CHAPTER 5 - Where are you going?
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*Buuuuuurp* I let out a long belch as I lay on the grass watching the blue sky.
“Shut up” Isabella reprimanded as she continuously flipped a book with such seriousness.
Currently, Isabella and I were just laying off the ground after we finished breakfast while we were still waiting for the traders to pack up their things.
I feel uneasy when I saw people are busy and I’m doing nothing. I suggest to Fredric earlier that I want to help too but he just brush me off. He said that I should be looking for Isabella, as looking for Isabella who disappears based on her random whim is much harder work to do. So here I am getting doing nothing while others were busy as hell and I don’t have a problem with that. I also hope that this kind of life would continue where you have nothing to do.
Although it sounds like a lazy bum, hey who doesn’t want to live a life like that?
Suddenly Isabella who’s peacefully reading her book beside me stands up and walks toward her carriage. I look at her in suspicion. She enters and by the time she comes out she already had her bow and arrows with the addition of 2 pairs of swords. I immediately rush toward her as I guess where this is going.
“Where are you going?” I whispered into her ear.
“I’m just going to take a stroll in the forest” Isabella said as he hand me a piece of sword and tuck the other one to her waist.
“I’m not buying, the traders were about to be done packing we don’t have enough time to wander inside the forest” I rebuke her and cross my arms.
“Look I just discovered that we’re close to some ancient ruins maybe we can try to find it.”
“ANCIENT RUINS! At this point?” I purposely said it out loud to get Fredric and others’ attention.
Isabella is overly obsessed with Ancient Ruins as she was always fascinated with old scriptures, maps, and so on. This is also why she always gets in trouble as whenever she got a hint she will explore that ruin wherever it is. I just can’t believe she was still alive with that attitude of hers and I can’t imagine the headache she give to Fredric and co whenever she started missing.
Seems like she didn’t like how I sabotage her sneaky plan to get away as she look at me in displeasure.
“If you don’t want to come along then stay, don’t ever talk to me after this”
“No, I’ll come with you I also want to see Ancient Ruins. Ha—haha” I forced myself to laugh as I chase her, then I look back to Fredric to gain confirmation. He nodded at me, I’m a little bit at ease that I know Fredric and others have my back, and with that my first exploration started.
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*Swiiish*
I swung my sword as I cut the bushes in front of me. I am currently making a path as per Isabella’s instruction. I also made it easier to recognize our traces so Fredric could tell it instantly when they enter the forest and find us sooner.
“Look here I think they were done packing at this time, we’ve been wandering around for about an hour. I think we should return I doubt the ruins you said is nearby.”
“No, given the description it is relatively closer we were just missing something,” Isabella said as she look around. “At your 2 o’clock we will try to advance there.”
I shook my head as I follow her orders I swung my sword aimlessly at those bushes. As I move forward I notice something different. The sounds that come from the forest suddenly stop it is too quiet.
“Wait!” I hurriedly put my hand upward to give a stop sign to Isabella.
“Seriously your instinct is too amazing for someone at your age it baffles me.” Muttered Isabella. “Your guess is correct we already entered the vicinity of ruins”
My body becomes tense as I heard it from her. I don’t know much about the Ancient Ruins but from what I could tell from gossip, it is something that can get your life taken away. I went into battle mode and immediately scans the surroundings for possible danger.
“You are too tensed!” Isabella hit the back of my head. “I already said this will only take a little time there’s no danger given our fighting capabilities.”
“And you are too calm for someone at your age” I rebuked as I scratch the back of my head.
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“Well there will be some monsters but we can finish it off as easy as pie if we it based on our capabilities”
“Just how sure you are about that?” I don’t think this will gonna be easy as she said.
“Well we can bet if that’s gonna ease you a bit”
“What’s the bet?”
“If Uncle Fredric catches up to us before we finish exploring the ruins then I’ll carry you until we reach Worcester Town and vice versa.” Isabella proposed.
Hmmm, it seems she’s pretty confident but the bet stake is not fair. I doubt Fredrick will let Isabella carry me though
I disagree with her stake and propose another stake for me.
“How about you grant me a wish that you can do?” I plan to cancel my earlier commitment I made to her inside the carriage.
“Whatever as if I will lose.” Isabella nonchalantly accepts my request.
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After some time of wandering around the vicinity of the ruins, we manage to find the entrance or should I say the barrier because I only see a wall of rocks here. The only difference was there was a pedestal that have two hands engraved in there. It seems that we need to put our hands to magically enter the ruins.
“Let’s put our hand in there”
Seems that my hunch was correct as Isabella ask and cross arms with me as we put forward our hands into the platform.
“Be alert and at this moment you should listen to my instructions” Isabella reminded me.
I only nod at her. Even if she doesn’t remind me I will still follow her as I have no idea what the fuck’s inside this ruin. I’d be more worried if she just left me on my judgment.
We put our hands on the platform at the same time. Then a white light flashes right in front of us and our body feels like becoming ethereal. After we regain our senses we were inside something cave-like a structure. This cave has crystals embedded in the ceiling that gives off light to the surroundings. Although it wasn’t that bright it is better than having nothing to see.
“Hmmm, this time we have not separated” Isabella mumbled.
“This time?” I validate. As far as I know, this is my first time entering a ruin.
“Hmmm? We– well there was a time I got separated from others” She stuttered.
“With whom Fredric?”
“Yes– yes! With Uncle Fredric last time we enter.” She started walking forward after answering me.
My jaw drops at her irresponsibility.
“Hey, you bitch doesn’t that mean if we get separated I am all alone and waiting to die here?”
She didn’t reply and just continue to move forward. I am exasperated just thinking about it made me feel chills all over my body. I don’t want to imagine it again. When I noticed that she was getting further away scared of being left alone I rush to chase her butt.
“Hey! Wait up!”
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From what she told me about Ancient Ruins, most of them are Ancient Inheritances from which you could get great powers or Graveyards of powerful people who didn’t manage to pass their knowledge. They are treasure troves but most of those treasures that had a higher quality are also affiliated with great harm.
“That’s why, where in the world is the word easy in this ruin” I complain to Isabella as I cut the neck of the goblin who jumped at me.
“It’s not that those goblins are harder to kill so just stop complaining and do your thing” She rebuked, as she pull her bowstring and shot the head of the goblin.
We’ve been exploring these endless ruins for 3 days and I have been fighting these goblins non-stop I can’t help to complain a little bit. Ruins are so mystical, it sounds unreal but I have never felt tired or even feel hungry even while I am working my ass off to death. Isabella said that some of these ruins have different kinds of laws and they are not bounded by our world and this ruin is most likely to fall on the same plate.
We might not feel physical fatigue but the mental fatigue we’ve been accumulating is catching us up. Not being able to sleep took a toll on our reflexes and movements. Even Isabella who has an almost 90 percent hit rate when using a bow dropped down to 70 percent. I can’t imagine how gruesome it is if we fought while we worry about the accumulation of our physical fatigue. The positive side is this ruin feels like endless training and I’m elated with my tremendous growth here.
A goblin jumped from my 9 o’clock while I am busy fending off 3 goblins in front of me but instead of dodging away I just ignored it as Isabella’s arrow was already on the move.
In the end, the goblin who jumped at me got shot in the head again. Before it could fall I jumped and grab its neck and redirect its fall as I slam it toward the goblins in front of me.
Surprise by my unorthodox actions the three goblins just unknowingly receive their dead comrade in full force and got knocked back. I immediately follow up and before they could fully stand their heads were already flying.
I saw their depleting numbers I jumped ahead at the center of their group. There is this goblin that tried to swing his sword at me as I go down but instead it was hit by Isabella’s arrow again. I grab the dead goblin’s ankle and throw it behind me which gives little distraction to the goblins behind me in the process. Then I rush forward and stab the nearest goblin in front of me. I felt time slow down as I coldly watch the goblin’s face slowly distort when the endpoint of my sword slowly penetrate its neck. The goblin tried to stop my sword using its hands but it was inevitable as his hands can’t stop the process and instead was cut by the edge of my sword.
Shriek
My normal senses about time regained as the goblin manages to squeal for the last time before I slashed its throat. Behind the goblin that died in front of me is another goblin that rushed into me but before he could swing his weapon at me I cut its arm and stab my sword in the middle of the goblin’s chest. I catch its flailing arm that holding the sword and throw it backward. It hit the goblin that is closing onto me in my 7 o’clock direction.
I look behind me for kill confirmation and vigilance but I saw that Isabella already shot to death most of the goblins behind my back. Relieve by the danger on my rear I continue to face off the goblins in front of me and finish them as efficiently as I could think of possible.
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“It’s the last one!” I prompt Isabella as I tried to finish the remaining goblin.
I parried its sword and it spins as it flew out of the goblin’s hands. Feeling the smugness about my last prey I kick it away from me then I spin around and follow up with another spinning kick, this time it hit the hilt of the falling sword of the goblin and it launches straight through the goblin’s head ending its life in the process.
I feel self-satisfied with the growth of my fighting capabilities and learned a lot during these past few days. I wonder what will Fredric says when he saw my tremendous growth in just a few days. He even praises me as a genius in terms of techniques and efficiency when he saw me fighting monsters for the first time.
I looked at Isabella who was inspecting her equipment.
But she wasn’t impressed because she said I could only do that on weaker enemies.
I put it in the back of my head as I am too mentally tired. I am still growing and still have a chance to catch up to her. I was about to lie on the ground and sleep beside corpses but Isabella prevent me from doing so.
“We are close to the end so get up and from what I can remember there is a resting place nearby” Isabella explained while picking up her arrows.
Knowing that I could finally rest I also volunteer to help Isabella to pick up her arrows faster. Ever since we enter this ruin I am only following her commands and they are surprisingly all accurate.
No, it’s not all, she assumes that this exploration will take little time but it was not it took days. Huehuehue I won the bet.
I stupidly smile at the thought.
I feel happy knowing that I won the bet and I inadvertently start humming and hopping while I stride over the cave tunnel. Isabella likewise looks at me in confusion as to why I’m having such a good mood despite complaining non-stop for days. She just take it that we were about to rest which is why the mood.