Aldrich stood at the edge of a jagged cliff as he gazed downwards. The wind tore through his silver hair like it had a grudge. Slung over one shoulder was a furry grey wolf pelt, light upon his frame. He rested the blade of his sword upon his shoulder, its edge catching the golden sun.
Just behind him, Alan crouched low over the map. His bright green hair fluttered in the wind, and it matched the sharp sparkle in his eyes as he studied the page. He also wore wolf fur upon his shoulders, albeit black, with his longsword strapped to his back.
It had been six days since they left the Masa tribe, and it had been hell for them since then. They had stumbled into the home of a pack of direwolves, and had to fight and survive being trapped with twenty wolves that stood as tall as them, each valued at 150 points. Although the alpha, black and even more powerful, gave Alan 220 points when he took its life.
For the first time, Aldrich had been able to see Alan fight. His fighting technique was unlike anything he had ever seen. Alan called it The Muka Art, a unique fighting technique accessible only to members of his family. They were also able to cooperate so well together, and it was the reason twenty direwolves died at their hands.
After spending two days in the direwolves' territory, they had gotten lost in the Dirna circle. Even the map had been no help. For three days, they were lost, until Aldrich finally figured out the complex maze, and got them out of it. Now they stood above Krollo Valley.
"There should be a Parano settlement down there," Alan said, folding the map shut and squinting into the valley below. "But it looks deserted."
Aldrich didn't look away. "The map is over twenty years old," he said, voice low. "A lot can change in twenty years."
Alan frowned. "So, what now?"
"We get down there," Aldrich answered, already searching the cliffside for a path.
Alan stared at him. "Are you serious? If those Parano reptiles are still around, we're basically walking into their home. Just the two of us. May I remind you that these creatures are highly intelligent, they are not direwolves."
"Have you got a better idea?" Aldrich said, not looking back.
Alan scoffed. "Yeah. Maybe not going down there."
"I need to check every landmark for my friends, Alan." Aldrich kept searching for a path.
"Mako is way too large for such a bold desire. For all we know, they may be at the other end of the planet." Alan shrugged, following behind him.
"And what if they are not?" Aldrich replied. "Alan, do you not have friends?"
"I do." Alan replied curtly. "One. You."
Aldrich turned to gaze at him, raising an eyebrow. "I am your only friend? I find that hard to believe."
"Well, I have been confined to my home since birth. I never got to meet people, just family members. And I do not fancy a lot of my family members." He clicked his tongue.
"That does not sound like a great way to live," Aldrich replied before finding a manageable path down the cliff. "Here."
"We are going to climb down?" Alan asked with a baffled look.
"Don't be overdramatic. It is not so steep." Aldrich replied as he started to climb down.
"What about finding other people before we find your actual friends? I believe we could be safer if we were part of a group," Alan said, following him down.
"I do not trust them." Aldrich turned the idea down.
"You don't trust anyone," Alan muttered.
Aldrich paused for a moment, then said, quieter, "Not true. I trust my friends and my master."
Alan stepped up beside him. "What about me?"
"Alan, you are my friend. Of course I trust you."
Aldrich's foot slipped but he caught himself fast, his fingers gripping stone.
"We'll save the rest of this talk for when we're not one misstep from death," he growled, shooting Alan a sharp look.
The path down was not as easy as Aldrich insinuated it would be. When they finally reached the valley floor, the air was cooler. It was still. Too still.They advanced with cautious steps,their eyes darting across the desolate expanse.
The remnants of a settlement lay strewn before them, its stone structures whispering of a past long abandoned, weathered by years of neglect.
"The Paranos are one of the eight humanoids," Alan mused, his gaze tracing the intricate stonework, his voice laced with admiration. "They are quite the craftsmen."
"But what could have caused them to leave?" Aldrich wondered aloud, stooping to retrieve a steel tray from the dust. Its surface bore faint carvings, a witness to lost craftsmanship. He ran his fingers over the engraving, his tone thoughtful. "I'd wager the Paranos outstripped even the Sylvariths in advancement."
"Looks like they fled in a hurry," Alan called, stepping into a crumbling stone dwelling. He emerged moments later, clutching a metal staff that extended with a sharp click as his grip tightened. "Their stuff is still here. Untouched." His eyes sparkled with childlike wonder, treating the relic like a prized toy.
"Alan, quit messing around and get over here," Aldrich called, crouching low over a curious discovery. A viscous yellow goo bubbled on the ground. Its acidic hiss raised the hairs on his neck. "What the—"
"Fuck!" Alan froze mid-step, his face paling as he spotted it. "I think I know why they ran." His words barely faded when a bone-chilling screech ripped through the air. A monstrous creature, rivaling a strutter in size, scuttled atop a stone house. Six legs skittered with predatory grace, two long stingers curling from its back to hover above its head. And its face, ghastly and bizarre. Like someone melded the soft features of a newborn babe with the chitinous horror of a giant scorpion, a nightmare's given form.
"Grokath!" Alan's voice dropped, his expression darkening with dread as the beast's multifaceted eyes locked onto them.
The Grokath, as if incensed by Alan's startled cry, lunged at them with a croaking scream. Aldrich and Alan dove sideways in unison, scrambling to their feet as the creature's six legs churned the earth in pursuit.
Panic seized them as more Grokaths emerged from the shadows, their skittering forms leaping across the stone ruins, a nightmarish swarm closing in. One spat a glob of yellow goo, missing them by inches to strike an iron pole, which sizzled and melted under the acid's corrosive bite.
The duo swallowed hard. "Give us a fucking break!" Aldrich cursed.
"There!" Alan spotted a salvation, a narrow cave mouth carved into a hill. They sprinted toward it, diving inside as another acid burst whizzed past. The entrance was a tight squeeze, but the interior yawned into a vast cavern, its depths cloaked in darkness.
The Grokaths clawed at the opening, their screeches reverberating as they widened it, desperate to follow.
"We need another way out," Aldrich urged, his hands brushing the damp cave walls, groping for escape in the dimness.
"We need to do so fast," Alan rasped, his throat tight. "I don't know how long before they break through."
Soon, a faint light pierced the darkness ahead, and they hastened toward it. Aldrich, leading, stumbled to the edge of the opening and yelped, teetering over a roaring river below, its currents a churning rush.
"Whoa! That was close," he gasped, staggering back, his heart pounding in his chest.
Before they could regroup, a Grokath's screech echoed behind them, chillingly near. "Shit! They're in!" Alan cursed, clicking his tongue in frustration.
"What do we do?" Aldrich's voice trembled, eyes darting between the cave and the deadly river.
Alan's gaze flicked from the encroaching shadows to the raging water, then to Aldrich's face.
Aldrich's expression twisted into horror as he caught the unspoken plan.
"Hell no!" he protested, shaking his head vehemently. "I'm not jumping into that!"
"We have no choice, Aldrich!" Alan shot back, urgency sharpening his tone. "It's that or a dozen Grokaths in this black hole."
"Alan, I can't swim!" Aldrich pleaded.
"How is that even possible?" Alan exclaimed, his exasperation flaring.
"Never needed to learn," Aldrich shrugged, a sheepish admission.
"It won't matter anyway, we're dead if we stay," Alan said, eyeing the torrent.
The Grokaths' screeches grew closer. They were almost with them.
"Fuck it!" Alan growled, shoving Aldrich toward the edge before leaping after him. They plummeted into the icy, raging river, the current swallowing their cries.