Re:Creation Book 1: Allegiance

Re:22 - The Hunt pt. 2

Khel was still alive. He had no idea how long it had been, nor did he have any new information about this place, but he knew he was alive and for now, that was enough.

So far, his plan had been working in evading detection from the Hunter. Unfortunately, that meant Khel had to put himself in incredibly risky situations by hiding in multiple places that offered little shelter or no escape should he be found. Luckily, with fog as dense as what currently surrounded Khel, a simple overhang became a hidden safe room. Without fail, the Hunter passed by all of Khel's hiding spots.

Despite his success, Khel's stress had spiked dramatically. He was far too aware of the reckless nature of his plan, and if this were any other circumstance, he'd have been discovered ages ago. Khel's saving grace was the simple fact that the Hunter was simply too smart for his own good.

At some point, Khel came across a break in the confusing alleyways, and for a moment his heart leaped with joy. At last, he'd found his exit - his escape from this hellish fantasy.

Or not.

As Khel reached the edge of the buildings, he was met with a heat crushing sight. The exit from the alleys did not mean his freedom. Instead, Khel's current path intersected with a relatively wide road, the outlines of more buildings visible on the other side. This nightmare wasn't over yet.

After the briefest moment of self-pity, an important realization hit Khel; though mildly hazy, he could see the shapes of the buildings on the other side of the road. Given his previous experience with the dense fog in the city, he should not be able to see that far ahead of him. For whatever reason, the fog was much thinner over the road, as the cloudy wall on the other side seemed to abruptly stop with the buildings as well.

Khel couldn't tell if that was good or bad. After all, the fog had been an important factor attributing to his survival thus far. A thin blanket of mist would surely fail to provide the same levels of obscurity. Despite this, Khel knew that improved visibility would largely aid in his mobility, and possibly prove advantageous. A clearer pathway at the risk of exposure; Khel wasn't sure whether or not it was a worthy tradeoff, but he knew he wasn't getting anywhere simply wandering around blind.

Something else that caught Khel's attention was that the road before him was different than the others he'd seen thus far. Not only was it much wider, but it was laid with cobblestone rather than being a mere path of dirt and gravel. Surely the care taken to lay it must have meant that it led somewhere of interest, even if not directly to an exit. Either way, Khel didn't have much of a choice. This road was his sole lead so far and his only other option was to backtrack through his current section of the city. No, it was best to keep moving forward.

Stepping out onto the road, Khel made sure to keep as close to the buildings as he could, hoping to blend in a bit more with the shadows. He had no way of knowing what awaited him in either direction and while the mist was thinner than the fog, it was still impossible for him to see as far as he'd have liked. All he could do was pick a direction and just start walking. So that's exactly what he did.

Somehow, Khel managed to carry on for a few minutes without any trouble, which then made him wonder about the size of the city. Khel had been stumbling around in the labyrinth for what must have been hours upon hours. The fact that there was more ground he hadn't even stepped onto yet was astounding. Who knew how far the city continued past the cobblestone road? Was there another road with even more buildings beyond? Whatever the case, Khel knew that the city was quite large; information that he did his best to view as a good thing. After all, the larger the hunting ground, the greater the chance prey has of not being found. It was possible that Khel would never run into the Hunter again after getting away the last time.