Akira was slowly but surely sinking deeper into the ground, as though the earth itself was digesting her. Her body was half-submerged, leaving only her head and upper torso.
Yet despite the condition, she was still sleeping peacefully.
Shun put the rabbit meat on top of Jade Blood before rushing in. Gripping her shoulders, Shun pulled her out as best as he could.
Slowly but surely, Shun dragged her out. The ground stretched her body in his way and slowly revealed her once-buried abdomen.
Come on! Shun exclaimed inwardly and put more strength into his body. His face scrunched as he struggled. It was like yanking a boulder from a swamp, the earth clinging to it like it didn't want to lose its prize.
As he pulled, her thighs started to resurface, and her legs were all that remained. By this moment, she felt a bit lighter.
Shun put his weight into his legs and took a deep breath to build momentum. Then once he gathered enough strength, he yanked her out.
The ground spat her out. Both collapsed to the ground, landing on their butts, Shun especially panting heavily.
He glanced at the earth that tried to digest Akira. It looked no different from ordinary ground.
A frown etched on his face and he asked himself, what is going on?
He then carried Akira and let her sleep on the tree trunk. Her sleeping position wasn't good either, she was just dangling on the tree.
Shun walked over to where Akira got digested and stomped his feet. It wasn't mushy like mud would be, just an ordinary surface.
Shun scratched his hair in profound confusion.
He thought for a moment, and for safety, it would be wise to avoid sleeping on the ground.
With that in mind, he shifted his eyes to Akira and felt pity.
We need a new place to sleep, Shun said to himself and put that into his mental note.
He then gazed at the meat on Jade Blood and picked it up.
"Sorry to trouble you." He smiled. The blade didn't respond. It simply floated away as it saw birds flying and followed them from behind.
Shun then stored the rabbit meat into his inventory.
I need to start a fire, he said to himself.
Gathering dried branches and leaves, he proceeded to form a nest to cradle the spark.
Shun started a fire by clacking together two rocks. Sparks cast and kissed the dried leaves.
A tiny ember glowed like a newborn star. He leaned in fast, breath shallow but steady, coaxing life into the fragile heat.
Smoke rose, a flicker, then flame. He buried it quickly beneath the thin twigs and let the fire grow with the hunger of a beast.
Shun watched the dancing flame as it made crackling noises.
He then checked his Root to see how much mana he still had. It wasn't a lot, but he could use his skill to mold the earth into simple objects and his innate ability for simple things.
Using what's left of his mana, he used his skill and, with a tap on the ground, a stick around forty centimeters rose.
Shun snapped it from the earth and attached the dagger with the help of his skill on the blunt edge.
The earth turned into a soft texture as Shun merged it with the dagger.
Summoning the meat and skewering it with his dagger, he attached the stick near the flame and simply watched, with no thoughts at all, just taking in his presence.
The birds were chirping. The sunlight pierced through the shade. Gray smoke rose. The flame popped once in a while.
"Something like this isn't bad." He showed a bitter smile. He couldn't remember when was the last time he just took a break from everything and sat down, immersing himself in his surroundings rather than his thoughts.
---
After finishing his breakfast and snuffing out the flame, he got up and was about to go with his next matter in mind when he halted his steps and turned to Akira.
Will she be fine? Shun thought to himself and looked at the sky to ponder, when he unexpectedly caught a glance of what appeared to be a four-legged creature with wings and the head of an eagle.
He doubted his eyes, certain it was just an illusion, but after a closer look, it wasn't the case.
Is that a gryphon?! He exclaimed in shock and wondered why such a mythical beast appeared here.
A lot of answers crossed through his mind, but then he recalled the panel.
He simply thought the animals added were the ones from his world, but that wasn't the case.
It was possible that the gryphons were animals that belonged to this town, Shun thought to himself, pinching his chin.
The town might belong to another world but was brought here by the Tower. Such a speculation came from the fact that Rifts connected directly to other worlds, and that led to a lot of possibilities.
Therefore, it was safe to assume that the Tower added animals that should exist in the world the town belonged to.
That answered one of his questions. The town wasn't from the Tower, but brought by it.
It felt terrifying. Imagine your hometown suddenly vanished and you found out it got abducted by a magic structure.
Your town, that you grew up in since you were a kid, was also being set as a stage as though it carried no values or weight at all.
Just the thought alone irked Shun, casting away the fear he felt earlier.
"Kleeek-kik-ik-ik-ik-ik!!"
The gryphon then produced high-pitched, rapid chirps, jolting Shun from his reverie. He quickly rushed to Akira and carried her on his back.
Shun went to the town, to its library to be exact. There might be something there that would help him complete this floor, and those flashing images he saw from Jade Blood and his memories…
'They might be a key to destroying the Tower,' Shun whispered to himself.
Now to the next problem. He couldn't enter the library.
Since everything he touched would decay in time, what if he covered his skin?
He summoned the rabbit pelt and wrapped it around his hand before opening the door and giving it a gentle shove. It slowly moved to the side.
It worked! Shun's eyes glinted with joy. He went inside the library, but just before he could take a step, something warned him of hidden danger.
He slowly retracted his leg and sighed.
That's right, it wasn't only his hands, but his entire body.
He tapped his chin a few times as he fell into deep thought.
"Kik-kik-kik!"
The gryphon chirped. Shun looked up and noticed its fur was beautiful. It would be nice to use it as boots, or maybe clothes.
He then paused for a moment, then smiled.
Closing his eyes, he connected with the string of Jade Blood and ordered it to cut the gryphon's wings.
It replied with a happy buzz.
Shun opened his eyes and, in the distance, he saw a red glint reflected by the sunlight, coming closer to the gryphon at an unprecedented speed.
It noticed the incoming blade and stopped in its tracks, before turning away as fast as possible, but the inertia from flying earlier delayed its escape.
SKRRCHTCH!
There was a sickening, deafening noise as the blade cut through both of its wings, shattering the bones and tearing the membrane. Feathers exploded midair, and the creature crashed to the ground with the sound of roaring thunder.
Even with the towering wall, the dust where the creature landed was higher.
Nice job! Shun smiled and left the town, quickly approaching the gryphon. Before that, however, Shun put Akira below a tree.
As he reached the gryphon, blood spilled crazily from its gaping maw and wings. Its fur was cloaked in maroon liquid.
It noticed Shun's presence and turned its head toward him. Its eyes showed fear, but it lasted briefly before letting out a shrill, piercing cry as if warning him.
Shun considered such noises as background noise.
[Gryphon – Lvl. 15]
A level fifteen gryphon? Shun was surprised. He expected such a beast, that his world categorized as a mythical creature, to be at least mid to high level.
Disappointed? A bit, yes, but this worked too. He didn't have to use his other form and it might be a good target for practicing his movements with a dagger.
He summoned it from his inventory and snapped the stick of earth that's attached to it.
Taking a grip stance with the dagger in his dominant hand, blade pointing forward. Shun retraced his trainings.
Knees slightly bent, balanced and mobile.
The gryphon didn't take his stance kindly.