A "Short" Fantasy Writing

Chapter 2

Outside, the storm had died down quite a bit. The rain no longer tore through the night air, thunder sounding in the distance instead of directly overhead.

Good, I thought, this'll make the trek a whole lot easier on my body.

I set off at a brisk walk towards the Western edge of the town, where I'd entered with Thomas. As far as my standards went, the night was still fairly young and I'd have an interesting journey ahead of me. Suddenly, an image of the alcove I'd noticed earlier in the day flashed through my mind. Of course! I could just use Shadow-Step to return to the area near the alcove. It would drain me of mana for the night, but the move would also place me much closer to Champion's Keep. Taking a deep breath in, I pictured the area clearly in my mind before taking a step forward into nothingness. The sensation lasted a few seconds before I felt my feet touch solid ground.

As I opened my eyes, the familiar rocky cave structure I'd noted earlier appeared out of the darkness. The rain was naught more than a slight drizzle now, and I didn't even hear thunder. The toll took itself then, bringing me to one knee as my vision swam a little. That was the farthest distance I'd ever Shadow-Stepped before, and I was just thankful that I had enough mana to actually complete the move. If I hadn't, my body would've been consumed by the Outside and Heinlem's town could've had another Shade or Ghoul on its hands. See, one thing I forgot to mention about Shadow magic is that it ties in directly to the Outside and an immortal being, who I'd heard of once but never made an effort to remember.

Luckily, or just due to my long hours of training privately, Shadow-Stepping short distances took little to no mana. Long distances were another matter, draining significant chunks of the stuff based on the distance I wanted to go. The undeniable fact remained: Shadow-Stepping was a very fast and efficient alternative to walking, making it worthwhile to expend a bit more mana here and there to travel farther. A soft sound caught my attention, causing me to tilt my head towards the crevice in the rock. Was that...crying?

Pulling myself to my feet I walked slowly towards the entrance. It could be an actual person in despair or sorrow, or it could be a tricky dryad looking to snare her next meal. Either way, I needed to find out if the rock was a safe place to camp or not. Traveling wasn't exactly an option considering all of the energy I'd expended Shadow-Stepping. Moving as silently as possible, I glided across the ground like a shadow, entering the crevice cautiously. As I drew in closer, the crying grew louder and louder until I came upon a small chamber. There was a dying fire in the middle with a figure sitting opposite to me, back to the wall. I immediately identified the person as female and not a dryad. Unless something had changed, dryads were unable to create and wear holy paladin armor.

Crouched in the shadows, I faced a dilemma. On one hand, I could reveal myself and offer to help or comfort the girl. On the other, I could leave the way I'd come in and find a different place to camp. After a few seconds, I decided on option one. This little sheltered rock chamber was just too good to give up, and I'd sworn from the second I became a Hunter that helping good people would never be beyond my morals. Straightening, I stepped out of the shadows, clearing my throat softly. The girl looked up, and for the first time I got a good glimpse of her face with the dying fire. Her blonde hair fell in tangles down her shoulders, obscuring the upper half of her pretty face. I saw a flash of emerald in her eyes, their dark green staring back into my deep blue.

"W-who are y-you?" she stuttered, moving to stand up.

I raised my hand to stop her. "It's ok, I'm not here to hurt you or cause you further grief," I assured her, my tone taking a softer edge. It surprised me; I usually had a more business-like or serious air, but this girl, who I still didn't know, had softened me?