Chapter 42: Obsidian (2/2)
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Through performing a certain action, you have developed a new skill; Tracking.
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Tracking (Lv.1): The ability to detect and recognize traces left by other living beings. The ways people approach this skill differ. But whether it is through hearing, smell, touch, or sight, this skill will allow the user to track down their target.
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❮ ◈ ❯
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The second that notification arrived, Rakna could already feel the difference the skill made. All of a sudden, the scents he was perceiving were considerably clearer and easier to filter. After a few minutes of silence, with Liz not even daring to say a word, he finally smelled a similar scent while wandering in a small street.
People would send him weird looks but considering how they did nothing to him; he could guess that beings like him were not unseen before on the streets of the city. Though, if the shocked expressions he spotted when they looked at his tails were anything to go by, nine-tailed animals weren't anything common.
After another minute, he finally reached his destination and he instantly spotted a cat woman running around, asking strangers if they had seen her daughter.
When he got close enough, Liz stirred as her ears twitched. Cats were said to be able to recognize people through the sound of their footsteps. Something that was proven accurate as the little girl straightened and looked over Rakna's head.
”Mama!” She shouted and jumped down from his back and ran to the woman in tears.
”Liz!” Her mother shouted back with a voice filled with relief, pain, and guilt. She crouched and hugged her mother with all her strength. ”Thank god, you're okay!”
Rakna watched quietly from the side as he heard the completion of the Quest. At least, it counted for his promotion conditions. Pronos also watched with a sympathetic expression from under his scarf.
”M-my Lord, were you the one who saved my daughter?” The mother turned toward me as she held her daughter in her arms.
'My Lord?' Rakna frowned internally.
[You are a Nine-Tailed Noble in her eyes, Rakna,] Alexa explained.
”Yes, I did. Be more cautious in the future. I won't always be there to save your daughter,” he said and turned around as he prepared to leave.
”My Lord, please wait! I need to repay you somehow!”
”No need. I merely just got rid of some human trash. Nothing warranting a reward from the likes of you,” he replied, instinctively getting into a persona of an actual noble. He might as well just go along with it.
Her eyes widened. ”Please, at least accept this!” Just after these words left her mouth, Rakna was faced with another prompt.
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Lana Taila offers you 1 000 Talys for rescuing her daughter.
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Do you accept the exchange?
Yes/No
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”I-I know this may be an inconsequential amount for you, but please, take it as my gratitude for saving my daughter,” she insisted and Rakna glanced at her before accepting with a sigh.
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❮◈❯ 1000 Talys have been transferred. ❮◈❯
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After that message, he looked at the mother-daughter pair one last time. ”I will accept this to give you face. Be sure to protect your family better in the future. Have a good day,” he said.
However, Lana asked one last question before he could leave. ”Can I have the honor of knowing My Lord's name?”
Rakna stiffened and scowled at her. ”…call me Obsidian,” he declared before running toward the closest building's wall and running vertically until he left everyone's sight after landing on the roof.
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After getting to a safe location hidden from prying eyes, Rakna returned to his therian form and casually walked out from the alleys. He sniffed the air and instantly knew where his three friends were.
As he started heading toward them, he thought back to what he had just done. When that feline woman had asked his name, he nearly froze up. He had to admit that he was a bit careless in showing his nine-tailed wolf form like that. But he had been forced to transform in worry that he'd be too slow to intervene in whatever was happening.
”Well, let's hope that a fake name will be enough to not direct too much attention to me,” Rakna muttered to himself. He had no idea at the time that he had just caused something way more than just a diversion.