Eldros followed behind them quietly.
He silently observed them when they encountered monsters or beasts and the team quickly killed them.
He quickly discerned that his assessment about them weren't off, each one of them fought with the determination of someone who had survived long past their expiration date.
They were strong.
He reminded himself to tread cautiously and the reason for his little confidence was because back on Earth, he could hold his own in a gang fight and now with the first star of the Initiate of the Arcana, he had the strength comparable to five grown men. That should come in handy later on.
The main reason he followed them though, was because he had eyes for people that wanted him dead and none of them showed any killing intent, In fact, their leader seems to look at him with a little favorable attitude.
Also, his host had lived his entire life in the city, thus, his memories were limited to that.
He needed a connection to the outside world.
But he wasn't foolish. They, she must, want something In return. They would end up using each other.
As the group neared the boundary of the ruined city, the team gradually relaxed. Laughter returned, and their grim silence eased into banter, except for Jarek, who remained just as alert.
The others clearly respected her which made Eldros even more curious about her identity, but he wasn't curious enough to ask anything.
He stayed alert, not drawing too close, but close enough to listen.
Eventually, they reached the edge of the city. Eldros felt warmth in the breeze and looked up. It was as if an invisible veil marked the difference between two worlds. Behind them: cold, gloom, and death. Ahead: spring-like warmth, starlight, and a silver moon.
They passed through.
Outside, the forest before the city remained barren, but no longer sinister. Distant animals chirped and rustled. Eldros spotted a rabbit freeze in place as they passed. He watched everything quietly.
What's more, they saw more foragers outside, staring at the flying ship in the sky with hostile expression. They ignored them. Everyone ignored each other.
The foragers lightened in spirit. One of them chuckled, "I swear, that's my last trip into a ruined city."
"You say that now," another replied. "But if you want to live well, you have to risk your life. One day I'll get lucky and plunder a Dungeon that'll change my life. I might even live In the Dark Mercury Sanctum territory."
That name had come up before Eldros had already picked up bits and pieces about Dark Mercury Sanctum. Some kind of powerful group.
The woman with the cat snorted. "You? In Dark Mercury Sanctum? You couldn't even last three days. You'll likely get kidnapped by Ninefold Eclipse and used for extraction!
"Since you seems to have a lot of flesh on you, I bet they would see a lot to gain!"
The discussion turned argumentative until the bulky raised his voice. "It's not about how much flesh you have on you! It's about the potential, what can be gained from your blood. That is what extraction is all about!"
Everyone fell silent. Eldros noted the sudden shift in their expressions.
"Extraction?" he asked.
Jarek regarded him for a beat. "Everyone and everything has essence in them. Sometimes they might even have latent abilities or such. But once extracted, it could be used for other things."
Eldros's eyes narrowed. "What happens to those that are extracted?"
Jarek shrugged. "They turn into husk. They'll be good for feeding animals."
Eldros heart sank. He remembered how children—from his host memory—from the slums were sometimes taken away, leaving the rest envious as if they had been met with rare opportunities.
Now he knew what they'd become, luckily that he didn't wake up in such host.
The atmosphere turned somber. Nobody spoke again until they reached a plain some distance from the ruined city. There, they set up camp.
The team didn't say much.
They seem to just do their things. Brought out their tents and food, they didn't light any fire as they began to eat.
But that woman, the one with cat on her shoulder sprinkled shimmering powder all around them. "It'll keep away the evil spirits and discourage monsters."
Eldros nodded.
He didn't have a tent of his own or food. Everything in the city was mostly ruined and any food he got were mostly raw animals.
"Here, have this." Jarek said and threw him a piece of dried meat.
Eldros snatched it from the air but he didn't eat it immediately, Instead he looked at her. "Why?"
In his past life no one showed him kindness and he didn't expect one. Infact, he didn't show other kindness. The world just doesn't allow for such things.
"This world is messed up already, there's no reason to add more to its misery." She said.
Eldros noticed her grey eyes and he saw no coldness in them, only harshness. She's not naive. He actually didn't expect anyone to be naive, not in a brutal world like this.
She's not the type that would be push over. She's doing things because she could.
Eldros respected that. If it was him, he would have ignored himself or even tried to kill him if he carried an enticing loot.
"Thank you."
She shrugged. "We are a team the lives in the Outposts. The Outposts are what the settlements beside Wilderness and ruined cities are called.
"Before long one such might appeared in the city we came from. If those bastards didn't destroy everything."
"What does the outpost provides?" Eldros asked immediately.
She nodded at the question. "Everything. It just depends on your level of power to get what you want. But then, those who are truly powerful won't be here in the first place.
"Plunder Dungeons if you are lucky. These days, the Dungeons have all finished at the edge, we can only wait and be lucky. That said, if you are powerful enough, you can go deeper."
Eldros snorted but didn't say anything.
He was in the first star.
"Anyway. We collect weak evil spirits. Herbs. Anything that the merchants needs at such time. It doesn't matter.
"If you can pass the Test, then you can live in the outpost. It'll provide you with the resources to practice the art."
With that she went to her tent, but not before she threw blanket at him.
Eldros studied her tent for a long time.