Ethan watched as Leah moved through the group of undead, her movements sharper than they had been even a day ago. What had once been hesitant strikes were now clean and deliberate. Her dagger flashed in tight arcs, finding weak points almost instinctively. It showed how important mastery skills were for beginners. He had forgotten how it felt to gain one for the first time. The sudden clarity. The way your body adjusted as untapped knowledge and potential unlocked. It was an absolute cheat. It had to be. Without it, humanity wouldn’t stand a chance.
Leah ducked under a grasping hand and drove her dagger upward, twisting as she pulled free. The undead dropped, and she didn’t linger, already turning to the next. Through her movements, he could tell she was still putting her spare point into agility. Which seemed to be working well for her.
Ethan leaned back slightly in the sand, watching her work. He had her using her sword more often than not. For the hopes that she would unlock [Sword Mastery] before her class evolution. But this group had been too large, so it was safer to stick with the option she was more comfortable with. Ethan had decided it was a good idea. This was a great opportunity for her to level [Dagger Mastery].
She finished the last undead with a quick cut and stepped back, scanning the bodies around her, checking for any movement. After a moment, she turned and made her way over, dropping down beside him with a small exhale.
“You’re getting better,” Ethan said, handing her a drink.
Leah took it and nodded, taking a long sip before responding. “Thanks. I’m still not sure how I feel about fighting things that were once human though.”
Ethan nodded slowly.
“I get it,” he said. “But it needs to be done. Every one you take out makes things safer for someone else.”
“I know. The levels also help me accept it.”
“You gained some?” Ethan asked.
“Just one to [Dagger Mastery],” Leah replied and handed the drink back, before digging through her bag, pulling out the Farscribe book. She flipped through it, scanning quickly.
“Anything important?” Ethan asked.
Leah shook her head. “Nothing new.”
Ethan let out a small breath. “Good. We should keep moving. Try get you some more levels.”
She hesitated for a second before closing the book and putting it away. Ethan’s eyes lingered on it for a moment longer than necessary.
Alex hadn’t been lying about having something for him. He had brought two linked books for him and Leah. They were linked with each other as well as Alex and another book that was left with the family.
Ethan’s gaze flicked back to Leah briefly. He was starting to get the feeling hers might be linked to someone else’s as well.
He rolled his eyes and pushed himself up from the sand. The sun hadn’t shifted much. It was still high, still brutal, the heat pressing down on them without relief. They had been moving for two days now, but not directly toward the oasis.
Instead they had been using Leah’s [Wayfinder] skill. Trying to make it lead them to powerful monsters. Unfortunately it hadn’t really worked out so far. But there was still no shortage of undead, which was at least good for Leah. Even if Ethan was starting to get bored and ready for a challenge.
Leah fell into step beside him, neither of them speaking as they continued across the sand. The wind shifted slightly, the dunes stretching endlessly ahead.
Ethan kept his senses open, [Keen Sense] brushing lightly across the area as they walked. The skill still drained his soul juice, forcing him to deactivate it every now and again, so he was pushing it harder than ever, trying to reach the upgrade so it could stay active at all times.
He looked out over the rolling dunes. Surely there was something to push him. Something to make him dig deep and grow stronger.
Unfortunately, the only powerful monster he’r been aware of was the Colossus, and that was only because it had become a talking point on the higher levels, as to why there was one on the entry level. Sure there were others, like the higher leveled scorpions or Sand Stalkers, but Ethan didn’t know their exact locations like he had the colossus’s. So Ethan had to put his faith in Leah and let her guide the way. Hoping her skill was as busted as it seemed.
For the rest of the day, he traveled with Leah, heading closer and closer to the centre of the desert, all the while stopping to mop up any monster they could come across. When night came and Ethan called a stop to their march after becoming aware of how tired Leah was, they sat on the dunes underneath the starry sky. Clouds were beginning to roll over, bringing with them a cool breeze.
“That’s more like it,” Leah said. “Man, I really hate the heat.”
Ethan snorted and removed some rations from his bag, handing her some dried meat before taking a bite of his own.
“I’ve come to enjoy it,” Ethan replied. “Makes it easy to sleep anywhere, you don’t need a tent or anything else. It definitely beats being cold.”
Leah looked at him sideways. “I thought you loved the cold.”
“It’s not that fun when you need to travel with no shelter.”
“I guess,” Leah responded.
“How’s your cultivation going?” Ethan changed the topic. “Feeling close to awakening your core?”
Leah shrugged. “I’m not sure to be honest. I can feel the mana in the air when I concentrate. And I know I’ve started gathering it like you instructed, but I’m still struggling to picture it in my body and have to more go on the feel of things.”
“I know what you’re saying,” Ethan answered, nodding along. “Man.. I took so long to unlock my core. Never understood how you could look within yourself and move the mana around.”
“So what happened?”
“It was actually when I started moving with Alex on the second level. He finally explained that it wasn’t so much as being able to see within your body. And more that you should sink into the feeling of it all. ‘Allow your mind to relax, and focus solely on the mana in your body.’ He’d say. Of course, I thought he was crazy. I’d already unlocked my body cultivation. Giving me access to Aura, which felt so natural and intuitive. I think that held me back from working with mana, which has a totally different feel and needs a hands-on approach,” Ethan answered.
Leah hummed. Before falling quiet. After a moment she spoke again. “Hey, it was probably a bit selfish of me not to ask, but are you alright.” She looked over at him. “You know, with the whole, nobody remembers you thing.”
Ethan chuckled and waved her off. “It’s fine. I prefer it. A fresh start. Besides, Alex might not be exactly who I remember, but he’s still there.”
Ethan took another bite of his meat. “You should carry on cultivating. If you can unlock it before level twenty, you should get some better class options.”
Leah nodded. “Yes sir,” she said, while finishing her food.
Ethan kicked some sand at her. Falling quiet and practicing what he preached. Letting his thoughts drift as the ambient mana began to stir.
—~~—
It took another two days until they had any success with Leah’s skill. After lots of theory crafting and testing, they had discovered she had to really focus on where she wanted to go. And after a while they had tested if it could lead her to danger. So she had followed the subtle nudge. Pushing her in the direction of danger.
The only issue was, something that was dangerous for Leah, wasn’t necessarily dangerous for Ethan. But that stopped becoming a problem as they moved away from any of the settlements and closer to the oasis, where the monsters steadily grew more and more powerful.
Now, Leah came to a stop in a divot of two large dunes. The sand had hardened and crusted over, leaving large cracks that zigzagged along the path.
Ethan had [Keen Sense] flaring as he looked at Leah. “Is this where your skill feels there’s danger?”
She nodded. Holding her sword with both hands, while looking around.
Ethan was about to speak again, when he heard something echo through a crack. He paused, his head snapping up.
“Something’s coming,” Ethan said, putting his helmet on and drawing his sword.
Before Leah could respond, a Sand Stalker pulled itself out of the crack. It stood up and ran at them, it stayed low to the ground, its body long and segmented like an oversized centipede. Its wedge-shaped head snapped from side to side, mandibles clacking, calling the rest of its pack.
Ethan sighed, and didn’t move. “This is all you. It shouldn’t be any stronger than level twenty. I’ll only step in if I have to so do your best.”
“Ethan, what the fuck. I’m only level seventeen.”
“Best you do better than your best then,” he responded with a smirk. Though she couldn’t see it beneath his helmet.
If Leah was scared, she done well to mask it. Instead, she put her sword away, which made Ethan worry a little. After all its mandibles were rather powerful. But he forced himself not to act. She needed this.
Leah pulled her dagger out and crouched, watching the Sand Stalker approach.
When it was within ten yards, Leah burst forward, closing the distance before the Sand Stalker could fully coil for its strike.
The creature reacted instantly. Its body snapped sideways, segments rippling as it twisted low across the sand. Its wedge-shaped head lunged, mandibles clacking as it aimed to catch her legs and drag her down.
Leah shifted at the last second, stepping just outside its path. Sand sprayed as the creature tore through where she had been, its momentum carrying it past her.
Her dagger flashed down, aiming for the joint between two segments. The blade bit enough to draw a reaction. The Sand Stalker hissed sharply, its body curling as it snapped back toward her.
Leah pulled away, barely avoiding the follow-up as its length whipped across the ground. The strike carved a shallow trench in the sand, the force behind it obvious.
Leah adjusted her footing, circling it as they both readjusted. Her dagger stayed low, her stance tight, as she tracked its movements. The creature lunged again, its head darting forward in a blur.
Leah ducked under it. Her blade came up in a tight arc, slicing along the underside of its head before she rolled away.
It let out loud clacking sounds. Sharp and chittering, that grated against the air as it reared slightly, its body coiling.
Then it came again.
Leah moved to the side, but she wasn’t fast enough. One of its mandibles clipped her shoulder as it snapped past, sending her stumbling across the sand.
Ethan’s body tensed. [Mana Infusion] waiting to be released.
Leah caught herself. She reset her footing, her breath sharp but controlled as she turned back toward the creature. The Sand Stalker twisted again, circling, its body low as it searched for another opening.
Leah stepped in first. She moved toward it as it lunged, closing the distance again. At the last moment, she shifted, letting its head pass just beside her as she drove her dagger down into its side.
Ethan smirked. Though his heart was racing and he quickly decided he would work her harder to unlock [Sword Mastery].
The blade sank between segments, making the Sand Stalker thrash.
Its body whipped violently, throwing her off balance as its tail came around and struck her side. She was sent rolling across the sand, the dagger tearing free as she hit the ground hard.
Ethan watched, ready to act in a moment’s notice.
The Sand Stalker surged forward, its head snapping down toward her as she rose, mandibles wide.
Leah barely got her dagger up in time. The strike slammed into it, forcing her arm back as she twisted, the impact knocking her sideways instead of taking her head.
Leah rolled, avoiding the follow-up as the creature struck again. She came up on one knee.
Ethan forced himself to trust her. It was the only way, if she was going to survive the trials.
Then something brushed against his senses. He had been waiting for it. Waiting for the rest of the pack to arrive.
His head snapped toward the crack the Sand Stalker had come from. Sand collapsed inward as something forced its way up from below. Segments—larger, thicker—broke through the surface, the crack widening as it climbed.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. It pulled itself free slowly, its size dwarfing the one Leah was fighting. Its body rose higher, heavier, its presence alone enough to make the air feel tighter.
Ethan’s grip tightened on his sword. It looked like he would be getting his fight after all.