Surrounding a pit of flames, the troupe looked at one another. Their eyes devoid of the hope it'd previously held. Not a word left the dry mouths of those present, fearful of losing the hydration they so desperately cling to.
The only sound for miles was the crackling of the scarlet red flames situated at their center. Well, that and Eris' obnoxious snoring.
'At least one of us can get some sleep…must be nice.'
Draven adjusted the strips of meat crudely torn from the corpses of various beasts hung over the fire, pierced through with poorly shaped bones.
Truly, this was the only moment of respite they'd been allowed in a long, long time.
Three months.
For three months they'd been trapped in this hellscape. With nothing but pikes jutting out of the ground, misshapen and terrifying. The strange land masses loomed over them, as if just waiting for their guard to be let down. Waiting to devour them whole.
Of course, many of them already had been. Hunting Beasts was no easy feat — especially not with their level of experience. Some of them…some of them didn't make it.
What started as a group of 12 people, had now been reduced to no more than 5. The others devoured, torn to shreds, or succumbing to the piercing cold that only worsened during the night.
Looking over to Atreus, whose once white hair had now been caked in so many impurities it'd practically become black. He handed the swordsman a stick of meat.
"Y'know it's too late to look all despondent like that. Can't show your weakness around here, not around them."
He gestured toward the 2 others in their presence. Neither seemed to care what the duo were talking about, seemingly separated from the world around them as they huddled together.
One was a girl with radiant blonde hair named Olivia. When they'd first arrived she had the most energy of any of them, optimistic and caring. A chipped rapier rested beside her at the precipice of shattering. Her healing ability was a great help in the earlier days of their hunts.
Though…there were times when she couldn't heal everyone. Draven was sure the impact that had on her was less than ideal.
The other was the auburn-haired boy who helped them create the fire. That childish naivety was now gone, stomped out by the gruesome experiences he was forced to witness. Even his hands had developed deep calluses as a result.
Atreus scoffed, snatching the stick and averting his eyes.
"I'm fine. Don't you think you've other things to worry about? Go about your duties, rather than worrying about people who don't need your pity."
Draven simply sighed.
'Three months together and the guy still has a stick up his ass.'
Standing up, he went to check out the area once again. Pointless as it was. That fragment of hope allowed them to keep moving — otherwise they'd have long since put out the fire and succumbed to the endless cold.
***
Again, nothing. For as far as he searched, despite how many beasts they'd killed and slaughtered over the months. Not a single sign of the Rift had been present anywhere.
Was…was there hope misguided this whole time? What was the point of anything they'd been doing if there wasn't a Rift here to begin with?
Bordering the Crimson Wasteland was a mountain range. Every point on the damned thing was jagged beyond belief — Draven couldn't even count the number of flying Beasts he'd seen slaughtered simply by landing on it.
Not to mention that the looming spikes had prevented them from performing any aerial escape, though they didn't really have a method of doing so in the first place.
By now…by now it was likely that they'd been long since forgotten. Just like all the other students who had the misfortune of being transported to some hellscape in the middle of nowhere on their first expedition.
'We're doomed…aren't we?'
A heavy sigh escaped Draven's lips.
Turning his back to the pike he'd been observing, his eyes performed one final search across the Crimson Wasteland. Yet still, all he could see for miles on end were a cabin, towering spikes, and mountains of corpses they'd obtained from beasts.
Yes…nothing for miles on end…
'Huh?! Wait, a cabin?!'
His head jerked in the direction of the strange building. Without a doubt, it was a cabin — and a cozy one at that.
It wasn't massive by any means, but for a place in the middle of nowhere it was far larger than it should've been. A chimney stuck out of its stone roof, filling the area with the pleasant aroma of smoked pork.
Even so, not a single beast approached the cabin. Albeit that could've been the fault of the troupe considering their hunting spree.
Regardless, this was the first actual sign of hope Draven had seen in a long…long time. If someone was living in this wasteland, they should've had some knowledge of where the exit Rift was, no?
Surely no one could survive here this long without a reliable way of going back-and-forth between their reality and this one?
'Ah, whatever! I gotta tell everyone else!'
Nearly tripping over his feet, Draven rushed in the direction of the camp. The light in his eyes had ignited once more. Allowing him to face the stress this hell had forced unto him with a newer, hopeful smile.
Finally, they had found their way out.
Didn't they?