Chapter 24 - (24) Tracking (1/2)
Geth began his trek in a leisurely fashion. As he was walking, he would test out his abilities. With his Inspection Skill now Level 1 he was able to see a very faint trace of footsteps across his path.
It looked almost like a very dull blue outline of a footprint. If he hadn't been looking down manipulating mud as he'd walked, he never would have seen it. Stooping down, he ran his hand across the dull outline and found that the earth was completely solid, there were no signs of tracks.
”Albus?” He questioned his partner out loud, which had become a more common occurrence as the days went by.
:Since the Mana doesn't allow changes to the world, physical tracks fade very quickly. Even if that is the case, the Mana is a glutton. It won't allow a single trace of history to be forgotten. Right now, you are weak, and can only see tracks from recent events. As you become powerful, you'll be able to see the history stored within:
For a moment he stopped examining the footprint, 'I would be able to see this history that the Mana has recorded? That means that this isn't some new world, more likely ancient, and it is living.' Geth wasn't sure what to think about it for now, but it wasn't something that would easily slip his mind.
He looked more closely at the dull outline, even paying attention it wasn't the easiest to make out. It was about the size of a small child's, but it only had four toes. Based on the direction it was pointing, if he'd gone directly to the east instead of the south-east, he would have been fighting these creatures instead.
Standing up to examine the area, he noticed that there wasn't just one dull outline, but tens of them. They were all heading in the same direction he was now. There may have been some other type of creatures he could think of being that size were Goblins or Kobolds.
To the direct east was a large wooded area. 'There must be another Dungeon.' He thought. 'Well, I have other matters to tend to. I was lucky to run into the Slimes first. If the creatures were humanoid, I would have likely died quickly.'
Geth couldn't imagine facing creatures that could think while he was Level 1. 'Hell, they could have even had weapons.' He grimaced at the thought of him looking like a pincushion.
He picked up his pace, he was close to where he'd woken up, and it was obvious the creatures had headed that way. He needed to go southwest to find his family from where his old home was. This detour had taken him a couple of hours out of the way, but he wanted to make sure he was heading in the right direction before getting lost.
It had been worth the extra time, he'd likely found a second Dungeon location after all. As he crossed over a small hill, he began to be able to make out figures moving around in the distance. There were also some small, dingy-looking structures.
It was a bit hard to make out, being over half a mile away, but he could still tell that there was a fight going on. There were humans mixed in with something else.
Geth picked up the pace. He didn't care much about his neighbors, but if he didn't hurry he might lose out on some easy experience. He was coming from behind the creatures, and could easily catch them off guard.