Chapter 6: Finding Shelter
The forest had grown quieter after the battle.
The crimson sky still churned endlessly overhead while the cold wind slithered through the twisted trees, carrying with it the scent of blood and burnt flesh.
Bodies of the Wights had long since dissolved into black smoke. Yet the memory of their shrieks still lingered heavily with the minds of the exiles who managed to survive.
No one spoke for a while as they merely stood battered, exhausted and breathing heavily beneath the dreadful heavens of the Nether Lands...
Then, Regaleon finally broke the silence. "We need to leave." His voice was calm and steady. Like steel submerged within ice.
The others slowly looked toward him. Regaleon remained standing in his rusted golden Armour with his Halberd resting beside him while black stains of battle marked his figure...
Beneath strands of silver hair, his golden eyes scanned the surrounding darkness sharply...
"We do not know if those were the last of them..." He continued. "...or if more will come."
His grip around his Halberd tightened slightly as his gaze drifted deeper into the forest for a brief moment. Then he spoke, "Or if there are something much worse than the things we just fought."
Silence followed as the weight of his words settled heavily on everyone’s chest. They all understood that he was right. The Wights had nearly killed them already...
And this was the Nether Lands. Lands that were famed throughout the Aetherium as being the Lands of Death. Clearly, the Wights wouldn’t be the only terrible things to exists in such Lands which meant...
That there are far more terrifying things lurking the shadows...
The failed Alchemist exhaled shakily before leaning against his bronze Cauldron. His face still looked pale from exhaustion as he said, "And where exactly are we supposed to go in this cursed forest?"
There was a bitterness in his tone with an undertone of resignation. It wasn’t a statement of mockery nor rebellion... It was one of fatigue.
The kind born from realizing the world had become infinitely larger and crueler than they had ever imagined...
The rest of the group were silent as they didn’t have an answer to that question. It wasn’t like they were given detailed maps of the Nether Lands... Hell, they only came to learn about the Lands just today.
And so, they also began to ponder on the same question. Where exactly could they go?
Because this forest stretched endlessly in every direction as the darkness itself felt alive. Every twisted trees seemed capable of hiding death and despair... But not direction.
Regaleon merely stared at the failed Alchemist briefly before turning his gaze to the glowing Lantern still trembling within the failed Gnost’s hands...
That warm golden glow remained the only comforting thing in this dreadful place...
And then he spoke curtly, "We search."
Several people frowned while the failed Alchemist blinked tiredly, "What do we search for?"
But before Regaleon could answer, the older sister suddenly narrowed her eyes slightly. Unlike the others, she seems to understand Regaleon’s intention...
Her gaze was sharp and observant as it moved between Regaleon and the Lantern thoughtfully...
Regaleon pointed toward the failed Gnost and asked, "Can you share the flame from your Lantern?"
Actually, there was a failed Pyromancer amongst them but he was busy recovering the Fiery Aether he depleted in the fight...
The failed Gnost stiffened slightly. "I-i think so..." He said, his voice still trembling from the earlier battle.
"That is enough." Regaleon nodded. Then without another word, he turned and walked toward the nearest twisted trees...
Others watched him in confusion and then...
SHING!
His Halberd sliced cleanly through thick branches. Wood crashed softly against the ground. Like a noble son suddenly denied access to his inheritance...
He did this methodically, moving from trees to trees while gathering dry branches and pieces of wood before bringing them back toward the Lantern. Seeing this, the others finally began understanding...
Regaleon crouched beside the glowing Soul Essence befire pressing one branch carefully into the golden flame... Then fire blossomed instantly. It was warm and bright...
A second branch ignited shortly afterward. Then a third and soon... Several makeshift torches burned around them.
Regaleon rose afterward, holding a torch, "Now, we can search properly."
The group stared at him quietly and with faint surprise. They couldn’t believe that none of them had even thought of something so simple...
Well in their defense, they were busy panicking and despairing...
The older sister watched him silently with thoughtful silver eyes beneath the flickering firelight.
But Regaleon did not care about their gazes as he simply continued speaking calmly, "The Lantern illuminates roughly twenty meters of space..."
Then he held one of the flaming branches upward, "...This would extend our visibility." Then he swept his golden eyes across the group, "We spread out around forty meters from the Lantern in different directions. Not far from the Lantern but also far enough to search for shelter properly."
The failed Gnost blinked, the firelight flickering strangely against his cracked spectatcles as he said, "So we search while remaining within sight of each other?"
Regaleon nodded softly. "Exactly. That is the plan."
The plan was simple, efficient and practical. The others exchanged glances and then quietly obeyed. Not because Regaleon had ordered them but because without realizing it, they had already begun relying on him...
The failed Gnost remained near the center holding the Lantern carefully while the others spread outward with burning branches in hand...
The warm flames pushed back portions of the dreadful darkness surrounding them as the group walked into the forest...
Regaleon walked at the very front. He was still armoured, armed and alert with his golden eyes scanning every shadow carefully while his Halberd remained ready at all times...
The flaming branch within his free hand illuminated his silver hair faintly beneath the crimson sky and around him, the forest whispered endlessly...
Sometimes they heard movement among the trees while other times, distant shrieks echoed through the darkness. And for some moments... There was simply nothing at all.
And somehow, that silence felt the worst of all.
Minutes passed slowly and then eventually...
"We found something!" One of the boys shouted shortly from the left side.
The group immediately converged toward the voice and what awaited them was a cave...
Its entrance was partially concealed beneath twisted roots and black stone while darkness stretched deeply within it. Cold air drifted outward from the cave carrying the scent of damp earth and something older...
The failed Alchemist frowned immediately. "Are you sure this is safe?" He asked with skepticism.
His voice carried understandable doubt. After all... Anyone would also be wary of something like that. Besides, this was the Nether Lands and a cave here could easily become a monster’s den.
Regaleon stared toward the darkness silently for several moments before he spoke, "You all wait here. I’ll check the inside."
The rest turned towards him with the failed Alchemist nearly choking, "You’ll do what?!"
But Regaleon had already begun walking towards the cave entrance. The older sister narrowed her eyes slightly, "Going alone is dangerous." She warned.
Regaleon paused briefly and without turning back, he replied calmly, "So is staying out here." And with that, he disappeared into the darkness.
Silence descended afterward as the group remained near the entrance holding flaming torches while cold wind howled softly through the forest behind them...
The failed Alchemist eventually let out a breathless laugh. "I genuinely cannot decide if he’s brave or simply insane." He said.
The others didn’t reply because what he said was true. Earlier if Regaleon had bit acted first and frozen like the rest of them, then more of them would have died.
Perhaps it was bravery that made him react faster than them and resist the fear that threatened to crush him unlike the others...
The failed Vanguard leaned against his Shield quietly and spoke, "That’s the thing isn’t it? That guy fights like he’s been at war his whole life."
The failed Pyromancer nodded silently while the failed Gnost looked at the entrance of the cave with complicated emotions...
Meanwhile, the older sister remained still with her silver eyes lingering where Regaleon disappeared into the cave. She was thoughtful, as though trying to understand him...
He was deemed a failed Knight...
He was a discarded noble...
And yet among all of them, he alone moved without hesitation. Like someone who understands the meaning of survival...
Five minutes passed before a roar erupted from deep within the cave...
Everyone immediately stiffened on the spot. That roar was monstrous, heavy and primal...
The younger sister whimpered softly as she held tightly unto her sister’s hand. Then came the sound of battle...
CLANG!
SHING!
There was the sound of stone cracking followed by a beastial roar and the sound of metallic clashes echoing repeatedly through the darkness...
The group tightened their grips around their Soul Essences instinctively while the failed Alchemist cursed beneath his breath before asking with concern, "Should we go in and help?!"
Before anyone could answer, silence suddenly returned. This time it was heavier than before...
Several tense moments passed and then, footsteps emerged from within the darkness as Regaleon walked out calmly.
Blood stained portions of his armour while his Halberd still dripped crimson onto the stone floor and yet, his breathing remained steady...
"Come on..." He said simply. "... it’s safe." He assured before turning back into the cave.
The others stared briefly before following him in cautiously. The cave stretched deeper than expected and only illuminated faintly by their torches as they walked.
Eventually... They reached its center. And froze...
A massive carcass lay sprawled across the surface stone floor. It was a bear... Or at least something resembling one.
The creature was enormous, nearly twice the size of a normal bear with dark fur covering it’s massive body.
Jagged bone like protrusions extended from it’s spine while crimson veins pulsed faintly beneath patches of exposed flesh.
It’s throat had been turn open completely as blood still flowed across the floor from the gruesome wound...
Then the group slowly turned toward Regaleon. Shock layered most of their faces as the thought within them...
Did he killed?
Alone?
The failed Alchemist stared for several seconds before laughing weakly. "I really am beginning to admire you." He said admirably.
Regaleon ignored the comment completely. Instead, he walked toward one corner of the cave before finally removing his helmet. Silver hair spilled free instantly while his golden eyes looked colder beneath the firelight now.
"We’ll spend the night here..." He spoke. His voice echoed softly against the cave walls and then he glanced toward the dead beast. "If anyone is hungry..."
He pointed toward the carcass, "...we will make do with that?"
The younger sister looked slightly horrified while the failed Alchemist snorted softly, "From noble exiles to cave-dwelling hunters in a single night."
The failed Vanguard laughed tiredly. But despite all that...
Despite the exhaustion...
Despite the fear...
Despite the blood that still stained their hands...
And for the first time since arriving within the Nether Lands, the group finally felt something fragile...
It wasn’t true safety. But safety nevertheless... One brought from the sense of having shelter.
