A cohort of four enforcers draped in grey cloaks pause and look towards the west--- eyebrows rose as they tried to glean the cause of such a big commotion.
"Do you reckon that's the guy?" One enforcer asked.
Silence prevailed for a moment before someone responded.
"Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised." An enforcer comments, looking up from a jade tablet.
"He's always on the move," he remarks, pointing at a red dot within the jade tablet.
"How then are we supposed to catch him?" The other quips
"You are a ranger, aren't you?" A better dressed enforcer interrupts, his voice laced in mockery, "Figure it out, Darrin."
"Yes, Captain!" The guy salutes.
The captain lets out an exasperated breath, staring at the flickering red dot before storing the jade tablet.
He clears his throat, garnering the attention of his juniors.
His index point to the west,
"Let's go investigate," he declares, "Keep your heads on the swivel, the boy is crafty."
Darrin chuckles,
"Ye' got something to say, Darrin?" the Captain's piercing gaze locks onto him.
"Pardon me Cap'n, " he says, "But he's just a kid."
"Tsk, your arrogance will be the end of you. "
A feminine voice snaps
"Just sayin," Darrin lifts up his arms
His comrades ignore him, walking off.
"Hey, wait up!"
The foliage parts as the cohort silently make their way towards the source of the commotion, warily scanning the canopy and foliage for any sign of danger.
Slowly they advanced--- but now the commotion had subsided.
By the time they reach their destination the jungle had gone silent.
You wouldn't think that a great upheaval happened a couple of hours ago.
The cohort comes before a flattened out patch of the jungle.
They get to work examining the area, making deductions and recreating the events.
"I doubt this was the work of the kid." The female enforcer remarks, her fingers brushing against crimson spatters on the leaves.
"How so?" The other enforcer questions.
The female enforcer looks up from examining the leaves.
"Look around," she gestures, "Does this look like something a novice is capable of?"
Darrin snorts, agreeing with her.
The Captain silently regards them, not saying a word.
"Well, Irene, what do you think happened here?"
"Most probably a territorial clash." She responds
"Cap'n, how should we deal with this?" The guy questions
"Mhrrg," The Captain grunts, looking at the jade tablet in hand
"His movements are too frantic, for now we follow the tracker, he's bound to sleep, eventually. " he continues
"Sweet, catch him unaware." Darrin draws, his grin widening in gleeful mirth.
*****
A floating notification chimes,
[Ding! A soul fragment obtained]
Rain ignores the notification, he pants as he looks down on his reflection upon the pond's calm waters, grunting as he massages his bruised face.
His face contorts in pain as he washes off the caked blood, retrospective, he'd chewed more than he could swallow.
His back rests against an oak, recovering underneath its shade--- or rather he attempts to relax, but an unsettling feeling surges again and again.
Restless, he stands, looking up the oak tree.
"Kai, throw me some,"
He calls at his beast companion who was busily munching on acorns.
"Kai-"
A couple of acorns land by his feet.
"Thanks, boy...and also for helping me out back there."
A frustrated sigh slips his lips, the little weasel was ignoring him---or rather, too focused on eating.
With nothing to do, considering the hot mid-day sun, he seats back down, recreating the past battle.
He analyzes the exchange, realising he wouldn't have done any better, the odds were stacked against him.
"If I only had more skills." he murmurs under his breath.
"Wait! I can always learn."
He facepalmed, realising it just then.
And so, he racks his mind, trying to glean insight on learning a new skill--- a movement skill preferably.
His introspective session spans close to half an hour.
Rain abruptly stands up, a smile covering his swollen lips.
For the past few days, the shadows had been more responsive to his urging and prodding.
They were no longer taciturn, slowly stirring at his command.
Therefore, he chooses to focus on this, further stirring the shadows beneath his feet.
He does this again and again, further stretching past its limits--cursing as they flickered and dispersed.
"Ahh! Fuck it" Rain curses, kicking the oak trunk only to hurt his toes.
He winces, pissed off and angry, yet the pain still shoots up his foot.
And so, he removed his boot, blowing cold air to soothe his throbbing toes.
Calm and composed, he throws himself back onto his attempts at learning a skill, any skill--- that was how frustrated and desperate he was.
More attempts beget failure, again and again.
He could now stretch his shadow close to nine feet--- yet still not content.
His goal and aim?
We will never know.
He pauses to catch his breath, catching a new train of thought.
"What if I wrap the shadows around me?" he muses, immediately testing out his theory.
His face bursts in a gleeful grin, gradually transforming into a satisfied laugh.
Reason being?
Two dings sounding in rapid succession.
He gazes at the floating notifications,
[Ding! Skill learned: Shroud]
[Ding! Skill learned: Basic Shadow Manipulation]
Quickly, he wills the complete status sheet to open.
Name: Rain
Race: Iksana
Rank: Novice
Saturation: 17.4%
Soul Fragments: 4/100
Legacy: Embrace of Shadows
Aspect: Shadow manipulation, Domain of Souls[Restricted]
Shades: 0/2
Companion: Kai
Titles: The empath
Insignia: Unshackled
Skills:
Domain of souls[Restricted]
Basic dagger mastery
Greater poison resistance,
Appraise
Stealth>> Shroud
Basic shadow manipulation
[The shadows accept you as their kin]
He focuses on the skills.
[Appraise]
[Use soul signature and records of items to glean its information]
Apparently, [Stealth] has received an upgrade to [Shroud]
He smirks, proud that his efforts are rewarded,
Stealth]>>> [Shroud]
[Your presence is further muted by a shroud of shadows, happy skulking]
He deduces that a skill can get an upgrade or evolve depending on what records have been infused...or how it has been intuitively executed.
With that out of the way, he examines the last one,
[Basic Shadow manipulation]
[Your skill and proficiency in controlling shadows grow]
"How vague," Rain exhales
The next couple of hours pass as he familiarizes himself with the new skills.
Casting and further experimenting with the skills, getting content, he racks his mind, riding the momentum in trying to glean more insights.
His focus was now emphasized on a movement skill--- he desperately needed it, for evasion or even fleeing.
The beating still resounded within his mind.
Heck! The bruises were still tender and sore!