I crouched on a low branch beneath the Wildwoods cavernous canopy, listening to the sounds of Kinrath congregating beneath me. The sounds they made were kind of gross to listen to, but that made sense. Kinrath were gross. That was even more incentive for them not to find me.
Between Sandra’s training and my new legs, climbing the tree was as simple as running up a hill. My cybernetics had left a few scratches on the bark, though, which was something I needed to work on. An experienced tracker would probably spot those. But I wasn’t ready to be thinking about experienced trackers. This was step one of the datachit Elyd had given me: conceal your presence.
Only after I learned how to avoid being seen or heard would I start on the more advanced topics, like movement and breaking tails. I winced. This was all so much more complicated than the desert, where I could just drop to the ground the moment I suspected someone might of seen me, or crouch-walk up behind them and bash them on the head with a rock before they knew I was there. This was civilization. I couldn’t just knock someone out, sling them over my shoulder, and toss them in a cage until they woke up.
Scratch that. I could, but they would have to deserve it.
The Kinrath scuttled beneath me, chittering to each other. It seemed as if they were aware someone was present, but were confused that the trail ended at the base of a tree. They were cave dwellers, and not native to Viscara. They had no idea what trees were, other than convenient spots to weave their webs between. Still, I figured one might look up at some point, maybe even long enough to notice that one of the bunches of leaves above their heads was a different shade of green and also made of woven fiberplast.
Listen to me, Viksy, Seiji had told me in a lesson once. Remember this lesson well. If an animal seems dumb at first glance… it probably is. That’s it. That’s the lesson. Also, humans are dumb animals.
It was now that I realized how true Seiji’s words had been. Humans never had any real cause to look up. They didn’t even like to make eye contact in public unless they wanted something. They didn’t want to be alarmed, or surprised, or get involved. They just wanted to go about their day, oblivious. With understanding came excitement. I had spent a year as a desert ninja, a lawless shinobi who only cared about survival. Now, I could become something else entirely: AN URBAN NIN–
SKREEK
My internal monologue was interrupted by the annoying sound of the Kinrath finally noticing I was here. I looked down, frowning. They had circled the base of the tree, and were starting to whack at it with those weird mouth-limbs of theirs. No matter how often I got told it was just another appendage, the Kinrath always looked like they were opening their mouths really wide and pushing a fifth leg out through the hole. Literally everything about them was gross.
Anyway, it was time to find a different tree and try again. This commotion was just going to draw more Kinrath. I rolled sideways off my branch and drew my training sabers, slashing in less than graceful arcs. But grace didn’t matter in this case. The Kinrath were still dead before I hit the ground.
I stowed my sabers on my belt and gathered my cape from the branch, throwing it around my shoulders in the usual way. Once I felt dressed and prepared, I wandered south, thinking I might try my luck with one of the outlaw bands who roamed the forest. They would be more difficult to fool, but there was one thing they had over Kinrath that made them an appealing option.
They were not nearly as gross.
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Stealth - Beginner (1/8)