Chapter 58

  I slept like a baby the rest of the night. My moment of panic, run in with Mikael, and then the catharsis that was spoiling your pets all led to my mind turning into blissful darkness the moment my head hit my pillow upon my return to the inn. As a result, before I knew it, I was waking, eyes bleary, and ready for the next leg in my adventure.

  My held wrapped tightly around the steaming cup of coffee as I walked with Guy towards the northern part of the town. We were going to say our final goodbyes there, and Guy had been giving me important travel tips and notes to mind as I made my trek.

  “If you use the map feature on your gauntlet,” he was saying, after first giving me a rundown on the types of random travelers like himself and Wandering Women I may run into, “you’ll be able to see a brief overview on the strength of the Musn in the area.”

  “I can what?” I asked as I pulled the map up as we walked. My cursor showed me walking through the streets of Silver Springs, with various shops and paths listed. I zoomed out, past the Guardian Crystal, till I could see the outskirts around the town. Sure enough, there was new information there that hadn’t been previously available.

  “Unlocking the first Tier of your Gauntlet comes with a lot of perks. Now you can see the zones, which mark off where you will be more likely to find stronger Muns, as well as the level range.” Around the town, the Muns had a range of level 10-20. But there was another ring, a decent bit of distance from the main walking paths, that was a darker color, and listed as 21-30. Past that, a black ring that just said ‘warning.’ Neat.

  “Why wasn’t this a feature beforehand?” I asked, noting that my gauntlet also showed the Muns I’d encountered in an area. Annoyingly, it didn’t show how many in total there were, like some games back home. So I couldn’t know if I’d seen all the Muns in an area or not, without additional information. Damnit.

  “Because like I said, everyone with a Tier 0 gauntlet is usually guided by their family or friends to their first keeper. And, well,” he shrugged, “it’s kind of common sense to stay on the path for safety? Besides, Muns don’t attack humans unprovoked, so, it’s really not an issue for someone with a Tier 0 gauntlet.” He paused, “actually, come to think of it, if my memory serves correctly, the world actually prohibits Muns from being able to do anything negative or damaging to someone with a Tier 0 gauntlet. It’s like its own little, tiny, barrier.”

  I faltered, “and after you reach Tier 1, they what… can suddenly hurt humans?”

  “Well, a Pride Cub isn’t going to immediately run over and chomp on you,” Guy said with a chuckle, “but I wouldn’t advise sticking your hands in the mouth of any particular Muns and daring it to bite down.”

  “Okay…” I thought about my experience in the night. “Physical attacks aside… can Muns now use their abilities on me?”

  “Like what?” Guy asked.

  I faltered as I remembered the sudden feelings of panic that had filled me. Had that been a Mun? Or just my body reacting to the trauma of my past? There was no doubt those memories, what I’d lived through, left scars. But it had seemed a bit out of place, how quickly it had overcome me. Or, more importantly, how it had instantly left the moment Mikael’s Fox attacked.

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  “Causing me to relive nightmares?” I offered to Guy, not wanting to go too far into the details.

  “There are Muns that can do that,” he said after a moment. “Though probably nothing you need to worry about, especially if you stick to the path. Darker Muns tend to only come out at night, and only appear in the 30 and up zones.” He gave me a once over. “Does your world have such things? Can they prey on anyone?” Guy shook his head, perplexed, “your world is so dangerous Taylor.”

  My only response was an awkward laugh, as my left hand drifted down towards my thigh. “There are definitely some monsters in my world,” I said as I caught the unconscious act. “Though, not the sorts you’re thinking about.”

  “Well, just know that as long as you stick to the path, and don’t wander too deeply into the wilderness, especially at night, you’ll be okay.” He gave me a knowing smile, “besides, with Cogberus at your side, I have no doubt you’ll be just fine.”

  I smiled at him, wondering if I should mention last night to him or not. How would he react to know I’d been attacked by a Mun? Would he know what it was, just by me explaining what I’d felt? Though… because Mikael had been there… I swallowed my words. Something about Mikael’s actions, the tone in his voice… that smile. I needed more time with my own thoughts, to process what exactly I’d experienced last night.

  Plus… I didn’t want to admit to Guy that I’d been wandering the streets at 2am because I was sad he wouldn’t be traveling with me. I had an image to uphold, damnit. And Guy didn’t need me sad girling. The last thing my conscious needed was for him to feel bad for me and change his own travel plans. I was a grown adult damnit, and I could venture forth on my monster taming adventure without the strange mustached, mullet man.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said instead, as I closed out my map and we neared the edge of town. My coffee was still hot as I sipped it, and the warmth it provided me helped push away any lingering chill of the morning.

  “Thank you,” I said to him, as we turned to look at each other, “for everything.”

  Guy smiled, his moustache twitching, and I couldn’t help but smile. I’d miss that moustache twist.

  “If you ever need to reach out to me,” he said, his voice holding the slightest hitch too it, “feel free to give me a gall.”

  “A call?” I corrected, confused.

  “No,” he shook his head, and held his gauntleted hand out to me in a fist. “A gall?”

  “I’m… not following.”

  “Bump your fist into mine, and you’ll see.” He said mysteriously.

  We are fist bumping? Not… hugging, or something, for our goodbye?

  “Okay…” I did as he said, feeling slightly silly. The moment our knuckles touched, I felt a tingle of power. Then a prompt appeared.

  New Contact Added

  “Another new feature that has been unlocked,” he said in response to my reaction, which clearly shown on my face, “you can send messages and make calls through your gauntlet. Most people just call them Galls. You know, gauntlet calls.” Laughter shook his moustache, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

  I hugged him then, pulling him close, overcome suddenly by emotion. I’d only traveled with him for a few days, and yet, somehow, this man had shown me more kindness than anyone had in a long, long time. And now we were going our separate ways. When was the last time there had been someone in my life who actually seemed to care? Someone who would listen, and laugh, and also, look out for me?

  I’d gone so long with such a thing, that now, it felt like my heart was breaking at the thought of letting it go.

  How long had it been, since I’d had a friend?

  “Take care, Taylor,” he said as he pulled away from the hug, his tears in a stark contrast to his tears, “and I truly hope you find exactly what you need, here in Mutopia.”

  I sniffled and nodded, hating that I was crying. Damn him.

  “Thank you,” I said, as I started to turn away, “for everything.” And then, as I stepped away from him, took a step away from Silver Springs, and my first actual friend in who knew how long, I added, quietly, “it already has.”