The closest two peaks were the Earth and Water Peaks, however, the latter was infested with a ridiculous number of Pests. Still, as Arbert and Lenna were taking their sweet time in figuring out a somewhat assured alternative to their dilemma, Bin slowly and carefully made his way toward the Water Peak.
The Pests were of no consequence to his brief lonely trip, the only troublesome thing was the abundance of Demon Energy. Thanks to basic but potent Mana Coating, the Light Element was able to protect him from any negative effects, nevertheless, a prolonged exposure to this violent energy would cause a permanent side-effect on the body, as Arbert always liked to say.
Each time he broke one or two rifts, Bin would retreat to a relatively safer spot and recuperate. He advanced at a moderate and consistent pace, and within a day, he
At first, Bin expected the human-like creatures to chase after him outside, but they did not. They remained inside the bunker though were unsuccessful in closing down the broken entrance.Confused and slightly surprised by their suicidal desperation, Bin hastily returned to Lenna and Arbert and recounted his recent findings.He had thought they would react in a different way, but the two youngsters remained calm and did not seem surprised by the presence of a bunker.“To begin with, knowledge concerning the Zeala Race inhabiting one of the Elemental Peaks was common. They usually hide their bunkers pretty well, but the appearance of the Rifts and their subsequent effect on the environment as a whole must have exposed their hideout. Anywho…”
Unfortunately, Bin’s recent adventures in the regions surrounding the Elemental Peaks were not enough to stop the continuous and rapid spawning and spreading of the Rifts. The two large Rifts within and above the Ghost Cliffs had too much of an influence, so much that Bin’s ‘clean-up’ wasn’t fast enough.Each time Bin breaks a Rift, two would appear an hour or so later, rendering his efforts obsolete. Nevertheless, his brief one-sided battles against the Pests were the perfect way to test the bracelet’s capabilities.Its sharp metallic tips, those that pierced his wrist, caused him a constant tingling pain, but it was nothing he could not cope with. At first, he was worried that an over-abundance of concentrated Mana flowing from outside directly to his blood streams would consequently lead to disastrous side-effects, however
“I”m not sure about this, Bin…”Arbert was anxiously looking around and trying his best to not look at the corpses of the Zeala. For a better and relatively safer environment, Bin took the two scholars to the bunker.He did his best to put the corpses in one isolated room but the blood traces and buzzing machines made things creepy and unsettling, to say the least.A weak-hearted person like Arbert barely held himself back from leaving the bunker. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Lenna was curious about everything and did not seem to be bothered or mind the aftermath of the Zeala’s collective suicide.Alas, neither of the three travelers were able to use or activate the machines within the bunker. They vainly pressed
For the first couple of seconds, Bin’s attention was wholly focused on the two young scholars. After ascertaining their safety, he directed his gaze to where the black box had been, and right below that, he saw a person.Both Lenna and Arbert were shocked by the unexpected events that had just unfolded, however, their surprise was nothing compared to Bin’s. Gob-smacked, the man stared at the person standing but a couple of meters away, still in disbelief.The person who broke the silence was Lenna, who tried to speak to the new arrival only to be met with a confused frown.The bespectacled scholar tried to speak again but was pulled back by Bin.“I’ll handle this.”<
While Arbert and Lenna stood by the side, Bin, though not entirely, explained the gist of the situation and his current circumstances. Some details, he skimmed through, and others were recounted fully. However, it fell to him to decide which piece of information was worthy of telling Jasmine.Expecting to be bombarded with questions, Bin would pause every once in a while and wait for her to speak. Surprisingly, Jasmine stared back at him and patiently waited, looking more annoyed than confused at the current events, ones which she had unwittingly fallen onto.Within thirty minutes, more or less, Bin finished his explanation and returned to silence. Meanwhile, his listener had her head tilted and her eyes closed for a good while as she pondered many a thing.“I can acce
“She’s Jasmine. You don’t need to talk to her or even mind her.”After briefly explaining a couple of things regarding the new arrival, Bin and the two scholars left the Bunker.For the first couple of seconds, upon not seeing Jasmine, Lenna breathed a sigh of relief. Alas, the white-haired woman appeared next to them like a ghost. She was as fast as Bin, if not more, and her mana-pulsating body along with Gandar's silver energy made her look powerful.Unlike his friend, Arbert showed an unhealthy interest in Jasmine, but the language barrier and her cold demeanor rendered him incapable of approaching her, much less talking to her.Except talking to Bin a handful of times, Jasmine was mostly quiet and calm.
“So, I listened to you and came here, but I do think a proper explanation is warranted by now, yes?”It has been three days since they left the Zeala’s bunker. Lenna, who was in possession of the map, instructed them which direction to go and what places to avoid, though he has yet to divulge any important information concerning the next big Rift.One day ago, the four travelers entered an eerie zone filled to the brim with knee-high red-colored grass. However, aside from the grass, there was nothing… quite literally nothing.Whether it was human settlements, rock formations, beasts, or even Pests. The place was, by and large, filled with a vast emptiness.What made it more unsettling was the sky, covered by a curtain
Apparently, Bin’s words greatly enticed his new companion. Unlike the past, when she was young and cared a lot about her public image, the current her was bold and restrained. She didn’t care about how she behaved nor how she would obtain what she wanted.It was a breath of fresh air, at least for him. Arbert and Lenna, however, weren’t so lucky. Putting it mildly, they were constantly pestered by the Silver Dragon, who incessantly tried to communicate with them using primitive signs.Of course, the bespectacled Lenna did not want to have anything to do with the woman. His skepticism and suspicions weren’t unfounded, but they were extreme, whereas his childhood friend was more welcoming to Jasmine’s attempt at communication.It took her no less than an hour t