Kenos navigated the treacherous woods and terrain of Shadowfen with utmost stealth, his senses on high alert due to the eerie and unsettling silence.
As night began to fall, he quickened his pace, anxious to find shelter before darkness consumed the land. Just as daylight was waning, he detected the faint voices of others.
They were rogues, renowned for hunting monsters in Shadowfen to harvest valuable materials and claim hefty rewards.
As Kenos attempted to approach the group, one of the rogues swiftly positioned his nano-sword at Kenos's neck, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Who are you?" he growled.
Kenos replied, "I'm Kenos. I got lost in the woods while running from a monster."
The rogue leader sneered, "Do you think I'm stupid?"
Kenos explained, "My purpose is not to cause trouble. I just want to reach the city."
One of the seven rogues approached, curiosity etched on his face. "What's going on here? Who is this boy?"
Another rogue replied, "His name is Kenos. He claims he got lost in the woods while fleeing from a monster and wants to join us."
Then Cormac said,"Let's take him to Thrain." Thrain, their leader, was a middle-aged man with short, dark brown hair and a scar above his left eyebrow. He wore dark leather armor, exuding a rugged and intimidating presence.
Thrain asked, "What's the matter, Cormac?" Cormac explained the situation, and Thrain nodded, saying, "Let's take him. If he tries anything funny, just kill him."
After issuing the order, Cormac led Kenos to the second truck, where the materials from the hunted monster were loaded. 'Sit back there,' Cormac instructed, 'near the monster's corpse and guard it.'
As Cormac left to confer with Thrain, Kenos was left alone with the monstrous remains. The convoy began to move, heading towards the city,because their hunt quota already fulfilled."
Time: 19:04
Kenos looked around, confused, as the truck came to an abrupt halt. "What's going on?" he asked.
"One of the men replied, "We're stopping here for the night. Traveling in the dark is too risky."
The group began gathering materials to set up camp. One of them started a fire while the others worked. Kenos, feeling useless, stood aside, watching.
Cormac caught his attention by sprinkling something peculiar around the camp perimeter. "What's that?" Kenos asked.
Cormac replied, "It's waste of a rank-2 cosmic monster. It repels lower-level creatures."
After Cormac finished encircling the camp, the group discussed guard rotations and ration distribution. Kenos observed from a distance, still feeling like an outsider.
A woman, appearing to be in her mid-20s with brown eyes and raven-black hair, approached Kenos. She noticed he looked hungry and offered him some jerky, saying, "You look like you could use this."
Kenos gratefully accepted and began eating. The woman smiled and said, "Relax, I have more."
She chuckled and pulled out more jerky from her pack.
"Thanks," Kenos replied, his eyes fixed on the jerky.
"I'm Lexi," she said with a warm smile." and you're...? "
Kenos swallowed, his mouth still working on the jerky. "Kenos," he replied, still chewing.
Lexi laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "You look like a starving puppy," she teased, smiling at Kenos's sheepish expression.
As Kenos continued eating, Lexi's gaze lingered on him, her expression softening.
As Kenos chewed on his jerky, he turned to Lexi with a curious expression. "Where are we headed, Mrs. lexi?"
Lexi's eyes widened in surprise. "You don't even know that? We're on our way to a Tier-2 city, managed by the esteemed Valton House. We accepted their quest to gather rare materials and crystals."
Kenos says as he know about it. "Cosmic crystals... condensed forms of cosmic energy, obtained by defeating cosmic monsters. They're highly sought after as a potent energy source."
Lexi nodded, a hint of excitement in her voice. "And once we complete this quest, our next stop will be Central City."
Suddenly, one of the team members shouted Lexi's name. Lexi turned, responding with a "Coming!"
Cormac emerged after a brief discussion and instructed Kenos, "You'll be taking rest on that truck where the monster's materials are loaded."
Kenos nodded in understanding, aware that resting there came with risks. The monster might return, drawn by the scent. But he had no alternative. Making his way to the truck, Kenos found it difficult to rest. Instead, he began to recover his cosmic energy using his basic skills.
As Kenos cultivated his cosmic energy, unknown memories began to resurface. At first, they were blurry, but as he focused, they grew vivid. However, before he could process them, a loud growl pierced the air, followed by a team member's urgent shout: "Monsters are approaching!"
Kenos rushed toward the commotion. Upon arrival, he found only the monsters' lifeless bodies and Thrain, the squad captain, standing victorious. Kenos was taken aback.
Just then, Lexi appeared beside him. "Our captain is pretty formidable," she said with a smile. "It's almost dawn. Let's get ready to depart."
Kenos' thoughts lingered on the elusive memories, but with a nod, he followed Lexi.
After that they departed toward city.
After a while.
Time: 5:38
They arrived at the city's entrance, and Kenos was awestruck by the sight before him. The front gate led directly to the heart of the city, which was rounded in shape and encircled by a thick, imposing metal wall. Defensive towers flanked the gate, and as they approached, a guard stepped forward, blocking their path.
"Halt! Identify yourselves," the guard commanded.