As the small cohort stood outside of the tower, white sand and a dark sky over them, Celeste was the first to speak.
"So, where we going ?"
"Further south. The Waypoint is there but it's also protected by some really strong bastard so we need to get stronger first."
***
And just like that, two months of constant surviving, gaining strength and experience has passed as the four of them just traveled through the desert, killing Nightmare beasts at every chance.
Most of them weren't that strong but they met some deadly beasts here and there, yet they still fought their way through all of it.
By now, Ragna had already spilled around 8000 liters of blood, getting closer to reaching the 10000 mark.
All of them had, of course, also gotten some nice Memories in that time.
Ragna, for example had gotten three Memories in those two months. Less than he had hoped but all of them were very useful.
As Ragna laid on his back, all of them just resting in the open, a blanket over them, he summoned his runes to pass time.
Name: Ragna
True Name: Bled into Existence
Rank: Dreamer
Blood Core: Dormant
Blood Spilled: [7934/10000]
Memories: [Redfur Cloak], [Glass Piece], [Mirrorblade], [Amulet of Clarity], [Crimson Strings], [Everlight Lantern], [Dreamwalker's Blanket], [Eyes of Eagles]
Echoes: [Cera]
Attributes: [Fated], [Unseen Link, [Heir of the Bloodangel]
Aspect: [Bloodlorde]
The [Everlight Lanters] is basically an infinite light source that never falters. The [Dreamwalker's Blanket] is a really big Blanket that keeps the ones inside it warm and his last new Memory, the [Eyes of Eagles] is basically just a pair of goggles that makes him able to look further.
He of course wasn't the only one to grow stronger. Layla and Celeste had absorbed all of the Soul Shards they got from killing all the monsters, getting closer to filling their Core.
Cera sadly hadn't grown stronger in that time. He didn't know how to make her obtain the "Blood Fragments" she needed yet.
"When will we try getting out of here, this place ?", asked Layla, who was cozily laying under the blanket.
"I'd say when we all satiate our core. Fighting at our best should be mandatory. It would also be very useful for us to maybe get an Echo that we can sacrifice if it comes down to it. We also need to get stronger Memories, especially when it comes to Armors."
"So probably still about a month left, huh ? Maybe even more if we get stuck somewhere. I can't wait to finally get out of here. I miss a warm shower so bad.", said Celeste who was playing with Cera right now.
"A warm shower ... Man, I stopped thinking about that like a month ago. I want one too, to be honest"
Celeste grinned at Ragna's answer, ceasing the opportunity to tease him.
"You want a warm shower, huh ? Bet you'd like it more if me and Layla were there too~"
Ragna rolled his eyes at her annoying teasing. But maybe that teasing was what kept them all sane.
(Papa wants to find me a Mama ?)
(What ?! When did I say that ?)
(But Celeste always talks so sexually with you. Don't people normally do that when they like someone ?)
(What, no! Thats something different. You're too young to understand.)
Ragna turned around on the pearly sand, the blanket keeping him warm as he closed his eyes.
' She liking someone, huh ? Defenitely not someone like me. ... Do I like someone ? I mean, Layla and Celeste are pretty important to me. Rain too since she was my first real friend, even if I haven't met her in a while. But do I really like someone ? Romantically ? ... no need to stress about it.'
And in the next second he fell asleep, finding himself in a dream of the past again. Why does he dream so many times in here anyways ? He had already had two dreams here as an Sleeper. Normally people had none.
Well, he of course had found himself in the body of the Bloodangel again, the one he had gained his Lineage from.
He was slightly taller than before, more mature as his wings had also grown larger.
That Weaver guy was nowhere to be seen tho since Ragna had also found himself in a different location than in his other dreams and what could be read from the description of the Crimson Strings.
He just appeared in a vast grass field. He couldn't really move this time. He was only reliving a past Memory of someone else.
The Bloodangel just walked forward, seemingly going into no real direction.
[Really kicked me out .. I thought Weaver cared for me. He always called me kid or child, he created me.]
'Wait what ? He got kicked out ? Why ?'
Since he was reliving a Memory, he also felt all of the emotions, all of the physical and emotional pain as emotions of sadness, betrayal and maybe even hate poured all over him.
[What did I expect ? Im flawed after all. Someone like me could never live happy.]
As he clutched his fist and spread his red wings wide, he bit his lips and swore something to himself.
[Threw me out, for something I didn't even do. Daemon of Imagination, It's her Fault. She used illusions to make me look like the bad one to her brother. I'll make her regret.]
He thought before flying off into the distance.
(We don't know the gender of the Daemon but I decided to just make it female for no real reason)
'Daemon of Imagination ? What's a Daemon. And she's the sister of Weaver ? So is it also a daemon ?'
The Bloodangel flew high into the sky and then south. After a while he arrived above a large city, looking down at him with obvious hate.
He held out his hand as a huge ball of blood appeared infront of his palm, growing larger by the second
[City of Imagination, be gone,]
Before his dream could continue tho, Ragna woke up at the sight of his three friends fighting against a creature, probably a really strong one.
(Finally decided to also wake up, huh? We could really use a hand.)
The Creature was a really large green snake, obviously being able to spit out poison since there were pools of green liquid around them.
It was blind right now, because of Layla's Aspect but it didn't really need his eyes to attack them because of it's size.
Celeste was slowing it down as much as possible with her Gravity while Cera shot out beams of blood.
Ragna, already having all of his important Memories manifested, sprang into action without saying a word.
He augmented his legs and jumped off the ground, landing on the Creatures back, while the others were doing their own stuff.
Because of it's momentary blindness, it hadn't noticed Ragna yet but soon it would as he augmented his Sword and thrusted through its scales, tearing through hard flesh like butter, the slash of blood following such a fraction later, hitting its insides.
Sadly it wasn't enough yet as the creature screamed and started shaking wildly to throw the person on his back off. Ragna held on firmly tho, keeping his balance and recreating the action from before while the others attacked it from the ground.
As the snake realized that it had no chance, it started slithering away, leaving the others in the dust, while it was still blind and Ragna on its back. It tried shaking Ragna off but he held on firmly and just continued thrusting his Mirrorblade through the scaled.
Only having one more choice, the Snake turned around onto it's back, making Ragna jump off.
'Oh no, You won't get away.'
Since it still was blind, it didn't really know where Ragna was right now and in the next moment he felt a sting in its unprotected belly, the sword moving upwards while still being inside it, making the belly get sliced in half and the inside drop out as it died just like that.
[You have slain an Awakened Tyrant, Green Pearl Serpent]
[You have spilled Blood]
[Your Core grows stronger]
As the others quickly approached, still ready to fight, they didn't expect for the Creature to already be dead.
"Fucking Genius. Always complaining about them but being one yourself"
"I complain about them because of their personalities, not their talent"
While Celeste and Ragna continued "arguing", Layla already went on to get the Soul Shard out of the giant snake.
'They can't even be quiet for a second. My poor ears ...'
***
On a different part of this cursed place, stood a young boy with blue eyes and blonde hair, still in the underground lava caves.
After he had pushed the button of the altar and made lava pour into the room from the pillars, he had climbed up, sitting himself down on a piece of hard rock that pushed out from the wall.
He had been stuck up there for the two months.
He of course had the water from his Aspect and still had some spare food in a storage Memory, which also slightly warmed up from the lavas heat but it was still borring as fuck here.
'I can't wait here anymore. It's too boring. I need to get out but how ? ... '
The worst part was that he didn't have enough range to reach the Lava with it's water, meaning that there was only one solution.
'It's risky but I need to try ...'
He suddenly jumped down and constantly shot out water around him, also creating a barrier of water around him as he fell into the lava.
——-Author's Notes——-
Words: 1618
I just wanna go sleep. Its almost two am for me
✌️