Chương 33: Chapter 32

I opened my new notification the moment I was safely in bed. You have advanced the Tier of your Path! Path of Infiltration I (12/10) Reward: 1 Extra Skill Slot, Skill Seed (Infiltration) (Lesser), 2 Unallocated Stats My fist pumped beneath my blanket as I tried to keep from shivering. The sweat from my nighttime foray clung to my skin and in the cool night air it felt like little spheres of ice growing out of me. Even that couldn't reduce the happiness I felt at my first successful Infiltration.

I hadn't expected to get so many steps from the single attempt and wondered if it was due to how close I got to the prospectors and how many of them there were. Or perhaps it was just because it was my first time. It could have even been inflated by not getting nabbed by whatever the shrieking, flying creature was. I didn't know, and without revealing my foolishness to my mum, I wasn't going to know. So, I moved on.

Now that I had achieved the first tier, I needed to decide what to do with my rewards and then swap Path of Infiltration back to Path of Aethersensing. The Unallocated stats went into Talented, bringing it to one-hundred and forty eight. Just two more and I would be getting a thirty percent bonus on all my Paths, and with Path of Climbing close to completion I knew where those Unallocated stats were coming from. The extra skill slot was something new and I looked at how they were displayed on my Status.

Skills (1/4) Muffled Steps (Minor) - 20 I knew that Minor Skills only took up one slot, while Lesser Skills would take up two. I hadn't asked about more powerful Skills yet but I assumed they would take up more slots again, which left me wondering about what to do with the next notification. Free Skill Slots available. Would you like to use your Skill Seed (Infiltration) (Lesser) to gain a Skill? When I didn't answer immediately another option showed itself.

Would you like to receive your Skill Seed (Infiltration) (Lesser) as a physical object? Did I? I had held off with the Skill Seed for a Lesser Stealth Skill because I barely had enough aether to progress my Muffled Steps. But it seemed like I would have enough Skill Slots to use either the Infiltration Skill Seed or my Stealth one in my little hidey hole.

Added to that was how Gramps had told me that Path of the Completionist would also reward me with additional Skill Slots which should mean I had some more available soon. Even though the new skill would level more slowly, Muffled Steps Skill had proved priceless. Having another skill option just seemed like a must have. So, I bit the proverbial bullet and mentally selected accept on my Infiltration Skill Seed. Skill Seed (Infiltration) (Lesser) used. Three available Skills.

Controlled Grip - Minor improvement to your finger strength. Lesser Nightsight - See slightly better in the dark. Reduce Scent - Slightly suppress your personal scent. The first thing I noticed was how all three options were pretty closely related to the task I had carried out. Improving my grip would've made climbing in the window quicker while still maintaining my silence. Gaining Nightsight could have helped me scan the sky for threats better.

Finally, Reduced Scent was a little less obvious but may have been because I smelled more than the potion I had been liberally spreading. In fact, the only reason the prospectors probably didn't notice me was that they smelled even worse. The question was: which option would serve me best? I ruled out Nightsight, not because it was bad, but because I had a potion for it tucked away in my nook. The remains of the potion I had used tonight were safely stored next to some shiny rocks and a Lesser Skill Seed.

Because of course I had kept some of the potion. You know, just in case I needed it for something. Like evidence for Gramps. That left Reduce Scent and Controlled Grip. The former was almost entirely for stealth, though I supposed it might see some use if I was ever allowed out into the forest around us. Controlled Grip on the other hand had multiple uses, particularly climbing and my swordsmanship. In the end, that made the decision an easy one. When in doubt, choose the option that gives you more options.

Controlled Grip appeared in my Skill List, and my number of available slots went from three down to one. I wanted to test the skill right then and there, but with no aether left I decided it was finally time to rest and allowed sleep to claim me. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. I woke up late the following morning, or at least late for me, which meant the sun was already past the horizon.

The noise that had woken me repeated a second time, the voice of someone loudly complaining downstairs. Whatever they said was thoroughly muffled by the door and distance. Standing up I tiredly got dressed and stumbled downstairs, my stomach leading the way as it demanded nourishment with quiet gurgles and groans. Reaching the bottom floor I found the source of my early, or late I supposed, awakening. The prospectors were back, and looking a little worse for wear.

Last time they had eaten at the outpost they had looked a bit dirty. They still looked dirty with the addition of the pitted eyes and lethargic movements of those who hadn't slept well.

"Bloody bastard bit me right on the head! Look at this shit," grumbled the bald one, pointing at a swollen red bite on his forehead tiredly.

"Think one of those trees we chopped down must've had a nest in it!"

"Yeah, should've seen the roaches and flies in the food. Looks like they got in there last night. We're going to have to buy some more supplies as I ain't eating that crap," muttered another in agreement. Insects, I thought. That's what that potion does. It attracts them, though that bite looks like it was done by a spider. My mother chose that moment to come out of the kitchen carrying some fresh toast and eggs.

Today she wore a sturdy, dark green, woolen dress with a cream coloured apron tied around it and her brown hair done up in a bun. I waited to see how the miners would react but they all just quietly grumbled their thanks and refused to meet her eyes. She stroked my hair as she swept past me heading back to the kitchen.

"I'll make you some breakfast, sweetheart." I just smiled and glanced back at the miners. They were watching her leave but rather than ogling, as they had done previously, they looked wary.

"Maybe it weren't the logs," mumbled Baldy.

"Maybe she's a witch. You know they can cast curses like that on a man or a house."

"What are you talking about, Griff? If she were a witch then why are you eating the breakfast she made?" said one of the others with a snort as he stuffed his face. Griff mumbled something I couldn't hear before one of the others pointed out that they needed to set up their mine sooner rather than later else they would run out of coin paying for breakfasts and new supplies. The discussion moved towards their mining plans and I tuned them out after that.

Heading to the kitchen, I enjoyed a quick breakfast before trundling off to the old man's office. Etta was already there and she waved when I entered. She was in her usual homespun wool and furs with her hair up for sword practise this afternoon. Gramps didn't say anything at my late entry, though he did shoot me a questioning glance before he got back to work. The day passed quickly, with the usual lessons and swordplay that followed. When dinner came around, the common room was mostly empty.

The Kellins had joined us for dinner, and I was left to amuse myself on the rug while Cornelius had a drink with Fred. By the fire, Mum and Jennifer were also having a chat. I listened in, eavesdropping as always, while practising my sword forms with a wooden practice blade. Mostly the discussion was about when Jennifer would give birth and what their plans were, which just seemed like adult problems to me and something that might happen in my far future.

I was only four after all, filled with a desire for adventure and to explore this vast world and all the things within it. I went to bed that night, sore but happy, which is why it was such a surprise when I was gently shaken awake. Something large loomed in the dark over me, and I felt a moment of fright until the haze of sleep cleared enough for me to recognise Gramps.

"Wassit?" I tiredly asked while rubbing my eyes.

"Jennifer has gone into labour. Your mum has gone across to the Kellins' to help but we need to fetch Magatha and it's not safe for Fred to go wandering around in the dark on his own. Your mum asked me to wake you up and let you know in case you woke on your own and found the outpost empty," Cornelius explained.

"So, you're going to go get Mags?" My voice was half-tired and half-worried. I'd never been alone in the outpost before let alone at night.

"It'll be fine. I'll lock the place up before I leave and I will be back as soon as I fetch Mags and escort her back to the Kellins' place. You'll be fine, Bastian. Be brave." In the dark, Gramps bright blue eyes were almost luminous and I nodded woodenly. He waited a moment to make sure I was alright before he stomped out of the room, fully clothed and rugged up against the cold outside.

The outpost was silent except for the thud of his boots on wooden steps followed by the creak of the front door and ending with the click of the lock falling into place. He had departed and I was alone. With no one else around, all the sounds of the house that were normally so comforting were brought into a sharper focus. I leaned up against the wall and pulled my fur blanket up around me. Every groan and scrape of the outpost as the wind whistled through mountains outside was like nails on a chalkboard.

I don't know how long I lay there, just listening to the sounds of the night, when a new noise joined the gentle orchestra of my home. This one was discordant, a weak scratching sound that ran at odds to the wind and wood. I pulled my blanket tighter and watched the door, almost missing it as it crept into my room, little nose tilted and sniffing the air. Its beady eyes shone almost red in the dark as it spotted me.

The rat and I stared at each other, eyes locked in fierce contest as I waited for it to run away like it had every other time. Instead of running though it crept closer, step by step, with such a slow cadence that it looked unnatural on the small rodent. I couldn't help but feel slightly mesmerised by the way it stalked forward, more like a hunting cat than a fat, little rat. Halfway across the room now, it continued to move towards me, clawed paws scraping quietly against the wooden floor.

I couldn't take my eyes off the odd little creature. My window rattled, drawing my attention towards it. The moment my eye contact with the rat broke I suddenly felt normal again and all the thoughts of focusing on the rat fled my mind. Fear crawled up my spine as goosebumps broke out across my skin like a spreading rash. The rat had been doing something to me, mesmerising me somehow. I needed to see what it was doing but couldn't look back at it for fear of being drawn in a second time.

Glancing at the door, I knew I needed to escape. I tried to stand and disentangle myself from my furs when the sound of claws catching on wood and a horrible hiss came from the one place I knew I couldn't look.