16

Of course, I didn't literally fly.

But it felt like it.

With each push off the ground, my muscles pushed me faster and further than before. They were still working expecting two times the weight after all.

I was quicker, faster, and used less energy. Muscular energy that is, the steady stream of Mana leaving my Manart balanced out that boon.

I covered the twenty feet to my spear in what felt like less than a second. Such a distance would normally take at least twice as long to traverse.

When it came time to stop, I planted the foot of my leading leg and quickly skidded to a stop.

It was an aberrant experience.

I reached down and grasped the spear shaft. I could instantly feel a portion of my Mana leave my body, but the overall expenditure remained static. What changed though, was the weight of the spear.

I pulled it free from the earth with extraordinary ease. Lifting with both hands, it felt like there was a small stick in my hands rather than a hefty spear.

I thrust it forward in the same manner I had practiced.

Except the spear moved twice as fast.

I frowned.

'The extra speed is nice, but if it weighs half as much…'

I needed to test it.

I looked back and noticed Nira and Ihka staring at me with amazement. Noting the silver blade at Ihka's waist, I jogged in her direction - careful not to move too quickly this time.

Even jogging felt quick and unusual.

"Ihka, can you do me a favor?" I asked as I stopped a few feet outside my spear's range.

"What?"

"Just block my spear strike and tell me how it feels." I requested.

She nodded and unsheathed her blade, holding it in a guarded stance.

Once she was ready, I thrust my spear at her - without holding back.

Although the spear moved with uncommon speed, barely visible in fact - Ihka was faster.

She blocked the spear strike with an upwards flick of her sword.

The weight of her sword was immense and I almost lost my grip on my spear.

'As I thought…' I sighed.

She looked at me strangely, "What's with that strike? Why is there no power?"

Her eyes widened as she realized the issue.

I nodded, "The spear is affected by the Spell as well."

I sighed.

"Fea'dan." I recited quietly.

[Spell of Weight Reduction deactivated.]

'Status.'

[Name: Abel

Race: Human

Level: 5

Health: 150/150

Mana: 8/14

Strength: 18

Dexterity: 14

Intelligence: 14

Vitality: 18

Unallocated Stat Points: 12

EXP: 795/1500

Mana EXP: 5/150]

Looking at my Mana, I sighed.

'It won't last long...'

Right now I could only use it to gain a head start when escaping.

"I can only keep the Spell active for about ten seconds." I said, looking at Ihka.

She frowned, "That might not be enough assurance…"

I nodded.

She stared at the bracelet, "What if you wear the bracelet and use it as normals do?"

I looked at the bracelet curiously, 'Come to think of it, these objects must be a source of Mana themselves?'

I slid it over my hand, but didn't feel anything.

"Nothing. How do you use these things?" I asked.

Ihka shook her head.

"We don't know." She said flatly.

'Well so much for that.' I thought, removing the bracelet and returning it to Ihka.

She looked at the bracelet, then tossed it back in her pack.

I looked at her expectantly, "Do you have any long range Spells?"

She rolled her eyes, "No. Even if I did, what would you do with them? Announce to the world you're a human Remnant?"

'Oh. Right.' I couldn't just go around casting fireballs.

Such a pity.

Ihka grumbled as she removed her cloak, offering it to me, "You'll have to borrow this then."

She seemed extremely reluctant to part with it, but I still reached out and accepted it.

Ding!

[You have obtained - Cloak of Wandering.]

Looking down at the cloak in my hands, I focused my thoughts. 'Inspect'

[Cloak of Wandering - Crafted from the pelt of the legendary Umbral Mihl'hir. Enhancements: Greatly increases local defense. Your presence is weak, you won't be noticed until you make yourself known.]

'Are you kidding me? So this is why she was able to sneak up on us like that?'

The cloak was valuable beyond words and it suddenly felt much heavier.

'No wonder she's been so successful all these years.'

Stalking the forest, infiltrating settlements, and rescuing Remnants was made possible by the virtue of this cloak alone.

I took a deep breath, "Let's go over the plan then."

***

A wide dirt road split the forest, letting beams of sunlight bathe the caravan in their warmth.

I walked cautiously beside a large wagon of refined dark wood.

Inside, visible through thick metal bars, were miserable looking slaves.

It had been a few hours since I split up with Ihka and Nira, and I was feeling exceptionally nervous.

I was walking near the end of the procession donning the familiar garb of the Dusksworn, mask and all. It was a lot more comfortable than my previous gear, other than the anxiety I harbored towards being unmasked and unrecognized.

Looking ahead, I counted five wagons of similar design to the one next to me led by a luxurious coach. The wagons were being pulled by what I can only describe as an oversized beetle. A beetle with horns - big ones.

Horns seemed to be a common theme not only in this world, but also in the wagons.

There were a lot of Shal'Iri.

The slaves were separated into different wagons. The rear three were all full of Shal'Iri while the others were a split between humans and what Ihka had called Mamoei. Mamoei looked a lot like humans as well, but were uniformly blessed with beautiful pale skin and white hair. They seemed extremely proud and barely moved about their wagon, choosing instead to stay seated with their eyes closed.

The humans and Shal'Iri were mostly seated as well, but there were a few among them who constantly moved about peering through the bars nervously. Or maybe expectantly? They seemed to yearn for something, anything to happen. Even disaster.

Flanking the wagons were a mixture of Dusksworn and silver-armored soldiers, all Darkhearts I assumed. I counted twenty-three of them - seventeen of which were soldiers.

They didn't so much as blink in my direction.

I couldn't get used to the feeling though. Casually walking among the men I had been fighting and running from. It felt surreal - and frightening.

Until sundown, my only directive was to walk with the caravan and monitor the wagon which ferried the royal Shal'Iri girl. Ihka had already inspected the slaves and informed me which wagon it was.

The problem I was having right now was figuring out which of the three young Shal'Iri girls was the right one. Each wagon had about twenty slaves crammed inside, the one next to me was no exception. It made it difficult to get a good look at a specific individual, but I still identified three girls that matched her description.

Normally I wouldn't care much about this point, but one of the three girls looked to be in terrible condition. The Darkheart men didn't seem concerned either, which really pissed me off.

'They won't get paid if she dies will they? What use is she if she's dead?' I couldn't understand why they didn't care.

'I can't help her. At least not yet… She needs to survive…' I sighed.

Silently cheering the young girl on, I continued to walk silently with the caravan for hours. The Sun had long reached its zenith and began its descent. I wasn't sure how long it would be until dark, but I guessed it would still be a few more hours.

Suddenly, I heard a commotion from within the wagon next to me. There was a thud and disgruntled voices.

I heard someone call out with the human accent, "Help! This girl needs help!"

I looked over at the nearby soldiers, but they acted like they didn't even hear her.

Another voice pleaded, "Please! She only needs some water! Just a little! Please!"

I gritted my teeth.

The soldiers glanced over in irritation this time, but kept walking - ignoring the pleas of the slaves.

'Are they even human?' I asked myself in disgust.

It took every fiber of my being to not say or do anything - I was really struggling. Thoughts of murder swam in my mind.

I never even knew I had it in me.

As I was calculating the time it would take to unsheath my dagger and stab the soldiers in the back of the head, a different soldier called out from up ahead. "Just give the girl something to drink."

I sighed in relief, only to be gobsmacked the next second.

"Not the clean water of course. Just give her whatever you have left over." The voice called out again.

The soldiers beside me grinned with amusement. There was malice behind those grins.

'What are th-' I stared in horror as they retrieved an empty canteen - and pissed in it.

My mouth dropped. 'There's no way. I'd rather d-' I paused, 'Would I rather die?'

I wasn't sure.

But the thought was disgusting, and the ease with which they came to such a decision was appalling.

When the soldier finished, he fixed his pants and threw the open canteen through the bars. A male slave caught it - getting splashed in the face in the process, but didn't even flinch. He gritted his teeth and spat towards the soldier, but turned to kneel next to the ailing girl.

I couldn't watch.

I silently swore I'd get revenge on behalf of the girl, remembering exactly which soldiers had been involved.

When the Sun set, I would be sticking close to them.

***

Four hours later.

I had witnessed a few more incidents. Each one of which was worse than the last. One slave from a few wagons ahead even died. His body was unceremoniously discarded and crushed by the giant beetles.

If there was one thing I could derive from spending time amongst these humans, it's that they didn't view the slaves as living beings. They treated them worse than livestock.

I sincerely hoped that the behavior was exclusive to the Darkhearts.

The caravan stopped, rotating to form a circle as the men began to make camp for the night.

The Dusksworn whisked off into the forest - likely to set a perimeter - while the soldiers spent the next few minutes setting up simple tents and starting a fire.

The last vestiges of daylight faded away, giving way to the starry sky. It was my first time seeing the stars from this new world and their beauty was breathtaking.

I stared at the sky in wonder.

Countless colorful stars swam amongst the cosmic fog of the galaxy.

I even felt my troubled heart heal a little.

Taking a deep breath in appreciation, I reluctantly shifted my attention.

It was time for the second part of the plan.