Chapter 44: The Paradise [1]
*Step*
*Step*
"Anything in sight, Aldrus?" Aiden asked as they made their way through heavenly open fields.
The black-haired boy shook his head. "No, at least not for the next ten minutes," he said.
The first hour of travel had been rather pleasant. They hadn’t stumbled across any dangers or hardships whatsoever.
Following Alice’s map, they decided to head north in a straight line until the border of the Fog Island came into view. Once there, they’d turn around it, camp a couple of days near the last stretch, and head directly through it, hopefully coming out in one piece.
The plan was simple, but simple didn’t mean easy. Sure, things were good for now, but no one knew when the peaceful trip would give way to a hellish nightmare.
"I still can’t believe you’re carrying all of that as if it were nothing, Aldrus..." Cedric pointed out, walking in front.
"It really isn’t as harsh as it might seem, man. Quit worrying over it," Aldrus replied.
One of the approaches they’d decided on was for Aldrus to carry most of their belongings, such as bags, meat, water, clothes, and weapons. Basically everything. Needless to say, they weren’t taking advantage of him, but rather, they knew he was the only one capable of sustaining everything with his powers for long periods of time.
Since the amount of Perspective drained in usage was proportional to how hard the desired effect was, Aldrus’s absurd reserves could keep all of their baggage [Frozen]—unbound from gravity or any sort of resistance for hours. Though even if it wasn’t a complicated task, the others couldn’t really afford to do it for more than twenty minutes before collapsing.
About time I was damn useful...
"Still, let us know if you need to rest. We’re not in a hurry, after all," Cedric added.
"Alright, alright..."
Sigh...
They kept their pace steady for some time, taking in the view. It had been a while since the four students were able to behold such a dazzling place before their eyes...
No. Actually, that’s not quite right; none of them had ever witnessed anything like it.
The place was so surreal that it didn’t even feel like it belonged to their own world. Such scenery could only ever exist inside a fairy tale; the kind conceived from the purest of minds—the mind of a child, the pen of an angel, or the good-willed heart of long-forgotten knights.
The sparkling green under their steps stretched far into the distance, bathed in orange only at the horizon. Every blade of it rustled with the wind, and the sweet melody of a violin could almost be made out.
Above, a mantle of blue extended endlessly, eternally, ever-present. A solace for the lost, a light for the blind, a signal for the doubtful. Anything and everything to ever find their way below its grace would end up drunk with the truest joy.
For a few minutes, none of them spoke. Even Cedric, who usually couldn’t stand silence, simply walked ahead with a stone spear resting over his shoulder.
Aiden occasionally glanced at the map in Alice’s hands, making sure they hadn’t drifted from their intended route, while the blonde girl quietly memorized every landmark she could find. If they survived this place, knowing how to retrace their steps might become the difference between life and death.
...It really was a shame; nature’s most beautiful gifts had a tendency to hold the wildest dangers.
Before any of them could get comfortable with the crunch of the grass and the humming of the rivers, a dark silhouette came into sight.
"Hm? What’s that?" Aiden asked, pointing into the distance.
His three friends narrowed their eyes at the blurry shadow growing closer.
Upon further examination, the thing slowly began taking form. It looked like a quadruped wild beast with dark, brown fur and black eyes.
Having been there for half a month now, the four students didn’t immediately overreact; after all, the land they lay on had been peaceful. However, they also were no fools; each of them adopted a battle stance, ready to strike at any moment.
Aldrus took out two rustic daggers crafted out of wood and stone. The rest armed themselves with their own selected weapons: Alice, a sword; Cedric, his spear; and Aiden, a sharp rapier.
"..."
They stood tense, waiting for the beast. However, as the animal ran towards them, the youths suddenly realized two critical things: firstly, the thing was a black wolf—a type of monster commonly found in the south. Such beasts were not particularly difficult to handle... but they always moved in a pack.
The second thing they noted was far worse. The wolf was severely injured; through its ferocious maw, a concerning amount of red liquid desecrated the shining blades of grass beneath. And on top of that, the animal was alone.
Shit!
A black wolf without its pack could only happen for two reasons. Either it was expelled... or it had fled.
"Brace yourselves! Something’s coming!" Aiden warned.
As soon as those words came out, another shadow appeared behind the beast. It was bigger, faster... and surely stronger.
The wolf had been running away from whatever the thing following it was. And as it came close enough to discern its hunter properly, the group paralyzed.
It was written in the book Cedric crafted. Alice had made a small encyclopedia of every species of the region she knew.
As it turned out, the beasts and monsters of the south were classified with a specific color according to the threat they presented. White were wild game, not dangerous at all. Yellow were aggressive, but easy to kill.
Orange presented a real challenge to first-ranks. Red could go face-to-face with second-ranks. Black were barely known; those beasts lay in the lands beyond the continent, and their strength had been enough to slaughter countless third-ranks and even two fourth-ranks in the past.
And finally... There were the Purple beasts. Much like people of the fifth and sixth rank, these creatures were but legends and myths, said to possess the powers of god and rival their human counterparts.
Of course, half of those were irrelevant right now. Still, the creature they had stumbled upon was classified as Orange. Meaning they were in for a real tough battle merely an hour after parting.
Damn it... Here we go.
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