Till Dawn

Streets were bustling and the lights were on even though the time was now well into midnight, adventurers and merchants alike could be seen roaming the streets much more than usual, with all the energy they had for the day unused they made their way to the taverns, restaurants, and even brothels to spend them

"Damn it! Today was supposed to be an easy escort back to Calico, now I have to wait another day to see my wife"

"Man we're lucky if we even get to keep the escort mission at all, this darned lockdown doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon"

"So what, their gonna keep us locked in here? Il rebel, rebel I tell you!!"

"Yah sure, lead the way to the viscount with your beer in hand, we'll be right behind you, hahaha"

The passing adventures and drunkards complained for the umpteenth time, it was either this job, that mission, his wife, his daughter, her one-year-old, it was to the point Yu wanted to puke every time he heard them talking

'Bunch of loudmouths'

Ever since the morning just after dawn when he realized he was cornered he had been staying at the bars near the wall, pretending to be drunk while he watched the caravans go in and out, looking for clues to his escape

"This is bullshit hick!"

Maybe the adventures talk wasn't the only thing making him want to puke, the few mugs of beer he'd downed could have been a factor as well

"Beer tastes crappy"

He complained to no one in particular but his comment made the surrounding adventures laugh at him, teasing him thinking he was dumped

"Hey kid cheer up she ain't the last chick in the world"

"Yah, stop mopping around my floor and calling my drinks crap, if your so hung up on a girl go to the brothels and weep in one of those girl's bosom"

Even the tavern owner chipped in, he really didn't want to see the kid so sad, it was bad for business!

"You guys don't understand, nobles are so unfair, you get away from one problematic bunch and another starts poking at you, they are unrelenting as they are greedy"

He spoke his true feelings, feeling very wronged to have been chased down by nobles from his first arrival to the world till now, ignoring the fact that he caused the last chase by stealing

"Ahh, I see your problem kid, you got used by one of those snobby beats for a mission perhaps?"

"Look at his scrawny build, how can he be an adventurer, I'm sure he is a merchant, I bet ya some little lady took a liking to him then threw him away, I say those women are spoiled rotten"

"Ay, I agree, I sure love hearing tales about them though, what do you say lad, wanna share a..few?"

When everyone looked back from their conversation to the kid they found him absent, it seems he'd gotten out amid their talk

"A quick one he was, we didn't get to hear his story"

An adventure spoke but everyone shrugged, they just wanted to pass time after all, and the owner was happy the freeloader was gone

"Hmm? That rascal didn't pay!"

....

Away from the bustling streets, at the back of one of the abandoned alleyways, the swaying figure if Yu was walking unsteadily back to the inn

"Nobels huh, why didn't I think of that"

He grumbled, his mood still sour even though he figured a way out

After making it back to the inn he didn't enter and went to the bathhouse next to it, ordering a bath of his own for a little extra money

String together the unknown syllabus he summoned Lyra out and called her into the water

"Haaah, a hot bath is the best"

"Wu wu?"

Lyra nudged him with her nose, not to ask for a wash but if he was okay, his emotions were spiralling out of control and she could feel it, it was as if he felt empty on the inside, void of any hope for life

"I'm fine I'm okay"

He comforted but both of them knew he wasn't, the constant pressure he had pilled up ever since he was thrust into this world was finally catching up to his human mind, no matter how adaptable and a try-hard he was he still was from a rather peaceful world, this great change in a very short time put him on overload

"We will get out of here in one peace I promise you, then I will look for someplace safe to relax a little and cope with the new life I have to live, we will back at their necks in no time though don't worry"

"Wuuu"

She rubbed against him, showing her trust, splashed water harshly in his face telling him it was time to stop his emotional wreck and wash her already

He gave a wry smile at her shift if attitude and started to go through her hair with the new comb he bought

"Humm, hmm, hmm hm"

"Wu, Wu Wu Wuu"

As he hummed while grooming her she wooed along, closing her eyes and moving along the tone of his voice

The two enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere for as long as they could, relaxing from the tiresome reality even for just a bit

****************************

"Squee squee"

"Nothing again? Are you sure this was his energy?"

Seeing the bat come back once again bearing no news of the trader's location its young owner started to doubt the baron's information

"Yes, I'm very certain of it, the barrels were with him for a while after all"

Mund replied with a trembling smile that did nothing to flatter the young son of the viscount, it was already beyond obvious that they wouldn't be able to find the man as they had been searching from dawn till midnight

"In a few hours the sun will come up while we have been searching all over the White Woodlands, whoever your chasing either has so much tome they are willing to walk all over the dangerous land to spread their energy or we've got the wronged one picked up"

Obviously the latter was the right answer but if the baron said so then the search would end, this meant he would have unimaginable losses, he would lose his treasures, his money, his elemental water, and most importantly his grimoire!! Thus he could only insist

"How could it be anyone else's energy, especially since it led to the White Woodlands where he escaped, it must be him"

The man knit his eyebrows in thought, he wasn't as annoyed as he was confused, his bat instantly caught the energy signature and went flying toward this place, granted it hovered over a few areas on the way, but it couldn't be more certain that the energy was here, furthermore based on its actions he could tell that the energy was moving and didn't disappear meaning the person was still roaming this place, else how could an energy signature last so long in such a wide-open place

"We will search till dawn while speeding up our pace, thin out the formation to cover more ground, we won't let him lead us by the nose in circles"

He ordered the small army but received quick objections

"Sir, if we thin out the formation we will be very susceptible to beast attacks"

"Indeed sir, many would die to the scattered packs around these areas, please reconsider"

"Hmm"

They made sense but at the same time he knew the baron would fault them for not doing their best if he didn't do this which meant he would be able to cut down on the payment

This put him in a predicament where he had to choose between the lives of his men or the huge taxes he would get

"We will move as I ordered, have the men stay alert and call for reinforcement if they spot anything they couldn't handle, now move out!"

He decided without a second's delay, what were the lives of a few men compared to the great income, he could train soldiers whenever he needed them but couldn't get good opportunities to suck the bloody baron dry like this all the time

Thus with their fate unknown and their hearts heavy the soldiers marched in a fan formation into the depths of the White Woodlands, chasing after a fleeting shadow they knew not the dreaded reality of