I Built This City Chapter 56: Chapter 56

Read chapter 56 of I Built This City by ThePudding on NovelPedia.

Hunter Ellen Ellen kicked the iron frame, then scraped her boots off again. They were getting to be precious commodities, the boots. With the loss of two pairs from the incident in the cave, and the sudden addition of four more Ellens, there weren’t enough to go around. Her own hunting shoes—made from skins of small game animals—were excellent for keeping a light step, but when going down to the village like this she needed the more mud-worthy boots. She did not expect what happened upon entering the inn. SANCTUARY You have entered a designated [SANCTUARY]. Unfriendly or unknown creatures are barred entry. You have gained resistance to fear and panic. Ellen waved away the minor first time bonus for entering a Sanctuary , her surprise calming. It was easy to guess that this was something Village Ellen had done. It matched her Class description, and after the attack she wouldn’t blame her other, more timid self for wanting to keep the place secure. She only saw Pauley, Tobias, and Village Ellen present at the moment, so Ellen tugged the hood of her cloak back and let out a sigh. The inn was warm—warmer than she’d expected, even—and the heat washed over her in a welcoming embrace. She let herself enjoy it for just a moment longer before moving to hang up her cloak. “Good morning, Hunter,” Village Ellen greeted, waving her injured hand. “You’re here early. Good news or bad news?” Ellen shook her head. “No news, which I guess could be either, depending on the reason.” She gave a nod to Tobias as he looked up from tending the fire, then she slid into a chair to join Pauley and Village Ellen. Pauley gathered up the cards he’d been playing with, shuffling them back into the battered deck. “No luck on our end, either. He just disappeared. We haven’t seen any signs of anyone in the forest or mountains, but there’s an awful lot of places even our hunters don’t go, and we don’t have your magic to monitor it.” “I’m not sure how well I can spot people going into our land anyway,” Ellen admitted softly. “I’ve never tested that. I saw you coming, but you’re someone we know, and that might have helped. Even without that trick, I haven’t seen any signs of anyone near Onroc either. It’s possible they’re hiding out around the mountain, but I couldn’t see any sign they’d gone to the dungeon or cave either.” The large man frowned, but Ellen already knew what he was about to say. “I know I’m still low level,” she countered before he spoke. “I’m still pretty sure, at least for the areas I checked. I reached Level 12 a little while ago, and I have some spells that can help with this sort of thing. I’m not saying he couldn’t have given me the slip, but if he did it’s because he’s very good at hiding. Maybe using magic himself.” Pauley grunted, but that did seem to settle the problem. “Yeah… problem is, we know he had at least one kind of magic. I worry. He had a subtle mental spell, and then he vanishes into thin air when we try and track him… after running off into the wilderness with no cloak. Not any mage I’ve ever heard of.” Ellen glanced over at Village Ellen, with her eyes flicking to the bandage around her hand, then meeting her other self’s blue eyes. She asked a silent question with an upraised eyebrow. The answer came in a way that wasn’t encouraging. “It’s healing fine,” Village said. “Better than fine, it’s started to heal very fast. I’m keeping it covered just in case. You don’t need to worry about me… I’ll be fine.” In spite of the reassuring words, Village gave an ever so slight nod back to Ellen, one that made her stomach twist in knots. The statement was more than what it seemed on the surface. Ellen understood her other self’s coded message in a way no one else could, even with their wide divergence. I am healing unnaturally fast, but I have it under control. I also suspect what you do. That man was not fully human. There were so many uncertainties. Ellen knew that as adventurers went, she was pretty neophyte… she understood that much