After getting introduced to the party, Dwayne took the opportunity to invite Abel to travel with them, pointing out how unsafe it was to travel alone.
"I'm telling you, it would be best to travel with a group. Especially since you're still new here and you don't know the ins and outs of this Floor." Although he wasn't being too pushy, he wasn't exactly giving Abel room to refuse the offer. And Abel himself couldn't exactly refuse it after seeing how strong just one creature was. If he got ganged up by multiple types of that bird, there was no guarantee that he would make it out unscathed.
"Um, okay then. But just until I get a bit more familiar with the Floor and the basic monsters around here. I prefer travelling alone." Abel eventually agreed to the offer. Dwayne's insistence on the matter was wearing down his firm will.
"Ah, that's fine. Besides, I'm more interested in your Beast Soul. First time I'm seeing one like it." Russell cut into the conversation, pointing at Breeze's towering form.
"He's my travel companion." Abel said before climbing onto Dust's back. "So is this big guy." He rubbed Dust's behind the ear, making the Ground Rat to release chattering sounds.
"You seem awfully close to them. They're just Beast Souls. They are still vicious beasts at heart. Russell crinkled his nose slightly.
"To you, maybe. They've saved my life multiple times already. That's enough to make them more than simple mindless monsters to me." Abel said with a firm tone of voice, showing his strong stance. He didn't plan on changing his views because of a bunch of strangers. The party also noted his firm tone, choosing not to ponder on this topic any further.
The group soon continued on their journey, Abel riding along them on Dust's back with Breeze standing between them and the party. His presence made the party members remain tense, even though they could beat Breeze if they really put in their all.
They travelled through the open plains for roughly an hour longer before reaching an area that was more populated by monsters.
"Err, you said you wanted to get used to the basic monsters on this Floor, right? Well, this is the most frequented hunting ground." Dwayne spoke up, his hand resting on the hilt of his broadsword.
Abel could vaguely hear the sound of fighting ahead in the distance.
"Come, let's kill a few beasts before we leave you and continue heading to our usual spot." Russell spoke, drawing his sword. His sword was a red, ornate longsword that was crafted with an exquisite taste in mind. It truly looked like more of a decorative artifact than anything else. It's blade was a crimson color, with its soft, velvet hilt being a deep black.
Dwayne walked to the side of one of the Ground Rats that was carrying their equipment. He unlatched his large tower shield. The shield was a deep blue color, matching his armor that was of the same shade. Melinda and Lily, along with the two silent ladies also got themselves ready. The silent ladies brought out thin, black shortswords that went along with their black clothing. It seemed that the party really like matching their gears with their clothing.
"Let's go." They set off into the small forest of winding trees, looking for the first prey of the day.
...
"Careful, Russ. Let Dwayne do his job as tank. If you get burnt, I won't heal you!" Lily spoke up from the back of the formation as she sent a bright green ray of light to Dwayne. The ray of light wrapped around him, healing his wounds in an instant. It was quite obvious to Abel that she was leagues stronger than Aileen, who was a pure Healer. Lily wasn't even a pure Healer, yet she was able to do much better; the difference was like night and day. When Abel first saw her working her magic, he was taken aback.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, it's not like I need it anyways." Russell rolled his eyes while striking down another monster. They were fighting a pack of miniature wolves that had a trail of flames running down their backs.
Abel moved quickly, his own weapons slicing through the soft skin of the wolves while he left Breeze to finish them off. He had recalled Dust into his Sea of Soul to rest for the duration of the fight. Although the Ground Rat could defend itself, it was still weak when compared to the creatures of the Second Floor. Right now, Abel and Breeze were working together to mow through the wave of monsters that were trying to besiege their hunting party.
When Abel had first unsheathed his weapons, the party members had been taken aback. They could clearly see the quality of the weapons, and they knew how valuable they were. From their estimations, just one of the two would cost thousands of gold coins.
They had been even more shocked by Abel's combat prowess. When they helped him at the entrance to the Floor earlier, they hadn't been able to see him actually fight, so this was the first time they were seeing him display his combat prowess, and they were impressed, to say the least. Even the quiet twin sisters had been taken aback, their disdain for Abel dropping down a notch.
His movement was quite good, matching the movement techniques of those veterans who have been challenging the Second Floor for a long time. Surely, his level of skill would make him a force to be reckoned with if he was able to refine it to an even greater level.
Another point they took into notice was his top notch coordination with Breeze. The two of them moved in tandem with each other, their movements as swift as the wind and as cold as ice. They didn't need to communicate with each other verbally, having already understood each other's movement patterns. This wasn't something that could be built up over night.
What people didn't know was that this sense of familiarity was something that had come about through their understanding of each other when they had fought each other. That fight had much higher stakes than this, as their lives were on the line. Ever since then, they had formed their own fighting style where they complemented each other's movements.