Trapped in Another World With No Magic

Chapter 35: The Search Draws Closer

Sergeant Treia and Lieutenant Gwenesphia have been tracking Daniel through the Demon Wildlands since leaving Fort Peony. They have to be especially cautious, since there are an untold number of species of monsters and animals in the Demon Wildlands. They each have their own hunting methods and prey, and some are even cunning enough to be a threat to two gatonines travelling together. Their sense of smell is better than a human's, and they have a lot more experience in the wilderness than Daniel should, given how he spoke of his experience. And, though a little difficult to track at times, they have managed to continue following his bootprints where he stepped in mud, small fire places where he made camp, and in general, his scent, which both of them are familiar enough with, thanks to the weapon he made.

No one from the east side of the mountains can confirm what happened to Daniel, but the fact that his boot prints are travelling alone since leaving the Dattakorien village indicates that, in spite of the hostility they were met with trying to gather information, it is Daniel himself who is on a solo journey deep into the Demon Wildlands. That means that, not only did he somehow deter the attack from the dragons, but he also defeated the escorting force and drove them back, safely visited two villages hosting two different races of demon kin, and continued on without falling victim to the very monsters and animals the two gatonine women have to avoid as well.

Gwenesphia asks softly, "Treia?"

"Yeah?"

"How do you think he did it?"

"What? Survive this long?"

"Well, that too. But, more specifically, defended the fort."

"I don't even know anymore. One minute, he assaults a princess. Next, he fixes magic devices without having any magic of his own. And now, he seems to have stopped a dragon. I can't wrap my head around any of that coinciding with any other part."

"Agreed."

"As for surviving... Did you notice those bags the demon kin use?"

"I saw everyone in the Dattakoriens had them..."

"Magic bags of some kind. I'm not sure the extent, but I'm guessing those things hold a lot more than they look."

"You think so?"

"Gotta be. Daniel can live frugally, but he still has to have supplies. He probably snagged at least one of those bags, and keeps it full of supplies."

"How was he able to speak to the villages, do you think? They were somewhat neutral to us until we mentioned we were looking for him."

Treia sighs. "The cynical part of me defaults to him doing something to tick them off..." She smiles a little sheepishly at Gwen when the latter frowns at her. "But... From everything I know now... It's more likely that he helped them for free, and they're protecting him."

Gwen smiles, adding tenderly, "Yeah... That makes sense."

Treia crouches, inspecting a small campsite. "Definitely looks like another of his. And, look there." She points ahead in the rough direction they've been travelling. From their current position in the forest, they can both easily see a humongous fortress. However, their sharp eyes tell them what is most notable about this fortress; it is no human or normal demon kin construction. It is a mountain unto itself, towering over the world and casting a shadow on many of the villages and lakes of the wide rolling valley in which they rest.

Gwen whispers, "The Citadel..."

"The what?"

"The Citadel. My grandfather used to tell us stories about it. He said that there was an ancient fortress in the demon wildlands that used to be a place where all races could gather and share wisdom and merriment."