As they trekked deeper into the forest, the air became thick with tension. They could feel the monsters lurking in the shadows, waiting for them to make a mistake.
The forest was a place of dread. Without the lights from the city, the darkness seemed endless. Even the moonlight couldn’t penetrate its dense embrace. Stephanie shivered and grabbed onto John’s arm.
"I don’t like this," she whispered, her voice trembling. John chuckled inwardly. He found her fear endearing. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.
"Don’t worry, Steph. We’ll be fine. Just stay close to me."
They walked in silence, the only sound the crunching of leaves under their feet. The trees twisted and curved, creating a labyrinth of dread.
The silence was deafening, the absence of sound more terrifying than the presence of monsters. John could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
They stopped in their tracks, as a sudden chill ran down their spines. They heard a faint whisper, coming from somewhere in the forest. It sounded like a child, crying out for help.
John’s gaze snapped around, but he saw nothing. His instincts were screaming, but he had no idea what was happening.
The women huddled closer, their fear palpable. They heard the rustling of leaves and saw the outline of a creature emerging from the darkness. Its figure was hard to make out, but John could see its eyes, glowing red like the fires of hell.
It was a monster. Its body seemed ethereal, incorporeal. It moved swiftly, like a ghost.
"It’s a ghost!" Dalia screamed, her voice high-pitched and hysterical.
"Calm down. We don’t know what it is."
The creature advanced, its movements fluid and graceful. It seemed almost human, except for its glowing red eyes and translucent body.
John drew his dagger and prepared for a fight. He had no idea what this thing was, but he knew it was dangerous.
The creature circled them, its gaze fixed on John. It was sizing him up, looking for a weakness.
Suddenly, it charged. Half of its body morphed into a long, threatening claw. John dove to the side, narrowly missing its attack.
The creature snarled, its eyes burning with rage. It charged again, this time its body morphing into a mass of swirling darkness.
John leapt forward, his dagger slashing through the creature’s body. But his blow had no effect. The creature was incorporeal, intangible.
John furrowed his brows and attacked again, this time with his bare hands. He grabbed the creature’s arms and squeezed, but his grip had no effect.
"Dalia, I’ll block its attack. Throw some magic at it."
Dalia nodded and began chanting a spell. Her body glowed with a red light, her eyes burning with a fierce intensity. She thrust her hand forward and a fireball erupted from her palm, hitting the creature square in the chest.
The creature roared in pain, its body contorting as it absorbed the blast. But it wasn’t enough. The creature was still standing, still dangerous.
John and Dalia exchanged glances. They knew they had to act quickly.
"Now, Octavia!"
Octavia nodded and activated her Wind God skill. A gust of wind whipped through the air, buffeting the creature and slowing its movements.
Just then, John called forth his Shadow Claw and aimed it at the creature’s heart.
The creature split in two and disappeared. As it did, the system’s notification chimed.
[Specter Killed]
[0.3 Energy Obtained]
John grinned, this was what they were looking for. A monster to increase Octavia’s Energy stat.
"Octavia, you’re gonna have to try and land the killing blow next time. These things can increase your Energy."
"Understood."
The group continued their search, taking note of the different monsters they encountered. They faced a few Specters, some small, some larger. All of them were killed by Octavia.
She had a good grasp of her abilities, and she was able to quickly adapt to the different fighting styles of the monsters.
They had decided to take a break, but a large group of Specters was closing in on them. They had no choice but to fight.
Octavia raised her sword and lunged at the closest Specter. She was fast and agile, her movements fluid and graceful. She ducked and dodged, her blade flashing in the air.
John watched in awe as she fought, her sword a blur of motion. She was truly a sight to behold.
As she fought, she gained more and more Energy. John’s mind wandered to Octavia’s origins. She was someone who had adapted too fast to the apocalypse, perhaps even faster than John. He thought he was a unique case, a broken man who yearned for something more, but Octavia was different. She was a fighter, a survivor. She didn’t let anything stop her.
As she fought, John saw a Specter charge towards her, its claws outstretched. She didn’t seem to notice, and John leapt forward, shoving her out of the way.
Octavia was thrown to the ground, her eyes wide with shock.
John felt a searing pain in his shoulder. The Specter’s claws had torn through his flesh, leaving a gaping wound.
Blood spurted from the wound, staining the ground crimson. Octavia scrambled to her feet, her face pale with fear.
"John! Are you okay?"
"I’m fine," John groaned, clutching his shoulder.
"We need to get you out of here."
John shook his head. "No, we need to fight. We need to get stronger."
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"But your injury-"
"It’s not a fatal wound. We can patch it up when we get back to the base."
"Alright, but we need to hurry. There’s a lot of Specters around."
As they fought, they noticed that Octavia’s Energy had increased significantly. Her Wind God Skill’s strength grew significantly and she was able to maintain it for longer periods of time.
As they retreated from the forest, they had collected a decent amount of Energy and some monster materials.
"Please, let’s not come back here, anymore," Dalia said awkwardly.
"Yes! I second that," Stephanie said and shivered.
John chuckled and agreed.
He focused on Octavia’s toned figure and used his Appraisal Skill.
[Octavia Stone]
[Strength: 16]
[Vitality: 14]
[Agility: 12]
[Energy: 17]
Stone? He wondered, he was sure he had heard that surname somewhere before, but he couldn’t remember where...