Ch: 112.4 (Patreon)

Tabitha and I walk in silence with our heads on a swivel, each step taking us deeper into the Endless Forest. We had been walking for hours and had progressed less than I thought we would.

To the naked eye, everything looked the same with large trees as far as the eye could see, but Sense Mana revealed an entirely different world to me.

The mana around us was increasing at a visible rate, and as the ambient mana grew denser, it was easier for me to see where it was coming from. Also, where it was converging.

My job was to guide us down the path of least resistance, lest we disturb something we shouldn't in those mana-heavy areas. At least, that's how we started.

I have often compared currents of mana to ocean currents; some were small, some were big, and sometimes those currents classed with each other and swirled together, trapping the mana in a single region. The resulting areas were filled with significantly more mana than the rest of their surroundings, forming pockets of highly dense mana that looked oddly like a whirlpool to my eyes.

I ensured we didn't accidentally wander into one of those areas without knowing it. The problem is that the deeper we made it into the forest, the more frequent and more extensive these areas became.

We came across the first mana whirlpool roughly an hour after we set out this morning. The area was only a hundred feet across, meaning it was small enough to see from one side to the other. So we could tell there weren't any strong magic beasts around, and other than some overgrown berry bushes, the chunk of woodland looked the same as any other, so we didn’t have to divert for that particular whirlpool.

That first whirlpool actually helped me; the denser levels of mana were perfect for trying to recover my mana as fast as possible. However, I couldn't stop and absorb too much mana, because our goal was to leave the area as soon as possible.

We might not have seen anything dangerous, but one look at the ground and the hundreds of crisscrossing tracks littering it, even a child could tell the area was frequented by many beasts. And some of those tracks were quite big. So, we made sure to hustle through the area.

Now, if all the mana whirlpools we came across were the same as the first one, everything would be grand. But, sadly, they weren’t.

Twenty minutes after we left the first whirlpool, Tabitha and I ran into our second one, which wasn't nearly as small. The second whirlpool stretched far into the distance, and the mana density was near twice that of the smaller one.

We had to stop and discuss what we were going to do. Tabitha wanted to push into the whirlpool and circle its core, saying it could be fun. On the other hand, I reminded her I wasn't fully recovered yet, and that chances were good that multiple strong magic beasts might be living near or around the center of the whirlpool.

Many of the trees we passed on our way to the whirlpool had deep scratch marks around their bases. I wasn’t an expert on lions, but I was willing to bet the grey cat we saw this morning lived somewhere close by or something even stronger.

Thankfully, I was able to get Tabitha to come to my side, all be it by promising we would enter another similar whirlpool after we got used to the forest, and I fully recovered. So, instead of risking life and limb so soon, I led us around the whirlpool by following the most potent current of mana feeding into it. It took us two hours to circumvent it, but we eventually made it to the other side, unmolested by a single magical beast.

I wish that were the end of our problems, but that would just be me lying to myself. From then on, we ran into one mana whirlpool after another and were left following the currents between them like we were in some labyrinth.

It’s hard to quantify, but because of all the roundabout paths, we factored in that we're only moving at a rate of around 40% of what we were yesterday, which led us to where we are now.

“We must change course,” Tabitha states in a commanding tone. “Are you planning on spending months in the forest? Because that will happen if we keep doing what we are doing and stay on the path we are on now."

Biting my lower lip in frustration, I listen as Tabitha makes her point. Honestly, I’m surprised she waited this long to air her grievances. She hasn’t said anything since I got her to agree with me on initially avoiding the mana whirlpools.

“You’ve fully recovered your mana, haven’t you?” Tabitha’s eyes cut deep into my soul, daring me to lie.

My mana levels fully recharged thirty minutes ago, more than two hours faster than I thought they would, mainly because I didn't think to factor in the increased ambient mana around us. But I didn't want to say that, so I only nod my head in confirmation.

Tabitha’s lips slowly curl up into a slight smile. “Good; what about your health?”

I have to summon part of my status page to answer that question, but doing so reveals some positive news.

Health: 2,394.39/2,450

Stamina 1,317.24/1,666

Mana: 1,001.72/1,030

I had regained almost half of my missing Health already! Of course, my Stamina was depleted from all the hiking we'd been doing, but as long as it stayed above 1,200, I wouldn't feel that much of a difference.

"I'm doing surprisingly well,” I glance up from my status page with the first genuine smile I’ve had since yesterday. And I’m not sure if it’s all in my head, but since seeing part of my Health recover, the little aches and pains I thought I'd been feeling all day start to fade. I'm not back to 100% yet, but I feel better.

“Are you prepared to fight?” Tabitha asks me seriously.

I don't want to let Tabitha down, so I want to say yes immediately, but I hesitate before I muster up the syllables. And that single pause speaks volumes to Tabitha.

“Can you run?” Tabitha changes her question to one she knows I'll respond positively to.

“I can," I state with confidence. If it's one thing I'm good at, it's running, and Tabitha knows that.

“Then you have nothing to fear,” Tabitha smiles at me. “I won’t force you to fight anything dangerous like I did yesterday. And if we run into anything above your level, I’ll handle it for the two of us. But we can’t continue as we are; this isn't exploring; this is hiding. And a student of Master Pacore the Deathless never hides.”

Ouch, Tabitha can cut deep when she wants to. I let out a reluctant sigh, “I understand.” I know I’ve been letting my fear get the better of me, and I know I have an extremely talented guardian by my side, but it’s hard to move past what happened with the bird yesterday.

Tabitha nods at me with a pleased smile, unaware I still have doubts. "Good, then pick which way we are to go,” she motions left and right. We are smack dab in the middle of two giant mana whirlpools and have been so for the last thirty minutes. “I can’t see mana as you can, so you still need to guide us."

With how insightful Tabitha can be, I sometimes forget she can't see mana as I can. To her, it must look like I've been leading us down some imaginary path that makes no sense. And yet she followed me this long and hadn't complained once.

Now again it was my job to pick which way we were going. I glance at Tabitha to see if she has a preference, only to see her focusing most of her attention on me. She had her usual stony look plastered on her face, which left little to read, but I knew that was her just being confident in my decision. She trusted me to lead us or at least trusted her ability to kill anything we might encounter.

So, with no help from Tabitha, I take a second look at our surroundings. The whirlpool on the right roughly contained 17% more mana than the one to our left, but the terrain spoke of a different story. The forest floor was flat to our right, while the left whirlpool was situated over a series of small hills and valleys.

Did I pick the side with rougher terrain, banking on the fact the stronger magic beasts were to our right or did I go with the opposite?

I mull over the question for a minute before making up my mind. "Let's go right," I tell Tabitha. "The mana density is higher, but the terrain offers us a better field of view." I know I don't have to, but I feel the need to justify my decision.

“Sounds good,” Tabitha lazily replies. “Shall we?”

I can only grin at the noticeable pep in Tabitha's step and nod. "Let's pick up the pace."

**********

"Shit, they got us,” I curse our luck as I Flash Step to the side of an arrow coming at me from above. Why didn't I pick left?

“It appears so,” Tabitha casually agrees with me. “It isn’t like they’re much of a threat though,” she says, swinging her sword shattering two more arrows with a single swing.

“I don’t see how thirteen horned hobgoblins aren’t a threat,” I growl in annoyance. I was pissed that they got the drop on us, but also oddly a little impressed.

Tabitha and I never let our guard down, so that went to show how clever our adversaries were to get the drop on us. The goblins had been hiding in the treetops well outside Sense Mana’s range, wearing homemade ghillie suits of all things. Once we got close enough to the specific trees they were hiding in, they repelled down on ropes made from tree vines like in a goddamn Mission Impossible movie.

Three of the hobs were archers who tried to catch us off guard on their descent, but Tabitha and I could easily avoid getting hit in our own ways.

The goblins shriek in displeasure seeing us dodge and deflect their attacks; however, they don't seem deterred by our evident skill and choose to form up rather than run as soon as their ugly feet touch the ground.

I will hand it to them, they had a decent formation going, but they needed more goblins to box us in completely. The forest is too large, and even if the trees looked close together on a map, there was still a great distance between them.

“So, do we run?” I ask Tabitha without looking back. From my position, I could see all the goblins, and I wasn't going to take my eyes off any one of them for even a second.

“No, I don’t think that will be necessary. As I said, none of them are that strong," I hear Tabitha tell me in a light voice from behind me.

“What about not making me fight,” I grumble.

“I said I would fight anything dangerous or above your level,” she clarifies. “None of these goblins are even close to your level.”

And, of course, Tabitha was right. A quick scan of all thirteen goblins reveals the highest is only level 63, putting them eleven levels lower than me. The rest of them were in the mid to latter 50’s, making them only a tad stronger than the horned hob I faced during the goblin subjugation. Though, these goblins appear to have much better gear than the one I previously fought.

"Well, here we go again," I sigh.

"You Take the seven up front, and I'll handle the six coming in from the sides,” Tabitha instructs me, taking a few steps back before taunting the ones she said she would by making a come here motion with her arms and shouting.

I'm curious if the goblins are stupid or overconfident, but either way, Tabitha's taunting works, and the goblins break up exactly how she intended. Does she have a crowd-control skill?

Shaking my head, I clear all outside distractions and prepare myself for battle.

There was just enough space between Tabitha and me that we could react if something went wrong, yet we still had enough distance to fight our own battles. Technically there were now six goblins behind me, but I wholeheartedly trusted Tabitha to handle her part, so I focused on the goblins closing in from the front of me and my sides.

The only hobgoblin who didn’t move was the level 63 one. Instead, he stayed at the base of the tree he repelled from, choosing to bark orders rather than engage me. At least, I think he's barking orders.

It sounded like the large goblin was hissing and growling at his comrades, but seeing them subtly shift their positions after each noise he made, was more than enough proof that they were communicating on some level.

These weren't seven screaming goblins charging me; I was facing a team.

**********

2,200 words.

Sorry for how late this chapter came out. I wanted to have it done this morning, but I couldn't finish and edit it in time before I had to leave for my little sister's baby shower.

I hope you liked it, and as always, stay safe.