Running across uneven terrain was no joke—worse still, Azrael had to be cautious of the snow.
Stepping into a hidden hole and breaking a bone or two in the process didn't sound like an enticing idea. He wasn't going to let small things like that ruin his hunt.
His lungs expanded, forced to work harder than usual due to the thinner air he'd grown accustomed to.
'What about him?' Curious about how his companion was holding up, he looked back.
Victor ran seemingly unbothered by the snow and ice beneath his feet. If he were unlucky enough to step into a hole, he wouldn't be in trouble. Thanks to his towering height, his legs were much longer than normal, it would take a deliberately dug up hole to harm him. While there was a chance such traps had been laid by the military school ahead, it was too slim to worry about.
"How long can you keep this up?" Azrael asked, gaze returning forward.
"Hard to say, probably about three or four hours," Victor replied, without slightest hint of exhaustion.
Azrael nodded casually. Running at this speed for such a long period of time might seem like an impossible feat to any Forsaken. However, to the Chosen in the Moon Breakers, it was the norm.
'Did it have to be a mountain?' he cursed inwardly. 'It's not the altitude or the terrain — it's this damn snow!' His eyes narrowed, struggling to see beyond the falling flakes.
Unfortunately, it was hard to see farther than a few feet.
Despite running, an action that should have kept him warm, his body began to shiver—the deadly cold moving past his attire like it was barely an inconvenience.
'This has to be a blizzard,' he concluded, forming a plan.
"Let's find a cave and let the blizzard pass."
The cold wasn't the only problem. Due to the poor visibility, the chance of them being ambushed had skyrocketed, and both of the men didn't want to risk it.
Not to mention that some abominations weren't going to be able to handle the cold and would have the same idea. Going into a cave might lead them to a monster nest, giving them the chance to gain both points for their Ranks and better scores.
Motivated by the promise of a reward from Seyra and shelter from the cold, Azrael changed tactics.
Instead of blindly running forward, they followed the mountain wall, moving close to its edge.
The wind picked up, making communication impossible, and their pace slowed accordingly.
After their body temperatures dropped a few degrees, they found a narrowing entrance leading into a cave.
Without hesitation, they entered, ears still ringing caused by the wind that had assaulted them nonstop.
The cold diminished significantly; however, that didn't mean they were in the clear. The scent of metal reached Azrael's nostrils; a bloody footprint was on the ground.
He gazed at Victor briefly and nodded, taking a step forward.
There was a monster taking shelter in the cave; until it was dealt with, they couldn't relax.
As they went deeper, their eyes adjusted due to the lack of light in the area.
Strangely, the deeper they went the warmer the air became.
'Are we in a volcano?' Azrael thought jokingly until a light source reached his eyes.
A figure stood with a hunched posture, obscuring its full height. Its body was composed of jagged rocks, with glowing veins running beneath the surface, casting an eerie, organic glow.
'This thing has lava for blood?' Azrael thought bitterly; that meant it wasn't the only one in the cave. In the entrance, there had been bloody footprints—left by another monster.
Holding his breath, Azrael activated [Inspect]
Name: [Unnamed]
Race: [Veldrak]
Danger Level: [Feral]
Corruption Rank: [Twisted]
'Sadly it's not the lowest Rank of Corruption, but there is no way we can stay here with a being like that,' Azrael thought, creeping silently closer.
Victor did the same, holding his breath. Double axe getting ready to go for the kill at any moment.
As they closed the distance, faint wet, savage sounds of bones crunching echoed ahead.
'It's eating,' Azrael realized suddenly, guessing where the abomination that left the bloody footprints had gone.
Not wanting to prolong the encounter, he slashed Gravebloom through the air, burying it deep in the creature's head.
Victor's strike followed, his double axe cleaving through the monster like hot knife through butter.
Retracting his scythe, Azrael was about to go for another hit until his companion's voice stopped him.
"It's dead."
Azrael sighed in relief, taking a few steps back. Luckily this time, battling against a Twisted monster had gone much smoother.
His eyes stopped at Gravebloom then shifted towards Victor's new axe.
"Is it of the Blessed Rank?"
Victor nodded with a smile, "Yes, got it as a reward from my axe basics Instructor for being the best one in the year."
'Makes sense,' Azrael thought, sitting on the ground next to the monster, enjoying the warmth it provided.
Victor did the same—one scanned deeper inside the cave, while the other at the entrance, watching for any signs of an ambush.
'Powerful items really are like cheat codes,' Azrael noted. Their second fight against a Twisted monster was very different from the first. Although they had grown stronger, the main difference between before and now was their superior weapons.
'If we can become so strong with such simple upgrades, what about the heirs of the great clans?' he thought grimly. He could imagine one of the so-called angels having an item-type weapon of the Radiant, maybe even Exalted Rank, giving them an unbeatable advantage.
He had a Divine Inborn Trait, but that didn't mean he could utilize it immediately. At the moment he was stronger than the average Marked. He could outwit most, but should he find himself against a foe with countless items under their arsenal, the outcome would not be in his favor.
Half an hour later, the blizzard passed. It was still snowing, but it wasn't going to cause any concerns for now.
The men exited the cave, their bodies much warmer than before thanks to the monster's blood. Azrael had wanted to take it just in case, but sadly both of them lacked any way to transport lava with them.
"This is much better," Azrael muttered, a smile forming on his face, finally being able to scan the surroundings.
He was surprised to see that the Rift was much closer than he originally suspected. Since it was on a lower altitude than them, it allowed him to see the ground below it and the abominations around it.
There was no harm in using [Inspect] on them as long as he didn't overdid it, so he did.
"Most of them are Twisted…" he observed, they could take care of one if they had the element of surprise on their side, but a whole group? Out of the question they weren't suicidal.
They were about to move out… when suddenly, one of the abominations locked eyes with him. The distance between them was vast, yet somehow, the creature had caught his lingering gaze.
It was too far to make out the details, but the goosebumps rising on Azrael's skin warned him of the danger.
Out of instinct, he used [Inspect].
The most alarming information stood out immediately:
Corruption Rank: [Tainted]
'Troublesome,' Azrael cursed inwardly. This monster's Corruption Rank rivaled Cleansed Purity Rank! And the gathered Chosen were expected to put down such monstrosity?
"It won't be me," he muttered, quickly slipping into the shadows, unwilling to risk holding its attention any longer.
His instincts had warned him — and they had been correct.
Because even from that great distance, where details were impossible to make out, the Tainted monster had been smiling directly at him this entire time.