The Xalinor Chronicles

Level up!

They were about to head deeper into the woods when Jake felt the same burning sensation on his wrist. Just like before, a sequence of words appeared on his skin:

Level up!

New level: Adept elven Sage.

New skill: Eagle Eye.

Jake was thrilled to find out that he had levelled up so quickly. Killing the blood hounds, especially the alpha, had earned him a lot of combat experience points. He was slowly becoming obsessed with his new found powers. The sweet taste of revenge was already upon his lips. Even though he wasn’t sure he had killed the same blood hounds which had attacked him, it didn’t matter to him too much. What really mattered was the fact that he had single-handedly slaughtered a pack of ferocious predators almost effortlessly. Yolen wasn’t joking when he proclaimed that the elven Sages were the greatest archers in the continent.

Though the blood hounds had been taken care of, Jake suspected that there might be even more dangers lurking inside the forest. He thought it would be best to climb a tall tree and scout ahead. Just as he had done before, he jumped into the air. This time however, he barely made it a few feet off the ground. He tried once again but the result was still the same.

“Why can’t I jump as high as last time? What the hell is happening?” he muttered under his breath.

Yolen hobbled towards him and explained, “My boy, you can only use skills once every day. You have already used your Extreme Agility skill to jump from tree to tree.”

“That’s correct; a skill only lasts for a short duration,” added Zill’s father.

“We have to find my sister, Jake Riley. She must be feeling scared inside this dark forest,” said Zill. He was really worried about Nelly after the encounter with the blood hounds.

“Alright, let’s go,” replied Jake picking up the torch from the ground and re-igniting it. Zill did the same with his. The two of them walked side by side as they led the small group into the belly of the forest. The farther they went, the darker it became. Towering trees formed a dense green arch overhead which blocked the dim light of the moon, making the forest floor difficult to navigate. Their torches had almost burnt up completely by the time they reached a clearing in the forest. There was still no sign of Nelly and the other gnomes.

“Nelly, where are you darling? We are here for you,” cried Zill’s mother in desperation, while Zill’s father started searching the ground for any signs of their daughter.

Despite of Yolen’s repeated warnings, Zill and his mother kept shouting Nelly’s name on top of their lungs. Zill’s father tried to caution them about wild animals prowling around in the woods at night, but his words fell on deaf ears.

Eventually Jake had to intervene and after a great deal of pleading, he finally managed to get them to stop.

“You 2 are going to make the situation even worse. This is a very big forest. Maybe they can’t hear us from here,” he explained calmly.

“I think we should wait for the sun to come out. It’s impossible to find them in the dark.” The old healer had become exhausted by now. He just wanted to rest his sore feet. “Only beasts and elves walk about the forest at night,” he remarked.

“What did you say about elves?” Yolen’s words had caught Jake’s attention.

“I said that only beasts and elves walk about at night. Beasts can see very well in the dark and they also have a great sense of smell —“

Jake cut him short in the middle of his sentence and asked, “What about the elves. Can they also see well in the dark?”

“Only predatory animals can see in the dark. Gnomes like us can only see in partial darkness but it is just too dark in—“

He would have gone on describing the passive abilities of the different creatures in great detail if Jake hadn’t shaken him vigorously. “Tell me about the elves!” he cried.

The old man was rather scared by Jake’s aggressive behavior and meekly replied, “Elves can use the Eagle Eye skill to survey the woods.”

Eagle Eye! That was the same skill which Jake had acquired a few minutes ago. “I can use that skill! I saw it appear on my left arm after the fight!” exclaimed Jake energetically.

The gnomes looked at him in wonder as he activated the Eagle Eye skill and summoned a magnificent brown eagle. For a few moments, they all gazed at the majestic bird in awe. Then, Jake asked Yolen, “Are you sure that eagles can see well in the dark?”

Yolen stood up and replied, “No, eagles can barely see in the dark. However, this eagle can. The eagle in front of you isn’t a real eagle. It’s a spirit familiar. Spirit eagles can scout for enemies, find allies and even locate lost treasures. Only the most skilled elven Sages can summon an eagle familiar on the first try!” His eyes brightened up as the eagle spread its wings and prepared to take flight.  “Just ask the eagle what you wish to find and you can see it through its eyes,” he added, without taking his eyes off the beautiful brown bird.

Though Jake had never had a pet bird and knew very little about eagles, he instinctively stretched out his right arm towards his winged minion. It was as if he had known that eagle all along. The spirit eagle immediately flew towards him and perched itself on top of his forearm. As he looked into the bird’s eyes, his consciousness merged with the bird’s own consciousness and he became one with the eagle.

Jake could now see through its eyes as if they were his very own. He whispered softly, “I seek the lost gnomes.”

The spirit eagle spread out its wings and took to the sky. It left behind a trail of light as it ascended towards the gathering storm clouds. Through the eagles’ eyes Jake could see the entire forest. There were trees of all shapes and sizes and even winding vines laden with succulent fruits and berries. Hidden between the leafy curtains, were the cozy nests of sleepy birds. As the moonlight kissed the pink flowers of the yelen trees, they blushed like highborn maidens at a midnight masquerade.

When the eagle had reached the farthest end of the forest, it dived downwards, slicing through the canopy of lush green leaves and emerged at a clearing on the other side. An ancient well, overgrown with mosses and ferns rested in the center of the clearing. The bird hovered over the dilapidated structure for a few seconds before flying directly into its mouth and melting into the darkness inside. Just before the bird disappeared inside the dark well, Jake caught a fleeting glimpse of two large round eyes.