave my tendrils behind. It looks like they are on the move to find some breakfast to star the day. Too bad that the start of this day will never come for you.
I got back up off the ground and ran after the Snatchers who were now hunting something. I don't know what it is but, I sincerely thank your timing, random creature.
(Tell me-)
(I know the drill! Take a left and jump before swerving to the left and then roll! After that, just keep running and use your tendrils to avoid the small rock jutting out from here and there!)
Heh.
He finally knows what he is doing now without me telling him. Such good growth. I am feeling like a father feeling proud of their son for their remarkable achievement right now. Maybe because I am kinda like a father to Calido.
And so, while feeling secretly proud, I kept running while listening to all of his instructions. Eventually, the Snatchers started to slow down and that was when I was able to predict where they would be basing off of the location of where their limbs are swinging off of. I pulled Aether out of it's sheath and cut off the arms of the Snatchers by their wrists to make sure their mobility is gone.
After I cut 1 of them, the others stopped and started to attack me instead. Hah, like you could get close to me when I have a fire-breathing dragon on my body! Plus, I don't have any small objects on me except my coin pouch but, that is in my inner pocket. There is no way they can get to it, and I won't allow them the chance to either.
I dodge them by actively moving to make sure they can't get a lock on me, all the while checking for where their limbs are attached to. I was able to locate their arms in time and cut them off as well. I then swiftly laid a killing blow to all 3 of them. Thankfully, the first one I attacked wasn't smart enough to try to get back into the swing of things. That pun was intended by the way.
I sheathed my sword and started collecting the bodies of the Snatchers. My shadows won't allow any living thing to stay inside of them for an extended amount of time, which applies to me as well. The good thing is that it perfectly stores dead things and slows down the time at which they decompose, which is handy as well.
"Wha!?"
Huh?!
A person?!
Oh frick! I'm not in my expanded form right now! I quickly run behind a tree as if getting into cover so that it looks like I only ran as I thought he was a monster. I expanded the shadows on my skin to make me look bigger and then cautiously came out from behind the tree, sheathing Aether as I went.
"Oh, you're a human. I thought you were another monster so... never mind. What are you doing here?"
I casually disguise my weird behavior as cautiousness and ask why the other person is here in the mountains, in the early hours of the day no less.
(Who is it?)
(Hey, it's the andro- something girl we met before. I don't know why she is here.)
(Oh, that one? That's odd.)
"I'm... sorry. Did I interrupt you?"
I try to walk closer in an attempt to persuade her to get back but then...
"No, you didn't-"
"Don't go near me!"
I instantly stop in my tracks. I check the (presumed) girl's immediate surroundings and find the bodies of exactly 3 more Snatchers. Wait, so she is the one who killed the other 3 I thought were missing? So that's why the others went here. It wasn't hunting. It was merely vengeance. Still, how did she kill them?
"How did you kill these 3 Snatchers? I thought they were at least Low Class in Rank D? How did you do it?"
"I... I didn't kill them."