Master Of None

"Does anyone want a snack? I don't think we should stop just yet. We have a lot of those herbs that the soldiers had carried to deter monsters. Add that to Midnight and Onyx acting as deterrents as well and we should be able to follow the trails at night." Walker had made the decision after thinking through the route on the map. 

"Skunk weed. It has the same smell as an animal called a skunk. Instead of being hunted it is ignored and avoided because the smell it lets off doesn't go away for weeks. Basically, it makes anything that attacks it or eats it a target for every predator around for a week." Remey chimed in as they walked along the path and glanced now and then at the sun slowly setting. 

There was a lot of open space as they traveled through the outskirts of the forest. They were going to pass by their home kingdom on the way but it would just be in the distance and barely able to see. So they were not going to need to stop for any reason which was good. They also knew the area leading toward the swamp lands well since it was mostly farmland that was being rehabilitated. 

"The patrols in that area are still heavy. I think it's the best chance. Alice, can you handle that?" Since Gil had grown up on the farmlands he knew that danger that would come with the farmland. However, he also knew that it was soft ground. It was harder to traverse for the average person and after the demons had attacked it was slightly harder to walk. The charred ground that had been rehabilitated by the elemental spirits but that new growth right before the cold set it caused the ground to shift and become harder to walk on. 

The entire group had kept Alice in mind which would have normally made her happier because she was cared about. But this made her feel that she was holding them back. It also didn't help that the one time they encountered an imp it had jumped at her further proving that she was the weak link. Luckily, Midnight had been keeping an eye out and opened her mouth to spew fire over the imp and cause it to attempt to run away. Gil had finished it just as Alice had started to sing to create a shield in front of her. 

This was a good way for her to see her weaknesses which was time. She was not able to quickly begin attacks. To do that she would need to already be singing when something happened. But if she did so then she would be out of mana and need to constantly rely on mana potions. Of course, that was not plausible because no matter how many mana and healing potions someone used, their body would still feel the mounting stress of using their mana constantly. 

Since this had become evident to the group, Su took the spot near Alice so that she would better be able to guard her. It would be the best place for her to be for the time being. "Keep an eye on how Gil and Walker are scanning the area. They both have a better ability to see longer distances and feel the mana around them respectively. It will give you a heads up when something is going to happen. Gil will slowly fall in to his archery stance to pull an arrow and Walker will pull mana around him even if he will use a sword or hammer." 

It was clear to Su that Alice was not feeling the best about being unable to keep up with the party. Knowing the small tricks to be alert and aware when an enemy showed themselves was good for her. It was an aspect of team work that not many people spoke about but was just important. It was never one person on lookout but multiple. It was never one person reacting but multiple. Not a single one of them would react, the entire party would react and be prepared even when it was something small and easily dealt with. 

Having additional advice from Su as they walked made Alice begin to realize that even though everyone was looking at her, she was not their major worry. The only reason there was additional focus was because they knew she did not have a battle sense and the experience of being out in the wild often. The party was so used to being out and about on a journey at this point that even when they were home they would be somewhat on alert. Being able to understand and see how the party worked in silence while traveling was something that young adventurers either learned or failed to learn which in turn would lead to the growth or end of their adventures. 

"Why is Remey doing that?" The whisper was low so that Alice wouldn't be heard by the others. She felt that it was also rude to be watching Remey so much. 

"Oh, Remey is running through different scenarios while she walks. Those knuckles have multiple elemental affinities and work with her elemental fist skill. You have seen the light and fire combination so far. But if she fights certain monsters like the imp before, the fire knuckles are best. She is practicing shifting through them efficiently." Alice understood this instantly and even had some inspiration for what she could be doing. 

She remembered her songs by heart but she could not sing them with speed to make them work faster. Therefore, she began to hum softly. It was not enough to drain her mana while wearing the bracelet. However, it was perfect for her to make the notes and tune to be second nature just like the healing songs she would sing. The night fell on them and they only stopped walking for a shot moment here and there to drink water or snack quickly. The skunk weed was made in to a smelly torch that smelled but was warm enough to stave off a little of the cold.

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