Leah ran through the scattered trees, the others following close behind. [Wayfinder] was still subtly pushing her along, and she had given herself fully to the skill, trusting it to lead them to whoever else was on the island. Her certainty was at an all-time high. She could feel the skill shifting directions ever so slightly, and that familiar sense of reaching its conclusion was beginning to set in.
“I think we’re close,” she called out as she slowed down.
They had been running for a solid twenty minutes, something she would have struggled to do before the trials. However, even if she was breathing heavily, she knew she could keep going. But this was surely far enough away. She didn’t want to create any more distance between them and Ethan in case he struggled to find them.
The thought of him losing didn’t enter her mind. She knew him too well. She knew the look in his eyes when he told them to leave. It frustrated her to no end and only served to reinforce the worries the mirage had laid bare.
Again, he had needed to protect them, but this time they couldn’t even stick around.
They had been slowing him down.
Internally, she understood that poisonous aura of his didn’t do them any favors. It attacked his allies just as readily as his enemies. The mere memory of it sent a shiver across her already sweaty body. The feeling of that energy brushing against her skin made her want to increase the distance between them and the battle site even further.
It had pressed against her like a toxic field of corrosive chemicals. Her skin was still red from the aftereffects. She shuddered at the thought of entering it again.
No, thank you.
But even if that was the case, she needed something else. She had to stay by his side. Had to be there to protect and help him. Instead, she was miles away, running in the opposite direction.
Fuck.
“What is it?” Seb asked. The elderly man was suspiciously looking just as fresh as he had when they stepped off the boat.
Leah let out a breath and pushed Ethan from her mind. He would find them once he was finished.
“I think we’re close,” she said.
Striker looked up from where he was currently crouching, hands on his knees as he sucked in deep breaths.
“What was that thing? Is he going to be all right?”
“Close to what?” Seb asked at the same time.
“Ethan will be fine. He’ll find us,” she said before continuing. “Someone is nearby. We should walk from here.”
Seb looked around as though he might find his granddaughter hidden up a tree.
“Let’s keep moving, then!” He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Bonnie! Bonnie, are you there?” he called out.
“Stop that,” Striker said in alarm as he stood to his full height, which was still pretty short.
“Are you trying to draw more monsters here?” he asked in a hushed voice.
Seb had a pained look on his face. Leah could tell he wanted to call out again, but Striker was right. It would draw unnecessary attention, especially with her skill leading them anyway.
They continued moving, walking slowly through the scattered trees until Leah began noticing the remnants of civilization. It wasn’t much, just a broken building with timber walls that had collapsed in on themselves.
“I think this is Heraldic,” Striker said.
“A town?” Leah questioned.
He nodded. “It was the main town for the dungeon. I came here when I first arrived on the level.”
Leah didn’t respond, but as she walked farther, more and more of the town was laid bare. It made her cringe to think of all the residents.
What had happened to them?
She looked around at the ruined town, a cold truth settling in the pit of her stomach.
They were most likely dead.
A hand clamped over her shoulder and pulled her back.
Leah staggered, her heart racing until she realized it was Striker.
His young face was no longer obscured by shadow, and now more than ever, she realized just how young he was. The thought that he had seen this town before it was reduced to ruins made her feel sick.
“Look,” he said, pointing toward the ground, oblivious to her thoughts.
She followed his gesture and realized there was a wire running across the overgrown road.
She frowned, tracing it until she noticed it was likely part of a trap, even if she had no idea exactly what she was looking at.
Striker took a step in front of her.
The ground collapsed beneath him before Leah even noticed.
He let out a yell of fright as he slipped, grabbing at the side of the hole. Leah threw herself forward, latching onto his hand.
“I’ve got you!”
“Shit, help!” he said, looking down.
Leah looked beneath him and noticed the pointed spikes waiting at the bottom.
“Seb, a hand?” she shouted.
The older man was unusually quiet.
She turned to look at him.
Tears were rolling down his wrinkled cheeks.
What the hell is going on?
Another hand reached down, younger and more feminine.
“Here, let me help you,” the stranger said.
Leah nearly let go in fright.
When had someone gotten so close?
She turned her head and found herself looking directly at another woman. Her hair was sandy blond, highlighting the mud and dust clinging to it and her pale face.
Leah gave a mute nod as they hefted Striker upward. She fell back onto her butt, her hands sinking into the dirt as she propped herself up. Then she remembered there was a stranger beside her and twisted quickly, moving closer to Striker.
“Bonnie… is that you?” Seb said from behind them.
—~~—
Waves lapped against the shore, mist from the waterfall hanging over the water. The sound of crashing water filled the air, mixed with an annoying buzzing that would draw closer before retreating again.
The waves washed against the leg guards of a suit of armor, flowing through the openings.
Ethan woke, his eyes groggy as cold water touched his skin. He rolled over, coughing out water that had lodged itself in his throat, then swung at the annoying buzz and immediately regretted it. His arms burned something fierce, causing his face to scrunch up as he dropped them back down.
The buzzing returned, mixed with the lapping of the waves.
Ethan gritted his teeth and propped himself onto his elbows before dragging himself out of the water. He ignored the buzzing for now and instead turned his attention toward his body.
All things considered, he was in decent shape. Sure, he had a few puncture wounds and a couple of lacerations from the Wendigo’s claws, but his armor had taken the brunt of the attack.
The main problem was the pathways in his arms.
Pushing mana through them had shredded them. His aura was the only thing that had allowed him to use the skill at all. Now, as he looked at the damage, he realized he was going to need a lot of PO to get them repaired.
PO he didn’t have.
Not after buying [Worldfire], the very skill that had caused the damage.
He frowned at that and began casting [Aura Overload] to help close his open wounds. As his aura got to work mending his body, he began dismissing his armor, placing it into his storage so he could get dry and assess his situation.
When he was finished, he looked up at the raging waterfall above.
It was at least a fifty-foot drop.
By all rights, it was a miracle he had been washed ashore. He could vaguely remember the impact and then groggily fighting the current until he was free, but in all honesty, it was a blur.
He wrapped his wounds. He had several around his ribs where the Wendigo had latched onto him, along with a couple of others across his body, but [Aura Overload] was working overtime to help heal them.
Once bandaged, he looked at his damaged armor.
A wince crossed his face.
He could probably still wear it, but it was on its way out. He knew he would need to replace it at some point anyway, especially as the monsters increased in level, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.
Ethan internalized his situation.
He was separated from everyone, his armor was damaged, and his arms were ruined. The Wendigo was still out there, and the others wouldn’t stand a chance against it. As he was now, neither would he.
The only positive was that he’d had the foresight to dismiss his sword, so it hadn’t gotten lost while he was battered down the river.
“I’ve been in worse situations,” he mumbled. “Let’s just start at the beginning and end at the end. What do I need first?”
“I need to heal. Then find the others. Then get out of here,” he replied to himself with a nod.
But there was something else missing.
The Wendigo.
“And I need to get back at that fucker.”
With a plan forming, he was ready to begin with the first order of business.
He needed to heal.
The problem was, he had used all his PO. Fully repairing his pathways was impossible.
Unless…
Ethan thought back to how he had been using his aura as a way to guide his mana. From the very beginning, it had been his solution to everything.
Was it his solution to this as well?
He closed his eyes and fell into himself again. His pathways were extremely damaged, especially in his arms. Primordial mana had really fucked him over. If he wanted to use the skill again, he needed to upgrade his core or find a workaround.
The first option wasn’t available to him. Not until he got his hands on the cultivation technique he was aiming for.
So that left a workaround.
What that was, he wasn’t sure, but he had a feeling it could involve aura.
Hell, it might even level his title.
Speaking of titles…
Ethan had a few notifications waiting for him.
With that in mind, he decided it would be best to check them before he began experimenting.
Skill leveled: [Steadfast Lv.17]
Skill leveled: [Advanced Sword Mastery Lv.16]
Skill leveled: [Advanced Sword Mastery Lv.17]
Skill leveled: [Keen Sense Lv.17]
Skill leveled: [Aura Overload Lv.5]
…
Skill leveled: [Aura Overload Lv.8]
Well, that changed things.
He had already known it, but it was good to confirm that his skills would level much more easily when he fought stronger monsters. Especially Sword Mastery. That skill had been pissing him off for far too long now. It was a blight on his status, and one he wanted to rectify as soon as possible.
He couldn’t do anything about that now. What he could do was begin his experimentation.
Something he was both nervous and excited for.