After running for nearly an hour to escape the wild beasts, they were no longer in sight, left far behind. I stopped running and sat down on the ground, my breathing irregular, my chest rising and falling rapidly as I tried to take in as much oxygen as possible.
"I think I've gotten far away from that wild beast."
I thought I had gotten far from the creature, but now I am separated from Julia and Silvia. I had no choice but to search for them. I had instructed them to run towards the campsite we used last night to rest. Hopefully, they remembered the direction and arrived safely.
However, I worried about them both. Without me by their side, they would face various difficulties and dangers lurking around them. I just hoped they wouldn't encounter another monster.
I sat for a few minutes on the ground to regulate my breathing and rest. When I felt sufficiently rested, I began walking again towards the place I had instructed Julia and Silvia to go. This time, I had to walk slightly among the forest undergrowth, fearing that the monster that chased me was still waiting along the way back.
I sharpened all my senses, both hearing and sight, to be aware of any approaching danger. During my journey towards the point I directed them to, it wasn't long before I spotted the monster again. This time, it wasn't just one, but two monsters of the same species.
"Could the monsters be waiting for me here?"
I observed the two monsters from afar, hoping they would leave soon. But in the blink of an eye, the two monsters began fighting each other. With their bodies of equal size, the fight between the two monsters was fierce.
The roars of anger from the monsters could be heard. Bites and scratches between them highlighted the intensity of their fight. They also appeared to use their tails to strike each other.
The fight was brief. One of them seemed wounded from a bite and fled, while the other didn't seem in good condition either. The two monsters then went their separate ways; even the winner didn't want to stay in the same place for long.
"It looks like it's over."
"I'd better get going."
I resumed my journey, briefly delayed by the monsters' fight. Along the way, I even saw several more of them hiding behind large trees. This must be the monsters' territory. I had no choice now but to be cautious about our future journey.
After more than an hour of rushing back to the original spot, I saw Julia and Silvia sitting at our campsite from last night.
"Thank goodness they're both safe."
I quickly approached them.
"Hey, Silvia, Julia!" I shouted, approaching them.
"Eric!" they both shouted.
Seeing me return, their faces looked happy and relieved.
"Hey, are you two alright?"
"We're both fine; the monster didn't chase us," answered Julia.
I nodded in understanding. Somehow, the monster had chased me, allowing Julia and Silvia to escape.
"It turns out this area is the monster's lair," I informed Julia and Silvia.
"This area is the monster's lair?" Silvia asked, curious.
"You're right, this area is the monster's lair. Although I'm not completely sure, I realized that there are many lizard-like monsters in this area. I even saw several more hiding behind large trees," I told them about my observations.
"In that case, shouldn't we continue this journey?" Julia asked.
"I think we can; as long as we walk slowly and avoid the usual paths, we can walk close to the bushes," Eric replied.
"Alright, if you say so. I guess we can try, but if it doesn't work, I'll just wait in the tunnel where the entrance and exit to the underground city of Terminus are," Julia suggested.
"I think that's a good idea. What about you, Silvia?"
"I have the same thought as Julia," Silvia replied.
Julia, Silvia, and I decided to rest a little longer before attempting to venture deeper into the forest. We then went to a pitcher-like plant once again to drink and refill our water bottles.
We walked slowly and cautiously, staying close to the bushes to avoid danger. I led the way, heightening all my senses, both hearing and sight. During the journey, we saw the monster from a distance, but fortunately, we were walking near the bushes, so they didn't notice us.
We walked for several hours, resting occasionally.
"Eric, it seems you were right; this area is the lair of the lizard monsters," Julia said.
"You'd better note this information; it might be useful later," I responded to Julia.
"Yes, I'll record all the information we've gathered, even the useless ones, to report," Julia said.
Julia was busy noting down various pieces of information we encountered during the journey, from plants to animals. We continued walking into the forest. It was even getting dark, but we kept moving, as I believed we hadn't found a safe place to rest yet.
After walking for a while, we saw a very bright light ahead. We had emerged from the large trees and arrived at a field the size of several rooms, devoid of any covering trees.
"I think we can rest here," I thought.
I then observed the surroundings to see if it was safe or not for resting. I decided that the area seemed safe and that there were no monsters around.
"Let's rest over there." I pointed to a corner, a place with no obstructive trees.
"Alright," Julia and Silvia replied.
Julia and Silvia immediately sat on the ground, while I took off my backpack and quickly went to build a bivouac for them. After finishing the bivouac, I made a campfire for light, not too big, as I didn't want to attract wild creatures.
"Surface life is very dangerous; I think I made a mistake joining the journey to the surface," Silvia said, exhaling.
As if joining the expedition to the surface was the worst decision Silvia had ever made.
"What else can we do? The underground is also unstable now; our resources and food are nearly depleted," Julia said.
I just laughed at seeing them complain about the events on the surface. However, I also didn't want to stay underground forever. It felt like being caged with no freedom.
"Let's sleep; we'll continue the journey again tomorrow," I instructed them.
After dinner and a brief conversation, the three of us hurried to sleep. The night sounds made someone who spent almost their entire life underground shiver with fear.