A couple of hours had passed since they gossiped around the campfire. Hastily, they had packed up everything, though it was little, and left towards the imposing horizon.
Everyone had looked upon the far mountain range, feeling faint traces of hope filling their hearts. Lucy in particular had an extra pep in her step, twirling her spear around like a cheerleader.
Despite the dreary situation they had found themselves in, each of them seemed slightly at ease. Not quite tranquil, this was still the Dream Realm after all, but calm.
Richard had stashed his bow away in his soul sea. Dari was loosely hanging onto the blade he received from his first nightmare. Yara hadn't even entertained the thought of holding a weapon.
'It is too strange. Far too strange.'
Riley couldn't sit still, well, he was walking. But his mind continued to wander, to question why they had not run into any creatures in the last twelve hours of walking.
The towering peaks only got closer with time, and the lack of creatures was seriously wearing down his mind. His core was filling up slowly simply from his own fear.
Could he handle beasts of the calibre from before? Absolutely, as long as he wasn't severely outnumbered. On top of that, he had comrades, who were more than willing to put their lives on the line for his own.
However, he did not smile over that fact this time. Because he didn't wish to lose them, even if they were protecting him.
Riley never believed he was someone special. He had lived his life in the background, never truly yearning to be in the spotlight. But… Being the party leader, being relied on was something that filled him with a strange feeling, one he had never felt before.
He shrugged it off for the time being. There were far more important matters to be taken care of first.
For one, Riley was trying to figure out exactly where the hound had run off to. Following it would be a neutral decision, it had up sides and down sides.
For example, if they followed the hound. The best case scenario would be that they would be able to slay more weak creatures. The down side was that there would be a far more harrowing beast waiting for them. And with little combat experience, he dared not imagine the massacre.
"Do you guys see anything strange? If you do, let me know as soon as possible."
They all exchanged confused glances.
"We haven't seen anything out of the ordinary. Just sparse trees decorated with shrubs here and there."
Yara and Dari had been keeping a close eye on the rear in case anything tried sneaking up on them.
"Nothing on the left side, just more boring trees."
Lucy continued to twirl around the spear masterfully.
'Just where did this girl learn to do this- Actually scratch that, her uncle is part of the Valor Clan, surely they would train the youth.'
He sighed and looked at Richard.
"The cliffs are still lifeless. Well, not really lifeless, I can feel the presence of a demonic being living in the depths of the water. But nothing out of the ordinary."
Riley shook the thought of an aquatic creature attacking them. The last thing he wanted to think about was a tentacle wrapping around his body and yanking him in half.
As for himself, he had also seen nothing. Heard nothing, and therefore, sensed nothing. But nothing was something too, and often nothing was more than something.
"Richard, draw your bow and point it far toward the mountains. And fire."
In a few seconds, a wooden arrow barreled through the air, quickly fading into the darkness.
But nothing happened. That was good, very good.
"We are safe to continue for now. Richard, please launch an arrow like that every thirty minutes or so-"
A shiver ran down Riley' spine as he summoned the trusty [Twisted Scissors] barely in time to block the rapid clash.
He fell to the ground, his arms quivering while still clinging on to the scissors that had caught him with its immense weight.
'Tch. I knew it wouldn't be so easy.'
Somewhere in the veil of darkness was a creature. One he couldn't perceive.
"You four! Stick close to each other, I will handle the creature."
He sighed and raised the now lighter [Twisted Scissors]. The pain in his calf made him wince as he put pressure on it, shooting forward as fast as he could. Uneven and bumpy soil made him stumble slightly.
'What am I even fighting? Where should I attack-'
A second furious slash descended against his shoulder, grazing his skin. This time, however, he managed to swing back. A bead of blood now coloured the scissors.
An eerie smile spread on Riley's lips.
"So you can bleed? Half of the battle is already won."
He stood his ground, no longer rushing anywhere. There was no need to. If there was a way for him to perceive his opponent, he surely would've tried to find it.
'It isn't that I can't sense it due to its ability-'
A thunderous crash clattered against his scissor, the bolt falling out from its centre. He slashed at its abdomen, a wail piercing the ears of everyone nearby.
Pools of blood began to build up around him as the beast retreated in the darkness once more.
'It's just fast. It barely packs a punch.'
He was of course exaggerating, every hit felt like being hit with a car. But a slow car.
A sea of sparks summoned the lantern, and it blinded the surrounding world. There it was, an orange feline creature, frozen on the spot.
Riley stepped evenly, wincing at every chance possible. Until he simply slid his blade into its chest.
[You have slain an Awakened Monster, Thunder Cougar.]
Its body fell limply on the ground, and the world was bathed in darkness once more.
"Who wants this core? It's extra yummy."
And they all simply stared at him in awe.