The Fool's Freedom

With shopping done Alan left the Enchanter’s Bane after saying goodbye to Mr. Muge and Tullis. He was giddy with excitement due to his new enchanted dagger. With [Shadow Weapon] and [Imbue Fire] his destructive power had grown significantly.

The walk back was uneventful, except for some children running around and trying to get his attention, undaunted by his ‘murderhobo’ sense of fashion. Alan picked a different path this time around, wanting to see what else the people of Sanctuary 142 were up to.

There was someone else apart from the children who tried to get his attention – a scantily clad woman. Something brushed against his [Shadow Mind] as his eyes lingered on her seductive form, but it was not an attack so the woman wasn’t sent in a panic attack.

Alan frowned as food was in abundance around the Sanctuary and anyone with a class or a basic skill would be able to grab some. The gangs seemed to be doing a lot of good in this regard, as they hunted more than they needed so giving away food grew the number of their supporters and helped. Another win-win for them and the people.

He still doubted how such a messy and fragile system of governance would take on the future tribulations that were bound to come. They were not the only ones growing in level. The forest was becoming more dangerous, and the wailers and the Echidna would probably not remain the worst things roaming it for long

Not that it was his problem. He had Davis to save and a dungeon to conquer.

He regrouped with the others, and they mutually decided to start their journey early the next morning and make use of the daylight. The supposed dungeon was quite far, and having time to find proper shelter for the night while it was bright outside was the practical way.

Alan and Florence followed Ashlyn to her place, which was very similar to Emerson’s in that it was isolated from the more populated areas of the Sanctuary. She had chosen a three-story building that lacked any of the fast-spreading decorations, doors, or curtains.

As bare bones as the building was, it offered a good view towards the rest of the Sanctuary and more than enough protection from the elements even in its current state. Alan offered the girls some of the meat and fruit he had saved in the shadow space – or shadow inventory as he affectionately called it. There seemed to be no issue, apart from the food being a bit cold.

Alan noted to ask the demon if he was all right with being kept there when he had the mental fortitude for such a conversation. It did give Alan peace of mind that the Xil was not listening or observing their every move, although it already knew more than enough. He still wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to trust a demon, no matter how helpful he had been.

As they finished a quick dinner, Ashlyn spoke, “So, Walter has decided that having a class will allow him to gather some people and hunt, and he won’t be joining in the delve. Too scary for him... He didn’t say what his class was, and I didn’t ask.”

“That’s unfortunate, his skills are busted. If he sticks to a theme of fire and mobility, he will be quite the fighter,” Alan said. Walter’s skills were something Alan had been jealous of at one point and he still wished he had something like [Backstep] or its advanced version. However, Walter’s reluctance to risk his life stifled the man’s chances to shine.

“It is what it is. Not everyone is built for this,” Ashlyn said and leaned back on the wall.

Alan grunted, “Tell me about it. So, what about a healer?”

“No dice. I asked two of those I know of, but they refused. Why would they risk going outside if they can grow safely here? They have more than enough patients, and they only need to heal to level. Plus, everyone is treating them as royalty.”

“The dungeon is bound to be ripe with rewards. It’s an opportunity unlike any other!” Alan was annoyed. Those people playing safe would be the first to fall behind too far.

“Staying inside the Sanctuary will only work for a time,” Florence sighed.

Ashlyn took her old pocket knife and started playing with it, “I know. But people want to stay safe. Many groups are going out to level, but they choose safety in numbers, and they don’t stray far. The night raids on the wailers seem to be working quite well for them. There are also a few outliers like us and some are scary strong.”

“The strong and daring will keep growing, while those content to remain safe will stagnate. The power balance is good for now, and everyone is being careful, but for how long?” Alan sighed, “Let’s try and sleep. I guess it’s good it’s only the three of us anyway. I don’t want to meet any new strangers for a while.”

Alan was about to stand up from the floor and pick a corner, when Ashlyn stopped him, “Hold on. There is something else.”

“Oh?”

“Florence, I need to know I can trust you. I’ve been trying to get over my anger because your concern for Alan is obvious and I don’t think you will harm him even if you could. But I do not have his skill, and I need to know you won’t fuck with my head. For any reason. Even if HE tells you.”

“Come on, Ash—”

“I need to hear her,” Ashlyn interrupted.

Florence was looking down at her hands, “I know I am not worth trusting in your eyes, and it is fully deserved. I don’t trust myself either, but I’ve been trying to limit how much I use my skills on both myself and others. I need to learn to be human again, as I forgot long before the apocalypse.”

“You need to understand... If you put us in danger or try to sacrifice me… I will kill you.” It was a calm statement that sent shivers down Alan’s spine.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Ash,” he exclaimed. This was too dramatic even for him.

“This is not the world we’ve lived in our whole lives, Alan! We cannot allow ourselves the luxury of trust. I’d die for you but for her? We should be honest and clear about our priorities.”

“I understand. I want to do better; I won’t betray you. If I step out of line or lose control… do what you must.”

That seemed to be enough and Ashlyn nodded and laid down, getting ready for sleep, leaving her large knife and her bow in arm's reach.

Alan took turns looking at the two girls, then sighed.

“Well… goodnight,” he said.

***

They set off early in the next morning. Alan’s shadow inventory was filled with food and a few water pouches and he had happily donated his torn dirty bag to a [Seamstress] who offered him a new shirt for it on the way back from Enchanter’s Bane. The woman was very curious about System-made things and was quite happy Alan had agreed.

Florence seemed to be keeping up just fine with the pace Ashlyn had set for Alan’s sake. The last conversation still bothered Alan. He hoped Florence would do her best not to do anything stupid. He liked her, but Ashlyn was his ride-or-die, the sibling he never had.

Apart from his actual brother and sister, who were bona fide cunts. Alan felt a pang of worry for them. No matter how much grievance both his siblings and parents had given him, they were family. Not like Ashlyn was, but family nonetheless.

They had been in no contact for many years, as their relations deteriorated proportionally to his body. He still didn’t know if it was their parents doting on the healthier children that had created the rift or Alan himself turning into a massive asshole as he grew more and more bitter. Probably a combination of everything.

The fast walk through the uneven forest terrain forced him to stop thinking and focus on the sensation of movement.

Once they exited the borders of the Sanctuary they started running into a lot of wildlife – boars, wolves, monkeys. There were more and more diverse variations belonging to the three groups, sporting mutations and sizes they hadn’t run into before. The beast population seemed to be growing faster in level than the residents of the Sanctuary, and while they were still not a problem for a person with a few decent skills, it was worrying.

The beasts still ran off once they saw the three, probably trusting their instincts that it was not a good idea to attack. There were a few larger groups that didn’t immediately flee but a push of fear from Florence’s skill made them reconsider. It was really useful having her around to create a safe passage.

Soon Alan was dying of boredom. Conversation was taken to a minimum as the pace was just fast enough to allow him to keep up by expending the equivalent of his mana’s regeneration to feed his stamina, without dipping into his reserves. Talking was out of the question though, and his body still protested at every step.

At some point he took out the demon cube, mentally prepared for a tongue-lashing. The connection took its time to form, and it was sluggish and weak when it came.

“What do you want?” Xil asked, sounding… sleepy.

“Just checking if you are doing fine… I put you into my new pocket space without thinking, and uh, sorry.”

“Oh, is that what this is? It’s great! It stops the prison from recharging itself by utilizing the mana of the environment, allowing me to rest better under its weakened suppression. Put me back! Few hundred years of that and I will be free!”

Well, that was good.

“Okay, okay, we might need [Soundless] at some point though.”

The demon grumbled, then paused, “As long as it is for Ashlyn.”

Alan smiled and ended the mental connection, putting the cube back into his pocket space in a swirl of shadows. One less problem.

They moved the whole morning and afternoon, and despite the constant stream of mana going into his body, Alan felt the fatigue build-up. They had slowed somehow, under his request. Normal walking wasn’t that bad. Florence was not looking that good either, but still better than him.

Alan was quite disappointed, but strength and mobility did not translate into having good stamina and his was shit. Mana could do only so much for so long until they needed rest.

Florence assured them that their pace was faster than the one she and Davis had kept the first time, but that didn’t make Alan happier.

By the end of the day, they strayed from the trail led by Ashlyn and found an abandoned kobold camp which they decided to use for shelter throughout the night. It was a simple hollowed-out hill with a bunch of long extinguished campfires in front of the entrance. The smell inside was not the best, but whatever had died there had long been consumed by the maggots and most likely walked the woods in a new form.

All three of them carried a few cages with moon beetles just in case, and it was good they did as the camp was fully ransacked.

“Humans, or something human-like,” Ashlyn said after examining everything, “But it’s been a while.”

There was something else that caught Alan’s attention though – an overturned woven basket, filled with dried herbs. He instantly recognized the three that had gotten him through the horde of rats. It was hard to differentiate between all of them, as they were meshed together into small bunches, and there was a crystalline quality to them that he hadn’t seen before.

Junkie for kobold drugs is not how I envisioned myself.

With a thought, shadows covered the bunch and they disappeared into his pocked space. Alan didn’t know why he took them each time, only to throw them away. He could bring some to Old Greyheart if they met again, or he could use them in a pinch to get him into the murderous state of trance.

His index finger started twitching at the thought. Unknown herbs were dangerous.

The night was mostly uneventful until the screaming started about an hour after the sun was set. It came from all directions, both close and afar. The few cages Ashlyn had hung on the entrance seemed to dissuade anything from visiting the trio, so Alan tried to grab some shut-eye. His body was exhausted and the [Warlock’s Body Mastery] mana infusion was not working anymore.

The next day was much the same, but the beasts grew even stranger. A bit before sunset, as they were looking for a place to crash, they ran into a crazed bear that didn’t seem to care for Florence’s abilities. It was a massive beast with two short protrusions on its forehead, that gave it a bit of a funny look. Its fur was dark black, with blood-red splashes on its forehead and limbs.

Ashlyn watched the bear’s charge calmly, bowstring drawn to her cheek. Alan watched the arrow disappear with a sharp sound and then gaped as it left a fist-sized hole in the bear’s head. The beast was instantly dead.

“Wow,” Florence said.

“Fucking wow,” Alan eloquently added.

Ashlyn didn’t say anything as she got close and examined the corpse. She took a small glass vial with a wooden stopper. There were no makers of glass in the Sanctuary, but the trading system did have an abundance. She filled a few of them with blood.

“Can you hold them in your space? It’s for a skill,” she asked.

“Sure.”

It was at the end of the third day, after a particularly shitty night in the open, that they found traces of combat. According to Florence, it was where Davis had made his last stand. Ashlyn followed the trail only she could see and soon they were right at the entrance of the Dungeon.

It was nothing spectacular, a simple door made of rough stones, that led under the ground. The dirt was vaguely shaped like steps. Alan felt a strong sense coming from [First Pathfinder], much stronger than anything he had experienced during his experiments with the token. Space was weird there.

“Whoever was present on the fight scene, they went inside,” Ashlyn said.

“You think they brought him in?” Florence frowned.

“If he is alive, probably. It is entirely possible they left him for the maggots.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Alan took out his spear, and walked in, heart thumping in his chest.

A few steps in and a blue curtain appeared before him, undulating like water. It was like stepping through a cold waterfall that wasn’t wet. Everything disappeared for an instant, and then he was in a hall lit only by a chandelier of glowing red stones.

You have entered the Lower Buried Blood Fields.