The huge creature underground moved past them, scaring away everything nearby until only silence remained. Leo and Aria stayed frozen in the trees above, barely able to breath until the creature had completely passed.
The pair stopped shaking, but Leo was still tense. His shadow powers tracked the monster until it had completely vanished from his range, heading toward the center of the testing grounds.
"What the hell was that?" Aria whispered, clearly scared from the mere tremors she felt and the trees that had fallen from them.
Leo pulled his senses back from the shadows. "No idea. But whatever it was, it ate those Earthmoles like they were snacks."
Aria's usual confidence cracked, showing real fear. Leo surprised himself by recovering faster. The visions he'd seen in the Shadow Realm had somehow prepared him for this, like he'd faced horrors like this before in another life.
"We need to move," Leo said firmly. "Now. Before it comes back."
Aria snapped out of it, looking around. "The desert's closest, but we'd be out in the open there, and the mountains are definitely a no-go."
"Plus that thing might be waiting under the sand," Leo added. "Walking into that would be suicide."
They climbed down from the tree. Aria grabbed two arrows from the dead Earthmoles while Leo checked the map.
"If we go northeast from here," he suggested, tracing the path with his finger, "we can cut through the desert and reach the city ruins area. Buildings mean more cover, maybe some supplies, and fewer places for something that big to dig under."
"And probably twice as many spots for smaller monsters to hide," Aria shot back, though she was already grabbing her bar, ready to head out. "But I'm not gonna argue with getting the hell away from whatever's playing demolition derby underground."
They moved quickly, pushing through bushes. Their diagonal path kept them heading toward the center while moving to safer ground. Leo used short bursts of his shadow powers to scout ahead, which noticeably tired him but gave them early warnings of whenever danger approached.
Twice they changed course to avoid what Aria said were territory marks from evolved animals. Once they froze for fifteen minutes while wolf-like creatures with crystals growing from their backs prowled nearby, eventually leaving without spotting them.
The sun was setting when they reached the forest's edge. The boundary between forest and desert was unnaturally abrupt, showing how artificial the testing grounds were. With darkness coming, they needed shelter.
"We can't risk crossing open ground at night," Aria said, scanning the area. "We need somewhere defensible to camp until morning."
Despite practically having night vision, Leo still went along with the plan. They found a huge fallen tree nearby, its exposed roots creating a small shelter. The massive trunk protected one side, with the roots giving some cover from other directions.
"It's not perfect," Leo admitted, "but it's better than nothing."
As they set up a basic camp and ate some of their ration bars, they came across a major problem.
"I'll take the first watch," Leo offered, putting his pack against the trunk. "Then I'll wake you in four hours."
Aria crossed her arms. "Like hell you will. You think I'm just gonna sleep helpless while some dude I barely know keeps 'watch'?"
Leo blinked in surprise. "What are you saying exactly?"
"I'm not hinting at anything," Aria snapped. "I'm flat-out saying I'm not letting my guard down around a man I met six hours ago. My defenseless female body might be too tempting." She fluttered her eyelashes mockingly.
"Oh come on," Leo groaned. "I'm not… that's not…" He ran his hand through his hair, a habit he had since starting as a journalist. "Look, I just want to survive this test. That's it."
'Plus, what part of you is tempting exactly?' He thought internally, not daring to voice this outloud.
"Yeah, that's what they all say right before they get grabby," Aria shot back, though her voice had a hint of amusement at his discomfort.
"Well, I'm not staying awake all night either," Leo countered. "I need to sleep too, unless you want a zombie shadow-guy watching your back tomorrow."
They glared at each other until Aria's lip quivered. "A compromise then? We both stay up and take turns napping for an hour?"
"So neither of us gets decent sleep? Brilliant plan."
"Got something better, shadow boy?"
Leo sighed, "Listen. I know you're being cautious and all, but we both really need to sleep and I doubt I'd be able to get away with doing anything to you once the Resistance finds out."
Aria thought about it for a second before nodding in agreement. "Fine. But I'm still keeping my knife handy."
"Wouldn't expect anything less," Leo replied dryly.
What followed was an awkward night, with Aria trying her best not to fall asleep until finally succumbing to the exhaustion.
She slept with her back against the fallen trunk, an arrow within reach. Leo positioned himself where he could see both her and their surroundings. He would have done some Luminating to regain his energy but that would require him to switch from keeping watch to taking in Lumina energy, and not to mention he had no way to get rid of the impurities it would form.
The talks between the pair during shift changes went from brief updates to more personal conversation. Leo learned Aria grew up in a rural area before the GPA recruited her for her shooting skills. She found out he'd once investigated corruption among the Awakened before joining the Resistance.
By morning, they'd come to develop some trust in each other, not friendship exactly, but the beginning of respect.
They left at dawn, with desert heat already building as they approached its edge. By midday, they spotted the golden sand and the cactus of the desert. According to the map, this was a yellow rated area, even more dangerous than the forest they'd just left behind.
"Almost there," Leo noted as they passed the last stretch of trees. "Just need to cross this clearing and—"
Aria's hand grabbed his arm hard. "Don't. Move."
Leo froze, following her gaze to the ground ahead. The earth looked slightly off-color, with a barely noticeable shimmer in the air above it.
"What is it?" he whispered.
"Camouflage membrane," Aria said tensely. "A Fodder-class nightmare beast."
Leo's blood ran cold. Unlike evolved animals, true beasts had corrupted Lumina cores, allowing them to evolve much faster than evolved animals, making them far more dangerous. A Fodder-tier nightmare beast was much more powerful than a Fodder-tier evolved creature. Their ability to use certain skills being the main reason for their advantage.
As if sensing they'd spotted it, the ground ahead suddenly shifted. The camouflage dropped as a creature unfolded from what had looked like normal ground.
Its body was like a massive mantis, but with a shell that glowed with a poisonous blue light. Six limbs ended in blade-like claws, while a crown of sensing organs pointed towards them. At its center visible through a see-through shell, the main reason they could tell it was a nightmare beast, pulsed a corrupt Lumina core.
"Run?" Leo suggested, slowly backing away.
"Too late for that," Aria replied, nocking an arrow with a steadiness that hid the fear in her eyes. "It's already seen us."
The beast rose to its full height of nearly ten feet tall and let out a hissing screech that sent birds flying from nearby trees. Its blade-like front limbs clicked together, creating sparks of Lumina energy.