At the rate at which Geri could run, they would arrive in Stonevalley just before sundown. But, Alden wanted to wait until sunrise to go into the town.
"There's no way Geri can come into town." Alden said as he sat around the fire he had started. Huginn was sitting near him and tearing apart a piece of dried meat Alden had given her. Geri meanwhile had gone out hunting for itself.
"…yes it would be hard to hide or explain his presence."
"He can patrol outside the town while we are staying there then."
"If that is what you wish to do."
"Now, can you please tell me more about your eye?" Alden pointed to his right eye, which used to be Daiyu's, and was crimson red in the pupil.
"It's a goddess' eye, what's there more to say? I can see through it and you can reveal certain things unseen by your regular human eyes." Daiyu said as she floated on her back through the air.
Alden had figured out how to bring up the status of his skills but was a special ability that seemed to be managed by Daiyu. It didn't seem like something he could level up on his own, but he knew he shouldn't get too greedy lest Daiyu takes something permanently from him.
<(Demonic) Gluttony: Rank D++
Consumes percentage of enemy hp and converts it to hp for self (Life steal: 2% of total enemy hp)
Cost: 30 Stamina
((Demonic) Gluttony and (Heavenly) Gluttony cannot be used at the same time)>
"I leveled it up four times while fighting the wolves. So, logically it should get harder to level while getting more powerful too. And expensive as well. (Demonic) Gluttony has its uses, but (Heavenly) Gluttony is a mystery. Is there even a way to increase mana?"
RAWWRGGHH!
All of a sudden a roar echoed as a mountain lion suddenly appeared near the camp. Initially, the fire kept the predators away but now their curiosity had overcome their fear. They could see what looked like an easy meal.
Grants the ability to see through gaseous and liquid substances Grants the ability to see through illusions Grants the ability to see in the darkness Grants ability to mark targets for allies (Allies must be altered by the Goddess and requires Goddess' Grace)> "There's also another reason I didn't want to head to Stonevalley yet." "And why's that?" As if on cue, Alden put out the fire in front of them. "Sorry Huginn, you won't be able to sleep for a while. We have to work on tactics." Alden held up a sword that he had found in the village remains, it was not as fancy as the Bone Dagger but it would be good enough for now. His pinky was still gone but if what his skill said was right, he just had to keep using it until it came back. Of course, he had to make sure he didn't lose any more limbs whether it was to Daiyu or the animals. It was as if they were all watching Alden carefully, waiting until one of the others would attack, and then they would receive another meal. "Here we go, <(Demonic) Gluttony>" Alden shouted as the shadowy jaws tore at the mountain lion. It wasn't entirely solid nor did it take a chunk out of the lion, it seemed like his skill distributed damage to the enemy's body evenly. Perhaps upon further level-ups, the shadow could tear them apart. <+2 HP> "Huginn!" CAAWW When the mountain lion recoiled in surprise after being hit by Alden, Huginn flew in to tear at its eyes. "Hmmm." Alden frowned after he swung the sword down upon the big cat, fatally injuring it. He could feel a little itch at the base of his pinky. Slowly but surely it seemed like he could regenerate it back, he wanted to at least have it back before giving Daiyu another. His skill was tiring to use, he had to work on his endurance. But until then, all Alden could do was use it sparingly and rely on his sword as well as the two companions for backup. After the mountain lion died, some hungry scavengers came to tear at it already. Before Alden could even react to that, the next contenders had shown up. "Nothing like staying up late and grinding skill experience." Alden readied his sword again as Huginn flew overheard, casting a large shadow in the pale moonlight. "…damn, I feel bad for them." Alden sighed as he wiped the blood off himself, he had finally taken care of the last of the wildlife trying to kill him. In the darkness of night, he could make the shadow attack from anywhere and no animal had night vision as good as . "They tried to eat you." "They didn't have any malice towards me... unlike those knights. It's strange, why are they so desperate? And why are there so many different species hunting in the same place?" The animals that had just attacked Alden ranged from all sorts of wild felines and canines. There may have even been a few giant rodents. Alden flicked the blood off his blade and looked at the now small stump of a pinky he had. It was now at one-third of what it should be, it was slow progress to be sure. Alden laid on his back in exhaustion as Huginn landed nearby and started to clean her feathers. She had also done her fair share of work on the eyes of their attackers. "So, only your eye can see through the darkness. That's kind of annoying…but that's to be expected from a normal human eye." Alden was seeing half darkness and half clear, so he had to close his left eye to better fight. "Also, I didn't know Huginn could move through the night so well?" "I gave them some of my power, their intelligence, and physical abilities should be greatly improved." "I think I could've used some of that power too." Alden laughed self mockingly as he held his pinky in pain. "I gave you a part of myself, Alden. Do you understand how much trust I am giving you? When a god gives a human a piece of their divinity? And you know very well that my power comes at a price." Alden's view of the stars was suddenly replaced with Daiyu's pleading eyes as she floated parallel to Alden's body. "…What did Geri and Huginn pay with?" Alden frowned as he reached over and petted Huginn on her head. "Their freedom…" GWWAAARRR! Just before Alden could respond to Daiyu, a roar vaguely reminiscent of a large bear rang out a foot away from Alden.