"... What in the actual-"
Kivas walked over and dragged the mushy tent with one of his pointy spectral-linked limbs.
"What is it, brother?"
"Blood." Kivas scoffed the tent as he sighed. "Animal blood."
"Got'chaaaaa!"
From behind, someone grabbed one of Kivas' legs like their life depended on it.
It was Angravada, donning quite the excitedly triumphant face as she attached a wide smile on top of her totally safe obsession.
"Finally! After aaaaall this timeee, I removed the gap between the two of us for the gate of mutual understanding!" Her eyes sparkled more than normal. "The curiosity-bait technique worked! And if I follow the manual, then an intelligent beast such as you will stop thinking that I'm a threat to allow me to get even more closer! Though, I don't know why you're keeping that goat's head on your dorsal arm like a trophy."
"Rodent lass, what the hell are you even saying?"
"You can talk?" After hearing Kivas' voice through the translated telepathy. "And with the voice of an old man!??"
"That is not something that you should say to an elder, you know?"
The word "The beast is an old man" kept ringing inside her head. The shock was too much, that it took ten seconds for Angravada to unleash his grip and created a distance for her planned 'mutual understanding'.
"Seems like you've shocked her into a stone, brother!"
"She will hear my voice sooner or later, revealing it now won't change the outcome as much."
"The goat's head can also talk??" Her eyes rolled in the opposite direction from one another. The amount of confusion wasn't cleared by the slightest. Instead, it kept piling. "What is happening??"
"Seems like I added to the confusion even more!" said Semper as he snorted.
"Well, at least you have achieved whatever the thing you're aiming for, rodent lass." If Kivas had an expression, it would be those of a judging half-lidded eye. "Just don't do this sort of prank again. I might be perceptive and it is easy to tell that you're scheming something trivial, but I don't know when it would get too saturated to the point that it will scare this old man's heartbeat."
As if meeting with a legitimate elder, Angravada sat on her knees to show her instinctual respect. She just couldn't help but feel the presence of the beast in front of her to be that of an experienced and seasoned someone. On the other hand, it seemed like she had already been taught to pay respect with discipline as if she came from a strict household.
"Uhm, how do you know it, sir?"
"The campfire is healthy, as if it had just been fed with material to keep it alive a moment ago."
"You can tell that a campfire is healthy??"
"Also, the blood that you used has dried. Seeing how this place is not covered by trees and the sun is being hotter than usual, I'll say that you've set this up around 20 up to 35 minutes ago." Kivas slightly opened his eternal grin of sharp teeth, in an attempt to show a cocky smile that an elder often uses when handling a youngster. "You probably think that I can arrive at any moment, only to wait for more than you expected after you set up everything."
Her face was mixed between impressed, embarrassment, and even more confusion.
"D-did you see me or something?"
"I didn't see you, but you're probably waiting at the same place where you hid yourself the first time we met. Correct me if I'm wrong, Semper."
"She did sneak up and lunged after you from the direction where the bushes reside, brother."
"I'm surprised that you didn't react even though you haven't seen my presence." Angravada was put into more confusion.
"Yeah, from a psychological perspective, you should have flinched or screamed 'GRAAAH!' with how fast she hurled herself onto your foot, brother."
"As you age, you often can feel which action is driven by killing intent, or those that wasn't harmful."
"Seems like you grew in a harsh environment, brother."
"And uhm, who are you, again?" asked Angravada with a rather anxious face.
"Those who asked for others' names should give them theirs first," Semper replied.
"It doesn't go like that with our encounter, doesn't it?" Kivas playfully laughed.
"Of course! Our settings match very well with how our introductions went!"
"T-the name's Angravada." She gulped as she fixed her stature nervously, straightening her body. "I'm a freelancing explorer from Vagrant Guild! I'm 23 years old! My favorite food Styh Soup and my favorite color is teal just like my hair!"
"What is this, middle school?" Kivas tried thought, only for it to be transferred telepathically. "Also, you look younger than your age."
"My race is known for their youthful appearance more than other races, sir! An elder in our clan looks the same as a teenager. We stopped growing after we're 16 years old, sir!"
"What is this, a military camp?"
"That's enough of an introduction, little Angra." Semper showed his wide teeth with a big toothy smile. "The name of this humble fellow is Semper Fidelis! I have many other names and titles that can be quite a long list, but you shall refer to me as Semper the Altruist! There is no twist, just a normal schist and a euphemist."
"Uhm, am I supposed to do mine with a rhyme?"
"How is that even the first conclusion you make?"
"Nope, but it would be better if you did." Semper laughed wholeheartedly. "Likewise, you should do it like that if you do it with him!"
"Uhm, so should I introduce myself again?"
"No, I already know pretty much the first page of your resume. The name's Kivas Chariot, and just think of me like any other normal person in your community."
"It got me curious, but what is the relation between you two?" Angravada's utmost curiosity had finally slipped from her lips. She didn't intend to ask that, but she felt the need to as if it was her normal instinct to utter anything that would cloud her mind for too much.
"I'm his sworn brother!"
"As he said." Kivas nodded.
"You two are old friends?"
"Nope, we just met with each other today, isn't that so, brother?"
"As he said." Kivas nodded.
"What kind of development is that!?"
They both then talked and talked. Kivas got an even more understanding of Angravada's character while Angravada herself became even more confused. Meanwhile, Semper just followed along as he watched the chaos of confusion raging on the rodent lass' face like a chronic disease.
"I still don't get it!!" Angravada eyes became more and more leaning the opposite of one another. "You're this grandiose primordial being who kept world-ending ancient monsters at bay."
"Part of the grandiose primordial being who kept the world-ending ancient monsters at bay," Semper corrected her.
"And you're a former normal person who have live long enough time for the universe to die."
"A former soldier, if you may," Kivas corrected her.
"A former soldier whaaa????"
Steams of Angravada burned brain cells could almost be visibly seen from the look of her disastrous expression. Kivas and Semper kept feeding her more information as the conversation went on, and it made Angravada in the state where she needs a timeout to fully digest the information that was given to her, but it kept coming and coming and she never was able to sort out everything.
"Well, I guess it might take a while for her to be able to speak."
"Agree, brother! why not play a small game while waiting?"
"Ohoo, what kind of game do you suggest?"
"It's a game that I've learned from an old tribe up in the mountains. A mountainous domain that was so tall it pierced the heaven above the cloud!"
While Kivas and Semper were brewing some fun game to kill time, something malicious and foreboding was creeping up the sky above the forest full of meat-eating plants.
The wretched presence loomed that sky before suddenly moving and leaving a sharp crescent of its wicked trail. It went into the east where the ground was higher and the cloud closed its distance to mother nature.
Farther in that direction, the elevation rose even more until the sight of a tall mountainous domain could beheld. It was so tall that it pierced the heaven over the clouds.
In one of the mountain's peaks, was a man-made crater that was big enough to build a housing or two. Garden of unique flowers that possess minerals and crystals was treated with such delight. In one of the buildings was an old man who stopped smithing as he sensed someone was walking toward the entrance of such an artificial area of celestial dome.
The man possessed obsidian black skin and old gray hair. His red eyes were dead tired, but there seemed to be something in his mind that was preventing him from falling asleep.
"Old man, I have aarriveeed!" The door was opened cheerfully by a petite hooded figure. "Have you finished the sword that my friend ordered for you to make?"