Sharp

I took a deep sniff. The vehicle's magic was too strong to get a sense of the surroundings. I was not tied, so that was a good thing. I guess the suppression collar stops anything beyond normal iron-rank strength. Anything active beyond iron-rank strength.

My claws and teeth were technically Iron rank but bordering on bronze. Kai’s passive ability was to boost my claws and teeth up a rank, and Kai was now bronze. While he couldn’t boost my claws and teeth to silver, they were for all practical purposes.

I was examining the box for the least difficult way out when the vehicle stopped. I listened and sniffed for all I was worth. The vehicle smell dissipated, and the smell of forest and moisture seeped in.

I could hear the sounds of fighting, and then the smell of magic from skills came at me. It was a monster and a big one requiring all three to fight. I could hope they were out of their depth and died or got seriously injured, but I was sure that was too much to hope for.

The fight lasted a while, and all three returned.

“I hate Iskor swarms,” Black said.

“Go easy on the potions. We don’t have many left,” the Mage guy said.

Black grunted, and the vehicle started up again.

They were not into conversations. There was also a reasonable distance or barrier between us, as their voices were muffled when they spoke, even to my hearing. Maybe they had a sound enchantment active around them. I couldn’t smell one, but the smell of the vehicle's magic was overpowering everything.

I decided to try to go out the feet end. I couldn’t tell if there was something on top, and it felt like we were moving in the direction of my head, so that would be the back of the vehicle. I used my toe claws and worked at gouging out the wooden end of the box.

It didn’t take long, even though I went slow, to stop any noise. I jabbed a tow claw into the wood before I cut the final section so I wouldn’t fall. These people had at least silver-rank senses. If there was a gold ranker there, I would have been stuffed anyway.

I worked the section back away from the end and got as far as my ankles out when I came against something hard. Another box? The back of the vehicle? I braced myself and put my hands above my head to move the box to the front. The box shifted and I had mid thighs free before I came against something hard in that direction.

I stopped and used my senses to see if it had been noticed. It appeared not. I had been moving it very slowly so I didn’t make a noise. I bent my knees and got my bum to the edge of the box and then walked my feet up the wall and over onto the top of the box, bringing my body out.

There was nothing on top of the box. I could have just cut the lid. I looked around. I was in a cargo area with other crates beside me. I definitely felt weak after that small exercise. The cargo space was fully enclosed, and I could see a small window through the passenger area.

The doors were shut, and I could not see a lever on this side. I would not go out the door anyway, as it would make too much noise and may have alarm rituals to protect the cargo.

I was tempted to try my claws on the suppression collar. It was bronze rank, and I should be able to cut through it. I really wanted a drink and some food or even just a spirit coin, and they were in my Hunters Pack.

I stopped myself. Breaking the suppression collar will unleash my aura, and they will know immediately.

Wall or floor? I chose the floor near the back doors. It should be away from any propulsion magic and will be less noticeable. The longer this takes to be noticed, the better my chances.

How often do they stop to fight monsters? How often do they check on me? How long before they stop for the night? Or lunch? Or whatever?

I lay on the crate I used to be in and started clawing a rectangle out of the floor between the box and the rear gate. The floor was metal, but it was thin, ordinary metal.

I left the side edge attached and bent the tin metal up. I saw the ground moving underneath, and some dust came up. We were in a hover vehicle, but it must run on wind power as there was a lot of dust. I slipped down the gap and let my feet drag lightly on the ground as I bent the metal plate back and moved the box back on top as best I could.

Then I let go, tumbled onto the ground, and rolled as quickly as I could to the long grass to the side of the track the vehicle was making. It didn’t seem to be on the road. They were making their own path through the wilderness.

I kept low and moved away from the path. The only thing stopping their auras from finding me was the suppression collar.

My aura was also blind, so I would have to rely on my other senses. That was nothing new to me. I definitely want the collar off and to eat and drink or have a spirit coin, but not until I am out of their aura range, and I don’t know how far that is.

I made use of all my learning of moving silently and without tracks from my Savage Stalker Technique. It was strange using it without my skills, especially Hunters Step. I now see that practising only with the skills is a weakness.

I angled back away from the direction of the vehicle and set out. This was the wilds where monsters would spawn and not be culled. It was a forest but not dense forest. It was hot and humid. Hot enough, I thought we might be neat in the tropics, which is a long, long way from Vitesse.

I didn’t have a weapon. I was naked and with no skills. I almost cut a stick to sharpen as a spear but stopped myself. I needed to leave no sign for kilometres if I could help it.

I looked at the sun. It was a quarter high. Was it morning, and the sun was rising, or was it afternoon, and it was setting? I didn’t know which direction was north was. I would find out in an hour or so.

I forced myself to keep moving. My body was so weak. I was thirsty. Eating a spirit coin would start my body on the road to recovery, and spirit coins were just in my pack. No, not yet.

I forced myself to keep moving, using the techniques of Savage Stalker to make the best use of the terrain and move unseen without skills. I came across a small creek and drank deeply from the muddy water. That was better. I was careful not to leave a footprint or any evidence as I moved on.

I spied some berries that I picked and ate, and that gave me some energy. And my Hunters Feast activates very, very briefly. Seriously, I had a whole garden waiting for me as soon as I could get rid of this collar.

Not yet.

I kept going—slow and careful, but keep moving. Two hours later, I found a good place to shelter in a clump of trees. I figured I was about ten kilometres from where I escaped, so it was time to get rid of this collar. I made a scratch with a claw. It was a bronze rank collar, so it would take some time to get through, but it was doable. I was just getting into a rhythm when my peripheral vision caught something through the trees, and I thought it was a strange bird. Monsters spawn out here, so I needed to be careful. I didn’t know what level of magic this area was, but with three silver-ranked people dealing with the Iskor, I am going to assume I was in a silver-ranked area.

Extra caution is needed. I looked again and waited, searching the sky through the trees. It was an aerial attack that saw me when I was practising in the Astral Space, and this time, I didn’t have Blend.

Shit. It is not a bird; it is the female Leonid I labelled Moon, who is flying with translucent wings. They discovered I had gone already and were searching. Shit, shit, shit.

I stopped working at the collar. My Aura control was good, but the suppression collar was complete, and I was against silver-rank auras at least. I am pretty sure none of them were gold, or I wouldn’t have gotten this far. If I break the collar, I cannot fix it. If I had a key, I could open and close it, but I don't. With the suppression collar, I am invisible to their auras. All I have to worry about are silver-rank senses. I have early silver-rank senses, with my boosted senses at the bronze level.

I sighed. I really wanted the collar off. I had a mana headache due to it stopping mana. I turned to go resigned to more time with the collar. Slow and careful. If I ran into a monster and had to fight it, it would draw them to me faster than anything.

Slow and careful. Leave no tracks. Use the terrain. Use the Savage Stalker techniques properly and fully. My life depends on it.

It turned out it was morning, which meant I was heading approximately northeast. I had no idea where in the world I was. I had spent weeks in a vehicle moving away from Vitesse.

My mind was going over things. I think the drugs are finally moving out of my system. If they were interrogating me in my drug-fueled dreams, my refusal to leave until I had killed everybody was probably my refusal to go through a portal. Olivia always features strongly in my nightmares, along with my father. If they were asking me about Jabari, and I responded about Olivia, would they make the connection? I hope not.

I stopped at streams and drank. One was deep enough and I bathed, all the while careful not to leave any evidence. I picked berries and nuts where I could. I found a fallen stick. I used my claws to sharpen. My Skill is easier and better. I was not fit anymore. I needed to rest often. I made a leaf covering, mostly to confuse my smell trail.

I suddenly stopped and hid. My smell magic sense picked up a whiff of dark essence. Whether it was from Dark or a monster didn’t matter; both spelt doom.

One of the things about Savage Stalker and using the terrain well was always having a hiding place close by and always identifying where I could hide if needed. I stayed there, barely breathing, for almost an hour. It was a small dip in some roots, and I had grasses to crouch behind. It wasn’t much of a hiding spot, but it was all that was close. I would have felt better if i had Blend.

I stayed as still as possible. My brindle fur matched well enough, and I was small for a Leonid. Something flickered in my peripheral vision and was gone again. I didn’t dare turn to look. Then again, at a different shadow. I caught a glimpse of the male Leonid I named Dark, flicking from shadow to shadow.

I stayed still in my impromptu hiding place for a long time. Then I stayed longer. I was pretty sure he was gone, but …

When I was finally moving again, I was extra cautious. I hope he was doing a circuit to try and pick up my trail. I know now they expected me to be out further if he tried to pick up my trail here. I also now knew they did not have any tracking attached to the collar.

Slow and careful. Keep moving. Their search area will only grow. I need to watch the skies. Moon lady is in the air. Shadow guy is circling. What is Mage guy doing? Would they have divination or tracking magic? That is possible. They are a kidnapping team. Maybe Shadow guy is not circling but searching this area?