"I've heard stories about these places before," the archer said, voice low and uneasy. "That it always feels like something is watching over us… and if we get attacked by a stronger demon, we don't even realise it until we hit the ground."
"Stop saying negative things," the girl whispered, clutching the knife closer to her chest. Her voice trembled.
"I'm just saying we should be prepared for the worst," he muttered defensively.
"Stop talking," the red shirt guy ordered, tone sharp as a blade. "Demons usually have better hearing senses than we. If you keep this up, we'll be doomed faster than an insect."
No one talked after that.
They carefully walked towards the mountain. The cracks on the ground glowed orange, pulsing like molten veins, as if a volcano simmered beneath. The air smelled of burnt iron and sulfur. Despite having no walls or obstructions, they did not see a single demon in the distance, only the echo of unseen movements.
"I don't think we've introduced ourselves," the girl said quietly, breaking the tension. "I'm Lily."
Hearing a familiar name immediately brightened Lucien's face. He followed next. "I'm Lucien, from Ravenholt," he said, voice steadier now.
"I'm Arthur, from Lysander," the archer added, adjusting the bow on his back.
"Freya," she said, indifferent, voice flat like cold steel.
Everyone turned to the red shirt guy. Not able to handle the pressure from their gazes, he slowly let out his name. "Ken," he muttered, looking away.
The air was now less awkward, thanks to Lily.
They kept moving towards the mountain because standing out in the open would make them visible to all types of enemies. While the invigilator had said the knights cleared most demons, they still felt they had to play it safe if they wanted to return as one.
And Lucien knew this place well. It was where the demon king's strongest subordinate made his appearance in the game. Below the mountain, they should be able to stumble upon crawlers, normally easy to handle.
"Wait," Lily whispered, holding her hand out to stop them as they neared the mountain.
A few meters ahead, the ground began to shake, like something huge was crawling beneath. Dust rattled, pebbles jumped. After a tense pause, it suddenly moved towards them, fast.
Freya suddenly shouted, voice sharp like a command. "Run!"
All five of them bolted for the mountain. Lucien took a good look at its movement and was sure it was a crawler, but from the crater-like dents it left in the earth, it should have already reached the fiend stage. He had never seen one this strong this early when he played the games. As of now, they could only manage a lesser demon or a weaker fiend. It was better to be safe than sorry.
Running while avoiding cracks was hard; the earth felt unstable under their boots. Lily stumbled twice, scraping her palms, but she didn't stop. Their breaths came out ragged, mixing with the heat that burned their lungs.
Everyone reached the base of the mountain and began climbing uphill, boots slipping on ash-covered stone. The crawler stopped at the border, the ground split open as it rose from beneath, revealing a massive body. Steam hissed from its skin. Its dark red eyes fixated on them like burning coals.
"It can't climb the mountain, right?" Arthur asked, voice trembling. But no one was in any position to reply.
Only after putting enough distance between themselves and confirming it was not climbing did they stop. They panted heavily, except Lucien. His breath was controlled. Dolan's training had carved endurance into his bones. Freya regained her composure quickly, chest rising and falling in controlled breaths.
They looked down the slope to see the crawler glaring up at them, its body glowing with the same orange cracks as the land, skin blistering like heated iron.
A few minutes after regaining their stamina, they turned to continue their hunt.
"Huh?" Lily froze, confusion turning to horror.
Lucien turned and saw something wrapped around her leg, brown, fleshy, like a tongue or leech, pulsing.
He quickly pulled his dagger from behind, moving faster than anyone else, and slashed toward it.
Slash.
The dagger cut through the flesh with a wet tear, freeing Lily's leg. The piece sizzled on the ground, oozing dark smoke.
Lily quickly removed the rest with her knife, breathing hard, and they started running again, this time not stopping for anything.
The forest ahead was covered with trees taller than any in the Human Continent, their trunks twisted and hollow, dripping sap that smelled like death. Running deeper meant getting lost, but it didn't matter; they had to survive for only one day.
They stopped again, this time ensuring they put triple the distance between them and the crawler. Their chests heaved as air scraped their throats. Then, all of their gazes shifted to Lucien, as if what he did was something extraordinary.
"Thank you so much," Lily breathed out, grabbing his hand tightly. Her voice shook with relief.
Lucien let out a small laugh and gently patted her head. "Let's help each other and clear this quickly," he said, warmth in his tone.
Everyone nodded. Freya looked at Lucien a little longer than the others before turning away, unreadable.
They were now deep in the forest, looking for demons. It had been three hours since they encountered anything other than the crawler. The wind whistled, leaves rustling like whispers. Every shadow felt like it stared back.
At that moment, something darted toward Lucien faster than he could react, a blur.
"What?" Lucien gasped, surprised, stumbling back.
Lily quickly pushed him aside, the creature racing past where he once stood. Its claws scraped stone, sparks flying.
Now they had a clear look. A two-headed deer, horns as long as half a branch, eyes completely red like glowing coal, stood there watching them. Its breath came out in hot puffs, like smoke.
Freya didn't waste any time. By the time the deer stopped, she was already on it; she lunged, closing the distance, gauntlets gleaming. She grabbed its horns with a crushing grip, metal scraping bone.
Those must be her weapons, Lucien thought as he sprinted forward and stabbed his dagger through one of its eyes.
Stab.
The deer shrieked, blood gushing down its face. It thrashed wildly, trying to throw Freya off. It kicked out, a brutal strike aimed at Lucien.
Lucien dodged to the side, feeling the wind of the impact, then yanked the knife free, letting the damage tear deeper.
Freya seized the moment. She shifted her weight, planted her feet, and with a roar of effort, snapped one of the horns off. The deer screamed, high, piercing, then shook her loose and bolted.
Lucien sprinted after it, knowing he couldn't catch it, but running anyway. Then an arrow whistled past his shoulder, close enough to graze the air by his ear, and struck the deer in the leg.
The creature stumbled, collapsed.
Ken rushed forward, faster than expected, pulling a hammer from his back. With a single brutal swing, he smashed the deer's skull.
Blood splattered across the cracked earth. Steam rose off the corpse.
Ken reached into its chest and pulled out a core, still warm, pulsing like a heartbeat.
All four of them stared at him, silent, stunned.