Chapter 126: Cheep!? 124

Cheep!?

Chapter 124

“So… You’re talking to some kind of tree-entity that is powerful enough to communicate with you at this distance, and is one of a pair. One of which is in Vol’s care–” Niko had expressed that there was a very powerful creature that lived there to Skye briefly, but hadn’t brought up the fact that he was one of Alterra’s Titans “–and the other of which may or may not be based out of the Daurghast. And so far it just seems… friendly?” 

To say that Niko was skeptical and concerned was an understatement, considering what he knew of the Daurghast already. If it wasn’t for the fact that Vol hadn’t warned him, and that Skye genuinely seemed to still be fine, he would have immediately begun crowing for her to cut off all contact with the thing.

“Yeah, I get the sense that she wants to help me. She also knows that you’re a Chosen,” Skye looked hesitantly to Niko, “She’s been nothing but helpful so far. But, I’m still sorry that I didn’t say anything about this. I wasn’t sure…”

She left unsaid what Niko assumed was her concerns about how he might respond. Niko, from his position on the floor, took a few seconds to chew over his response, before trilling out, “I mean, it’s not like I want to be kept in the dark, but I get why you did. Having some tree that may or may not be based out of the Daurghast – a place infamous for its ability to screw with your head – whispering in your ear might be cause for concern.”

A trite expression appeared on her face as she nodded slightly, “Yeah, I did think about that, but I haven’t really felt any differently, or done anything out of the ordinary, I think.”

Niko decided to let the matter drop, by focusing on the original point that had brought this up, “Well, we’ll have to keep an eye on it. But, how does it help you sense things? Isn’t it… y’know, not here?” Then Niko paused, suddenly concerned, “It isn’t here, right?” 

“No, not at all,” Skye swiftly denied that, “She’s been giving me advice on detecting things, and changing my pattern slightly to be more in tune with the environment. It’s not… great, but with that weird thing we saw, I was able to perceive it.”

“What’d it feel like?” Niko questioned, uncertain why he couldn’t see the thing at all until he’d effectively been staring right at it.

“It’s a little difficult to describe…” She hummed thoughtfully, “It’s like I normally sense an area around myself  in the environment, but I have to focus in order to really see it. But, that thing we saw was like having a blank spot in my senses. If it hadn’t been moving, I might not have even realized it was there.”

The pair sat in silence at that, Niko trying not to overthink the implications of what might have happened if they’d never detected the thing at all. It was clear that it was a stealth predator, though Niko wasn’t sure how much it actually tended to move around. Considering it hadn’t been found yet, he guessed that it must have moved around a great deal. 

Based on the information they had given to Anya, the Matriarch had quickly ordered a team of tier fours to be dispatched in search of it. Surely, that would be enough to find the thing, right?

—-----------

Thorne and his unit of sabrecats prowled through the western titanwoods, following the faint traces that had been left behind by the Princess and her companions. As far as any of them were concerned, the group of tier two’s had done a great service to Riizen, as the menace they now hunted had been a thorn in their side for many weeks now. 

Thorne raised his muzzle after sniffing out another path on the gargantuan branches, giving a near imperceptible twitch of his tail that directed his companions to follow after him, silently. They were currency utilizing a shared stealth pattern, and while not as sophisticated as what Princess Sasha utilized, they believed it would be sufficient to hunt their quarry. The Rava Clan, Greenscale Clan, and a pair of others had attempted to hunt the enigmatic monster responsible for stealing memories previously, all to no avail. 

But those that had been sent earlier were tier two and three, Thorne and his ilk were tier four. Freshly tier four, but nevertheless formidable in Riizen. They were just a step shy of being made part of the Matriarch’s honor guard, perhaps with the completion of this mission, that step would be taken.

Refocusing on his task, Thorne flicked his tail in code, and the group moved faster, senses at the maximum. While each of them had their own abilities, Thorne himself was a rarer sort, using his four patterns to their maximum effect. One for stealth, one for lightning fast attacks, and one to empower his fangs and claws. Each of his patterns were commonly utilized by the guards of the Blue Claw Clan, but it was his sensory pattern that set him ahead of his competition. While his sense of smell was impressive, it was the esoteric pattern that he’d created on his tier two ascension that he used most often. So long as Thorne knew what something looked like, he could isolate its specific scent despite any other surrounding odors. 

There were drawbacks, of course, and anytime he tried to express how his pattern worked in an effort for someone else to replicate it, it always seemed to miss the mark. Nevertheless, it worked for him, and that was all that really mattered.

Continuing to affix the image of Princess Sasha in his mind, he was able to easily pick up on the several hours old trail. Occasionally, he would pause and switch his mental image with the description that the Matriarch had given of their true quarry -a jellyfish like organism with an oddly geometric shape for its head. Thorne didn’t know why something that looked like it belonged in an ocean would be here, but monsters were monsters for a reason.

Yet, everytime he tried to detect the thing, he only got the barest scrap of a scent. His tail nearly twitched in frustration, but long years of practiced control kept him from sending a false signal to his companions. 

Thorne sniffed the tree more, pushing onwards with a frown on his face as the fragmented scents were coming somewhat closer together. Perhaps they were closer to their prey after a–

There was a heavy scent of something strange all around Thorne. He frowned, wondering why his home smelled so oddly like the forest. His peak tier three senses seemed much larger than he’d expected, and the incongruity of what he knew he should feel and what he currently did sent a chill down his spine. Then he yowled in shock, realizing that he was out in the darkness of the titanwood’s. He spun, hearing something respond to him with shock.

“Thorne? Why are you in my ho–” Dietre froze, looking around just as Thorne did as he, too, realized where they were. “What is the meaning of this!?” 

Thorne frowned, looking around, “I-I don’t know, I feel strange. I feel… strong? But I don’t remember ever coming out here?” Thorne trailed off with a dry mouth as he recognized that his entire team was with him, and they were all looking around with equal shock and trepidation, “What–” 

The question died on his lips as he felt something move away from them, with a strange, giggling sound on the wind. It was so faint that he would have suspected he imagined it. Thorne looked upwards, following the sound.

Nothing was there.

“Thorne? What do you sense?” Dietre asked, in a defensive stance along with the rest of their group. Even in a situation like this, they were trained to prepare for anything.

“I… I’m not sure, I thought I heard giggling, and something moving, did anyone else catch anything?” Thorne asked, settling himself closer to the middle of the group. No one answered in the affirmative, and were they in any other situation, perhaps they would have remarked that it was just his imagination. 

What with the hornet threat encroaching on their lands, and Princess Sasha currently out of Riizen and visiting the lowlands, they weren’t willing to overlook any detail.

“Looks like we’re out west of Riizen,” with no small amount of disquiet, Thorne noted the markers on the tree branch they were standing on, “We should return immediately. We should report this.”

“What do we even report?” Dietre’s voice betrayed a note of barely controlled panic, “We don’t even know what happened?” 

That question settled in Thorne’s mind like a sharp stone underfoot, but they had a duty. Whatever had happened to them, his body felt better, stronger, with more essence at his disposal.

For all that seemed a good thing, his mind felt strangely sluggish, like he’d lost something, but didn’t know what. 

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They retreated from the forest, posthaste. Whatever had happened would have to be reported high up. Perhaps this was all some elaborate, cruel prank from their elders in the Matriarch’s personal guard. After all, while he was still several steps away from matching them, Thorne believed it was only a matter of time, given that they were trainee’s under them.

 

—-------------

In the middle of the night, Anya finally finished debriefing her personal guard about their report from the trainees. She knew the group well, and had been keeping an eye on their progress for months. Thorne himself was always someone that Anya considered a potentially invaluable asset, considering the unique way his sensory pattern worked. If ever there was an occasion where her daughter went missing, Anya had plans on conscripting Thorne for aid immediately.

Now, however, the man appeared to have lost over a month of his memories–including the fact that he’d ascended to tier four not a few weeks prior. According to the rigorous report made, the last thing they all remembered was resting in their homes, thinking about the hornet threat that had long passed.

Needless to say, they’d fallen prey to the Memory Thief, and Anya knew that by morning, the news of a group of tier four combatants having lost their memories was going to be all over Riizen. She cringed internally at that, but outwardly betrayed no change in expression for her advisor and friend, Ottowan.

“It would seem the Wyldwalkers possess an even more unique method of detection than Thorne,” The onyx-black sabrecat commented mildly, “It is also deeply regrettable what happened to Thorne and his team.” 

Anya made no comment on that, instead asking, “Is there any damage to his essence pattern? Does he remember how to use it?” 

At that, Ottowan’s face betrayed the barest concern, but it vanished under the veneer of professionalism, “It would appear that while they realize they have a fourth pattern and can activate it, they don’t remember what intent they’d had upon creating it.” 

This time, Anya didn’t bother to hide the morose sigh and regretful expression she had. If one no longer remembered their pattern, a fundamental part of who they were, nor their intent behind creating it, that could be an immense block on their growth. Between tier three and four, beasts would begin to create an image that represented themselves and their patterns, allowing them to rise above the ceiling of low tier four. To go higher, even into the midranks of tier four, one needed an image, a tapestry that could influence the very world around them.

Now though, Thorne and his team each had a large hole in the tapestries they had been working towards... Time would tell if that would cripple them, but Anya feared the worst.

“Awaken our guests, Crowe and Camille. I wish to speak to them - urgently.” Anya commanded, “Perhaps they have run across something of this nature before.” 

Ottowan bowed his head before vanishing. Anya herself had trouble detecting him when he was leaving, even with her own image subtly layering the room around her in a faint, nearly imperceptible mist. 

Anya didn’t need to wait long, as Crowe and Camille were shown into the room with clear curiosity and written across their faces.

“I thank you both for coming so late,” Anya nodded to them.

Crowe spoke up first, cutting off Camille’s response before she could even utter it, “It is of no trouble. What did you need to speak to us about?” 

With a nod, Anya explained what had happened. She was glad to see that they took the situation seriously, wearing grim expressions in response to what Anya called the Memory Thief, a term that she was certain would be on every beast-tongue come morning.

“Have you ever met something like this in all of your travels?” Anya hopefully asked, “Any advice would be incredibly helpful. As it stands, there’s a chance that we will need to mobilize the Clan Heads, but without knowing how this creature works…” 

“It’s risky,” Camille nodded, “If, somehow, even a tier five can’t detect it, and instead become its victims…” 

The three sat in grim silence, each contemplating what they knew. 

Crowe turned to Camille, “I have to assume this monster is hyper specialized. It makes no sense, otherwise.”

“Like that thing we fought by the ‘bergs?” Camille frowned thoughtfully, “That’d make sense. But why out here?” 

With a shrug, Crowe blandly stated, “Perhaps it likes it here. But it seems to match up, otherwise I would expect to see physical damages. Plus, the effects appear to be getting worse, the more this creature is active.”

Anya blinked at that, “It does appear that it’s taking more and more memories. Perhaps that is a factor of a higher tier being attacked, rather than a lower?” 

Camille vigorously shook her head at that, “I don’t think so. It should be harder to extract from a higher tier, not a lower one. I also think its abilities don’t interact with a person's essence vessel at all.”

“An aberrant, perhaps.” Crowe suggested, “I would not count the possibility out, at least.”

The Matriarch was less than pleased about that possibility. Aberrant beasts were uncommon, but rarely problematic if they were also sapient. Aberrant monsters, on the other hand…

“Do either of you possess especially powerful sensory abilities?” Anya asked, before quickly stating as their expressions stiffened, “I do not wish to know what they are, only if you are confident that you could find the Memory Thief.” 

At that, they relaxed fractionally, before Crowe continued, “Unfortunately, I could not guarantee being able to do so.”

Anya had feared as much, but there was still one other group that she knew could find it.

“In your experience, are creatures that are specialized in this way also excessively durable?” Anya needed to know, otherwise her nascent plan was likely a dead end.

Crowe shook his head slowly after some consideration, “I would expect not. At least, not considering the other traits the Memory Thief has displayed.”

The pair looked like they knew what Anya was going to suggest next, and while they didn’t appear to be happy about it, Anya knew their choices were somewhat limited.

“What would it take to hire the Wyldwalkers to hunt this creature for us?”

 

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