Skill Hunter: A LitRPG Adventure, page 35
Ryan’s nose wrinkled. “Using your power to lord it over me? I see how it is.” He lifted his spear, unbarring the way.
The other guard followed Ryan’s lead. He glanced at Ike apologetically.
Just following orders, huh? Ike snorted under his breath. I know your type. Using someone else’s authority to enjoy the ability to abuse others while taking none of the blame. You don’t get a pass.
They entered the town. Ike paused a moment, keeping Loup at his side. “Don’t run off now, girl. Someone might mistake you for a monster.”
Loup looked at him. She sniffed his ankles, then huffed and followed beside him.
They walked down the main street. At this hour, things were quiet. All the shops were closed, and the few stands that sat at the roadside were empty. They walked alone.
Ike glanced around. I wonder if there’s a square or a corner somewhere, where I can set up my tent? Then again… He twisted his lips. That sounds like an excuse for Ryan to come beat me up. Maybe I should sneak back over the walls and sleep outside.
“Would you like to stay with us tonight?” Tana offered.
“Huh? Oh—uh, sure,” Ike said, nodding. Solves that problem. He scratched the back of his neck, barely resisting the urge to look at the castle that dominated the town. So? Am I about to stay in the nicest digs in town?
“Right this way.” Ket waved for him to follow as he cut down a narrow alley. Full of anticipation, Ike followed.
Rather to his surprise, Ket guided them to a run-down house up against the wall. It was built of stone and constructed better than his uncle’s villa, but that was about all he could say. The roof was missing tiles. Ivy covered one wall, so thick it completely coated two of the windows. The tangled remains of a garden crumbled in the small yard in front of the house. Water stained the thick wooden front door.
Ike gazed up at it, his brows high. Not the palace I expected. Did I guess wrong? Maybe Ryan was just being sarcastic, after all.
Ket walked up the stairs and unlocked the door. He pushed the door open, letting Tana enter first, then followed her in. Ike followed at the back, Loup walking at his side.
Inside, the bare stone walls and floor had a mustiness to them. The air was still, as if no one had entered the space in some time. Ket snapped his fingers, and a dozen balls of light materialized overhead, putting the dust, cobwebs, and disrepair in sharp contrast. In the dark, the hallway had looked unkempt. In the light, it appeared as if no one had touched a broom in the last half century.
Ike licked his lips. Yep. I’m definitely picking up that Tana is not the current ruler. “How long were you gone?” he asked, half joking.
Ket glanced at him and smiled. He looked around him, nostalgia in his gaze. “It has been a long time, hasn’t it? I haven’t been back to my house in decades.”
Oh, this is Ket’s house. He glanced between Ket and Tana. In other words, Tana’s status is still up in the air. But then, if she were the queen, she wouldn’t stay in some random mage’s house, right? There’s definitely something weird going on here. Something I haven’t quite grasped.
“The rooms are on the second floor. Tana has the suite at the end, and I sleep in the room beside it. Anything else is available to you,” Ket offered. “If you need anything, just let me know. I have plenty of things in storage.”
“Thanks,” Ike said.
“The doors lock and the rooms are warded, so you should be safe inside,” Tana added.
Ike frowned. “Is there that much danger in this part of the Abyss?” If so, then why did they build the town here? I was safe enough sleeping under the stars with a wolf back toward the waterfall.
Tana and Ket exchanged a glance. Tana stepped forward. “It’s not… this part of the Abyss, so much…”
Ike’s eyes flickered between their faces. Understood. So those weird feelings I was getting about Tana’s situation aren’t all in my head. Abyssal might be a small town, or clan, or whatever they call it, but it’s still a nest of mages. And that means power struggles and infighting.
“Thank you for getting Ryan off my back. And thank you for offering me a place to stay,” Ike said, giving them both a short bow.
“Please, don’t worry about it,” Tana said with a benevolent smile.
“Before you thank me, at least let me clean the place up,” Ket replied. He looked around, then walked forward to a small, circular space where the hallways intersected. There, he clapped his hands.
The sound rolled through the walls. It ruffled Ike’s hair as it passed, and he closed his eyes, squinting against the force of it. When he opened his eyes again, the entire space had changed.
The cobwebs and dust were gone. The walls gleamed, as if they’d been made of polished stone all along. Overhead, the balls of light distributed themselves and changed tone, from a harsh, bright white to a warm yellow. The air became fresh and clean, all the must and stillness gone from it. Tapestries Ike hadn’t even noticed on the wall stood out in vivid colors, inviting him to take a moment and peruse the hunting scenes they displayed. He stared around him, flabbergasted. “What was that?”
“A handy little skill, that’s all,” Ket said with a small grin. He gestured them on. “Come on. Let’s set our packs down, and I’ll see if I can’t cook up a bit of dinner for us.”
“Oh, for dinner…” Ike dug into his pack and pulled out a hunk of rooster meat, wrapped in the rooster’s own skin. He’d cut it off while he was stripping the feathers. Of all the meat, it had exuded the most mana, and he’d been loath to leave it behind, especially when he didn’t know when he’d be able to get back to the rooster. It would be a shame to let it rot. But it would make for an excellent guest gift, given that Ket was letting him stay here for free… or so he hoped. “What do you think about this?”
Ket’s eyes widened, and so did his grin. He waved his hand, and a gust of wind stole the meat from Ike’s hand and landed it in Ket’s. “Give me a few minutes. I have some spiritual herbs that would pair nicely with this. We’ll all have full stomachs and full cores by the time the night’s over!”
With that, they parted, Ket to the kitchen and Ike and Tana to their respective rooms.
63
THINKING
Instead of the musty old building he’d expected from his first entrance, Ike found himself climbing the stairs of a fine manor up to the bedroom. A lush red carpet stretched under his feet. Narrow windows gazed out at the town, where moonlight silvered rooftops and faintly lit the streets. On the second story, he picked the first empty room from the stairs and stepped into a sumptuous room. Thick carpets. Heavy drapes on the broad diamond-paneled windows. A deep four-poster bed with fine curtains stood against the wall. Opposite it, a fireplace opened. It was dark for now, but wood awaited, in case he grew cold. A few orbs floated overhead, lighting up the space.
Loup looked around. She sniffed at the floor, then jumped up on the bed. Stretching out, she rolled around on the bed, her tongue hanging out, a goofy grin on her face.
“Enjoying it, girl?” Ike asked. He slung his pack off his shoulders and set it against the wall.
Loup made a happy grumble in her throat and kept rolling around, rubbing her whole body against the bed.
Ike snorted. I’m going to have so much wolf fur on my bed.
He pulled out Rosamund’s head. She glared ferociously at him.
“Sorry. I don’t think you want anyone seeing you like this, though, do you?” Ike asked.
Rosamund glared, but just a little bit, she shook her head.
“Right. They might think you’re a dark magic artifact or something. I did it for your own good,” Ike told her. He loosened the gag.
“Sure you did,” Rosamund countered.
“Yeah, fair. Hey. How common are human-sized dolls among mages?”
She furrowed her brows. “What?”
Ike’s eyes widened. “That’s right, you were in the bag. Ket and Tana took me to this place where there’s a whole army of human-sized dolls. They kind of look like you, actually. So I was wondering if that’s a common thing among mages or not.”
Rosamund shook her head slowly. “I’ve… never heard of any skill like that.”
“Except for whatever made you.”
Her eye twitched. Her mouth started moving erratically.
I probably shouldn’t remind her. Ike cleared his throat and quickly kept talking. “It’s unusual, then?”
“Yes. I’d say so.”
“Hmm. Because they were wearing the uniforms of a different city, apparently, but they did really look like… er, another human-sized doll I saw recently,” Ike said, quickly replacing the word you.
“Roquefort, I bet. They’ve been after our city for decades,” Rosamund said darkly. “What color were they?”
“Uh, brown, with red stripes…”
“That’s Roquefort. Quickly! We have to warn father,” Rosamund urged him.
Ike held his hands up helplessly. “I don’t have a way out of the Abyss. Besides, Ket and Tana tried to warn your father, and they were stopped. If a Rank 3 can’t reach your father, how is a Rank 1 like me supposed to?”
“They were stopped?” Rosamund furrowed her brows.
“That’s what they said. They were a little light on the specifics,” Ike replied. To be fair, it ended with Tana cursed and both of them under the thumb of an asshole hunter, so they probably don’t want to recount all the gory details. I’d imagine it’s hard for Tana to hear or talk about.
Ket… There was something in the way he said it that gave me pause. I should seek him out alone when Tana’s not around. See if there’s more he has to say that he’s not saying out of consideration for Tana.
“But… that doesn’t make sense. Father can enter the Abyss. He should be able to see the army himself. Unless… unless there’s something blocking his senses…” Rosamund frowned.
Ike raised his brows. That’s a good point. Her father can enter the Abyss freely. I’ve seen it happen myself. I don’t know if I have as much faith in his senses as Rosamund does, but it does make it a bit strange that he didn’t notice Ket or Tana all the way on their way to visit the city, or all the way back. Does that mean he wanted them to fail? But…
Ike shook his head. Sitting back, he pursed his lips and thought to himself, putting all the evidence together.
An army of puppets in enemy attire. Rosamund’s a puppet. The city has low magepower compared to the other cities. Puppets are rare among mages.
There are two options.
One, this enemy city, Roquefort, has not only replaced the city lord’s daughter right under his nose but also planted a troop of enemies in the Abyss right outside his city. That requires a lot of subterfuge. It does kind of explain the city lord abandoning Rosamund, but, eh, I feel like there’s a lot of skill on Roquefort’s side to make all of this work out. Especially replacing the city lord’s daughter without him realizing. It also doesn’t really explain why the city lord walked out of the Abyss with a new Rosamund without him caring. I mean, sure, I guess I could see a scenario where he used the fake Rosamund’s destruction to rescue the real Rosamund, but… it feels too convoluted.
Option two. The city lord created Rosamund as a puppet for some reason. I don’t know why, but Rosamund is kind of the missing piece in both scenarios. This means the city lord has puppet-making skills. All the puppets are his, even the ones in the Abyss wearing Roquefort uniforms. In this case, the city lord walking out with a new Rosamund makes sense. All he needs to do is make a fresh puppet, and Rosamund is as good as new.
It doesn’t make a pretty picture. I don’t like it. But if the city lord lacks powerful mages, what better way to make up for it than to have your enemies fight one another instead of you? Create a fake army that looks like your enemy city, Roquefort, and have them fight your other enemy city. It doesn’t matter if your puppets win; they just have to start the fight convincingly, then escape. Once the other city is enraged, they’ll attack Roquefort, and from there, you have your war. And when they’re done, swoop in and pick up the scraps.
He took a deep breath and turned toward the door. “I think I need to talk to Ket.”
“You mentioned them earlier. Who’s Ket?” Rosamund asked.
“A friend.” Ike put the gag back on and tucked her back into the pack. She struggled, annoyed, but was powerless to escape. Ike stretched, then looked at Loup.
Loup wiggled around on the bed and stared at him, her mouth open in a happy smile.
“I’ll leave the door open, but feel free to stay,” Ike said, chuckling a little. He went to the door.
Loup rolled around. She stood and hopped down, trotting over to Ike’s side.
I wonder how Ket will feel about dogs in the kitchen…? Oh well. If I need to, I can send her back upstairs. Ike headed down to the kitchen, full of questions for Ket.
64
ROOSTER AND SPIRITUAL HERBS
Ike headed down the stairs to the kitchen, Loup at his heels. He came out into a cozy stone space. Herbs hung overhead in bunches. Bottles of oil and wine sat along the wall at the rear of the countertop. Ket worked over an open fire at the back of the room, stewing the chicken in a wine-based sauce. He sprinkled a handful of dried herbs over the pot, then glanced up. “Hey. Hungry?”
“A bit, yeah,” Ike said. Beside him, Loup lifted her nose and sniffed, curious.
“Well, sit back and watch the master at work. Did you know that there are mages who use all their skills to become chefs?” Ket asked, turning back to his work.
“Oh, really?”
“Yep. I’m not one of them, but there are mages like that. There’s also mages who devote their entire lives to becoming healers or potion masters.”
“I know about that,” Ike said.
“It’s a pretty similar set of skills; did you know that? Between potion masters and chefs, they both need the same basic skills. After all, when you think about it, the potion masters are just making herb stew,” Ket pointed out. He stirred the pot. Lifting the spoon, he tasted the broth, then added another sprinkle of dried herbs.
“I did not know that. Makes sense, though,” Ike said.
Ket nodded. “Right? So what did you come down here to ask me? Or did you just come down to watch the pot boil?”
Ike leaned up against a countertop. He watched Ket cook for a moment, then sighed. “When you said you and Tana failed.”
“Hmm?”
“To deliver the message to the city lord. How, exactly, did you wind up… in that situation where I found you two?” Ike asked.
Ket sighed. He stirred the pot, then set the ladle down. Moving to the door, he checked the hallway, then shut the kitchen door. He leaned against an opposite countertop and crossed his arms. “I take it you’ve guessed at Tana’s rank in the city?”
“I’ve… made guesses,” Ike allowed.
Ket snorted. “Smart kid. Never admit exactly what you know.” He glanced at Ike. “She’s the daughter of the previous queen.”
“The… princess? Wait, but the queen is dead…” Ike fell silent. Royal ascension is more complicated than it seems, but if she is a direct line princess, she should probably be living better than “Ket’s musty old house on the edge of town.”
Ket looked up. His eyes flashed with dangerous light. “Among mages, blood means little in the face of strength. Between Tana and myself, I have more right to claim the throne.”
Ike’s eyes widened. A second later, he narrowed them. But then, Ket’s subservient attitude…
“But I have no interest in the throne,” Ket said, waving the tension away. “I’m a wanderer, a dead man. I’d rather support Tana’s claim than take it myself.”
“So you’re the true source of Tana’s claim to the throne, then,” Ike said.
“Not quite. Blood still counts for something, and there’s traditionalists who support Tana for her lineage, and they don’t care whether she’s a powerful mage yet or not. But… it wouldn’t be incorrect to see it that way,” Ket allowed.
Ike nodded slowly. “I take it there’s other people who want the throne, then.”
“Correct. Very correct. In fact, the throne is currently occupied. It’s only by the graces of the occupant that Tana and I are still allowed within the bounds of Abyssal… though I suspect that will change soon,” he added darkly.
“Ryan… Is he a follower of the person on the throne right now?” Ike asked, suddenly realizing something.
“Ryan is his own problem. But yes. He is employed by the Arkfes Family.”
Then, the trouble that they ran into, was it caused by Abyssal infighting? Ike wondered.
Ket cut his eyes at Ike. “I tell you all this to provide context. To offer that there is another explanation for the events that transpired. But I do not think Abyssal’s infighting is the reason we failed to deliver our message.”
“No?” Ike asked.
“No.” The pot began to boil, and Ket turned, stirring it back to a simmer. He stood up straight again and looked Ike in the eye. “What I’m about to tell you doesn’t leave this room. Understood?”
Ike nodded. “Understood.”
Ket paused for another few moments, watching the pot. Just as Ike was beginning to wonder if he’d ever speak, he looked up. “When we set off, all was as usual. The Abyss was no more or less dangerous than usual. But once we left the Abyss, we were beset by powerful beasts. You know the large monsters that come out once you’ve hunted too many of the little ones?”
“Yes,” Ike said. In his mind’s eye, he could see the giant toad or the enormous rooster. To some extent, even the Salamander was somewhat like that.
“We call those Kings. King of the Forest, King of the Swamp. They’re nearly impossible to find unless they’re provoked. But two were waiting for us when we exited the Abyss.”
