A shift in the rubble alerted Sine where the creature was, glancing past the stone debris, he spotted it.
A towering monster, leaves covered its torso and legs, and a strange pale shell rested on its face with horns poking from it.
'Can I use...'
(Visionary)!
'...'
Sine couldn't use his ability on it, but he could more or less feel what the monster was due to the Vanguard of Cystine and the (Pointless) ability it had.
The thing was a high-level Pestilent One.
Luckily, that meant the three human Pestilent Ones (Kale, Farren and Remi) should be able to take it down, but not without making noise. Which meant they had to sneak around it.
'I wanna fight it...'
With a surprised expression, Sine shook his head.
'What the heck is wrong with me! Why do I want to fight that crazy abomination!? It's like 8 meters tall!'
A glimmer of light shone from a fair distance away, and the harrowing creature cocked his head.
With a huff, it charged towards the light, seemingly silently.
Pastel had caused a diversion, and the cohort took the chance.
They swiftly yet silently covered hundreds of meters in a second, leaving behind the creature. Sine looked around, there was a slight mist hovering inside the massive cave system, so he couldn't see forever, but he could see for about two kilometers ahead.
Shadows lurked in the mist, and the cohort calmly and silently avoided each of these abominations while sprinting at speeds almost invisible to a normal human.
Each time they couldn't avoid a monster, they would either lure it away, or kill it if it was low enough level.
Sadly, Sine wasn't included in any of the battles. Neither was Ash, or Ariet, since they were Nightmares.
'How boring.'
Sine steadied his breathing while running, his Aether control now on an unbelievable level, making running a lot easier. Even the Blighted One Pastel was having a little trouble keeping up running for hours.
'That reminds me...'
Sine looked to his side to see Ariet and Ash breathing hard, sweat running down their face.
'I wonder why they're struggling? Their Aether control should be better than mine.'
'...Maybe I'm just better.'
Sine smirked.
**
This went on for a few days, sleeping only after approximately twenty-four hours of running, they would find ruins, and sleep there.
Of course, they would have to see if any other harrowing creature was inhabiting it.
But eventually, the reached a new biome.
**
Glowing spores shot out from massive mushrooms, and the stone walkways were caked with moss and fungi sprouting everywhere. At places where the flat mossy surface dipped down, glowing green acid bubbled and popped.
"Woah..."
Sine looked around in amazement, thin walkways spanned everywhere, going deep below the mossy walkway they were on right now to high above them, probably getting pretty close to the surface one would assume.
The mushroom biome looked like it spanned forever.
Sine looked over to see Kale marking it on his map, the golden strings weaving together an interconnective web of aetherial shine.
"Keep watch while I finish this."
Kale ordered, his attention entirely focused on making the map.
Sine nodded and looked around, observing the strange mushrooms that were meters tall and wide. His attention focused on distant dots moving, likely massive creatures that are even more harrowing than the ones they have seen so far.
Luckily, they were on a different layer.
But...
Sine looked into the distance, spanning probably hundreds of kilometers.
For some reason, he felt a gaze.
'What am I talking about? Feeling a gaze? I must be crazy...
unless...'
"Alright I'm finished let's get a move on."
Footsteps walked up to Sine, and he turned his head.
"Look at this place! It's so cool!"
Ash remarked excitedly, nudging Sine's shoulder.
"It's like a spiderweb of stone."
"Exactly!"
Sine and Ash walked together and talked as Kale continued his map-making, only not as extensively, just adding more and more detail to it. While everyone was vigilant, they could speak now that the bubbles of acid resounded within the air, as well as the acid waterfalls.
"I wonder how corrosive that is."
"Let's find out shall we."
Ash teasingly pushed Sine towards the small pond of acid before pulling him back (just in case).
Sine glared at Ash.
She shrugged.
And they both laughed.
"Up ahead, be careful."
Everyone's demeanor changed as the ground seemed to rise into a green pill bug.
Sine's expression turned grim.
'Low-level Pestilent One."
"Did you say something?"
Ariet turned toward Sine.
"...Nothing."
Ariet's gaze lingered on Sine for a moment to long before he turned back to the creature. Kale and Farren had already started to move, while Remi stayed back with the group.
'It truly is mesmerizing watching Pestilent One's fight.'
Kale took the lead, as the pill bug rolled up, it moved at terrifying speeds towards him.
Even a Pestilent One couldn't take a hit like that head on.
So, Kale simply sidestepped the massive creature, and drew his dark blade. Even with the various lights and colors, no glint shone against the dark metal as he swung it.
KSSHHH!!
He sliced through the creature, leaving a deep wound on its side as it rolled by.
The thing roared as it flattened out and turned to entrap Kale in its maw.
But Farren was faster.
She stood in the air above the creature, she shifted her weight to that of a ton, and like a bullet, dropped down on the creature with her hammer, swinging it as hard as her muscles could allow her to.
CRACK!
A net of cracks formed on the creatures shell, and it screamed in agony, yet its charge didn't stop.
Remi wielded a stance.
An exhale escaped his lips.
And the battle turned into a flashy battle between Kale and the massive creature.
His muscles bulged as he fought it, pushing it back more than it pushed him back. A determined glint delved deep into his eyes as he fought against the monster.
Farren was trying to assist, but it kept rolling away every time she leaped into the air, and she didn't want to get in the way of Kale. So she just stayed back.
The dark metal clanging against the shell of the creature almost sounded like a sinister laugh as the deadly battle continued.
And finally...
"Got you"
Kale had been hit with one of its fourteen legs, yet he simply spun in the air, unaffected by the hit, and brought down the dark blade onto the creature.
A cry echoed throughout the mushroom biome as its side was split open, and it fell over.
Kale breathed heavily, wiping the dark blood off his face.
His gaze turned to the cohort.
"Let us continue."