"It wanted you, Gale Hathie." Dmitry spoke in a low rumble.
Goosebumps pricked all over Gale's body as Dmitry stared at him with unblinking eyes. He never told anyone his last name. Only the staff at the orphanage had access to his personal files. The whispers knew who he was.
There was something under there that had familiarity with him. Maybe the darkness had told Dmitry his name. It would all make sense. He was the only one that could see through the darkness below.
There was something below that guided him, pulled at him to follow where it led. Instead of just hearing illegible whispers, he heard them clearly in his head, unlike Dmitry or Anna. There was even a slight comforting feeling as the darkness engulfed him.
The entity below wasn't against him, yet that made it all the more dangerous. Those who want something from others always have more motives.
"Guys, I think we need to leave," Ollie said . "This whole thing is giving me the creeps, and I want out."
"I agree with Ollie. Definitely don't want to find out what's down there," Annett picked up her cracked bone spear.
"Wait," Gale held up his hand. "We need to stay here for a couple more days."
"Why?" Anna whimpered. "Why can't we just go?"
Gale furrowed his brows, tone rising to a yell. "Because whatever's down there stayed down there. Right now, our supplies are low, and this place keeps the monsters outside away. Understand?"
Anna looked down without answering.
"Let's stay here. He's right. That thing down there is the enemy's enemy, and that can be our friend in this time."
Rachel's agreement surprised Gale, but also caught him off guard now that he knew the actual saying. She usually went with what most people wanted, though her firm tone suggested that she did agree with him.
"Ok so. Here's what's up. What if that thing down there doesn't stay put? What if it comes up here? We're all dead. It's either the beasts or the deep dark down there. I dunno bout you guys, but I'd rather shoot at something that can be killed." Ollie put his hands up while shaking his head.
Before Gale could answer, Annett spoke up, "Stop the bullshit. Of course you'd say that. You're the only thing that can go down there. Ollie's right for once. We need to get the hell out of here. You really think our survival depends on your choice?"
"You're not surviving alone anymore. You're surviving with a team. We need to follow what is best for all of us, not just for one."
"I am deciding that for the best of all!" Gale shouted. "I've already done so much shit for this group!"
"Guys, calm down," Rachel said.
"If it weren't for me, most of you would've-" Gale stopped.
"Would've what?" Annett asked. "Come on, say it. It's not like it's far off from the truth."
"We can do those things too. You're not that special. If I had more ammo, I would've. Probably same for Annett if she had her sword," Ollie said.
"Guys! Shut up!" Rachel shouted. The campfire burned even brighter. Ollie and Annett shrank back onto their seats around the light.
Rachel continued, "Gale, are you sure that we'll be safe from that thing down there?"
"I'm sure. It can't exit that door."
"Can you tell us why you think that?" Rachel asked.
"When I felt the door the first time, it had something that felt… different. Like a seal. I can't explain." Gale looked away, not bothering to make eye contact. It was true that the door felt weird. But that was all he could tell. Not sure whether she would believe or not.
"Ok. We stay here just for a couple of more days. I trust Gale." Rachel looked toward Ollie and Annett. "If there's any sign that thing might come out, we move right away. Is that good?"
"I'm fine with it. I'm dipping if I see anything small move that door though." Ollie walked out of the room, pushing the door away with a heavy slam.
"Same with me." Annett leaned her head on the wall behind her.
Gale walked straight out to the forest. Rachel's voice called out to him, but he was already close to the treeline. It was nice Rachel trusted him. Was it so hard for them to just trust his judgement when all of the choices he's made so far got them through all the life and death scenarios alive?
Before, it was just frustration at their incompetence. It was the same with Ms. Molly. This whole situation could've probably been avoided if the staff just listened to him. But no. They all have their own egos.
Yet… it's not like he didn't understand their point of view. No one taught him how to… how to talk. Mom and dad never taught him to how to really talk.
He had no friend to talk to.
Breath of the Void snapped him out of his thoughts. Multiple forest beasts touched one of the tips of the tendrils he'd casted out. They were average-sized and at least one bigger than the previous ones he had killed earlier.
Gale gripped his sabre even tighter. He moved quickly through the trees, not caring about the twigs and branches that whipped past him. He activated Distort and disappeared.
He pounced at them right in the middle. One swing ended the life of the smallest beast by the neck. Another swing decapitated a slightly bigger one. Each swing dropped a forest beast, and multiple notifications dinged in his ear.
[Awakened Forest Beast felled.]
[Awakened Forest Beast felled.]
[Awakened Forest Beast felled.]
[Awakened Forest Beast felled.]
Then the last one stood alone. The biggest one of the group. Gale dashed at it with no hesitation. The beast swiped down, missing. He had sidestepped just in time, then slid through the legs of the beast.
Swing upwards.
[Awakened Elder Forest Beast felled.]
Some had gotten away from the fight, but Gale didn't care. This whole killing was pointless. Did it feel good to let off steam?
No.
He wanted to just read books. That was always how he'd pass the time when he was lonely, angry, sad, annoyed, or crying. Maybe even when he was happy, he wanted to always fill his eyes with his favourite books or new ones.
I trust Gale.
That was what Rachel said. She agreed with him, but was it because she really believed him or just to keep everyone calm? He didn't know.
The bushes nearby moved. Gale spun around, sabre ready, still invisible. Something was coming.
A massive forest predator pushed through the plants. Its eyes looked around the clearing, and its nose twitched at the smell of blood.
Gale held the sabre tighter.
The forest predator jumped suddenly. Jaws snapped at where his head would've been. Invisibility gave him an advantage as the predator's reactions slowed.
He stepped to the side and sliced with his bone sabre. The blade cut a shallow wound along the beast's side.
He kept moving, not pausing his legs for one second. He felt the ache of the cauterised wound throb hard from the strain.
The beast sniffed constantly, trying to find him. It swung its claws as it turned to face him.
Gale ducked under, air rushed past his hair, then swung the sabre upwards.
It jumped back. A thin line of blood appeared on its patch of skin and fur.
Gale contracted the area of Breath of the Void inwards, letting its influence only cover this small clearing. Everything became clearer. Every muscle and every tiny droplet in its breath was captured by his senses.
His total focus was completely on the beast, and with that, he felt a slight chill enter him, as if the skill itself had seeped into his skin.
The predator moved. Lunged at Gale. Except it was slow. Its claws shovelled up the ground. Each little bit of dirt shoveled up was as clear as day. He could see each blade of grass that was thrown up.
He sidestepped once more. Its large body passed him by. The ten scars of cuts along its flank. A couple of bite marks on its arm. He saw it all as it whooshed by him.
It landed again, and judging from the activation of its muscles, it was a tail whip. That caught him off guard last time. This time, he would just duck. There was no way it was going to hit him moving that slowly.
Gale ran up at the beast's side. Even his body felt slow. The beast opened its jaws to bite where he was going, causing him to sidestep once again.
This whole thing was getting dragged on. The beast wasn't the strongest he's ever faced. But it had more fighting sense than the previous encounters. He was faster than the beast, but he couldn't get a clean hit in.
Again, Gale pounced into a dive to its underbelly. The beast slammed its body down, again forcing him to cut off his approach by stopping his slide and rolling to the side.
No use. But he had an idea. A risky one worth trying. He pushed Distort out of his skin into his surroundings. Two square refractions stood in front of him.
The beast charged at Gale, at the refraction that's slightly to the side. In the last moment before the beast hit the refraction, it changed direction slightly. Its shoulder hit his torso, launching him backward into a tree.
It knew.
That wasn't much of an idea anyway. That was just using Distort like the old way. What were you even thinking? But what if…
Another idea formed as he dodged the beast's tail whip right after its lunge. It could predict him now. Predict what he was even going to do and allow itself enough space to minimize its own damage. Then he would just have to make himself even more unpredictable. The catalyst for that idea would be Alter.
He'd been only using Alter at the beginning of the fight so far. If he could use it mid fight, that would level up his unpredictability by crazy amounts. And by crazy, Gale meant how would that kind of fighting style even look like? There were no fighting styles he knew that could adapt to weaponry changing and adapting in mid fight. That would be a martial artist's nightmare, and this beast had that same feeling of knowing how to fight.
Gale went for another lunge, this time not using Distort. He swung upwards. Willed Alter to extend the blade of his sabre. A headache formed behind his left eye. Dull. However, the skill wouldn't activate.
The beast had dodged. Swing going wide. Gale's stance became off balance.
Shit. It was working. He just lost concentration. Again.
Pounce upwards. Swing downwards. Willed Alter to extend. The beast dropped low. Alter extended the blade slightly. It sliced the beast, only skin deep.
Not enough. Again.
Gale dashed to its side. Swing at its flank. Willed Alter again to extend. Headache exploded. Sword extended. Swing made purchase. However, it met with resistance. The skin and bones were too tough without Phase Touch on the edge.
[Your Alter increased in proficiency…]
The beast swatted him away, launching him to a tree, knocking the air out of his lungs.
Now, he was breathing hard, ragged. It had worked. The dull headache stayed. Now he needed to merge it together with Phase Touch.
Again.
Gale dashed straight towards it. This time, expecting the beast to sidestep. It did, to the right. He swung the sabre to its left flank. Willed Alter to extend. Added Phase Touch to the full edge. Nausea and headache driving bile up his throat.
Slice.
The sabre passed through the beast. It stopped. Gale also. Silence. Both him and the beast looked at each other's eyes for a moment. It collapsed onto the forest floor, a fine line of blood streaking across its entire body.
He walked up to check the body. Poked it with his sabre. Half of its body slid off cleanly.
[Awakened Forest Predator felled.]
[Extracting Origin from prey…]
[Core Density increased.]
[Tendon Core part built. Flexibility and Tensile strength increases.]
Grains of light floated away from the forest predator. They swirled around him before going into his chest. The familiar feeling.
Fist bump. He didn't even know that was a predator. Thought it was just one of the normal beasts. Now, he didn't even need traps to beat one. Though it wouldn't hurt to still use them. Wouldn't hurt to use them all the time. Yeah. Just use them all the time. No point in not using traps if they can be used. Anything to survive. That's right.
He opened his status screen.
…
Name: Gale Hathie
Race: Dainv
Core Class: Awakened
Core Density: 8/12
Core Attributes: [
Max Load: 15
Efficiency: 4
Essence: 30/100
]
Skills:
[Phase Touch Lv.3][Alter Lv.2][Distort Lv.2]
Passives:
[Breath of the Void Lv.1]
…
His efficiency went up one point. His Efficiency went up by one point. Now, when he used his skills normally, his essence would only drop by 1. Alter also levelled up, now allowing him to change the size mid-fight.
Gale looked back at the beast. It was already cut in half. Compared to the other beasts, half of the butchering was already done. Might as well take it. He hoisted up both halves of the legs onto his shoulders and dragged them along the forest floor.
He trudged to the stone tower. Each step easier now. The wound on his thigh had already healed from the Origin extraction.
As he got near the stone tower, he smelled the smoke coming from the smokers. Rachel, Annett, and Ollie sat right by the entrance of the stone tower. They stared at the beast he dragged.
"Welp. That thing's bigger than anything I've seen before. And it's cut in half like through a butcher's saw," Ollie said.
"Are you ok?" Rachel asked.
Gale ignored them. Didn't matter. He was used to it.