NOVGO.NET Chapter 178: Search For The Elf
POV Cornelius
I asked around near the eastern city gate, but couldn’t find anyone who could answer my most important question. I did meet several people who had seen the dark elf in the city, but that had been several days ago. No one had seen her recently. This confirmed my suspicion that she was no longer in Hartdome City.
Having come up empty-handed, I returned to our lodgings. There I ran into Ansgar, who was sitting in a chair with his head hanging down. He jumped when I entered the room and looked at me expectantly. At that moment, he looked like a little puppy when its owner came home. Unfortunately, all I could do was shake my head. After all, I had nothing positive to report. I wanted to voice my suspicion only once everyone else was present as well.
A short time later, Eli returned. Ansgar lifted his head again, but Eli didn’t seem to have brought any good news either. She shook her head as well and then sat down next to me.
Javier was the last to return. When he entered the room, Ansgar didn’t lift his head anymore. He had apparently given up. But I could tell right away from Javier’s face that he’d found something out. He looked at us and pushed his glasses back. He always did that when he knew something none of us else knew.
“Hmm, Ansgar, don’t worry—I have some information for you that’s worth hearing.” Javier
“Huh? What?” Ansgar, lost in thought, snaps out of it
“Hmm, if I say so myself. I have some important information about a dark elf that might interest you.” Javier
“Javier, stop beating around the bush and just spit it out. I don’t have the patience for your grandstanding right now.” Ansgar
“Hmm, stay calm and don’t get worked up. I’ll tell you what I’ve found out.” Javier
“Javier…” Ansgar
“Hmm, no need for threats. That won’t help us solve your problem. Now, about the information. I happened to run into a traveling merchant in one of the Hunters’ Guild’s libraries who had arrived in town a few days ago. It was very early in the morning, and he was one of the first there. He was waiting for the city gate to open so he could enter the city. While waiting, he noticed a very unusual group of travelers. The group consisted of three men and one woman, plus a person wrapped in a hooded cloak. He assumes it was also a man, since he was the tallest of the group.” Javie
“Do you have a description of the woman?” Ansgar
“Hmm, of course. She was a beautiful young beastwoman with black hair. Doesn’t that match your description of the dark elf’s companion?” Javier
“That’s true, but even if it is, as long as the elf wasn’t there, it doesn’t do me any good.” Ansgar
“The hooded figure could still have been the elf. Didn’t you mention yourself that she was very tall when you ran into her?” Cornelius
“I don’t remember that. I had my eyes on something else. Maybe? Damn it, why can’t I remember properly!” Ansgar
“Hmm, according to the merchant, it was a man. Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell me anything else. I had to ask him several times before it even occurred to him that there was another person there. He seemed to have trouble remembering the last person in that traveling group. But the beastwoman looked exactly as you described her to us. It’s safe to assume that the last woman was the one you’re in love with. At least she doesn’t seem to be in town anymore.” Javier
“I can confirm that. I asked a lot of people, and many of them remembered the dark elf. But none of them had seen her for several days, so I also assume she has left town.” Cornelius
“But we don’t know for sure. What if we follow the group and they’re still in town? That would be a disaster. Does the merchant know anything about their destination?” Ansgar
“Hmm, just guesses. He entered the city through the East Gate just as they were leaving. They had five horses with them—very beautiful and strong horses. He remembered that very clearly. He could also remember one of the men just as clearly. He was young and strong, with a very distinctive hairstyle and a bare torso. He thinks he’s seen that hairstyle and those clothes before among a nomadic horsemen tribe from the east. They live a semi-nomadic lifestyle and roam the vast prairie with their herds of horses.” Javier
“How do we get there? Now it’s getting exciting.” Cornelius
Javier pushed his glasses up, but then shook his head. Whenever he does know or didn’t know something, he’d make that same gesture.
“Damn it, I still don’t know what to do. Cornelius, help me.” Ansgar
“It’s all right, Ansgar, don’t worry. All is not lost yet. I suggest we stay here another two or three days and keep looking. If we still don’t find anything, we’ll head east. That travel group certainly stands out. People in the next town will have seen them and will remember them.” Cornelius
“Thanks. I can always count on you.” Ansgar
“Hmm, then we’ll keep looking tomorrow. It’s getting late, and I’m hungry.” Javier
The others agreed, and we called it a day. We planned to continue the search tomorrow, hoping to still find some useful information.
POV Eliza
The next two days passed quietly. During the day, we rode eastward through the city. Betty continued to chat enthusiastically with Hattar, while I had to wrap myself tightly in my cloak because the sun was beating down relentlessly from the sky. As a result, I noticed almost nothing of my surroundings and had to let my horse lead the way.
Around noon on the second day, traffic on the street increased noticeably. Although I couldn’t see them and could barely hear them, I had other senses that were highly developed, allowing me to perceive them. Since I had nothing else to do, I focused on using those other senses. I realized I could sense when someone was approaching me and when they were moving away—simply as a presence. However, I couldn’t tell who or what was approaching.
With this additional sense, I was able to distinguish between my companions, since I perceived them with varying degrees of intensity. I could sense Bishop most strongly, while I didn’t notice Duke at all. The sense didn’t react to the horses either, but it did react to Betty’s falcon. I perceived Betty and Hattar with roughly the same intensity, though Hattar was stronger. I assumed that with this sense, I could perceive the mana inherent in people or beings.
I had some trouble with the third sense. With it, I perceived the horses most strongly, followed by Duke. This time, Bishop was the weakest, while the other two were about the same, though Hattar was also stronger to sense here. I came to the conclusion that it reacted in some way to the life force of beings. But that’s where my problem began.
I had a brief conversation with Bishop that evening by the campfire about what senses he used to sense people or animals.
“What senses? You mean aside from sight, hearing, and so on? Most of us have a skill that responds to presence. It’s the most basic one and is taught to most people. The three of us all have it. As a priest, I’m gifted with magic and can sense the mana someone possesses. As far as I know, I’m the only one who has this skill, and it’s very difficult to improve it, let alone master it. There are certainly mages who can do it, but I don’t know any master.” Bishop
“Do you know of any other senses people can have?” Eliza
“Yes, I know of many more. The three of us also have the ‘Sense Danger’ skill. It’s a kind of warning signal that goes off when you’re in immediate danger. You should have that one too, if I remember correctly.” Bishop
“And the second one?” Eliza
“I only know about that one from stories, and I hope I never have to experience it firsthand. It’s the ‘Sense Life’ skill. It’s supposed to let you sense the life force of beings. The more HP someone has, the stronger the skill reacts.” Bishop
“That sounds very practical. Especially as a healer, I can imagine it being very useful for identifying critically injured people who have very little HP left.” Eliza
“In theory, you’re right, but the reality is probably different. The only ones known to possess this skill are vampires and other sinister monsters, as well as devils and demons. I don’t want anything to do with them. Luckily, none of us have that skill—otherwise I’d have a problem. The Church forbids the skill because of its origins. What’s wrong, Leo? You suddenly look so pale. Did I scare you with that story?” Bishop
“What? No—or maybe I did. I don’t know.” Eliza
“Let’s leave it at that for today. We can talk more about it in a few days, even though I don’t know anything else about it. And now I’d better make room. Someone’s already waiting eagerly to sit next to you.” Bishop
Bishop stood up and walked over to Duke. Meanwhile, Betty came closer and sat down next to me. She rested her head on my shoulder and calmly told me what she’d learned that day. She’d started telling me that evening what she’d learned from Hattar about the magic of familiars. I was only half-listening, since something else was really on my mind. Bishop said that only vampires and other dark beings knew this skill, but I could clearly sense the life force of the others. This afternoon, we’d come across a cart with an injured person lying on it. I could clearly sense that he had far fewer HP than the others who were there. Did I have this skill, or was it a different one after all? I didn’t feel like a vampire, and I didn’t want to be one either. I fervently hoped that I wasn’t one. My vulnerability to the sunlight was already a problem. I didn't want it to become worse.
That night, I took out the note from the guild listing my skills after the exam. My senses weren’t listed there—presumably, the artifact couldn’t identify them. That didn’t help me at all. I definitely had a skill that could do that, but when did I acquire it, and why? That question kept me up all night, and I was correspondingly tired the next morning. I definitely didn't get enough sleep, even though Betty's closeness and warmth next to me were very soothing.