Skill Creation in the Fantasy World - Chapter 11: Entering the City.
Chapter 11: Entering the City.
[ALERT!!… ALERT!!…ALERT!!]
Felix jolted awake, his heart racing in response to the sudden and loud voice that broke him out of his sleep. He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the dappled sunlight filtering through the dense canopy above.
“W-Why are you shouting!!”, he asked unhappily widening his eyes.
[Dear host, it is morning.]
Still a bit sleepy, he snorted at the rude system that seemed to make fun of him.
“Hmmph, you’re not nice at all.”
Getting up he stretched his body as a few popping sounds came from his body.
“Let’s check up on what they are doing.”
Felix moved through the forest activating his skill that made him realize that he was acting like a thief. Well, because of what he did last night he was already a thief.
The early morning felt a bit chilly as the mist seemed to cover the forest. Hidden in the shadow of a tree, he watched the group with a mixture of curiosity and envy.
Felix’s gaze lingered on the spread of food laid out before them—a hearty breakfast that looked both delicious and inviting. The sight of golden pancakes, crispy bacon, and steaming mugs of coffee filled him with a pang of hunger.
This time he could not just go and steal their food as it would be quite suspicious so he just held back his hunger. All of a sudden, he perked up his ear hearing them speak about something.
“HaHa captain, don’t lose your breakfast like how you lost yesterday’s dinner.”
One of the guards said holding his stomach as he laughed at how their captain just seemed to always get into trouble.
“Shut up, try eating grass for dinner once and then make fun of me.”
The captain retorted back as he cursed at his bad luck while greedily eating the breakfast. Yesterday’s events made his stomach not feel well in the morning as it growled the whole night.
Felix sweated as their talk made him feel guilty for what he did.
‘Sorry brother captain, but it was a choice I made for my survival. I’ll surely repay you one day for your contribution.’
He promised himself that he would pay back the captain for stealing his food. The middle-aged man took care of the horses and prepared the carriage as they ate.
‘So he was a driver, and those two a married couple who hired the three guards.’, he pondered as he guessed their identities.
After eating breakfast, the group placed their packs on the carriage and set off to the city as they traveled under the shades of the forest.
‘At last, it’s time to get away from this forsaken place….’
Felix gave the forest one last deep look and followed behind them as he jumped from one shadow of the tree to the other.
*****
A few hours later, the group finally reached a city.
Standing behind a tree, Felix looked ahead and stared blankly at the walls that rose from the ground reaching 20m in height.
The walls of the city looked mighty and strong with it’s dark appearance, showing that it was capable of defending against a hoard of monsters.
‘Who can even infiltrate the city if the walls are so high and thick…’
Looking ahead, he saw that the group was approaching the gates of the city, where two soldiers stood checking on the travelers that wished to enter the city.
‘I don’t think entering the city will be that easy for me.’
Felix didn’t think that he could enter the city by just using ‘Silent Steps’. He pondered for a while and made a plan.
Taking a risk, he activated his skill and ran behind the moving carriage getting near to it. When he reached behind the carriage, he quickly got under the carriage and held the lower bonnet of it as he stuck his body upwards.
Holding it hurt his thin and weak arms but he tolerated it as the carriage stopped for a brief moment near the gates before finally entering the city.
While holding onto the bonnet, he looked around from under the carriage and felt amazed by everything of the city in his sight.
There were stalls selling beautiful gemstones and strange spices on the stone streets, with people haggling and discussing among themselves.
Bright banners of different organisations ad shops danced in the air, making patterns of light and dark.
Entertainers amazed the people with their tricks, and the smell of fresh pastries filled the air. It was a world of wonders he had never seen before.
Back on Earth, things were completely different. The streets were lined with buildings made of concrete and glass, with billboards and traffic lights at every corner. People hurried past each other, lost in their own world.
Felix started enjoying his view when his arms started to feel weak. Staring around, he found an empty alley as the carriage moved.
‘There’s my chance!’
Waiting for the carriage to get near to the empty alley, he quickly activated his skill and slowly let go of the wooden bonnet of the carriage.
Swiftly getting up, he ran into the alley as a few pedestrians were surprised at his sudden appearance. But they just minded their own business and walked away ignoring the boy.
Running deep into the alley, Felix stopped when he felt that nobody seemed to follow him into the alley.
“Sigh…that was stressful. Thankfully I did not alert anyone when entering the city.”
He sighed as he thought that if anybody saw him as he was now, they would think of him as a runaway slave and lock him up in their basement.
It was already tough and dangerous for him to have escaped from the slave traders, and he was sure he wouldn’t be as lucky as he was now if he got caught again.
Felix found a quiet spot to sit and relax, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. He leaned against the wall in the alleyway, taking a moment to soak in the tranquil surroundings.
The gentle sound of the wind and the distant hum of the city’s activity created a soothing backdrop, and he closed his eyes, allowing his mind to wander.
As he drifted into his thoughts, a sudden voice in the atmosphere jolted him back to the present. His eyes snapped open, and he felt a chill run down his spine. A childish voice tinged with curiosity and mischief, cut through the tranquility.
“Hey, look over there! What’s that guy doing?”
Felix’s gaze shifted toward the source of the voice, his eyes widening as he saw a group of five kids around the age of 12. They stood a short distance away, their fingers pointed in his direction. Their expressions were a mix of intrigue and suspicion.
He felt a wave of self-consciousness wash over him, his previous relaxation shattered by their scrutiny. He wondered if his presence had caught their attention, or if they wondered about his identity because of his clothes.
Trying to appear nonchalant, Felix offered a friendly smile to the kids.
“Hey what are you guys doing, nice weather today right…”
He didn’t know what could be a nice thing to say at the moment, as it was the first time he was actually having a proper conversation with a person from this world.
As for the talk between him and the huge pervert? He preferred that he completely forget about it.
The kids exchanged glances, their suspicion not entirely dissipated. One of them, a young blue-haired boy wearing a light brown vest and black pants, ventured closer.
“Are you from around here? You look kind of different.”
Felix wondered why they were saying that as he looked at them and asked back.
“Different? How so?”
The boy replied matter of factly.
“Because it’s rare around here for someone to have silver hair and red eyes.”
Felix tilted his head as the boy’s words rang inside his mind.