Chapter 29: Chapter 32- First to go Prairie Grassman

We stood crowded in a small room while an administrative officer briefed us from the front of an elevated altar. The day of the provisional license exam had started, and the anxious faces that surrounded me didn’t help to ease my nerves. The man at the front had just given us his instructions, most of which were already mentioned during the initial announcement.

I pulled a small rope from my pocket and used it to tie my hair in a more manageable position while I was being escorted to the gate. I took one glance at the room once more, barely getting a glimpse of Senna’s face, though I wasn’t able to discern her expression. 

Realizing my constant face searching was making me even more anxious, I stepped in through the portal. That same familiar force churned my insides once again, and I adjusted my standing position to prevent myself from falling over. This time, there was no falling unconscious. I just continued walking forward until the sensation of solid ground returned to my soles. Once the feeling of nausea faded, I found myself alone at the entrance of what I could only assume were ruins, behind me an ancient city dotted with similar ruins of various shapes and sizes. The most noticeable were features being crooked pillars and decayed pyramids.

I craned my neck to get a peek at the horizon, but the small hills that rolled out and over one another, blocking my view. I could still see a faint glow over to one side of the sky, meaning it was dusk or dawn. The stars were still visible, meaning I had enough time to get my bearings.

I pulled out a scroll containing all the bounties I needed to get. The names and images were clear to see, with the directions included as well.

Please follow this in order.

Prairie Grassman- Class 1 cryptid-

1km to the southeast of starting position

 

Sand Soldier- Class 2 cryptid-

Follow the curve of the eagle’s necklace towards the equator

I looked up towards the sky, trying to locate the two constellations that may help me with the first two. One was in the shape of a large spoon, an unusually long handle jutting out into the cosmos. The second looked more like a trapezoid with a stick attached to its side. 

Young Sand Gobi- Class 2 cryptid-

Dwells within the shadows of many great forests.

I wasn’t too sure about this one yet but I had an inkling of what it was requesting. 

Naga- Class 2 cryptid-

You smell salt in the air. Where shall it lead you?

 

Minotaur- Class 3 cryptid-

Follow the stairway towards Merak.

Luckily, this star was easy to spot, but I didn’t know what they meant by staircase. I pondered on the scroll for a moment. Some of these were more like riddles than directions. They made this exam to test our navigation skills and combat ability, but it felt instead as if they were testing my riddle solving skills.

My first target was the Prairie Grassman. Based on the rough illustration, it looked almost like a brown cat with a long snout and short, floppy ears. It stood on its hind legs and had long striped patterns of darker fur that reached from the back of its neck to its tail. The name didn’t at all represent it at all, as its visage looked more like a cat standing on two legs than anything else. 

Satisfied, I returned the scroll to the satchel hanging from my belt and set my eyes on the sky once again.

First, I needed to find the big dipper and then pole star to verify which direction is north. Once I had figured that out, it would be easy to figure out the other cardinal points. If I count the degrees moving clockwise, southwest should be about 225 degrees. It had no way of knowing if it was completely accurate, but I was confident enough it was.

“Better to get lost here than anywhere else.”

You are reading story Echoes of the Lost Age at novel35.com

…..

I followed the alleged direction for at least 15 minutes before I came to an area more open. There were significantly fewer ruins, and the map terrain changed into large grasslands that extended far as the eye can see. It was a strangely serene view, quiet and vast, with not another soul to be seen. 

Feeling thirsty, I sat among the tall grass shoots and pulled out a small sac holding water.

The grass rustled as a slight breeze passed over it. Although the grass was much taller than me, I still had a view of the sky.

My senses flared for a moment as the rustling of the leaves was now accompanied by the crunching of dead grass. I got up and continued on keeping track of whatever that entered the grass. I continued to feign ignorance of its presence as I tried to get an idea of what it was, but it remained hidden among the brown, sun-kissed grass. I stood up once again, walked ahead, keeping track of the thing but not making it completely obvious. It followed, keeping pace with me when I sped up and stopping when I did.

Its mana had already entered my sensory range and though I have never come across this signature, I was sure it was a cryptid. It was barely an estimate, but the cryptid was definitely weaker than me.

“A hunter type that stalks its prey until it completely drops its guard?” I asked myself. Its actions definitely suggested that. The scroll mentioned the Grassman was an ambush hunter, so I hoped my pursuer was indeed what I was looking for.

This continued for several minutes, and I was becoming impatient. So, hoping to get it to engage, I dropped my sword, letting it hang by my waist, and searched through my bag. Sure enough, the creature stopped just outside my range of vision. I continue this for a while but still no movement. So I made the offer even more enticing by sitting and turning my back completely to it.

My heartbeat quickened as the sound of crunching grass resumed, each step getting closer, sometimes quickening, sometimes stopping, but slowly it approached. For a moment I started having doubts, completely exposing myself felt foolish. I didn’t know how fast this cryptid was, making this a risky gamble. I was betting against its instincts, that moment the cryptid would put its own guard down, in that brief window when it thinks it has secured the kill.

I waited patiently, the cool breeze that caressed my back only heightened this sense of vulnerability, but I brushed it aside and waited.

First, a wave of mana rushed past me, then the sound of leaves violently being pushed aside. Quickly I reached for my Katana and whipped around to see a cryptid mid leap barreling towards me. As I had hoped, my target was right in front of me, fangs, claws and all.

I unsheathed my Katana and swung as quickly and as accurately as I could, but my form was off. Turning around so suddenly and striking an opponent that I had only seen for less than a second proved difficult and although I was aiming for the neck, my sword instead to sliced through its upper lip and then through its right eye.

It landed hard while crying out in pain, its screams akin to a cat being dragged across the ground. I expected it to be much larger, but the cryptid was similar in size to me.

It wasted no time getting up to flee, but I had no intention of letting it escape. Its long, thin tail swished from side to side as it fled, serving as my beacon as I chased it through the tall grass. It took sharp turns to throw me off, sometimes even going out of sight for a fraction of a second, but my speed proved superior as I continued to close the gap.

Suddenly, it stopped, turning around to strike back at me with its long claws. I ducked while unsheathing my sword in an overhead slash. Blood sprayed across my forehead as the outstretched limb flew off the cryptid’s body. 

It snarled, putting caution to the wind, and swatted at me once more with its other arm. I barely dodged the second strike as I tried to regain my balance. Its claws just barely missed my waist, cutting through the first layers of fabric that covered my skin. The momentum of its reckless attack caused it to fall over and it fell onto its back, while blood still sprayed everywhere. I got up, still unbalanced, and attempted a downward strike towards its neck. The cryptid, seeing this, then rolled over, once again coming to its feet to flee.

The feeling of frustration boiled within my veins. I was clearly stronger, yet I struggled to deal the finishing blow in a fight I should have already won. The cryptid could have made countless counterattacks during this time, and I had only been uninjured so far because it mostly sought to run away. The only time it struck back, I fell off my feet. 

“If this cryptid was stronger or at least more aggressive, what would my situation be then?” I thought. 

I watched its back as it disappeared behind a sheet of grass, wheezing frantically with every step. 

Mana flowed from my core down into my legs, I went into a draw stance allowing my mana to build charge around me. Once the buzzing of the surrounding air reached its peak, I allowed the current to flow. Thunder echoed through the grass as I sped towards it, the ferocity of the strike clearing a path in the field. My blade cut through the cryptid’s neck like a hot knife through butter. 

I stood within a half-moon shaped clearing in the grass, a result of the single slash, crimson sparks still dancing over the sickly green blood that covered my blade.

I turned to look at it once more, its severed head facing the morning sky as it slowly faded away into dust. A small crystal was left behind, this was the core of the cryptid, the very thing I needed to verify the kill. I retrieved the core, and inspected it. It was like any other uncut crystal and shimmered with a greenish glow. 

I placed it inside my satchel while averting my gaze from the rising sun. Not wanting to waste any more time, I continued onwards to my next target.

 

You can find story with these keywords: Echoes of the Lost Age, Read Echoes of the Lost Age, Echoes of the Lost Age novel, Echoes of the Lost Age book, Echoes of the Lost Age story, Echoes of the Lost Age full, Echoes of the Lost Age Latest Chapter