Testing My Luck in the New World

Volume 2 - Chapter 23

"People are coming."

"Do you think they know we're here?"

She paused, then shook her head. "No. Their footsteps are calm and they don't seem to be walking towards us on purpose. We're probably just unlucky."

I sighed. "How many of them are there?"

"Six."

"Shit..."

As I feared, they stepped up their patrol game by bunching up. Likely to avoid getting overwhelmed by the spriggans again.

Hand on my sword, I considered what this meant.

When we first found the thieves, there were twelve of them, including Tillmann and Arthur. Thinking back to my midnight trip into the barrier, I mentally counted out the sleeping bags in the tent and the numbers matched perfectly. Unless some of them doubled up, that should be all we should expect from them.

So, with Erhard still in the city and at least two of them dead, and not counting the six near us, that leaves Tillmann with a minimum of two more men currently unaccounted for. Whether or not they were inside the barrier with him or if they were the ones chasing Mana around was impossible to say.

Not that knowing that erases the fact that whoever is chasing Mana is definitely several times her level.

"We need to get Mana out of here. She's not with the group headed our way, are they?"

"No. Alex, you need to teleport Daddy here."

Still staring off into the trees, her ears kept at attention, flicking occasionally.

"You think his nose can track her better than my rights?"

"I don't know, but that doesn't matter right now."

"What do you mean it doesn't matter? Mana is out there."

"Alex," Yua said sharply, turning an openly worried glare my way. "There are too many people coming. And if what you said about their levels is true, then we shouldn't risk fighting them alone. They aren't going to be as weak as those guys I beat up in the slave house. We need help."

"Right..."

Without hesitation, I threw my pride to the ground and shot it in the head. I wasn't about to trade it for Mana's safety. Tama could help get her back. I'd just grin and bear with his chastising later.

I drew in a breath and focused on the chief's tent. The two cots, one for the man in question and his mate, the other for their long-lost daughter. The shelves full of trophies from past battles. The oddly placed crates brimming with potions, medicinal supplies and other keepsakes.

Keeping all this in my mind with a picture-perfect clarity, I silently cast Dimensional Step.

Bright blue lights swarmed into existence, slowly building upon themselves until they created a doorway. Once it solidified, all I needed to do was wait for him to step through.

But he never did.

"You said he'd be in his tent, right?"

"He should be. He said he'd be ready to fight."

Her ears flicked again and I knew the thieves were drawing closer. They may not have noticed us yet, but they got damned lucky to have found us so soon.