Altair's vision changed from a view of burning tents and charred bodies to the inside of a dark blue cave. The change was instantaneous and jarring. Altair was used to this kind of change because she had used her teleportation Magic fairly often in the past.
Once the Magic was completed Altair fell face first onto the rock ground as Overdraft slammed into her like a truck. Her whole body ached and burned at the same time from spending more Mana than she had. She coughed violently several times, spewing forth a green brackish fluid instead of blood each time. At the same time she was feeling that overwhelming pain, she also felt hollow inside as she could no longer feel the familiar swirl of Mana within her body.
She sucked in a deep breath as her emotions started to run back into her body now that danger had past. She felt frustrated at herself for falling for such an obvious trap. She also felt sad that she had failed to get revenge against that arrogant and stupid Human who had slaughtered civilians as if it was a game. And she felt a deep fear that she had almost become the slave to that moron through blasphemous Magic.
She remained lying on the ground for a time as she waited for the pain to pass. It would only hurt more if she moved around unnecessarily and she didn't have anywhere to be right now. Some of her kind would argue that returning to warn the Council of Four would be the most important thing to do right now but that was a moot point. She didn't know where she was and couldn't use her Mana for the time being so there was little reason to move about while in pain.
Her first priority would be to remove the poison within her even if she knew where she was. Without her Magic she was a kitten without claws. She would be completely helpless to even the most minor of beasts in the wilds. Since she wound up in a cave of some kind she figured there would be beasts somewhere nearby. She would need to be extra careful and sneak around once she recovered enough to move. Thankfully, due to her emergence, she had gained the ability to see in the dark so she could see her surroundings, although everything was in shades of grey.
Her rest was disturbed by a roaring echo that seemed to come from all around her. She knew that this was because she was in a cave but she couldn't continue to lie around with whatever that was being in the same area as her. She was mostly defenseless right now. Without her Mana to enhance her body strength and to be able to use Magic, she was effectively a child.
She knew the recipe for the antidote to the Mana Sealing Poison. The ingredients weren't hard to get, nor was the antidote hard to make… if you were a Human adult. As far as Altair knew, she was the most wanted Demi-Human in the world so that would only make things harder for her. She would need to be quiet and sneaky if she wanted to recover her power so she could return home.
That roaring thing didn't seem to be a Humanoid judging by the fact that the cave was shaking.
Altair stood to her feet when the ground started to move and the pain from her Magic Overdraft reawakened. She immediately grimaced as she looked around only to find that the enhanced eyesight she had come to enjoy with her emergence had faded for some reason. She was almost as blind as a bat in this cave. The only light she had to go on was from some glowing mushrooms that were scattered about the cavern.
This was completely bizarre. When she first entered the cave she had been able to see normally as she was used to in the darkness. However, for some reason that had left her after she had rested with her eyes closed for a while. She only now noticed the mushrooms due to the green tint they were giving off in the cavern. Thinking about it now, it was a terrible move to just lie there defenselessly while not paying attention to her surroundings. She mentally chastised herself for what she had just done.
Altair was currently carrying, other than the clothes on her back, about two days of food, one throwing dagger, and the black facemask. She had nothing useful for generating light and could only frown at her situation as she fumbled about looking for a good vantage point.
Although, now that she thought about it, she probably wouldn't be able to see whatever was making all that racket so perhaps finding a good spot to see it was pointless. Since it likely made this cavern its home it would probably be able to see in the dark. Or perhaps the creature relied in scent or sound to find its prey. In two of those cases, Altair was completely doomed while the last case she wouldn't be able to do anything about.
It still didn't stop her though. Because of that fact that creatures that dwelled in caves could either see in the dark or didn't use sight at all, Altair felt the need to be on higher ground just for the extra defense it would let her have from a higher vantage point. So she started looking around futilely for such a spot.
After nearly face planting herself on the ground for the nth time, Altair noticed some light coming from some location around a corner at the far end of the cavern she was in. As far as she knew there was only one reason something would generate light inside a cave and that was if it was an intelligent creature that needed light to see in the dark. The only thing that matched that description and came to Altair's mind was Humans.
With the light that was coming in from around that corner, Altair quickly found what she judged to be a suitable hiding spot and prepared herself to ambush the newcomers. That's how she had lived the last four years of her life. There was never any negotiating or talking it out with Humans when they ran into Demi-Humans. The one and only result was always the death of the other side. Even if Altair couldn't use her Magic and had the strength of a child, she would still resist to the bitter end. It was a better alternative than being a slave or cattle to Humans.
Moments later it seemed like a sun erupted into the cave from where the light came from. The entire room was quickly lit entirely up and Altair was stunned by it. She had been in near complete darkness for a while and the sudden change to light coming from the tunnel ahead had momentarily blinded her. She had to duck behind the rock she was hiding behind due to how bright it was.
Coupled with the massive increase in illumination came the thunderous roar of whatever that thing the Human's brought with them. It also shook the entire cavern fiercely and Altair needed to brace herself to not fall over from it. It caused an unparalleled fear to rise up in Altair's heart as she wondered what kind of monster the Human's had tamed and brought here. She was sure that she would die to it the moment she ambushed the Human's. She closed her eyes for a few moments as she silently spoke the names of her friends who had to the Humans. She stopped at the name of the one she loved.
The shaking in the cavern stopped as the monster stopped advancing and its roar died down to a near whimper at nearly the same moment. The light still poured in from the creature as the sound of several sets of feet landed onto the cavern ground.
Altair's heart started to race in anticipation and she held onto her dagger so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
As the Human's started moving around from behind where the light was coming from, Altair started to hear their voices echo in the cavern. She couldn't understand what they were saying because it was a language she had never heard before and this caused her brow to scrunch up. She was pretty sure she knew every language that Human's spoke on the continent. She had learned them to help with spying missions she was sent on in the past.
"It should be around here," one of the men said in the language Altair didn't understand. His voice had a strange echo on it.
Another man stated, "Yeah, there was a strange energy reading here. Although I don't see anything either."
"Hey! Do the sensors pick anything up?!" The first man called backwards.
A further away female voice called out in reply, "No! There are no signs of the energy readings we picked up two hours ago!"
The first man grumbled to himself inaudibly while the man beside him shouted, "What about the other readings?!"
There was a short pause in the voices as Altair adjusted herself to be ready to pounce on the nearest Human, though at this moment Altair was started to wonder if they really were Humans. She couldn't see them because of that blinding light that was coming from around the rock she was behind, but she could hear their voices. Judging by the, probably, conversation they were having they were obviously intelligent creatures. But she couldn't confirm if they were actually Human or not. She still doubted they were Demi-Humans because of their need for the light that creature was generating.
"Ah there's something over there! It looks like a person, hiding behind that rock on the far side. They appear to be ready to pounce and are armed! Be careful!"
The men looked towards where she indicated in confusion. How did someone come to this uninhabitable planet without them knowing? This world was essentially owned by the Marnithok family. And that person was armed too so they couldn't just walk up at will.
Altair slowed her breathing to try and make herself less noticeable. She didn't know she had already been discovered but she knew that one of those Humans would eventually come this way. And indeed, she was right, but in a way that terrified her. If they just walked away then she could stealthily make her escape and look for the plants she needed for an antidote. If they came forward then… Altair didn't like her odds.
Altair's vision changed from a view of burning tents and charred bodies to the inside of a dark blue cave. The change was instantaneous and jarring. Altair was used to this kind of change because she had used her teleportation Magic fairly often in the past.
Once the Magic was completed Altair fell face first onto the rock ground as Overdraft slammed into her like a truck. Her whole body ached and burned at the same time from spending more Mana than she had. She coughed violently several times, spewing forth a green brackish fluid instead of blood each time. At the same time she was feeling that overwhelming pain, she also felt hollow inside as she could no longer feel the familiar swirl of Mana within her body.
She sucked in a deep breath as her emotions started to run back into her body now that danger had past. She felt frustrated at herself for falling for such an obvious trap. She also felt sad that she had failed to get revenge against that arrogant and stupid Human who had slaughtered civilians as if it was a game. And she felt a deep fear that she had almost become the slave to that moron through blasphemous Magic.
She remained lying on the ground for a time as she waited for the pain to pass. It would only hurt more if she moved around unnecessarily and she didn't have anywhere to be right now. Some of her kind would argue that returning to warn the Council of Four would be the most important thing to do right now but that was a moot point. She didn't know where she was and couldn't use her Mana for the time being so there was little reason to move about while in pain.
Her first priority would be to remove the poison within her even if she knew where she was. Without her Magic she was a kitten without claws. She would be completely helpless to even the most minor of beasts in the wilds. Since she wound up in a cave of some kind she figured there would be beasts somewhere nearby. She would need to be extra careful and sneak around once she recovered enough to move. Thankfully, due to her emergence, she had gained the ability to see in the dark so she could see her surroundings, although everything was in shades of grey.
Her rest was disturbed by a roaring echo that seemed to come from all around her. She knew that this was because she was in a cave but she couldn't continue to lie around with whatever that was being in the same area as her. She was mostly defenseless right now. Without her Mana to enhance her body strength and to be able to use Magic, she was effectively a child.
She knew the recipe for the antidote to the Mana Sealing Poison. The ingredients weren't hard to get, nor was the antidote hard to make… if you were a Human adult. As far as Altair knew, she was the most wanted Demi-Human in the world so that would only make things harder for her. She would need to be quiet and sneaky if she wanted to recover her power so she could return home.
That roaring thing didn't seem to be a Humanoid judging by the fact that the cave was shaking.
Altair stood to her feet when the ground started to move and the pain from her Magic Overdraft reawakened. She immediately grimaced as she looked around only to find that the enhanced eyesight she had come to enjoy with her emergence had faded for some reason. She was almost as blind as a bat in this cave. The only light she had to go on was from some glowing mushrooms that were scattered about the cavern.
This was completely bizarre. When she first entered the cave she had been able to see normally as she was used to in the darkness. However, for some reason that had left her after she had rested with her eyes closed for a while. She only now noticed the mushrooms due to the green tint they were giving off in the cavern. Thinking about it now, it was a terrible move to just lie there defenselessly while not paying attention to her surroundings. She mentally chastised herself for what she had just done.
Altair was currently carrying, other than the clothes on her back, about two days of food, one throwing dagger, and the black facemask. She had nothing useful for generating light and could only frown at her situation as she fumbled about looking for a good vantage point.
Although, now that she thought about it, she probably wouldn't be able to see whatever was making all that racket so perhaps finding a good spot to see it was pointless. Since it likely made this cavern its home it would probably be able to see in the dark. Or perhaps the creature relied in scent or sound to find its prey. In two of those cases, Altair was completely doomed while the last case she wouldn't be able to do anything about.
It still didn't stop her though. Because of that fact that creatures that dwelled in caves could either see in the dark or didn't use sight at all, Altair felt the need to be on higher ground just for the extra defense it would let her have from a higher vantage point. So she started looking around futilely for such a spot.
After nearly face planting herself on the ground for the nth time, Altair noticed some light coming from some location around a corner at the far end of the cavern she was in. As far as she knew there was only one reason something would generate light inside a cave and that was if it was an intelligent creature that needed light to see in the dark. The only thing that matched that description and came to Altair's mind was Humans.
With the light that was coming in from around that corner, Altair quickly found what she judged to be a suitable hiding spot and prepared herself to ambush the newcomers. That's how she had lived the last four years of her life. There was never any negotiating or talking it out with Humans when they ran into Demi-Humans. The one and only result was always the death of the other side. Even if Altair couldn't use her Magic and had the strength of a child, she would still resist to the bitter end. It was a better alternative than being a slave or cattle to Humans.
Moments later it seemed like a sun erupted into the cave from where the light came from. The entire room was quickly lit entirely up and Altair was stunned by it. She had been in near complete darkness for a while and the sudden change to light coming from the tunnel ahead had momentarily blinded her. She had to duck behind the rock she was hiding behind due to how bright it was.
Coupled with the massive increase in illumination came the thunderous roar of whatever that thing the Human's brought with them. It also shook the entire cavern fiercely and Altair needed to brace herself to not fall over from it. It caused an unparalleled fear to rise up in Altair's heart as she wondered what kind of monster the Human's had tamed and brought here. She was sure that she would die to it the moment she ambushed the Human's. She closed her eyes for a few moments as she silently spoke the names of her friends who had to the Humans. She stopped at the name of the one she loved.
The shaking in the cavern stopped as the monster stopped advancing and its roar died down to a near whimper at nearly the same moment. The light still poured in from the creature as the sound of several sets of feet landed onto the cavern ground.
Altair's heart started to race in anticipation and she held onto her dagger so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
As the Human's started moving around from behind where the light was coming from, Altair started to hear their voices echo in the cavern. She couldn't understand what they were saying because it was a language she had never heard before and this caused her brow to scrunch up. She was pretty sure she knew every language that Human's spoke on the continent. She had learned them to help with spying missions she was sent on in the past.
"It should be around here," one of the men said in the language Altair didn't understand. His voice had a strange echo on it.
Another man stated, "Yeah, there was a strange energy reading here. Although I don't see anything either."
"Hey! Do the sensors pick anything up?!" The first man called backwards.
A further away female voice called out in reply, "No! There are no signs of the energy readings we picked up two hours ago!"
The first man grumbled to himself inaudibly while the man beside him shouted, "What about the other readings?!"
There was a short pause in the voices as Altair adjusted herself to be ready to pounce on the nearest Human, though at this moment Altair was started to wonder if they really were Humans. She couldn't see them because of that blinding light that was coming from around the rock she was behind, but she could hear their voices. Judging by the, probably, conversation they were having they were obviously intelligent creatures. But she couldn't confirm if they were actually Human or not. She still doubted they were Demi-Humans because of their need for the light that creature was generating.
"Ah there's something over there! It looks like a person, hiding behind that rock on the far side. They appear to be ready to pounce and are armed! Be careful!"
The men looked towards where she indicated in confusion. How did someone come to this uninhabitable planet without them knowing? This world was essentially owned by the Marnithok family. And that person was armed too so they couldn't just walk up at will.
Altair slowed her breathing to try and make herself less noticeable. She didn't know she had already been discovered but she knew that one of those Humans would eventually come this way. And indeed, she was right, but in a way that terrified her. If they just walked away then she could stealthily make her escape and look for the plants she needed for an antidote. If they came forward then… Altair didn't like her odds.
