Umbra plays with the centipede. His massive paws pound the dead half left and right like dribbling while his mouth holds the live one.
Whenever the live half in his mouth moves, Umbra bites until a cracking sound reaches the Hound's ears.
His playtime reaches its end when a female scream interrupts him. Growling, he gets up from his seating position and jumps through the waterfall and into the cave. He doesn't fit but still tries to go in.
His howling goes through the cave's corridor until it reaches the duo that at once come to a halt.
A set of skeletons startles Mirena, making her jump. Her fast-beating heart is about to leave her chest.
The skeletons fall in front of them without moving. Their sudden appearance though has her screaming her lungs out.
Nox chuckles, pats the girl's head, and walks in front of her. "They are dead"
The silver-haired half-elf puffs her cheeks and puts her hands on top of her head, removing Nox's hand "I know that"
Nox points at the ceiling of the cave. In between stalagmites, tattered clothes still hang. "The got caught on that"
She blushes and looks down as she follows the young man.
After passing the jaws of the cave, they enter a dome-like second cave.
Hanging crystals provide ample light to the enormous space they are in.
{Loading…}
[Passive Skill: "Appraisal" is now available]
'Appraisal?'
['With Appraisal you can accurately estimate the worth of materials. It is part of Neutral Karma. You can level it up']
'That's convenient and cool'
The young man, out of curiosity, looks at the crystals above them. The appraisal skill activates on its own.
Next to each crystal, an estimation in Gold Coins appears.
The smaller crystals are around twenty Gold Coins and the bigger ones can reach one thousand.
'By the way, Grimmy, when I looked at the Neutral Karma screen I didn't see such skill'
{Loading…}
['Sometimes there are skills that certain requirements need to be met before you can unlock them. Entering the crystal room unlocked appraisal']
'How do I know what the requirements are?'
['You do not. It is a random Chain Skill activation']
'Chain Skill?'
['Try Appraisal on Mirena']
Nox then turns to Mirena. The appraisal skill is in effect.
The young man squints his eyes. 'I can't see her level'
['Chain Skills are those that you can level up from different Karma. If you level up Negative Appraisal, you will see the status of creatures. Likewise, if you level up Positive, those of Humans']
'That's interesting'
['Keep in mind that you can level it up only by using the corresponding Karma Points']
He nods. 'Got it'
While Nox is chatting with Grimmy, Mirena wanders off, exploring the massive cave.
Her eyelids flutter with amazement as she stares at the hanging crystals. Pearl-white with a natural light emanating from them.
Nox approaches the bewildered girl. "Can I ask you something?"
She looks at him, urging him to do so.
"Have they given you a specific price or did they just say treasure?"
The sudden question shocks her mind back to reality. Mirena looks at him with wet eyes. "They said treasure"
She wipes her tears and bites her lips. With one hand on her chest, she takes a few deep breaths.
Nox following a train of thought continues. "Treasure as in...? Gold?"
The girl shakes her head. "Gold Coins. A considerable amount at that"
Pacing back and forth, he nods with a smile. "I see!"
The young man considers the fact that their destination will not provide them with the desirable results. The blue Geo-Marker is that of knowledge. Sure it can bring profits depending on what it is about, but not fast enough to save Mirena's family.
After deciding, he turns to the girl. "You can go on ahead. I'll be right behind you"
Even though she doesn't know what Nox is thinking, she trusts him enough to do as he says. Following a straight path through the dome, she finds herself outside of the mountain.
It's already dusk, and the sky is with an orange hue hovering over the land.
The forest isn't as dense, but it follows the same eerie sensation. The murky shades from the descending sun are enough to cause shivers.
Mirena builds a camp while she waits for Nox to come out. The sun gradually sets and a shy moon takes its place in the night sky. Clouds obscure it and its silver light finds it difficult to rain the forest.
A light breeze picks up, whistling through the branches, accompanying crickets with their love song.
A couple of hours pass, and Nox walks out of the cave with a puffed chest and a haughty smile.
He sees the fire set by Mirena and approaches with a loud voice as to not startle her. "Evening!"
The silver-haired beauty turns around with a smile. "You're back!"
He joins her by the fire in a cross-legged position. Mirena fills and passes a bowl of rustic soup to him. "Eat while it's hot"
The fragrance invades his nostrils. By the smell alone, a smile forms on his mouth. "This smells amazing!"
Mirena blushes. The light pink cheeks are visible even in the dark night that envelops them.
Nox slurps a couple of spoons and his enjoyment carries uncontrollable tears that flow down his cheeks. With blurry vision, he looks at the girl with his watering purple eyes. "I-It's delicious"
She looks down in embarrassment. "I-I'm glad you l-like it."
She fidgets with her fingers, trying to find the words. "It-It's a family recipe"
Besides fish and the occasional wild animal, this is his first time having a proper meal since coming to this world. Even if it's just a soup, the carefully prepared ingredients and care that went into making it is enough for him.
Not long after, a howling interrupts them. Umbra, following the smell with the change of wind, finds them and comes running to their side.
He licks the tears off Nox's face and wags his tail. His growling stomach paints smiles on their faces and Mirena pours him a bowl, which he utterly enjoys.
The following morning, Nox and Mirena wake up to the valley dotted with blooming wildflowers that separate forest and mountains.
The multicolored valley has them gasping. The nature rush is especially shocking for Nox, being the first time witnessing such a natural beauty. He can only stare and admire.
Mirena pulls his shirt to wake him from his daydreaming. "Should we get going?"
Nox lets out a few coughs as he regains his composure.
He calls out the map and checks their location. His haze ends when excitement overwrites it. "We are almost there!"
Mirena's smile shares the same joy.
They walk through the artistic brushwork of the valley towards the forest.
Welcoming them is a gentle puff of air, carrying the fragrance of greenery and moist bark.
As they move further in and past the floral walls, a clearing appears before them.
Surrounding it are tall trees, not exactly part of the forest, but not apart from it either. Like a net, vines dangle from the treetops whilst thick foliage covers it like a veil.
Sunlight pours through, giving it a distinct feeling. Simple, yet elegant. Like spotlights with orange tones, the clearing suggests a warm and welcoming new world.
In the center, a pedestal-like raised stone stands alone with a wooden chest on top of it.
Nox and Mirena, with happiness painted all over their faces, approach the lonely altar with a hasten pace when from the ground, like a jet, emerges a stream of red smoke.
{Warning!!!}
[Trap Activated]
Surrounding them are incorporeal beings with black eyes and a mouth that looks like a void. Absolute blackness entails it when it opens.
{Scanning…}
[Crimson Wraiths detected]
Mirena draws her blade and takes a fighting position whilst Nox pushes his back against hers.
Umbra on his own, stands to the side, growling at the Wraiths that pass in front of him.
{Loading...}
[Beastiary Updated]
Before either Nox or Mirena can make a move, the Crimson Wraiths attack them, all at once.
Umbra lets out a deafening howl and jumps in.
Nox, with an audible shock in his voice, calls out. "Umbra?!"
Without turning back, the Mana Hound moves from one Wraith to another, gulping them down. When a red smoke comes out of his nostrils, he moves to the next.
Mirena chuckles at the sight in front of her and relaxes. Nox still wonders what's happening.
It doesn't take long for the Hound to finish with the Wraiths and lie down with a bloated belly.
Nox pulls himself from Mirena and walks closer to Umbra. "Thank you, boy"
He turns back and looks at the silver-haired girl who's still giggling. "What just happened?"
She looks at him. "Umbra is a Mana Hound. Wraiths are basically a manifestation of negative mana lingering around"
With wide-open eyes, Nox looks at Umbra with amazement. "Cool!"
While Nox pets Umbra, Mirena walks towards the altar and opens the wooden chest.
Inside it is a scroll.
She unfolds it and starts reading.
"Mining the Pearl Self-Lit Crystals"
Mirena stops reading and turns to Nox with watering eyes. "My… My only hope"
She throws the scroll away and smashes the chest to the ground.
Nox smiles at her, and in a nonchalant tone, lets out. "When and where's the meeting?"
He finishes his sentence and takes out a chest twice as large as the one containing the scroll. He lets it drop to the ground and after a heavy thud, a cloud of dust in the shape of a ring rises.
When the dust settles, he opens the chest. From inside, a golden glow steals glances from Mirena.
The girl's eyes stop leaking. "H-How?"
In front of him, a blue screen pops up.
[/Bonus Quest\]
Help Mirena find the treasure - Completed
Rewards: 50 EXP
Rewards: Positive Karma
Rewards: 100 Gold Coins
[/Bonus Quest\]