Lament of the Slave

Chapter 133: Weasel

I made it to the realm of Esu. That in itself was strangely soothing.

All I had to do was push my way through the thicket at the edge of woods, get behind the first row of trees, and a sense of relief flooded me. That first breath of heavy, moist air, rich with the smell of decaying leaves I took, made me feel like I had come back home.

What the bloody hell, right? My home back on Earth didn't smell like this. Yet, even though I couldn't explain it, I felt that way. And with that, what my mind tried to lull me with was a false sense of safety.

The notion that couldn't be further from the truth.

There was no army of mossbears waiting beneath the treetops, intent to face an enemy who would dare to enter their woods. Actually, there wasn't a single one of them, only trees and more trees.

Why would they be here at the edge, anyway?

As far as I knew the last time we, I mean the slavers and Shadowbreakers with me in a cage and under a tarp, made it to the clearing in the middle of the Old Road through Esulmor without encountering a single mossbear. Sure, it hardly spoke of where they lived. If anything, it told me that if they didn't want to be seen, they weren't.

But...where were they now?

Were they so oblivious to what was happening on their doorstep?

I simply refused to believe that. They were out there somewhere; I was sure of it. It was just a matter of getting them to act.

Just like last time I was here.

The similarity between my current visit and the previous one did not slip by me. Just like then, I was desperate. Less than a week ago, I was worried I would end up as a slave again, now as bird food. A slight difference there, not the only one, though. On my last visit to Esulmor, I had no idea what I was doing when I raised the challenge to Esu, prepared to die. This time, I was bracing myself for the call, fully aware of the consequences.

Making the call itself was another matter. When it's hard to catch your breath, it tends to be even harder to shout, and me rushing through the woods on all fours made it exceedingly difficult.

Sure, I could have just used my presence. I've learned to do that! However, it didn't carry that much punch. Or so far, for that matter. I still had a lot to learn in that aspect.

Not the call I needed right now. My call had to be heard as far and as clearly as possible. And so, without stopping my rush into the heart of the woods, I slowly gathered my breath and let it out in one mighty roar when I found the opportunity.

The call echoed among the woods, hurting even my own ears, while my presence ripped away from me, shaking the nearest bushes and trees.

Two hundred levels stronger than when I issued my challenge, it now carried my plea for help, nothing more. That's all I was able to put into it in my rush, and there was no reason to say anything else. From what I learned, the beast liked to keep things simple and straightforward. So why announce my despair when it would make me only a bigger wimp in the eyes of the mossbears. It wouldn't get them to me any faster, and so I deemed it utterly pointless.

All that remained was to hope that my plea would reach the ears of those to whom it was addressed. If not, I was bound to try again and again as I made my way deeper into the woods, their territory and their home. My home? I shook off the feeling again, chalking it up to my tier three beast change.

It wasn't long before I got a response to my plea back, and my ears twitched at the rustle of the trees above as the beast flew over me. Not the answer to my call I was looking for, but what I feared would come. Regret for my actions found no place in my heart, though. I had to try, and I'll try again if I get a chance.