Becoming Legend

Chapter 307: Supposedly Heavy

Aside from their pincer-like limbs, the beast floating over the canal was similar looking as Kruthiks. Aside from their smaller body, everything was almost the same.

"Damn these Crawlers!" Rig aimed after his lucky shot on the first one. But this time, his arrow hit another beast gaining the canal a long and rounded scream.

Splash was overheard ahead of them. This time, Rig didn't stop aiming.

The light from the torch alone was enough to count how many arrows were left for Rig to continue shooting.

Not good, Ned thought. His left hand held the knife while the three thin knives were slung on his waist. Ned doubted if the knives were enough to penetrate the Kruthiks, now called Crawler by Rig.

Still, the knives were good enough as a distraction while a number of Crawler approaches them from above, then on the shoulders of the canal.

Even though they were smaller in comparison with the Kruthiks under the ruined castle, they were much agile.

But no matter how agile the beast was, to Ned's surprise, Rig has the aim. Although he started startled, he somewhat gains his composure. Now, he was aiming even to the darkest part of the canal. A shot was equivalent to two to three Crawler impaled to one another. But depending on the angle of the beast, Rig could kill four. He's not even taking a step back.

Now that is something I rarely see, Ned thought along with a smile under the burning torch.

After determining his target, Ned threw the knife with a flick of his wrist, hitting the closest Crawler over Rig's side. It was rather unexpected as the knife went through the chest of the Crawler like a hot knife through butter. This time it was a Crawler rather than butter.

"My... What do we have here?" Ned reached for another knife and flicked it to the Crawler on his side of the canal. But Ned chose the one he seemed to be an adult Crawler, which was bigger and sturdy by the look of its long limbs, and irregular stripes outlining its body. Yet again, the knife thwacked on the Crawler's chest. The throw gained a praising whistle from Rig.

Ned nodded but his thought was in a puzzle thinking the reason why there were Kruthiks on the surface.

"Time to leave!" Rig let go of the last of his arrow and flicked the crossbow behind his back all the while he ran, leaving Ned alone against the incoming Crawlers. "Hurry up, Ned! I need the light."

Rig might need the light but it was all burnt out with the last of oil sizzled against the wind. Ned raised a hand and conjured a steady and flaming orb. His free hand then reached for the remaining knives on his belt. A twist of his waist followed by a flick of his wrist made the trailing Crawler fell with its head grinding against the stone. The remaining knife hit the Crawler behind the recently dropped beast. Ned ran and followed Rig.

After cutting passages after passages, Ned and Rig heard a scream that made the Crawlers stopped on their tracks and on to whatever they were doing and turned around, leaving the two in a daze.

"That's the first time it happened." Rig turned around to watch the leaving beasts.

Ned looked at Rig, indicating the latter for an elaboration.

"Well... after the Du'kki mountain shows signs of activity two weeks ago. Crawlers started to attack in an increased number. By the way..." Rig turned to Ned. "Did you see the canal where we were attacked? That's the place that leads to the underground sewer of the Canton of Commerce. Going further than that will lead you to different Houses of Soaks. Never really gotten beyond the Commerce's underground, so I do not know what else to tell you."

"This is more than enough." Ned then reached for the pocket behind his back in an attempt to pull a pouch out of his spatial ring after extinguishing the orb. Having done so, Ned gave Rig 5 gold coins instead of 3. Which made Rig's brows twitched in unison along with a happy smile.

Rig assured Ned that if ever he wanted another job, he would always be at the market. But Ned preferred he wouldn't return underground. Not that he disliked Rig but he'd rather be on the surface than encountering the Crawlers again, cause he knew, that the scream that controls them was beyond he and Rig could handle.

"To the Canton of Commerce, it is..." Ned mumbled after leaving the wet market.josei

It was already late in the evening when he returned to the Forgotten Pint. Pint wasn't closed but it was empty with only Lady Githa on standby standing beside the Questing Board, near the door that leads to the room of Master Claire.

"You're always busy, Ned." Lady Githa produced a smile so warm Ned thought she was enticing him.

But no, it was Ned with his emotion that needed guidance. Ned wasn't aware but he was registering emotions different from what the others were giving him.

"I am. Yes, Lady Githa."

"I had a son. Not with Master Claire but with someone else. He was rather a busy kid, hunting here and there, trying to save money for me and this little Pint. Just before he had enough money to settle with the Pint. Perhaps, he was what the Nobles called "workhorse", he took another Quest, and never returned. What I want is for you to enjoy the small things life has you to offer. The Pint is what my son had left me, it wasn't big as the Venturas have, or the Great House of Soak has, but sure is big in terms of family. "

Family. Something Ned doesn't have but was unconditionally offered by Master Will.

"Family, huh." Ned nodded looking at the lady of the house. "It's why I'm here, lady Githa."

Ned might not look like it with his ever frowning brows, or glaring at anyone he just met, but he sure does need someone to rely on, someone that would be there whenever he needed them, someone, that won't abandon him anymore.

Lady Githa snapped along with the double-doors hinges grating open. This cued the both of them to break the talk which prompted Ned to go over to his room.

With the thought of his Master, Toni, and friends, with Katolin, Ned squinted his eyes on the double and it was too late for him to realize that he fell to a deep slumber.

Ned woke up by a grating sound under his bed which forced his body to move. Looking down the bed, it was nothing but darkness: complete darkness. Ned looked, on both sides, and he smiled.

"This is it." His voice echoed but not decreasing, instead, it was rebounding around him. The last thing he heard after a couple of minutes was the last of his word 'IT'. "This is without a doubt the Plain."

It took another minute for his voice to end.

How did I enter here? Ned thought, still. His thoughts resounded inside the Plain. Ned twitched from what he was hearing or what he was thinking.

So it reads my mind, Ned thought with his voice echoing. This seemed to be a dream—no. I am in my dream. The Plain is me, this is my dream. Then how? This has never happened before. Even back at the Sskat.

Ned stopped talking and thinking at the same time, his voice was rather weird when he was the one hearing it.

I hoped this is not what ICE has been feeling—

A ball of brilliant light appeared out of nowhere in front of Ned.

"Hello, Ned."

Exactly ICE's voice: soft yet metallic.

"You are?" This time Ned's voice wasn't echoing. "ICE?"

"Indeed. I am, Ned. Tell me your command."

"Impossible," Ned mumbled in front of the chromatic orb of light and said, "Disappear."

With Ned's command, ICE in the form of an orb, disappeared even before Ned got the chance to blink.

"Before I entered the Plain, I was thinking of Master Will, Toni, and Katolin along with other friends."

Ned pondered while he was rubbing his chin, for him, it was something that Ned couldn't understand no matter he thinks things through. This was beyond his understanding. A man, or rather an engineered human that heavily relies on science and technology was now brought to something that he couldn't understand.

"How in Pontu—"

Ned tilted his head after a sharp and whistling sound registered to his ears.

It was a wooden sword. Still, Ned determined that even if it was just a wooden sword, the strength and precision by how it was thrust were far beyond anyone could evade. Luckily for Ned, the way the sword was thrust was something he was familiar with.

Ned bent to evade a slash aimed at his nape and rolled on his left while trying to summon the Krisalix.

Ned successfully evaded the slash, he perfectly rolled to his left, but no Krisalix was summoned. Ned hissed after he was hit on the forearm as he tried to block the follow-up attack made by the unknown assailant.

This unknown assailant wasn't unknown anymore.

Ned rolled over the black ground and hit his back against the bed the twin sisters carefully made up.

He then stands and squinted his eyes trying to focus on who in the hell was the attacker so strong that Ned was sent rolling even with just a wooden sword.

"You've gotten weak, kid."

Ned's eyes widened in surprise just by hearing the voice so old it was near guttural.

"You forgot what I told you? Remember, as a Knight you were supposed to be swift, precise, and—"

"Heavy, Master Will. Heavy."