Tracking a Poison flowered serpent was both easy and difficult, Liliana came to find out. Now that they knew what they were looking for, signs of it being active in the area were more obvious. Dead animals, foam or blood coming out of their mouths, were far more obvious to be poisoned. Originally, they’d assumed another creature had been responsible, a predator moving into the area after the flowered serpents had been eliminated.

The diet of flowered serpents was unknown. Some thought they were herbivores, on account of their Nature affinity. Others argued that as they were serpents they must be carnivores. The dead creatures implied they were at least omnivorous, or that their affinity impacted what they ate heavily. Granted, this was speculation as if a snake ate something it would be hard to tell, as they ate it whole and they found corpses. It implied it was learning to hunt, or was highly territorial and aggressive.

There were a few times the trail had been fresh, and yet they hadn’t found anything even after hours, the trail disappearing quickly. She’d felt eyes on them more than once, Lelantos getting anxious during those times. Something knew they were here and was following their progress. Liliana’s nerves were high-strung as a result, jumping at every rustle in the bushes, a spell or skill primed and ready. The guards weren’t doing much better, and Liliana knew they could feel the presence, too. They all wished whatever it was would just attack them already so they could stop jumping at shadows and wind.

Setting up camp was worse, the feeling of eyes on them strengthening. Whatever was watching them did not want them there. The surrounding energy was hostile, to say the least. Their tents were clustered close together and Liliana doubted anyone slept well that night. She knew she didn’t. Lelantos stayed up the entire night patrolling the camp and even when asleep, Liliana had [Astral Projection] active as she did her own patrolling. She could always see whatever was following them right at the edge of her range before it vanished.

Their third, and last, day came and Liliana felt the stress wearing on her more than ever. They had to find the flowered serpent today, or they’d never get a chance. She knew the villagers hadn’t attacked yet. All the guards carried emergency beacons on them. If the camp was attacked, their beacons would light up with a specific color and code that would tell them who had lit it. In the event that their beacons lit up, they were to take her and Emyr back through the woods to Ariowood, circling far from Timberborn and the camp. If they encountered a problem and needed aid, they were to light up their beacons to let the camp know their situation.

However, even if the village hadn’t attacked yet, it was still an obvious chance. Liliana didn’t want to place any bets that they wouldn’t. So this was her last day. She had to find the serpent, bond it, and get it away from this area. Yet as they followed trail after trail with no quarry to be found at the end of it, her fear she’d be going back empty-handed rose.

Still, that presence mocked them, the eyes lingering on them remained. Liliana knew it had to be the flowered serpent they were looking for. It knew they were here, and had little interest in letting more humans find it. Trying to follow the feeling of the beast gave as a little reward as tracking it, the sense of eyes vanished and they were left stumbling through the woods. Only for the sense of being watched to return an hour later from a new direction.

You’ve reached the requirements for the general skill [Perception]. Would you like to accept the skill?

Liliana had opened her notifications while they took a small break. Her shoulder blades were itching with the weight of the gaze on them, but she ignored it. She was used to hostile looks by this point, and while unlike the gazes of the servants at home, the being behind this look could kill her easily, her old experience still made it easy to ignore.

Looking at the skill, Liliana accepted it. She’d been wondering when she’d get this skill. It was one of the harder ones to get naturally, according to her research into skills, anyway. Typically, most only got it as a result of a class. Getting it naturally meant one had to be able to detect hidden beings or disguised attention, which wasn’t exactly easy. And one had to be able to do it regularly, meaning one basically had to already have the skill before it was granted by the System.

Perception

You’ve shown an inborn ability to detect the unseen, to sense that which should be hidden from the senses. Increase your natural ability to sense others around you, their attention on you, and their intent. Ability to detect in a wider range, more concrete ideas of direction, intent and levels of those hidden will be unlocked at higher levels.

Liliana closed out her system and activated the skill. Like most of her general skills, it was more subtle than a skill or spell. As a result, it didn’t drain her Mana or Stamina but the gains from it were less obvious. It made the sense of eyes on her stronger; she thought. It also made the sense that what was watching them wanted them gone more noticeable. Liliana rolled her shoulders back, trying to shake off the malice she could feel in the air.

She looked over as the guards straightened up and waved that they were ready to head out again. Liliana climbed onto Lelantos, her weapon held in her hand. Time to try to track down a creature that didn’t want to be found. It felt like a joke, tracking down the very thing that was tracking them. Yet what else could they do except hope that it slipped up and let them find it?

As the sun made its journey through the sky, time ticked down for them to find it, and everyone was getting irritable. Emyr had entirely taken to the shadows, and the guards were snapping at one another more often than not. Liliana was holding her own temper with fraying reins. Every time one of the guards stepped too loudly, or raised their voice over a whisper, she wanted to shout at them. They were supposed to be tracking a creature, not alerting the entire forest to their presence.

She held her tongue, though, not willing to let go of it and suffer the consequences. Her anger had been one of the things the pendant had latched onto. Her hot blooded temper had given an open invitation to a darker being, and that scared her. What if, even in her spatial storage, it somehow latched onto her anger again if she let it free? Did it mean her anger was inherently wrong? If some malicious, arguably evil, being tried to nurture it? Liliana wasn’t sure, wasn’t sure if she should be ashamed of her anger or embrace it. So instead she struggled to control it, to not let it overtake her for fear of what it would mean.

As twilight set in, the guards finally called a halt, and they all backtracked to a clearing that was suitable for camp. As they set up camp, Liliana watched on, anger and disappointment heavy in her gut. They had failed. She had failed. Tomorrow they’d make haste back to camp, and she’d go home empty-handed.

“Lady Liliana, come eat,” a guard called out, and Liliana turned in her saddle.

She and Lelantos had been staring at the darkened forest where she could feel the eyes watching them. Reluctantly, Liliana slid off Lelantos and dismissed her weapon to join the guards in their dinner. Lelantos stayed where he was, in a staring contest with what lurked in the woods. Liliana picked at her dinner, her appetite gone.

As she settled down to sleep, shame rolled around her. Her father would be disappointed in her when she returned home without a second bond. Perhaps so disappointed that he’d remove his favor from her, returning her to the life she’d lived in before. Giving her stepmother free rein to torment her, to finally finish the job her assassins hadn’t. Her comfort and survival at home depended on her father seeing her as an asset. If she stopped being an asset, he’d discard her as useless.

Liliana twisted and turned on her bedroll, unable to sleep as her mind played every eventuality from this trip. All of them ending with her dead.

“Lili,” a voice whispered close to her ear. Her mouth opened to scream when a hand clamped over it tightly. Liliana felt fear, panic, and adrenaline rushing through her. Her naginata appeared in her hand and she fumbled through which spell to use, memories of the last time an assassin had come for her playing in her mind. The pendant couldn’t take over her again, right?

“It’s me,” the voice said, and Liliana finally recognized the voice. It was Emyr. The hand slowly retreated and Liliana took a deep breath, calming her racing heart.

I need to work on my reaction to people in my tent at night. Had he been an assassin, I’d be dead. I can’t let what that thing did to me affect me so much it results in my death. Liliana thought as she sat up, clutching her blanket to her chest. She was in her sleepwear, which, while covering her from neck to ankles, was still inappropriate wear in this world for a young man to see her in. In fact, if anyone saw Emyr in her tent in the middle of the night, her reputation would be ruined.

“Why are you in my tent?” Liliana hissed at Emyr, who dispelled the surrounding shadows, enabling Liliana to glare at him properly.

“Because you wouldn’t talk to me. I had no other choice but to do this,” Emyr snapped back, his voice frustrated.

Liliana bit down on her tongue, holding back her response. She had been ignoring Emyr during this trip as much as possible. Anytime he’d tried to get close enough to talk to her, she’d spurred Lelantos on, or dropped back to talk to a guard. At camp, she’d been sure to be in a conversation with the guards to dissuade Emyr from trying to approach her. She’d even gone to bed early at night to further prevent opportunities for him to talk to her. It had been hard to find a reason to never be available for someone who was always within a few feet of her.

“Well, what’s so important you’d risk my reputation on it?” Liliana asked. Despite her words, her tone was subdued.

She knew Emyr wouldn’t understand why she was distancing herself, and it wasn’t fair to him. But she was scared to give her trust to anyone. She’d trusted the pendant, only to get used and violated. And Emyr held as much risk, if not more. He could tell Alistair what she knew and turn against her. Break her heart that she’d only just started lowering the walls around. She truly didn’t want to lose some of the first friends she’d ever made. It hurt less, she told herself, if she was the one to pull away.

“I-,” Emyr cleared his throat and looked away, his anger dying enough for him to realize the position he’d put her in, “I’m sorry. But I came to tell you I think we might be able to find the flowered serpent if we go out on our own,” Emyr finished and Liliana almost dropped her blanket in surprise. Scrambling to keep it up, she looked at him, waiting for a further explanation.

“The serpent hasn’t attacked us yet because there’s too many of us, and the guards are too highly leveled,” Emyr spoke up when she didn’t respond. And Liliana tilted her head, considering it.

She could assume the flowered serpent had been a juvenile during the attack, and not one with a Poison affinity. It would’ve taken a Shadow affinity soon after the massacre, and while beasts could get an affinity at any time, they most commonly got new ones at Rank evolutions. For it to get a Poison affinity and another evolution, it would’ve been out fighting everything it could to get the levels. So it had two Rank Evolutions since the attack. Guessing what Rank it had been earlier was difficult, but to go through such a large change to what it was, Liliana would guess it was Rank 5 at least. Which would put it even to under the levels of the guards around them.

It would explain why it hadn’t attacked them despite the level of aggression she’d detected from it. If it did hate humans, it would love a chance to attack them. Which would mean if she and Emyr split off enough to be out of shouting range of the guards, they’d be the perfect bait. Liliana grinned, warming up easily to the reckless and, some might say, stupid plan.

“Ready to play bait again?” Liliana asked, and Emyr looked at her, catching her gaze. For a moment, as he grinned back at her, eyes lighting up in excitement, Liliana could forget her reservations about trusting him. For a moment they were friends once more, with none of her baggage weighing them down.