The wind from that beast was far more violent on the surrounding perimeter. We were lucky to have been under its wings when it descended and ascended—we were in the calm zone. The trees and plants around us were simply flattened, but the surrounding area was a different story. It looked as if a rain of blades had fallen, cutting everything in its path.
Then, the water that had been lifted into the air by the beast's pressure began to rain down on us.
With the sound of falling droplets, we heard the faint wailing and cries echoing.
"Niah!" Nehka shouted, sprinting toward the wrecked camp.
Aliche, Sehkt, and Moostein immediately followed.
And so did I.
The camp was almost buried beneath branches, leaves, and trunks.
It was still quite far. If we had walked at our previous pace before the incident, it would have taken at least half an hour to get there.
But with the cleared path and our hurried pace, it only took us a few minutes.
Sehkt reached the camp first and immediately began clearing the obstructions one by one. I followed closely behind, with Aliche and Nehka right after me. Further back, Moostein trailed behind, carrying all the supplies they had gathered from Deus' abandoned items.
"We've got healing potions from Lucien! Moos, just throw them at us one by one!"
Aliche commanded.
Sehkt, who was removing the piles of rubble, pinpointed the location of any injured people. Aliche and Nehka caught the red liquid-filled bottles from Moostein and quickly went to the areas Sehkt directed them to, pouring the contents onto the wounded.
"Sehkt! Where's Niah! Please find her!" Nehka pleaded.
I wanted to be of use, so I followed Sehkt's lead, removing the obstructions that covered the camp. Whenever I found a person, I would bring them to Aliche or Nehka, whichever one was closer to me.
There were moments when I would find a body, only for it to dematerialize in the air right after I found them. At one time, someone dematerialized while I was carrying them.
From there I understood.
Death.
…
The atmosphere was full of despair. Nehka was panting from continuous crying and mumbling to herself.
Sehkt and Aliche's eyes were hollowed.
Moostein's heavy breathing echoed, blending with the wailing of those trapped under the wreckage the moment he arrived.
…
"Revival potion! Moos!" Sehkt shouted.
Moostein left the pack behind as he went to help clear the area. He was closer to it, but I knew I could get to it faster.
The revival potion was yellow, the same one Deus had used on me multiple times.
Considering the urgency in Sehkt's voice, I quickly sprinted to the bag, grabbed the potion, and threw it toward him.
…
I knew he was going to revive someone. From what I observed. Once they died, there was only a few seconds before they dematerialized.
…
Did we make it?
…
"We've lost seven, there was nothing we could do," Aliche spoke, her voice heavy with sorrow.
…
They lost almost half.
…
"Henri."
"Old man Krako."
"Felia."
…
Aliche announced the names of those they had lost.
"Leva."
The survivors sat with their heads lowered.
"Oliva."
"Marko."
Nehka…
"And Niah."
She was desolate. There were no more tears to shed.
"We will forever keep their memories in our hearts."
It seemed that Niah was her little sister, the only family left to her.
"In this despair, we pray that we find our peace."
Niah was one of those I'd seen dematerialize after being discovered. I didn't realize that she was the one Nehka was looking for. I didn't notice that they had the same hair color.
She was the yellow-haired little girl that had been cut from her feet to her shoulder while lying inside one of the huts they had built waiting for Nehka to return.
"I know hope seems to have abandoned us," Aliche continued, faltering. "But I still choose to hope. I hope that you all do the same."
…
Their honoring ended. They stayed seated quiet, until the sun rose.
Sehkt stood up and attempted to leave.
"Where are you headed?"
Aliche halted him.
"I'm going to hunt… for food."
"I'll go with him."
…
They started walking away. As they went, Aliche said, "Please, don't do anything reckless, Sehkt and Moos. We can't afford to lose anyone else today."
Sehkt didn't even look back, he continued walking as if he didn't hear Aliche.
Aliche whispered into the air, "Take care of him," as she looked at Moostein. He simply nodded and followed right behind Sehkt, continuing on their way.
…
Aliche proceeded to check on her people.
They all went on to do their thing.
Watching them made me feel like I should also act.
But, what should I do?
This whole thing, this was something I am aware of, I'm familiar with.
I knew their pain.
I knew the sorrow.
But what then?
What's the benefit of knowing these things?
I was not very helpful.
A concept of knowledge versus understanding.
…
I'll just be doing what I know I can be useful for.
I followed Sehkt and Moostein.
Hunting.
I wondered why they would still go out hunting.
Leveling was the only reason I could think of when dealing with beasts. That's all I learned from Deus. We needed them for that reason alone.
I heard them mention food. But we weren't like the players—we never really needed it.
…
As I walked in the direction where Sehkt and Moostein had gone, I felt a menacing presence closely trailing behind me.
A dark, ominous aura.
Sensing its danger, I deliberately led it away from Aliche's people. Whatever it was, I couldn't let it engage with me close to them.
So I kept going, letting it make the first move and start our encounter on its own.
We had moved past the fallen and cut trees caused by the flying beast we encountered.
I felt like we were far enough from the camp.
But as I entered the forest again, the dark presence behind me suddenly vanished. Ahead of me, Sehkt and Moostein were locked in battle, fighting off a swarm of small winged beasts circling around them.