Eleven Days Later | October 18th, Year 110
Crescent River Bridge
06:12
It had been two weeks since departing from Arlis. My movement had slowed dramatically with the severity of my injuries. I had treated myself with the first aid kit I packed for the journey, but it wasn't enough to restore my wounds. My food supply had almost depleted since I needed to eat more to heal my body.
The Crescent River Bridge marked the transition from the Forest of Isolation to the eastmost portion of Capital Island, where Kysora resides. The remaining distance of the trip was about 1670 kilometers, leaving me about forty days before arriving at my current speed and accounting for rest. I intended on reaching Kysora earlier, but it was no longer possible. Tending to my body was the best option at the moment. If I could recover some more, I could travel more quickly.
I arrived at the bridge's entrance. Its pathway was laid with reinforced wood flooring and a red-painted reinforced wooden half-wall to prevent accidents. The map indicated that the bridge spanned around 45 kilometers, requiring all travelers to be well-prepared for the trip over the dangerous river. The Crescent River Bridge resided near the river's exit into the ocean, increasing the danger of falling in. Once someone falls into the water, they are not expected to survive. Seeing the reinforcements and the stability of the structure, not much could tear down the bridge. I noticed that the bridge used building techniques I had not been unfamiliar with. The bolts were encased with a strange glow that let out a faint hum.
The entrance to the bridge sat in a clearing. To the sides, however, the ground gradually sloped down to the river. Some foliage and brush covered the path downward, creating a safer site to put shelter down. I walked down the hill and spotted an area underneath the bridge's supports where a lot of shade was. I set down my travel bag and began building a shelter to rest before I crossed the bridge.
Building a shelter was simple; find long straight sticks, which could be found near the river from the debris that washed up, set them up into a wall frame, and collect tons of leaves to use as floor and wall covering. It required little effort with the skills I honed from hunting trips with my grandpa. With a shelter in tow, I placed my bag inside it and set out to hunt for a meal. I was unfamiliar with the hunting spots here, so it would be more time-consuming.
After leaving the camp, I searched for animal tracks in the forest nearby. The sun began to rise, uncovering more of the scenery. I snuck through the brush, mindful to not open my wounds. A large cracking sound roared from a nearby location, so I moved toward the noise, finding a set of tracks bigger than any of the beasts I had hunted.
I followed the tracks for several minutes, moving through the brush carefully. My curiosity was brimming to see the creature that I had been following. An animal this size was dangerous, but it would solve my food shortage. I intended to kill it as quickly as possible before it was aware of my presence.
The tracks led on for a while longer until I found a large nest. The nest was made from fallen branches and rocks, fitting for the supposed size of the creature. No animal was inside the nest other than the remains of several deer. I inspected the area at a distance, ensuring it was not a trap to lure in more prey. Dense foliage surrounded the nest, creating a covering for the predator. I listened as I snuck around the brush, attempting to hear the breathing of a creature.
A shallow breath sounded above me, and I looked up to see the animal I had been tracking. My heart sank at the sight of the animal as it glared at me. Its beak was colored like the bolts of the bridge. The creature's feathery body was dark with a faint glow, obscured by the shade, standing nearly as tall as the trees. The animal's eyes were filled with a muted purple color that was off-putting, and it stood on two bird-like legs as thick as tree trunks.
It had spotted me, and I quickly shuffled away from the creature. A direct confrontation with it would kill me in my current condition. It chased after me as I desperately searched for a way to take it down. I rushed through the forest, maneuvering around the trees to delay the creature's advances. To my surprise, the animal used its faintly glowing wings to cover itself and barreled through the trees, destroying them as it continued to hunt me down. The creature's wings were probably as strong as steel, which rendered my ability to cut it down.
My body felt exhausted, having been on the run for several minutes. The injuries that riddled it started to open up, bleeding through the bandaging. The creature was relentless, obliterating each tree I shifted around with its wings. I kept using the trees to tire the beast, but its stamina was proving to last longer than my own. I no longer wanted to risk my life by running if it was going to catch up to me.
I pivoted around a tree, wrapping my arm around it to turn my body quicker. As I turned, the creature barreled through the tree, and I rushed through the gap between its legs, pulling out my sword and slashing its underbelly, which wasn't covered by its wings. The blade cut through the underside, opening it. I was lucky that its body wasn't as durable as its wings. The creature had too much momentum to slow down and turn. I jumped onto its back, embedding my sword into its back and dragging the blade as I slid down it. Once I landed on the ground, the creature's back opened up, releasing the blood stored inside. It screeched in pain, and a look of shock appeared on my face. Its back began glowing brightly around the opening as the blood on it started boiling.
I knew that whatever was happening was not good. I ran as fast as possible from the creature. When I realized I didn't hear it behind me, I turned to see the beast standing where I had left it. Its body began convulsing, dropping boiling blood onto the ground. As the blood made contact with the grass, the grass dissolved, melting it entirely. The creature's body erupted more blood, dropping splotches onto trees and foliage. Seeing it more clearly, the small splotches spread across the plants, dissolving them.
"What is this animal? I've never heard of an animal that could melt things with its blood," I questioned.
My entire life, I hadn't learned of such a dangerous beast. Getting close to it was becoming increasingly risky as an option if I wanted to kill it. Although I needed to keep my distance and hopefully defeat it, one of the problems with staying at a distance was my lack of ranged attacks. I had no effective means of killing it if I wasn't up close.
I decided to move toward the creature as it continued to erupt blood. As far as I knew, it was still alive because I hadn't dealt an instantly fatal attack. Slashing open its back would only kill it slowly, but it never would be instant. I weaved around the flying blood, driving myself closer to the creature. I moved to the front of it, avoiding the open wound spewing blood, only to see the animal covering its front with its wings.
The animal suddenly stopped convulsing, uncovering its body, and it stared at me. At that moment, I realized that the creature using that strange move was a trap to lure me into its sights. What I was hunting was far more intelligent than anything I had hunted before. The creature opened its beak and began retching saliva, which acted the same as the blood; the saliva boiled. It approached me as its spit dripped out of its mouth. The creature dragged its wings across the ground, cutting it as it neared. It fully believed that I was not capable of doing anything in the situation I was in.
I ran at the beast, understanding that escaping was not possible. The creature was confused by the action, but it continued on. It lifted one of its wings, taking a slash at me. I avoided the wing due to the difference in our strength; clashing with it would result in me being cut in half. Once the attack was missed, I closed the distance between us enough so that the creature couldn't attack with its wings. I still needed to avoid the potential usage of its legs and its saliva. It pulled its wings toward its body, trapping me inside. The slash on its underbelly began pouring the boiling blood as its head looked into the enclosure. It opened its beak fully, unleashing all of its mucus and spit to melt me alive.
I kept moving toward its stomach, now exposed to my blade. I dodged its fluids, ramming my sword into the creature's belly. I used my free hand to pull myself up its feathery body as the sword dragged upwards, requiring all of my strength. The creature stopped its viscous outpour as I climbed the front of its hunched-over neck. I removed the sword from its body, and the creature's entrails gushed out of it.
I holstered my weapon and climbed over to the creature's back, sitting on its head. It was finally dead, its body collapsed to the ground, and its blood and spit were no longer boiling. My body felt incredibly heavy, and although I didn't sustain damage directly from it, I ended up reopening my wounds. Bleeding out was inevitable if I didn't do anything, so securing my injuries was my top priority. I hopped down from the creature's head and headed to the shelter to pick up my bag. I held my injuries, applying pressure to delay my death. Walking was painful as each step caused me to wince. I needed to hurry.
The once-dense forest had thinned, and splatters of dried blood and mucus covered the field. I walked through the area, approaching the clearing where the bridge was located. Once I arrived at the bridge, I went down the hill and entered my shelter to patch up my wounds. I grabbed the first aid kit and re-bandaged my injuries. My medical supplies became increasingly limited, having used up most of it. After I applied the bandages, I applied pressure until the bleeding stopped.
A Half Hour Later | 07:34
I headed back to where I slayed the creature, carrying my belongings. Approaching the site, I noticed three figures around it. One of them had grey scales covering its body, and sitting down, it was taller than the other two next to it. The second one appeared human, having long brown hair down to its back, clad in silvery armor, and pale blue skin. The last one was much smaller with greenish skin, wearing a fitted leather strap and a pelt that draped over its legs.
I approached the unusual trio, keeping my weapon holstered, making sure I didn't look like a threat. The three turned to look at me, implying a keen sense of hearing. The two smaller ones placed their hands on their weapons while the giant remained sitting.
The green fellow spoke, "Are you the one who took down the Olytrix?"
"Olytrix? Is that its name?" I asked the group.
"That would be so. It had been terrorizing the locals here for quite some time now, preventing many travelers from crossing the bridge," the armored 'human' replied. "Now answer the question, did you kill the Olytrix, or are you here for some other business?" they said. Their hand was firmly placed on the hilt attached to their belt.
I calmly addressed the situation, "I did kill it. I was coming back to cut it up and eat it." I then asked the group, "Who are you guys anyway, and what are you?"
The green person looked at me in shock, as well as the armored one. It appeared that killing the Olytrix was noteworthy.
The reptilian-looking one answered, "I'll apologize for my associates' behaviors here. We were initially tasked with killing the Olytrix, but it seemed that you had already dealt with it. I am a descendant of the Dragons, a dragonkin named Macau. The green one is a goblin named Sulkir; he's a wimpy brat. The lady here is a half-orc who goes by Koba. We are adventurers who take on missions given by the Adventurer's Guild in the city, Marlokar."
I was surprised, never having seen any other races than humans. It was to be expected since Kryos was predominantly human in population, with many of the other races typically living past the Hasgard Mountains, at least, to my knowledge.
I smiled at the group, greeting them, "I'm Lux, a human hailing from the town of Lucina. I was traveling to the capital in search of work, but as you can see," I looked toward the dead creature. "I needed some food."
Macau laughed, "Well met, Lux. Say, why don't you accompany us to Nightfall Village? It's on the way to Kysora, and we wouldn't mind having another strong person joining us for the time being."
Koba seemed indifferent to the suggestion, but Sulkir's eyes widened. "We can't trust someone we just met. What if he tries to turn us in?" Sulkir protested.
Macau shrugged off the notion, saying, "It's okay, Sulkir. If anything happens, we are more than capable enough to take on Lux."
Macau's words eased Sulkir's worries. Sulkir simply shrugged his shoulders, accepting his leader's decision.
I was intrigued by the group, weighing the reasons for and against going with them. "I'll go along with you guys until we get to Nightfall Village. I'm no good if I keep running into creatures like that on my own, especially with my injuries," I replied.
Macau stood from his position, towering over the group, nearly as tall as the Olytrix. He spoke, "Then it's decided. To Nightfall Village, we'll go. I'm afraid you'll have to leave the Olytrix's meat alone. It's an acid variant, which would melt your stomach if you ate it."
"Good to know, although that's a bummer," I chuckled, and my stomach rumbled. "Hopefully, we can grab something to eat along the way; I'm starving," I said.
Koba chimed into the conversation, "You can say that again. I can't wait to eat." she followed behind Macau, who began to look over the Olytrix.
"This will do," Macau said, tearing off the creature's beak and carrying it in one hand. He proceeded to head in the direction of the Crescent River Bridge.
Sulkir followed behind Macau and Koba while I struggled to walk alongside them. My body's tiredness wouldn't allow me to move much, having not rested, reopened my injuries and exhausted my remaining energy against the Olytrix.
The group noted my condition, and Macau offered, "If you wish, we can travel to Erinsk and spend the night at the inn? At the pace you're moving, we would delay ourselves longer than if you rested."
I accepted the offer, apologizing to the group, "I'm sorry for the delay."
We changed our direction, moving toward Erinsk, which was only a kilometer from our location. The walk wasn't too bad, arriving at the town shortly. The buildings appeared well-built, an improvement from the ones in my village. The faintly glowing bolts were used in the structures here as well. A few townspeople roamed the streets, conversing with one another or exchanging trade goods. They ignored our group almost entirely. The town seemed relatively fine despite the Olytrix that had been terrorizing them, which made me question its danger.
We stopped in front of a two-story building called "Ibuil's Inn," it was a nice-looking place. The building was made with a stone-cut foundation, reinforced wood walls like the bridge, and a balcony seating area along the side of the building with four pillars to support it. We entered the inn, greeted by the scent of prepared food and a few patrons enjoying breakfast. Macau had to crouch through the doorway, grabbing the top of the frame to pull his head under, immediately catching the attention of everyone in the bar.
"Hey pal, tell your slaves to stay outside." the barkeep ordered, making eye contact with me.
A look of anger appeared on Koba and Sulkir's faces, but neither spoke up.
"What slaves? These are people just like you; they're just as valuable as your life." I retorted.
The barkeep was shocked, and even one of the patrons spat out their drink.
Macau placed his hand on my shoulder, "It's okay, Lux. We will camp out in the forest, at least here you will have a proper bed," he said. "Non-humans are seen as outlaws and slaves the closer you get to the capital. There's a strong distaste for our kind, resulting in what you see now."
"Let's leave. I don't like the feel of this place anyways." I replied, turning to the exit and spitting on the ground. "These ignorant bastards should be grateful that we killed the Olytrix for them. Instead, they kick you guys out."
The group was surprised at my words, which left the barkeep angered. I stepped past the group and left the inn. They departed after me, and we continued off toward the bridge. Once we arrived, I led the group down to my shelter, and Sulkir began setting up the camp further. Macau and Koba were out hunting for food while I rested my body. Sulkir and I remained silent throughout the preparation until he approached me.
"I was wrong to have judged you, Lux. And for that, I'm sorry. I thought you were going to treat us how most already do, and despite my ignorance, you treated us as equals." he said.
I shrugged, not minding his earlier actions. I replied, "You're fine, Sulkir. There is no point in fighting with the people who invited me. You were just being cautious. I would react the same way if I was treated like trash too."
Sulkir's gaze pointed to the ground, and his solemn look alleviated. "I appreciate it. We tend to face trouble with many humans, especially with someone like Macau in our group."
I looked at him, confused. "I thought someone as fearsome-looking as Macau would be left alone."
"You would think, but with the draconic races, their prices are much higher than the other races. Macau is a grey dragonkin that, if captured, can be sold for at least 2200 gold coins to a slaving company or an auction house. We are fortunate that Macau is strong, or our adventures would have ended sooner."
My eyes widened, "Over two thousand? Why are dragonkins so expensive?"
"The reason they're so expensive has to do with the fact that dragonkins are descendants of dragons. They are durable, strong, intelligent, and their scales are a great resource," he described. "Selling people off is commonplace in Kryos. Elves and the fey are the next highest at around the thousand mark. Dwarves, giants, and the 'superior' half-human breeds in the middle to high hundreds. The smaller, weaker, or the 'beastly' and more 'savage' races go for about fifty gold. Lastly, humans go for twenty."
The information surprised me even further. Sulkir's knowledge helped me understand my own ignorance. Not a word of what I had discovered today was known by the people I grew up with. I was learning as I explored; my image of the world kept expanding.
"Why are humans so much cheaper?" I asked.
Sulkir set up the fire, placing down more firewood. He explained, "Well, humans are rather useless in comparison. Most of the weaker or even the savage races are easier to manipulate and order around. They're also more powerful than most human slaves. Humans are of lower quality as they only become slaves if they owe a certain amount of debt or if they owe a favor. The same applies to the rest of the races on top of other conditions. Like how everyone, excluding humans, was outlawed and taken as prisoners of war when King Erseus conquered the continent years ago."
As Sulkir spoke to me, the other two returned with a large brown bag, Macau dragging it behind him. It was a few meters in size, and Macau cut the binding loose, revealing its contents. Ten deer were lying on top of the sheet and covered in strange markings that glowed.
"There it is again," I said.
The others gave me a weird look, confused by what I meant.
"Why is everything I run into glowing now?" I asked.
Their expressions lightened, and Koba laughed.
"I didn't realize you were a total bumpkin, Lux. The glowing coming off of the animals and parts of structures comes from an ore called manalite. It got mixed into the water and affected the animals. Manalite is the strongest ore, resulting in reinforcements and structures being made with them. It affects animals the same, making them beyond powerful and with deadly elemental attributes," she said.
"Manalite? Super-charged animals? I had no clue about any of this stuff," I replied. My knowledge was relatively limited in the grand scheme of things. All I knew was whatever my town had to offer.
"Well, to put it simply, manalite is everywhere. It is the single most useful resource to the country at the moment. So from now on, be aware of the danger that it presents," Macau finished. He began skinning the deer, shifting his attention away from our conversation.
"As we travel closer to the capital, you'll see that it doesn't just affect animals and buildings, but people too," Koba said, taking charge of the conversation.
"Super-charged people?" I asked.
"Exactly, and they are commonly seen in humans due to the contamination of the main river," she replied.
"I see. That only makes sense, considering that humans have overpowered the other races despite being among the weakest races. Man, bandits are probably awful further inland," I sighed.
The group laughed at my remark, continuing their tasks in the meantime.
"That is honestly such a nuisance to even think about. The bandits up north are incredibly annoying to face," Koba remarked. She glanced at Macau and Sulkir before continuing, "thankfully, Macau helped both Sulkir and me strengthen up to face them."
Macau looked up at the sound of his name, acknowledging her gratitude with a smile, "I couldn't help but train the two of you after seeing how badly you were beaten by pests."
Sulkir and Koba laughed.
"You're right about that! We got our asses handed to us," Sulkir exclaimed.
I smiled at the group as they continued telling stories of their adventures together for the next hour or so. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep from the exhaustion I still felt.