Drake opened his eyes at the sound of birds singing. He didn't know when but apparently he had fallen asleep at some point last night.The first thing he did was check on the child, however only the blanket was left where she slept last night. The map in the corner of his vision didn't have the green dot, that told his that she was out of range.Maybe it's for the better…Yesterday he had learned something about the little girl, one that had shocked him immensely. She wasn't fully Human, having the ears and tail of a fox if he had ever seen one. Of course just seeing those features wasn't a sure proof, because of that he had attempted to learn if they were real or just accessories. The mysterious girl had brilliant yellow hair, the color of whish was shared by her tail and the ears that seemed to blend perfectly with her head. The animal parts seemed to move as well. When he tried to touch the ears they twitched causing his to move away after getting startled.It was clear by then
"Nothing…" Drake mumbled as he eyed his surroundings. He had used the Flight skill of his Thundercloud Soul to check the area from above, however all he could see was the forest wich extended for miles and miles in all directions, except the north where the Wounded Dragon mountain range extended.Spotting a small rever in the distance he decided to make it his destination for the time being and went down."Alright then." He said as his feet touched the ground. "Should we get going?"He was talking to little Lily who only stared at his saying nothing in response. Despite the awkwardness Drake still tried his best to keep a smile on so he wouldn't make her feel uneasy. It was easy to see that this was going to be a long walk. Drake had to slow his pace to match that of the little girl bit at that rate it'd take them the entire day to reach the rever. He was bothered by the fact that she was walking barefoot as well. Though it seemed like she's used to it he still wished he had somethi
"Haa~ that was refreshing!" Drake said as he sat down beside the fire, remembering to keep his voice down a moment later. He glanced over at tha tent were the little girl was asleep. After eating her dinner she immediately closed her eyes curled up and fell asleep. She didn't react at all when he picked her up and put her inside the tent. That made him feel like she no longer saw him as a threat. With Lily asleep he went and done something he'd been thinking about the whole day. He took his clothes off and washed himself in the rever, removing the bandages and herbs he had placed on his wounds. His clothes were dirty and damaged but thankfully he made sure to have some spare on him. The night was a bit cold. Wrapping himself in a cloak Drake stared at the fire letting his thoughts settle on their own. What concerned him the most was the notification he got that morning telling him that Lily has joined his party. Does that mean the system had recognized her as a normal human despite
Having lived in the forest for a long time, Lily had learned to wake up right before sunrise. She didn't have the luxury to stay asleep for long as she needed to gather her own food.When she opened her eyes she found herself in a strange place. She was on the ground and something warm was covering her. Normally she'd have to rely on her tail when things got cold, blankets weren't something she knew about. However for the past two days she found herself wrapped in those strange things and since he used one as well she realized the human was the one who covered her.That wasn't the only strange thing she noticed though. Lily was sure she'd fallen asleep on the ground near the fire, however now she was inside some strange space made from wood and cloth.Spotting the exit she quickly stood up and went outside. To her surprise she was inside the strange thing the human had build before making dinner last night.She didn't understand at the time, however when the cold morning breeze brush
When Drake woke up he found Lily waiting beside him with a handful of berries on a large leaf. Thanking her he tasted one then started preparing breakfast."You don't have to go gathering, you know." He said, not knowing if the child understands him.The two sat down and ate. Once they were done it was time to depart, however before that Drake stopped Lily and took out something from his inventory."Walking barefoot will harm your legs." Drake knelt before the little girl who was sitting on a ro rock. "For the time being, you should wear this."It was a crudely made pair of sandals with a piece of leather for the soles and ropes to hold it in place. Lily seemed hesitant about letting him touch her feet, though since she didn't know how to put them on on her own she let him do it for her.With the sandals on the little girl stood up and began walking around. The sand and pebbles scattered on the ground no longer bothered her and though she has yet to get used to it it was better than
"That was… something…" Having defeated the Greenhorn Drake swiftly landed and checked the map. It seemed that although he made quite a bit of noise no new beasts had showed up. He turned in the direction where Lily was hiding and called. "Lily! You can come out now!" A moment later the little girl peeked from behind the bushes, her eyes going wide seeing the beast defeated. Putting aside the twin daggers Drake begann rotating his eight arm. It was just a B tier beast. Though it had a somewhat high level it shouldn't have been that much trouble to handle. I'm not at my best… Though he didn't know it himself, losing to the Doomsday Herald had impacted his confidence in his abilities and though the injuries he had suffered in that fight had healed his mental state has yet to recover. "Alright!" Drake said as he walked toward the dead Greenhorn. "Let's get to preparing this thing." Taking out a knife he sliced the deer like beast's neck letting blood flow out. He realized a bit
"... eat this." Drake's serious tone and look caught the Lily off guard shaking her out of her daze.She gazed at the glowing greed orb then looked up at Drake. They already had dinner and her belly was full, because of that she found it wierd that he was trying to feed her something else.Though reluctant she took the orb and the moment it touched her little hand she felt something. Suddenly all hesitation went away and she brought the Soul to her mouth, taking a bite then another before putting the rest in her mouth."... so… how do you feel?" Drake asked.For a moment he thought that maybe feed ing her a Beast Soul wasn't that good of an idea. He didn't know how it'd affect her especially when her status screen didn't have the usual Main Soul listing. However the fact that her kind is capable of using magic without relying on Beast Souls meant that the orbs, which are accumulations of Magical Essence, would strengthen them somehow. Or at least he hoped it would.Lily stayed silent
Arriving at the camp were two familiar faces. A pink haired girl with one long braid and a tall muscular man."Drake!" Laura exclaimed the moment the boy came into sight. She was about to jump at him, happy to see him alive, but even in her exclusive she managed to hold herself back."You survived." Said Roland, eyes wide with amazement."Of course I did." Drake said. "Well, I barely escaped with my life."The three sat down around the fire and talked about what happened after they were separated. Roland and Laura returned to the mining town to get reinforcements, however when people heard about a giant black dragon they all looked away.The Doomsday Herald was the king of mount first wound. Usually it wouldn't move from its nest at the top of the mountain. The reason why the Hunters in the mining town refused to helf was that they know facing a king was futile, though they played it as being on guard in case it attacked the village.Still, some were rallied into going, driven by curi