Rudy slowly sat down at a plain rock within the wide stream and began washing himself.
He filled the water in his hand and splashed it on his face. Just as the water touched his face, he froze - literally.
'Holy damn! It's cold!' Shivering from the cold, he shouted in his head and looked at Warrior from the corner of his eyes.
As he had instructed, Warrior was also taking a bath, and the two guards were keeping a watch on both of them.
A sharp glint passed through his eyes, and his gaze shifted towards the bundle of the Warrior's clothes. He noted to himself, 'I have to check his clothes.'
He cupped his hands, filled them with water, and splashed it onto his body as he thought, 'Seeing how slowly we are moving and how easily they listened to my demand of the bath, the number of dreadborns isn't as high here as it is in the modern realm...'
Leaning forward, he filled his hands with water, splashed it onto his body, and rubbed it as he added, 'According to what she had told me, the trials which usually require us to kill something or someone reward us with a combat attribute while those that require us to find a return item or gate reward us with a utility attribute...'
'I am leaning more towards mine being of utility because of the first image... However, as I also have to kill that dreadborn to reach there, I cannot be sure.'
Finishing his thoughts, he quickened his hands and finished bathing.
He slowly stood up, slid his feet into his wooden slippers, and began walking towards the two guards.
Seeing him coming towards them, both of the guards stepped aside and bowed down to him.
Rudy regarded them with a nod and changed into his clothes.
He then began to rummage through Warrior's clothes, and after searching for a minute, he found a small dark wooden box the size of a ring box hidden within his waist belt cloth.
He flipped open the box, and a faint, soothing scent brushed his nose.
Narrowing his eyes, he stared at the single blue ball the size of a bead that was within the ring box.
'It is similar to an essence capsule that regulars use to gain strength and speed similar to that of an irregular during times of emergency...' he remarked.
He took the blue bead, placed it in his pocket, and hid the box where it previously was.
Right then, the sound of a water splash reached him as Warrior walked out of the bath; the night veiled his body, but Rudy was able to see under the night like it was day because of his Vampiric Eyes.
For a slight moment, he narrowed his eyes at the small crescent tattoo just an inch above his waist.
'The night order...' he noted, and as Warrior neared him, he offered Warrior a wide smile.
Turning around, he commanded, "Let us return once you are clothed."
The guards and Warrior nodded, and three minutes later, all four of them made their way towards the cave.
As they walked to the cave, a loud soul-shaking cry from the far reached them. Rudy turned his head towards the cry, his eyes glowed red, and he froze in his spot. 'W-What?!'
He tried moving himself, but it proved fruitless as his body denied any kind of call from him.
Because of the dreadful cry, the guards were also frozen in place, and Warrior was the only one who turned towards the direction of the cry and tried to see what it was.
But as the being that had caused it was too far, he couldn't see much of it.
He stared into the cry's direction for a few moments and mumbled, "It would be better for us to return quickly."
Rudy, who had mostly calmed himself, nodded at his words, and their steps towards the camp quickened.
A few minutes later, the camp, the other two guards, and Driver fell into his vision.
Seeing them return, all three of them stood up and bowed to Rudy.
Rudy waved his hand without even glancing at them and walked inside the cave.
Walking in the cave, he sat down in his bed, and Warrior, who was following him with a worried expression, asked, "Is the young lord worried about that roar?"
Rudy looked at him with a smile and shook his head. "No, I am just worried that it might trouble us."
Warrior struck a fist to his chest and exclaimed, "Do not worry, young lord. No matter what, I will keep you safe!"
Rudy's worried expression eased; he nodded, shifted his gaze towards the guard who was standing at the entrance with a wooden tray that had two plates on it, and said, "You can enter."
The guard bowed slightly, stepped inside, and began to walk towards the table.
Rudy turned his head towards Warrior and said, "You are right... Why should I worry about some beast when I have the five of you?"
Warrior's lips lifted into a wide smile, and he nodded frantically.
Still smiling, Rudy looked at the guard and gestured for him to leave.
The guard left after a bow, and Rudy and Warrior walked over to the table.
Both of them sat in the chairs and began to eat whatever meat had been served to them.
For the next few minutes, everything stayed unusually silent, and Rudy remarked inwardly while staring at Warrior with a cold glint in his eyes, 'It is neither a beast nor a friend... It's an outcome I cannot survive... a dreadborn with three cores — a demon.'
Flashing a faint smile towards Warrior, he added, 'And if I'm right about that pill, then he already knew about it being a demon...'
He finished his meal. Placed the plate back onto the tray and said calmly, "It was much better than what I had expected."
Warrior smiled.
Rudy stood up from his chair and walked towards his bed. 'But is that demon the same dreadborn that I had seen in the images?'