Chereads / Prey Runs Free / Chapter 26 - Leaving

Chapter 26 - Leaving

A little while later, someone knocked on Kai's door. Looking down, he saw a new set of sheets for his bed.

Taking the sheets inside, Kai made his bed before checking the time.

{1:21}

"Should I even bother with the beginner's course?"

Thinking about it, Kai wasn't sure if there was even a point in staying in Anfang City. He could still use the dungeon one more time, yet it would only give less experience. Thinking about it, Kai decided to see if Anna was still at the Adventurer Guild.

Along the way, Kai bought some cheap food he saw along the vendors. It was some weird meat he hadn't seen before; it was red. Shrugging, he ate it whole.

'It's probably safer than the dungeon food I had' He reasoned.

The meat was chewy, even with his wolf-like teeth. Though they weren't entirely like a wolf or werewolf, his teeth were stronger and sharper than average. Kai had noticed his teeth had been getting sharper and stronger as he leveled up. Not only his teeth but his entire body was becoming werewolf-like. His sense of smell and hearing improved a little too.

It was only due to his pseudo-race that these changes were slowly coming in. If someone were able to become a different race at tier:1, they still wouldn't gain all the characteristics until their next evolution. But Kai was different; he was gaining more characteristics as he grew stronger due to him being a mutated race.

"Sigh, it just isn't the same as the Caterpillars."

Only a few minutes later, Kai arrived at the Adventurer Guild. Walking in, he scanned the building. Spotting Anna was still there; he was about to approach her when someone else did.

He was tall, with long, curly black hair that went past his neck. He had sharp black eyebrows, a long nose, and red eyes. He looked slightly older than Anna, wearing a bright red cloak with a black sword and wand crossing each other; it was an emblem.

As he strode toward Anna, Kai could see a sword underneath his cloak, along with black and red armor.

"Anna dear, there you are!"

Kai thought he saw the light in Anna's eyes dim when she saw and heard the man.

"Ahhh, what is it, Hew?" Anna asked, looking away from the incoming teen.

"Our mission is over; it's time to go home." Hew said as he held his hand for Anna to grab.

At the mention of home Anna's eyes lit up, and a faint smile crept on her face.

"Finally!"

She took hew's hand and got to her feet. Just before they were about to leave, she caught sight of Kai.

"Ah, little newbie! I thought you left for the day."

Approaching Anna and her companion, he nodded.

"I didn't plan to come back, but I kinda need some help."

Her faint smile turned full, "Oh, what can I help you with?"

"Are there dungeons in Mongla?"

A small glint appeared in Anna's eyes, "There are a few, but they are all tier:1 or tier:2."

Now a small smile crept on Kai's face, "You wouldn't happen to know where I can get a map to Mongla?"

"Already done with the 'Tombstone dungeon'? Ahh, well, I just so happen to know how you can get to Mongla."

Kai's eyes widen in shock, "Ho-"

"Did you forget about {Inspect}? Like I said, 'Little newbie'"

'So she already inspected me; I should've known.'

'{Inspect}'

{Anna Aquanta}

{Tier:?? Level ???}

'That's what I thought.'

"So, how do I get there?"

Nodding at his reaction, Anna answered, "There's a carriage leaving soon, exactly for Mongla City; it's at the north gate. It'll take a few days, and you'll have to stay in a few towns, like Tuloc and Azbal."

'North gate, that should be opposite where I came in from.'

"I see; thank you, Anna."

"Haha, sure thing, little newbie."

Looking toward the quest board, Kai noticed the 'Fire Cat' quest was still there.

'Might as well get some experience,' Kai smirked. But in the next second, he thought of something.

"How did the Starla family get here so fast if it takes a few days to get to Mongla?"

It didn't make sense how they got to Anfang so fast if what Anna said was true.

"Oh well, I heard they were already on their way here for something; it was only a coincidence Vaira got lost inside the dungeon."

Kai only nodded and thanked Anna once more before leaving toward the north gate; he didn't want to miss his chance to leave accidentally. Kai didn't have anything left in his room at the inn, so he didn't make any detours.

Back at the guild after Kai left, Hew, who had been silent since Kai appeared, spoke, "And who might that be, Anna?" He said with little hostility.

"Just some random adventurer I met, yet despite his young age, he's already a tier:1," Anna answered, now looking at Hew.

Hearing that, Hew raised an eyebrow, "Scrawny was a tier:1?" He narrowed his eyes, "You don't have any plans for that boy, do you?"

Anna acted hurt, she put a hand over her heart, "Words can hurt, but don't worry, I only have eyes for you." As she spoke, Anna put her hand on Hew's face.

"I was merely looking out for the boy."

After Hew said that, they left it at that, and together, they left the Adventurer Guild.

-

"Over here, over here! Leaving for Mongla City in five minutes!"

'Damn, ahhh. I was nearly late.'

"How much for a seat?" Kai asked the man that was warning everyone.

"A single seat will be 2 Silver coins!" The man said in a stern voice.

Hand the man 2 silver; the man then pointed to a wooden carriage behind him. The carriage had two horses and was far bigger than the noble carriage he saw, but the quality was far inferior. Just looking at the wooden carriage gave Kai splinters.

"We'll leave in four minutes; you better be inside by then!"

Nodding, Kai decided not to waste any time and climbed into the carriage.

Upon entering, Kai saw four others. A small family, the man only presumably the dad, wore formal black clothes, with a nice fresh trimmed beard, he had black hair that was slowly turning gray. His eyes were dimmed, with bags underneath; Kai thought the man would work himself to death soon enough.

The woman, presumably mom and wife, wore a silky blue black dress; she had gloves similar to Cecilla. Her brown hair was tied into buns; her blue eyes were like shining stars compared to that of her husbands. A pair of brown cat ears on top of her head, a brown tail, swaying around the little girl sitting in between the woman and man.

The little girl had black hair like that of her fathers and the blue eyes of her mother. Black cat ears laid upon her head, and her black cat tail played with her mothers. She wore a white dress similar to her mother's but with no gloves.

Watching the mother-daughter play, a small smile appeared on Kai's face. Looking at the other side of the carriage was a single man. Kai was shocked he was even breathing. The man was even paler than the Banshee boss, greasy black hair blocked Kai from seeing his eyes, but he was sure they had deep black bags underneath them.

What made Kai shocked to see the man even breathing was his sunken cheeks and boney figure. He reminded Kai of the people of Nightmare City; he reminded Kai of himself. The skin of the man's fingers looked like it would fall off at any second.

The man wore a white suit, yet his skin was even brighter than it. He had black pants and shiny black shoes. It was a sight Kai would never forget, as he was just that odd. The man's fingernails were freshly cut and painted black, contrasting his skin and suit.

His clothes and fingers looked so clean that it was almost impossible to believe they belonged to the rest of the man. He had the body and face of a person who is close to death but the clothes of a noble.

'I'm getting a weird feeling from him.'

'Well, this is going to be interesting!'