"So, what now?" Xavier asked as he turned to look at Damien. The two of them were standing right at the entrance of the forest, neither of them had even stepped inside but the howling roar of the winds made Damien shudder.
It was not the kind of forest he would go to for a camping trip alright. Twisted, gnarled trees that looked like they had been baked and then burnt were spread throughout the entire land in front of him.
Craters on the ground glowed fiery orange and let out a shuddering puff of smoke that caused the ground to tremble. And veins of magma flowed past the land like flowing rivers.
Damien knew that Xavier must be waiting for him to say something along the lines of like —Yeah let's go and beat some reptile butts.
He knew that the man was expecting something similar to that but instead of showing as much courage as he did in front of Thalia, Damien turned and squeezed out, "Are you sure that this is the right place? Like are you really, really sure? Maybe this Impert Snake beast lives at another place like you know, where flowers and plants are in full bloom."
Xavier arched a brow and sneered, "Are you feeling regretful already? This is why I tried to stop you in the town. It was you who wanted to become an unsung hero, so here we are, Lord Damien."
"Can you stop?" Damien asked exasperatedly. He was feeling a lot of things that he didn't want to feel, like the jittering nerves. He didn't want to add annoyance on top of that.
Because he hated to admit that Xavier was right. Not the unsung hero part, the regretting part. He was indeed regretting. But he was here and he wasn't going back without a fight —
Woah there, you were just a doctor a few days ago. One who couldn't even deal with a few thugs, are you sure that you can take on a beast? A voice in his head spoke and Damien ignored it.
He let out a shuddering exhale before saying, "Let's go."
Damien clutched the dagger on the side of his waist. Even if he couldn't use Waterblade with his beast core destroyed and mana restrained, the cold blade of the dagger brought a sort of comfort in his heart.
The sky overhead turned murky before slowly turning completely dark. But the flowing magma was enough to light up the entire forest in an eerie, dangerous orangish hue.
HOWL.
The sound of a beast howling somewhere far away startled Damien. His fingers tightly clasped the hilt of the dagger as he took a step back instinctively. He wanted to run and never look back again but Damien stayed where he was—
'You have made a promise, and you better keep it,' he told himself.
"So, are we continuing, hero? Or are you waiting for the beast god to descend for your help?" a warm gush caressed the shell of his ear and a voice whispered in his ears and Damien felt a chill climb up his spine.
He wheeled around and covered his ears before glaring at Xavier, "What was that for? Why are you hissing in my ear?"
Xavier shrugged and retorted, "I am not hissing. It's just that you are too scared and thus you are feeling jumpy, Lord Damien."
"This was why Master Godric didn't let anyone come to this forest, it's not a place where you can go without ample preparations."
And here they were without the slightest bit of any kind of preparation.
Seeing that Damien was not saying anything, Xavier remarked, "You should have ignored that woman, Lord Damien."
"Stop saying that," Damien turned around and ignoring the glare that Xavier directed at him, he continued to walk deeper inside the forest. "Think about it a little, Xavier. If no one saves her father, Thalia will lose her father forever. Right now, we at least have a chance to save him."
"And even if we cannot, she will at least get closure. Or else she will continue waiting for her father, and it is a really painful feeling. Waiting for those who will never return."
Xavier glanced at the man walking beside him. He had a feeling that Damien had experienced something similar like this before —Was he talking about his father who died? But was the relationship between the two of them so great?
As far as he knew Damien and his father hardly ever met.
"I don't know," Xavier replied as he stared in front of him. "If I was her and it was my father who went missing, I would have held a banquet for three nights and four days." That man would do some good if he died.
Damien glanced at Xavier and didn't comment. Everyone had a different kind of relationship with their family and it was not his place to say anything.
The two of them walked further inside the forest, but other than the roaring winds, the howls of beasts and the bones scattered on the floor, Damien didn't see even a single Impert Snake Beast.
Once or twice he almost stepped on the skulls of those poor humans who could not get out of this forest alive. And that did nothing to raise the morale and confidence that was pummeling faster than the balls of magma hurled by the volcanoes scattered over the land.
"Xavier, can you—" Damien paused in the middle of his sentence as he turned and looked at Xavier who was standing beside him. But now covered in red welts.
He was scratching his neck and arms which had turned completely red.
"Wha—what happened to you?" Damien asked in surprise and awe. "Is it because of the flees?" The look Xavier gave him told him that if he didn't take his words back, he would regret it very much. "I mean--I just thought... I am sorry." He apologised in the end as Xavier was looking murderous.
"Be very glad that I am here to protect you, Lord Damien. If not, I would have--Ah! These cursed lands," muttered Xavier as he scratched his neck. "The winds are getting hotter and they are irritating my skin." He was not lying, his skin was indeed getting irritated with boils appearing all over his arms.
Seeing that Xavier's condition was getting worse Damien activated his examination skill.
[Magma Boils: Harmless boils that only cause itching and swelling.]
[Treatment: Cream of Ivory Leaf.]