I Built This City Chapter 64: Chapter 64

Read chapter 64 of I Built This City by ThePudding on NovelPedia.

Village Ellen The shoes felt cumbersome and confining as Ellen trudged up the mountain, picking her way through the trail that Hunter had left for her. She knew the constricting sensation would fade as the day wore on… it had last time, and this time it wasn’t as bad as it had been before. That was a relief that she’d not voiced to the others, even if they’d trusted her enough to let her spend the night at Onroc Anroll instead of going back to the village. She pulled the cloak tighter about her body as the wind whipped down the mountain, chilling her despite the warming sun. Winter was fading into spring at last, but though the snow was starting to melt, the wind had other ideas about her comfort. Her full belly from last night’s feast gave her some reprieve from the minor annoyances, though her cheeks warmed at remembering it. Maybe someday, she’d get used to that. Ellen found Hunter just where she’d suspected the Landkeeper would be. She was standing on the ridge overlooking the road to the village below, next to Merchant, talking quietly. At least, they were trying to speak quietly. Ellen’s ears picked up their conversation easily, with her Enhanced Senses . “… was fun. I wouldn’t worry about it,” Hunter was saying. “I’m not really worried, especially with the Settlement Interface telling me a lot more now. I’m just glad it’s working out.” Merchant replied. “We’re going to have a lot to worry about and need to work fast, so Village is going to be important.” Well, at least they aren’t saying anything bad about me, Ellen thought to herself. She called out ahead to let them know she was on the way, then huffed as she hiked up further. She’d thought being a werewolf would help her human stamina, with how the regeneration worked. Apparently that was not the case, and she was still able to get winded on this climb. How disappointing. “Good morning, sleepyhead!” Hunter teased as Ellen finally joined the two. “Wear yourself out in the hunt last night?” “Overate,” Ellen grumbled, then smiled back warmly. “Thanks for running with me for a while. It’s fun to do it, but more fun knowing I’m not alone out there. I know most of the werewolf problems come from the curse, but maybe some of it is because they have to keep that secret.” “Maybe,” Hunter agreed. “We were just talking about you. You’ll probably have more incidents like the one a few weeks ago… people trying to figure out things about the village and the dungeon. Keep us informed?” The request was reasonable, but Ellen made a face anyway. “Part of me does think about just going home, but I do like it here… yeah, that’s fine. I’ll do what I can, but don’t expect them all to be as easy as that priest.” She wrinkled her nose. “I wonder if they realize that their incense lingers for weeks?” Merchant and Hunter both laughed, and Merchant poked Ellen in the shoulder. “Only to you! That nose of yours did us a huge favor. We were worried at first, but Scout had your back the entire time. She’s right, you’re still Ellen.” Ellen frowned, tossed her head, and let out a little “hmph” noise. “I should hope so! I’d hate to be someone else!” All three shared a light laugh at that, then Hunter sighed heavily, rubbing her sides. “The Adventuring Party still hasn’t found what they are looking for in the Dungeon,” she grumbled. “I’m worried one of them will die any day now, though they’ve got to be getting close to Level 13.” “Scholar is already at thirteen,” Merchant pointed out. “You can look on the Settlement Interface. I think you should have access to the population list, at least. Village here got hers, too. Not sure what she picked, though.” Ellen nodded, tugging her cloak tight again as the wind howled around them. “The Savage Fighting Skill Enhancer, and I upgraded Townsaver’s Sanctuary , even if the other options were tempting. I know what you were saying before… things could get dangerous and we need to be prepared.” She paused, then sighed and added, “Also, I got another werewolf Perk