Day Thirteen #2

Each small step Inis took away from her new home had slowly and silently taken her out of her territory.

Her small legs and body took her further as she carefully navigated through the forest avoiding any others that roamed around.

If there was traces of there being others around like there being some tracks left behind then she would investigate them a little to determine how long ago something had passed through the area and which way they went before determining her next route.

Each time she came across the slightest disturbance to the environment, she was quick to assess it like an experienced hunter.

She quickly determines where they came from, roughly what kind of creature they were, which direction they headed in and how long ago they had passed through.

The tiniest trace could leave behind all kinds of clues to help her assess the path before her.

If one route was determined to be too crowded or had more of a chance of her running into others then she used the information she had available to navigate a safer route.

It was a basic need for most skilled dungeon hunters to be able to track and navigate through unfamiliar terrain.

If they entered without those skills then it was likely that they would lead their allies into a harmful environment or to be surrounded by the creatures that existed within the dungeon.

It required knowledge of many of the creatures and their characteristics like their estimated size, shape and weight to determine what kind of monster could exist within the dungeon.

Weight and size was just as important as the shape since there were always chances that determining the two could better help identify the species of the creature or its rate of maturity and ranking.

How much a footprint sunk into the ground could help identify a lot of those things along with its shape.

If someone misjudged what had passed through and went on to hunt it then they could put themselves in danger from underestimating what they were hunting after identifying it as another type of creature entirely.

There were always instances where a lord or boss existed among them inside the dungeon while there were some supporting species inside their ranks.

Those ranked above the species were far more dangerous and had different advantages based on the roles they played which was a little similar to how the Gremlins under Inis had evolved.

If someone had yet to determine the characteristics of the race of creature in the dungeons before tracking them down then they would go into battle unprepared but it was even worse when they failed to identify that there was a large difference between the marks left behind and the other tracks found in the dungeon.

Failing to identify a bigger threat among the creatures they were attacking could cost them greatly.

It was the same for encountering more intelligent creatures that could make use of the terrain to set traps.

Even if people could survive in those difficult dungeons that were filled with dangers, there was still the creatures inside that would play some part in helping those entering grow closer to their demise.

Teams could leave that kind of work to more skilled scouts and surveyors but it was a lot better for a dungeon hunter to study up on such things and learn through experience if they wished to challenge the higher level dungeons without suffering greater losses along the way.

The burden on Inis's shoulders was very large during that time due to her being a new rising star that was gaining recognition and support.

One or two failures would be met with public criticism as the surrounding media were getting ready to determine if they should promote her heavily or throw her to the wolves.

The only option available for Inis during that time was to overcome her weaknesses and dig deeper into herself to prepare herself for the increased difficulties ahead.

Slowly but surely, the amount of people that had joined her on her journey had grown and the amount of casualties had decreased as her abilities had been used to strike down bosses and lead everyone through as safely as possible.

If there was a role that best suited Inis then it was the role of a scout or assassin that tracked her prey and targeted their weak points.

If the weak points could not be reached then she looked for other ways to bring her opponents down to allow for her to get to their weak point.

There were many times where she had entered dungeons on her own as she faced off against many larger and stronger creatures of larger numbers but came out of it all alive.

When Inis started to gain a larger following and group to work along with, her need to solo had lessened but it had helped her hone her abilities further to effectively become the main person in the group to create or seize opportunities to effectively defeat the dungeons.

Walking through the forest as she did had helped to tap further into her experience.

Her body may have been much smaller and could not cover as much ground as before but it was still very light and small to be able to more effectively hide herself.

The dark green skin helped her to blend in further with the surroundings while her small body made it easier to hide behind or under certain areas that humans would find difficult to do.

The tiny terror physiology allowed for her small body to have the kind of physical strength that should not be possible for her small size so even if it was not enough to match a humans or other creatures, it was enough to help her body move around better.

The evolution of her species gained had further amplified that along with her other physical and innate qualities before she had even started along her journey to absorb Aether Energy properly.

Once she had started to step into the first and second realms of Aether users where her body was evolving at a rapid rate due to her unique training method, Inis could feel herself tapping further into her past experiences and was using it to bring out her growing power.

Even the most sensitive of creatures that lurked in the forest had been unable to sense her due to her display of abilities and her careful navigation through the forest until she finally reached closer to the location that the smoke was rising up from. 'So it is here.'

Her magenta eyes glowed brightly as they looked towards the distance where there were many signs of life ahead that were most likely among one of the intelligent races.