Chapter 22: Fear.
I walked towards the direction I was getting the feeling from.
Deeper into the cave, I came to a stop in front of a wall. It appeared ordinary like the rest of the cave, but my senses told me otherwise.
"This sensation is weird; I can feel the presence of things when I can't see them," I thought while staring at the wall.
I balled my fists. I wanted to see what was behind the wall, but...
"What if there was something dangerous there? If I break this wall, something might jump out and attack me."
I turned to leave, but my feet didn't move. My body urged me to check while my mind cautioned against it. I really wanted to see what was behind the wall.
Conflicted, I finally made a decision: I was just going to take a look at what was behind the wall, but just for a minute. If I noticed anything strange, I would make a run for it.
I put strength into my fist and punched the wall. Back on Earth, I wouldn't have done things like punching; if I wanted to fight, I used weapons. But Kevin had told me that the stronger you get, the more powerful your physical body becomes because it advances alongside your spirit ability. I decided to try it here and *Pak* crack*.
"Hmm, and I thought I would be able to destroy the entire wall with one punch."
I looked at the small hole my fist had made.
"Huh?" I looked behind the wall and was given a shock.
Behind the wall was...
"Oh my God," I whispered.
On the other side of the wall, there was the most beautiful waterfall. The water falling from a hole in the ceiling looked like it was rainbow-colored thanks to the sunlight, and the lake where the water gathered was just beautiful, accompanied by water lilies and several other plants I had never seen before.
The lake was just beautiful, and the sunlight from the ceiling made everything look so serene and peaceful. The rainbow mist from the falling water and the sun rays just made the whole place look divine.
As I gazed upon this marvelous sight, I had a thought: "I stink and feel like shit. Might as well wash up in the waterfall."
I looked at my body and my clothes, covered in patches of dried blood, and the smell of sweat mixed with dried blood was not pleasant to inhale.
I sniffed my clothes.
"Damn, how did I even come to smell like this?"
In the outlands back on Earth, there was at least water, even if there was nothing else. There was water, which meant that although my clothes were tattered and all, I never really let my body become dirty.
I balled my fists and began punching the wall continuously with the determination to get this stink off me. After a few punches, the wall collapsed.
I looked at the place the stones from the wall had fallen to.
"That's a four-foot drop."
The hole I had created was about four feet above the normal ground level. I gazed at the waterfall with sparkling eyes.
I looked down to make sure that the place I would land when I jump would be safe.
I was about to move when I felt something on my leg. I looked down and saw the little wolf.
"Oh, do you want to take a swim too?"
"Woof woof."
"Then come on, let's go." I picked up the little wolf and jumped.
I landed on my feet, I looked around as I walked towards the waterfall.
I had just reached the lake below it when the memory of those huge tentacles that tore that wolf apart flashed in my head.
I flinched and jumped back; that memory was too vivid. I wanted to go back, but the determination to get this stink off me was greater.
I walked over to the lake and looked inside; thankfully, it was clear. Everything in it could be seen. There were large pure white pebbles at the bottom of the lake and a few multicolored stones.
The light mist was soothing, and the air smelled nice.
I took off my clothes and entered the pool together with the little wolf.
The cool water met my skin, and I felt like I could just melt.
My whole body was so relaxed; I wished I could remain in that place forever, but I knew that I had to be quick. This place, as serene as it seemed, didn't mean it was safe and free from visiting creatures.
I finished washing my body and clothes.
"Hmm, I can't wear these; they're wet." I looked at the wet clothes in my hands, and then I remembered.
"Oh, right, I can wear my armor until these dry, and I can put them in my storage space."
I summoned the armor, and a flurry of sparks appeared around my body. After a while, the sparks disappeared, and a black leather armor had wrapped around my body.
I looked at the armor with satisfaction.
"This will do,"
I muttered as I opened my storage space and put the wet clothes in it.
I was ready to go, but when I turned, my whole body froze.
****
Kevin had just returned from his hunt. He looked around but didn't see Nicholas; even the little wolf was missing.
"Nicholas, where are you!?"
"Where did he go?" Kevin walked towards the back of the cave and saw a hole in the wall.
"When did this happen?"
He looked through the hole and saw the most beautiful sight in the world, but just in front of that sight was a huge crocodile, and about ten feet from that crocodile was a man in black armor, both unmoving.
'Who is that? Damn, that person is done for judging from the aura of that crocodile. It's probably an early stage tier 5,'
Kevin thought as he looked at the scene. And as he was looking, something caught his attention. In the man's arms was a little creature, presumably a wolf and one he was familiar with. The little thing was scared shitless.
'A wolf?, isn't that the little wolf that follows Nicholas around? What is he doing in that person's arm, unless... SHIT...'
Nicholas was about to be attacked by a tier 5 beast. One that even Kevin would try to avoid at all costs.
********
I turned and saw a huge crocodile, and I froze. I screamed at my body to move but it wasnt listening; my back was drenched in cold sweat.
The aura I felt from the crocodile was too fearsome. It was like the moment I moved, I would be attacked immediately.
My whole body was frozen, but my eyes and my mind were working. I was thinking of a way out when I turned my eyes and saw Kevin standing at the hole I had made.
I had a thought, but I immediately discarded it when I looked at the size of the beast. It was five feet tall and ten feet long.
My only chance was if Kevin could use his wind to pull me into the cave we were staying in. I tried to communicate mentally with him, but there was no response.The mind link we activated in the trail had probably ended.
I was stranded with a fearsome beast waiting to snap me in half the moment I moved.