Chương 29: An Idyllic Morning Interrupted

Ch. 29 - An Idyllic Morning Interrupted It was sunny again when Wyatt woke up. There was a beam of sunlight coming through a broken window that was hitting Wyatt right in the face. He rolled to one side to avoid it, and instantly became aware of his bladder. It was time to get up. They'd gone to bed early the night before, lulled to sleep by the warmth of the fire and the luxury of being out of the wind and rain. Wyatt didn't think he'd stirred once all night.

Wyatt got up, stretched, then went outside to see to his morning ablutions.

When he came back inside, he noticed that Kit was nowhere to be found. The fire was still smouldering a little, so Wyatt stoked it back into life, and added a few more pieces of wood to it. He waited for a bit longer, but Kit didn't show herself. Figuring that she could take care of herself, Wyatt decided to stretch his legs while seeing about breakfast at the same time. He wasn't in the mood to dip into more of his dried rations, for all that the stew he'd made the night before had been tasty enough.

No, Wyatt felt like something more substantial. Wyatt walked out of the farmhouse, as he had privately decided to call it, and turned to give it a proper look in the sunlight. It really was a sturdy structure — if you just looked at the bottom floor at least. The mortared stone walls had held up remarkably well compared to the wooden upper floor. Wyatt could even see fittings on the wall where beams would have sat, extending outwards to form a veranda.

He walked around the farmhouse, noting that the outdoor covering would have run along the entire structure. Wyatt tried to picture what it must have looked like, with the second floor intact as well. It must have been a grand building at one point. Leaving the farmhouse behind, Wyatt headed down through the fields towards the stream he'd crossed the day before. The land here was just as appealing as the house, mostly flat, and running uninterrupted almost as far as he could see.

It really reinforced his personal theory that the dungeon used to be predominantly farmland. Apart from the occasional juvenile tree here and there, it was all open grassland. When Wyatt reached the stream, he took a few moments to admire it. It looked so different now that he wasn't wading across it in the middle of a storm. The water ran clear, with a gravel bed. Wyatt could see fish swimming lazily against the current, basking in the sun.

He even spotted what he thought were freshwater crayfish underneath the overhangs on the far bank, but they were more skittish than the fish and quickly hid from view. Wyatt washed quickly in the cold water of the stream, really missing the luxury of hot water. He wondered if there was any trick adventurers used to get around that, some kind of enchantment perhaps? Wyatt resolved to ask Lera the next time he saw her. After that it was time to get breakfast.

Wyatt could see that there were a number of the desiccated-looking shrubs with the dungeon fruit further downstream, but he didn't feel like fruit for breakfast. If Kit wanted some he could always get her some later. But for now he felt like protein. Wyatt retrieved his fishing spear and crept upstream from where he'd washed. He made sure to keep his shadow off of the surface of the water, and tried to make as little noise as possible.

It was perhaps overkill, as the fish in the stream didn't seem to be used to predation. Wyatt swiftly caught three of the large trout, and then gutted and cleaned them right on the banks of the stream. He threaded them through the gills with a piece of cord to make them easier to carry, and affixed them to his belt. Wyatt quickly buried the guts and scales of the fish in a small hole near the river. He didn't want to risk attracting any wildlife until he got a better idea of what kind lived in the area.

Then he refilled his water-skins, using his Skill to make sure the water was safe to drink, and headed back towards the farmhouse. It was even more apparent to Wyatt how good of a location this was on the way back. The land looked pristine, almost perfect. The woods behind, the stream providing a water source, lots of flat land … even the farmhouse on the small rise gave good lines of sight of the dungeon all the way to the horizon. Wyatt was smiling to himself as he reached the farmhouse.

He was just in time to see Kit emerging from the tree-line. Wyatt raised his hand to wave as he called out to her.

"Kit! Were you off exploring?" The silver fox had a definite bounce in her step as she sped up, streaking through the grass until she reached Wyatt. She seemed very interested in the fish he was carrying.' Yes, I was just seeing if there was anything interesting in the forest.'

"And was there?" Kit seemed to hesitate for some reason.

'… yes and no. The woods is more extensive than I thought; I was moving quite fast, but I didn't reach the far side. And the trees themselves are larger than any that we've come across in the dungeon yet.' Wyatt eyed the fox curiously, but she didn't offer any more information. Still, she seemed in a good mood, her eyes bright and alert. He smiled at her.

"So you're feeling better this morning, Kit?" Kit nodded at him, looking slightly embarrassed. She coughed.

'Yes, I am. Sorry … about yesterday. I know I was not at my best. It was shameful of me.' Wyatt raised an eyebrow at her confession. She seemed to genuinely regret her less than stellar mood the day before. Wyatt hadn't thought there was anything to apologise for, so he tried to be as casual as possible.

"I wouldn't worry, Kit. Travelling in the rain isn't pleasant for anyone. And I was the one who suggested we stop early, remember?" Kit blinked, staring a little uncertainly up at Wyatt. She gave him a grateful look, covering it with a sniff. This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

'That's true I suppose. And you have those long legs and were wearing a cloak. Really, there was no need for you to complain at all.' Wyatt hid a smile with his hand at her quick turn around.

"That's a good point. I'll try better in the future, I promise." Kit's voice stayed prim and proper, but her tail was twitching wildly behind her, signalling her amusement.

'See that you do.' Wyatt's face broke into a grin, and Kit let her jaw loll open in a silent laugh. He held up the fish he'd caught.

"Breakfast?" Kit bounced a little on her paws in eagerness.

'Yes, please.' Wyatt began to prepare to cook the fish.

"I'll need to collect more firewood after breakfast."' … there is a deadfall not too far into the woods. The trunk is far too big to attempt with that small axe, but the branches and boughs would suit.' Wyatt paused in setting up the grill over the fire. There had been a strange note of hesitation in Kit's voice, an echo of the same reluctance she'd had earlier when speaking of the forest. He nodded easily at her, wondering if something was bothering her.

"Good work, Kit. You can lead me to it after we eat." The silver fox sat down, eyeing Wyatt carefully.' So we are staying here?' Wyatt looked around in satisfaction at the interior of the farmhouse. There was still debris and rubble laying around, but it was dry and comfortable. Wyatt was already idly considering how difficult it would be to clean up some of the mess.

"I think so. There's no point in continuing to travel after all — we are supposed to meet Lera tomorrow at that ruin. It's less than a day's journey from here — I think. We can set out tomorrow around mid-morning. Why, is there a reason we shouldn't stay here?" Wyatt sprinkled some seasoning over the fish, preparing to place it on the grill. Kit flicked her ears about evasively.' Perhaps. Could I have one of those raw?" Wyatt gave the fox a long look, but shrugged.

He handed Kit one of the fish which she delicately took in her jaws and carried outside to devour in the sun. Wyatt started to cook the remaining two trout, wondering what was up with the fox. He could hear Kit still eating when she called out to him.' Wyatt, I was intending to talk to you about it yesterday, but …" Wyatt made a noise of agreement as he turned the fish over. He added a bit more salt.

"Yeah, it was distractingly miserable. What's on your mind, Kit?" Kit reappeared, already having finished her meal. She was licking her chops, grooming herself as she sat down on the bedroll.' … Goblins. What you said about them — you didn't actually mean you would try and speak to them … did you?' Wyatt thought for a few moments, staring at the fire.

"Why not?"' Wyatt, they would attack you.'

"Kit, I thought we'd already talked about this." Kit pinned her ears back as she looked at him.' We did, but it's been bothering me. Especially since …' Wyatt plated his fish, and sat down on a handy piece of rubble.

"Kit, what's going on? I know it's possible that they would attack."

'It's not possible, it's certain. They would attack because they would be sure that you were about to do the same to them.' Wyatt popped a piece of the trout into his mouth. It really was delicious.

"Yeah, I figure that's about right."

'Then what exactly are you planning on doing?' Wyatt gave her a look, letting a touch of exasperation enter his voice.

"Kit, I'm not planning on just walking right up to the first Goblins I see, if that's what's worrying you. I just meant that there might be a benefit in not simply attacking them on sight. And I was also thinking that if [Mask Presence] works on you, then it would probably work on Goblins as well." Kit cocked her head at that. She pawed at her face, looking a little embarrassed.

'Ah.' Wyatt sighed.

"You thought I was going to do something stupid, didn't you?"

'No, not at all.' Kit's twitching tail gave lie to that statement. Wyatt gave the fox a crooked smile.

"Look, nothing might come of it. But if Orcs can talk, Goblins can as well, right? I could get close to them, watch and listen … I might learn something."' There is still an element of risk, Wyatt. Your Skill isn't perfect, I would notice you if you got too close to me. I think.' Wyatt folded his arms, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I wasn't planning on walking up to them and sitting down around their campfire, Kit. I would still keep my distance, just get close enough to overhear and watch them."' Oh. That's probably alright then.' Wyatt couldn't quite suppress the note of sarcasm in his voice.

"So glad you approve! Now, will you finally tell me what's bugging you?" Kit sounded evasive again.' What do you mean?'

"Kit, please. You've been evasive all morning, I can tell there's something on your mind."

'I don't —'"Kit …" Kit sighed, giving in.

'Fine. It's about the forest, Wyatt. I caught scent of something while I was exploring.' Wyatt swiftly made the connection, the reason why Kit had been so uncharacteristically ambiguous, and why she had been asking about his intentions.

"You sensed a monster? Kit did you — wait, did you smell Goblins?"

'I did.' Wyatt glanced around the room, thinking furiously about how long it would take to pack up their belongings, then he paused. He sat back down, calming himself. Whatever her intentions, Kit would have said if there was danger. Wyatt took a deep breath, addressing the next important thing.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

'I … wanted to be sure of your intentions first.'

"And what, if we were leaving after breakfast you just wouldn't have mentioned it?" Kit looked at him, alarmed by the hard tone in Wyatt's voice.

'I would have! Just —'"Not straight away? Kit, You can't keep secrets like that. I wouldn't do that to you." Kit withdrew in on herself.

"It wasn't keeping secrets. Not exactly. I would have told you.' Wyatt shook his head. He gave the fox a hard stare, fixing her in place.

"Kit. Don't do that again. Okay? You don't get to decide something like that on your own." Kit's eyes were wide as she looked up at Wyatt, her fur puffed up. Then she slowly relaxed, nodding.

'You're right. I'm … sorry, Wyatt.' Wyatt waved it aside, already turning his thoughts to other matters.

"Apology accepted. Now, I take it the Goblins aren't close to us?" Kit edged a little closer to Wyatt, sitting against his leg.

'No. They are in the woods, but they are skirting the far side. I didn't see them, but I think they've been there for a while. There was no scent of them in the centre of the woods, or anywhere near this side.'

"Do you know how many?"

'I'm not sure. Ten at the most.' Wyatt thought about it, looking about the farmhouse. His heart rate sped up for a moment, before he calmed himself down. Wyatt wouldn't allow himself to feel nervous.

"Okay, here's what we'll do. After we clean up, I want you to lead me to them. We'll both be careful, and I'll use [Mask Presence]. You'll be in my shadow."

'Alright.' Wyatt continued, planning.

"We'll get as near to them as is safe. I want a closer look at the Goblins. See what they are like when no-one is attacking them. If my [Danger Sense] goes off, even for a moment, we'll retreat. Got it?" Kit nodded as Wyatt got to his feet, his mind elsewhere as he started to put their belongings away. He hoped he wasn't making a mistake, but it was also an opportunity that he couldn't pass on. The deaths of the Goblins and the resulting attack by the Orcs had never left Wyatt's mind.

He could still remember the look in the Goblin's eyes as he killed it. He could still remember Marie's face as she died right in front of him. Wyatt refused to be pulled into the cycle of violence in this world. He wanted to forge his own path. And to do that, he needed to find out more.