I was still feeling sluggish and seriously considered retreating to the cave again, but the deep, angry growl from my stomach made the decision for me.
Thankfully, the area around me was relatively open. The cliff at my back kept the forest from fully surrounding me, so I waited, tense and on edge.
'You're still glowing like a beacon,' Luna observed.
'I can see that, Luna. You've got something ready, right?' If the world before wasn't an illusion...
'Umm. Hm. Nope.'
'What?!' This mess was piling up with questions, but I doubted I had time to unpack any of them.
'Would you really want me to lace something you're about to eat with poison anyway?' she shot back.
Fair point.
I edged a little closer to the cave entrance, just in case something too strong showed up. Running was still a valid strategy.
'Peter, move!' Luna shouted with sudden urgency.
I didn't think and I leapt to the side. A thin object whizzed past me, just barely grazing my cheek. It looked almost exactly like one of my own spiritual objects.
Heart hammering, I panted. 'Ho—how did you see that and I didn't?' We were sharing vision. My True Sight was active. I should have seen it.
'Practice, maybe? Or maybe we're not syncing perfectly even now. Just focus on the fight!'
But something else caught my attention. Whatever the Voidseed was doing might've been slowing me down, just a little, but that projectile… it definitely slowed as it approached me too.
There was rustling from beyond the tangle of killer foliage, the sound of something dashing around with ease in what I had assumed was a death trap for anything not rooted in the ground.
I caught small glimpses, blurs of fur darting between the trees. Fast and agile.
I raised my hand, the needle poised, ready to strike as soon as one of them made a move, but nothing came. Just more rustling… and more shapes. There was definitely more than one.
Before I could get drawn into another fight I wasn't ready for, a voice rang out.
"YIELD."
Wait, what? A human? I think?
I inched back toward the cave entrance, just in case, but when the rustling stilled at the word, it was clear the command was meant for the creatures.
I held my ground and watched as a man stepped carefully through the underbrush.
No, emerged was the better word. He looked like the embodiment of "wild." Tattered, leather-like pelts for clothes, and a beard thick and reddish-brown that draped over his chest. Behind him trotted six dog-like beasts, each barely knee-high and definitely not housebroken, if the drool dripping from their fangs was any indicator.
His eyes widened when he saw me, then shifted to surprise. He went from slow steps to a light jog, his enthusiasm reminding me too much of a big guy who really liked hugs.
My spine instinctively recoiled.
"Stop right there," I said, trying to sound calm despite the slight panic tickling the back of my throat. I didn't miss how the dogs were pacing just behind him, eyes locked on me like I was an appetizer.
To his credit, he stopped.
"Why did you attack me?" I asked, eyes flicking between him and the nearest mutt.
He looked genuinely confused. "I was hunting," he said quickly. "These ones ran off on their own. I didn't order an attack."
I glanced behind me and noticed a small, clean hole in the rock wall, only a knuckle deep, but way too precise for nature to take credit.
'If those things can use spiritual objects like that…' Luna mused in my mind.
Yeah. That level of precision didn't scream instinct to me. It screamed training, and more than that, there were animals that could use abilities.
He didn't seem comfortable with silence. "How did you get here?" he asked, voice rough around the edges. "I haven't seen someone else in…" His words trailed off, voice cracking at the end.
If he was playing for sympathy, it was working.
Judging by his appearance, and I use that term generously, he hadn't been near a real bath, much less civilization, in a very long time. His reddish-brown beard was a wild tangle that fell to his chest and spread across his face like it was trying to claim territory. But I figured it was a choice. People like us could carve through rock if we really wanted a razor.
And this guy? Someone who could keep six beasts tamed, beasts that could launch spiritual attacks with precision? He wasn't helpless. Not even close.
His clothing or what passed for it, looked like it was stitched together from pelts and rawhide. Primitive, but sturdy.
"I… swam here," I said, which wasn't exactly a lie. Based on his face, though, I might as well have told him I flew in on a mythical creature made of candy.
As if sensing my discomfort, the pressure in my body eased. The beacon I'd been radiating, the Voidseed's signal, dimmed until it was finally gone. I suddenly felt much lighter, freer.
"I'm just so rel—"
*Grrrrrrr.*
His sentence was interrupted, not by a beast, but by the deep, undeniable growl of my stomach. A small wave of heat rushed to my face as he grinned, clearly trying not to laugh.
"I'm Marcus," he said, pulling something from a pouch at his side, a divine item.
I didn't even need to activate any perception. My entire being zeroed in on the strip of dried meat as if it were the crown jewel of existence.
I caught it midair like my life depended on it as he tossed it.
"Peter." I shoved the meat into my mouth and finally let the needle I'd been holding behind me dissipate into the air.
Marcus settled onto the dirt and rock. "Peter, that's some skill you got there," he said, clearly having seen the spiritual object before I made it vanish.
I walked a little closer, still keeping a careful eye on the dogs. They might've been cute under different circumstances, but the hunger still smoldering in their eyes made that a hard sell.
Marcus let out a quiet laugh. "They won't do anything unless I say."
'Didn't he just say they ditched him?' Luna noted dryly.
I didn't sit. "I've got a lot of practice, sure, but that's nothing special. What about you? Those guys yours?" I nodded toward the pups, some of which were now lying down around him, tails flicking lazily.
"My Blessing," he said, simple and vague.
I glanced at the forest behind him. "And the jungle of death back there? How've you been moving through that without getting turned into tree food?"
His gaze dropped. He hesitated before answering, "Experience."
There was a heaviness to the word. Whatever he meant by it, I didn't press.
He looked up again, meeting my eyes. "We're both keeping things close to the chest. I get it, but this place is dangerous. If you're willing, I can lead you back to my home."
My cave had its perks, namely being a cave, but "home" definitely sounded better. More welcoming anyway, and realistically, what could he even take from me? My book? Maybe. Some meat through me for his drooling little monsters? Probably, but survival was easier with allies, and he didn't seem like the type to stab me in my sleep so far.
"I appreciate that. I'll help hunt or do whatever if you've really got somewhere to rest. I've got... a few things I need to fix." I patted my gut. "And eat."
"Good," he said, brushing off his patchwork pelts as he stood. "Stick close. Step only where I step."
We started out slow. I mimicked his movements as the pups bounded ahead, totally at ease in a forest full of things that could kill you just by brushing against the wrong plants.
"Sooo," I started, doing my best not to break stride. "Got any tips? Anything useful about this place?"
Marcus shrugged. "Nothing you wouldn't figure out after a few days of staying alive."
"I'll take what I can get."
'Ask him if he's seen any blue grass!'
'Yeah, I'll get right on that, maybe after we finish chatting I'll lead into your bloodsucking ancestors.'
Marcus suddenly leapt, clearing a good four meters over what looked like a perfectly safe patch of ground. He landed with practiced ease and shifted aside, leaving room for me to follow.
"Don't trust empty spaces with this stuff on the ground," he warned, plucking a purplish leaf from the edges of the clearing.
I landed beside him and looked expectantly.
He sighed. "You're definitely gonna have to help with the hunting." He pulled a scrap of dried meat from his pouch and tossed it into the center of the clearing, and the reaction was instant.
The ground convulsed. No, it snapped like a jaw slamming shut. Dozens of blade-like leaves curled inward with terrifying speed, devouring the bait. A low rustle followed, like something deeply satisfied with its tiny appetizer.
I stared at the empty patch, wide-eyed, already mourning the fallen snack. "Okay. I'll just take your word for it next time."
Marcus chuckled. "Good idea."
We kept moving as he shared what he knew. "That blue light? Comes from somewhere above. While it's up, most predators don't come out. But once it drops..."
I nodded, catching the unspoken warning. Still, one thing didn't quite add up. "Then how do you even hunt during the day? If predators come out at night, doesn't that mean their prey's active while they're out?"
"'Most' is the key word," he said grimly. "There's still danger in the daylight."
As we moved, he pointed out plants and terrain to avoid. If something was particularly nasty, like the trees, he made sure to emphasize it. But otherwise, his advice was simple. Stay alert, don't trust anything, and never assume something's safe just because it's quiet.
'My question.' Luna reminded.
I sighed. "Have you seen any patches of blue grass anywhere?" I held up my hand, showing a strand. "Like this?"
He turned to glance, then shook his head. "Is it useful?"
Hmmm. "Mostly just annoying."
'Rude,' Luna grumbled.