Cursed Explorer of the Arcana

“It’s not uncommon to find yourself stranded in the wilderness without any help or supplies,” Bennet explains as he leads me deeper into the woods. “You can basically gather water from any source so that won't be an issue. Shelter might be a bit more complicated depending on your environment and potential beast habitats but as a golden rule you should look for a place, any place, that is more defendable than sleeping on the ground.”

I like how long people can drag out an explanation that basically comes down to just saying ‘Don’t be stupid!’

“Caves might be occupied and still they are probably the best choice, you’ll likely need to fight for it. Sleeping on a tree is dangerous because many beasts can climb while some are even able to fly but it still eliminates the good majority of predators.” He catches a branch that’s just about to slap me in the face. “Then there’s the earth mage approach of building a shelter from the ground up. It might require a bit of mana but tops any other option.”

I like how being a mage can solve almost any problem.

We continue our journey into the forest, the old man seemingly knowing exactly where he’s headed. Less than five minutes later he suddenly comes to a halt and holds a hand up.

“What?” I whisper.

He just sighs tiredly. “This is a hand sign, it means hold position.”

“Then why didn’t you just say that?”

“Because sometimes, like right now, staying quiet is essential.” He lectures and continues walking. “There was a rabbit not too far away from us and you scared it away with your yapping.”

Oops. I mean, I'm not taking the whole blame for that. How was I supposed to know? Any weird jerking motions could be called a hand sign, nobody taught me those.

Two minutes later and deeper into the forest he stops again and I follow suit. He nods and points toward something. I squint my eyes and see a small brownish rabbit.

[Rabbit]

Identify shows no level so the thing is either too weak or too young to have the Journey Guide. Bennett then points at me then back to the rabbit and strikes his palm with a fist without making a noise.

I don't have to be the genius I am to understand that he wants me to kill the thing.

I hesitate for a second. A seemingly long and difficult second. This is a kill-or-be-killed world and I'd have to take down my first prey sooner or later, so let's get this over with.

I try using ice this time and release my mana commanding it to become water then define its shape and lastly, force the vibration of its particles down significantly. Freeze. The result is an ice shard similar to Mom's, just uglier, smaller and way more fragile looking. It'll have to do, and so I squint, take aim and accelerate the shard.

It glides through the air and hits the target in the side, not killing it instantly.

Bennett pushes a knife into my hand. "Not a bad shot lassie. Now don't let it suffer, finish it off and so we can have an early lunch." I just stare at the knife for a few seconds before the pained cries drive me to act. To put the poor thing out of its misery.

Lunch is secured I guess, and I learned something new. Taking a life is not my favorite feeling. It leaves a kind of… emptiness; a sour taste.

[You have triumphed over the enemy [Forest Rabbit].]

No level, no affinity, just a regular animal. Not much of a triumph if you ask me. The greatest enemy of the living indeed. The mighty brown rabbit.

We take it back to the fire and the old man prepares the carcass. I have to turn away, unable to watch him tear the poor thing apart. The sound of the cutting through flesh and fur, as joints are torn apart, the sound and smell of blood leaving our soon-to-be meal.

“You’ll have to learn to accept death as part of life, a part of this world, and it’s better to take this small step sooner than later.” Bennett lectures me as I pout, sitting on my bedroll.

It’s not that, I can accept it. I know meat comes from animals and I know they’re killed just so I can fill my stomach before shitting it out, and I’m fine with that. I just really don’t like the cries and the sound of a body being processed. It's gross.

Is killing an animal really that different from a person? Yes. I eat the animal, it serves a purpose and it’s part of nature… it’s weird. Dad killed beasts to earn money, and Mom too and… I never asked her and still, I can guess. She probably killed people as well when she had no other choice.

In just minutes the most desired parts of the rabbit are placed over the fire giving off an inviting smell. It's not the first time I've smelled meat being grilled and still somehow this is different, less mouthwatering and more… calling. I’ve earned this one, this one was my kill.

***

The meat is a little chewy and unseasoned. Still edible I guess, just incapable of more than soothing a restless stomach.

"Where are we headed?" I start the conversation after finishing the meal, the old family rules stand even now.

"We have one more stop before returning to Granhall. I’m not the only one sent out to search and retrieve,” What a cute way to put it. “so we’ll meet up with one of my comrades in arms and check before making one more stop. We have intel on another Blessed one and having you around might be beneficial.”

“I’ll have to help you kidnap someone, really?” I ask with a frown.

“Would you rather have a repeat of what happened to your home?” The old man counters and hits the spot. “We’ll try talking to them first and that’s where I’ll need your help. What you went through might help convince them and if not… it is their choice.”

Just wonderful. Would someone with a shitty Blessing also draw this much attention, like someone who could never get sick? Not all that useful for anyone other than the recipient.

“So… are we leaving now?” I ask as I’ve run out of questions for now.

“Yes.” He throws me my backpack instead of carrying it himself and starts walking.

Definitely not a noble knight in shining armor that’s for sure. Rude, old, ugly and even that armor he’s wearing looks old and well-worn. I won’t make assumptions about his strength but judging by the way Mom and Dad acted around him I think he beats any blue-eyed, blonde-haired prick who’d dare challenge him.

I hate how deep down I’d rather be like him just the mage version than a damsel in distress. Every time we played Beast Slayer with the gang and it was my turn to act like the helpless pretty dumbass I felt all itchy and disgusted, begging the dragon to eat me already. Fun times.

***

My dislike towards the old fuck only grew the more time I spent with him. Is it because of his personality, his methods of teaching me survival tactics by throwing me into the forest, or maybe because we’re on our way to take another kid from their parents just like what happened to me? Yes. I mean, all of them added together.

Everything about Bennett confirms that he is at least a hundred years old yet the way he acts and explains things… I’m pretty sure he was born stupid, like incurably dumb. A good example was when he told me to make fire using a piece of weird rock and my knife, or taught me how to boil water before drinking it… Bitch I can do all of those with a simple thought.

Right now he’s about to teach me something even more useless than anything else during our three-day-long journey. Socializing.

Our current stop is a massive, like literally gigantic, ribcage of some long-deceased creature with its other bones scattered all around us. I don’t know whose brilliant idea it was to build an entire tavern inside the damn thing, visible from far away on the horizon, but it’s baffling. The bones themselves look and feel like stone and together with the wooden planks holding the structure in one piece make this place have a weird cozy yet haunted vibe. I love it.

An old Warrior with Bennett’s robust build accompanied by a young girl did draw a few questioning eyes when we entered but that could also be because I looked more excited than anything. Thankfully people weren’t stupid enough to stick their nose where it doesn’t belong.

“So why did we stop here and not the other villages along the way? I doubt we’re here for sightseeing.” I ask as we sit down at a table and the old man orders some food with simple hand gestures. I need to learn that.

In the heartlands of Valeria where forests are sparse and security top-notch people often build settlements without any walls because beast attacks are so rare. I can’t really understand why they would do that, after all, rare does not mean it won’t happen and sleeping in a house without a sturdy wall is not that much different than setting up a tent out in the wilds. But what do I know?

“Do you really expect me to explain that after telling you our schedule every single day since we departed?” Bennett asks nice and slow which somehow does help me remember.

Right, we’re here to meet another Fist dude, or woman. Honestly, I’m just happy to finally eat something other than berries I stumble across or the animals I manage to hunt. I’m not complaining about the variety, a squirrel’s taste is vastly different from chewing on a snake but seasoning and proper know-how do go a long way.

Some stew arrives shortly with two whole loaves of bread and judging by the barely two minutes of waiting time it’s easy to tell that neither of them is fresh. Still better than the snake.

By some miracle, I wolf down my portion faster than the old warrior about twice my height and many times my weight only to slump back in my seat and struggle to find any space for air in my body, another one of my special abilities. After a satisfied sigh and while chewing on the aftertaste in my mouth the old man snaps his head up and smirks.

“He’s here," he mutters.

“Really, who?” I lean closer and start scanning the crowd.

“Make a guess.” He nods towards the entrance with a sly smile.

There are quite a few people here with a huge diversity both in age and species. Humans make up the majority, unsurprisingly, and other than them we have quite a few beastmen, traveling elves, a group of gnomes with some weird metal cubes around them, and a single demikin. The innkeeper.

The old fuck tried to trick me off the bat by indicating toward the entrance of this fancy roadside stop but I can tell that’s nothing more than a trick. When he first looked up his eyes didn’t search for anyone. Identify also won’t be too helpful since it can’t tell more than the target’s broad profession with my low level and even that could be deceived by one of those weird medallions Bennett has in his cloak of mysteries.

It all comes down to listening to my guts.

I not so subtly look every person up and down whether they’re approaching our table or not, whether they’re a Labourer or a Mage, searching for any clues in their behavior. Weird laughter, glancing at the old goat from the corner of their eye or wearing…

“I got her, the lady on the balcony sipping from the mug.” I lean closer and whisper my answer to the old man still enjoying his food.

“Better luck next time.” Someone playfully pokes my side and hops down beside me.

One of the elves… Damn, he was just too undisguised. Typical elven features, worn leather armor, a bow, a whip and Identify telling me he’s a Ranger. Maybe I was overthinking it.

“Why did you pick that lady?” The elf asks in a friendly voice while snatching the bread from Bennett’s hand.

“She wore what looked like one of those necklaces and it even felt the same. You know, like when you look at Solaire and need to sneeze…” I shrug, pouting a little after losing the game.

The two mercenaries both freeze for a second after my explanation. Then Bennett lifts the wooden bowl and down the entire stew in one swing before getting up along with the other dude.

“Come on, we’re leaving!” He orders and grabs my bag.

This is when I realize things are serious. He never carries that for me.

I look back where the gorgeous woman was sitting just a moment ago only to realize there’s no one there. I hop down from the bench and hurry after them, switching to my game face to hide my worry and excitement. The source of the worry is obvious but… did I just find something important that both of them missed?

“Girl, are you certain it was the same thing, are you able to tell?” Bennett asks as we leave the rows of horses waiting outside.

“I mean, it felt the same. It’s not like I walked up to her and asked.” I roll my eyes at the stupid question.

“How did your mission go?” Bennett turns to the elf now as we continue towards the road we came from.

“I was late, they were professionals.” He shakes his head and unclips his whip from his belt.

“Were you followed?” Bennett suddenly leaves the trail and heads towards a patch of rocky terrain not too far away.

“Who do you think I am?” The elf huffs.

“What is going on?” I hiss, tired of being left out of the conversation.

“Wyat here was on the trail of another Blessed in the duchy but it seems like he wasn’t going up against small fry like I did.” Bennett answers and picks up the pace.

Oh no, nonono. I came along to be safe, to be away from all this… just why the fuck does trouble have to follow me even after giving up so much?

“Can’t we just escape?” I ask with a lot weaker voice than I expected.

“We don’t know anything lassie,” The old goat answers with a hand already reaching for his sword. “not their numbers, their goal, or even if they are hostile or not. Stay close and keep your eyes peeled!”

Just as those words leave his mouth the elf grabs my shoulder and yanks me back making my feet swing up comically. Not even a second later the earth ripples and spikes shoot up where we stood.

“Four o’clock, triangle rock, left side!” Bennett yells.

The elf quickly passes me over to the old man, still in mid-air, before pulling his bowstring and firing an arrow towards the ground. The moment he lets go the arrow disappears. By the time we land and I blink twice a body falls out from behind a pointy rock with an arrow sticking out of his head.

That was deadly and instant. I so don’t feel like I belong here…