Standing at the foot of the mountain they had to cross to return to the rift’s entrance area, Div and En were faced with a problem they had encountered before.
Climbing the mountain would expose them to attacks from Bird flying overhead. They would be very vulnerable up there.
[If she comes after us. She didn’t make a move when we scaled up the cliff.]
(That was before we injured her. She might have changed her mind since then.)
[It’s also possible her wing hasn’t healed yet. Healing skills are uncommon. If none of the guardians has one, I don’t think a Basic Rank faceless could have a skill powerful enough to heal Bird who is Evolved Rank.]
(Another gamble… But we don’t really have a choice. Unless we have another idea on the exit’s location?)
Div mentally shook his head. The start area was their best bet. Although it was entirely possible the exit was nowhere near the entrance. Diven’s knowledge of rifts was based on hearsay. He hadn’t had time to attend awakened lessons before being exiled.
If he had, he wouldn't be so lost, forced to improvise and discover his powers on his own.
Div and En couldn’t find an alternative. The only way was up the mountain. Considering they first came down this side while engulfed in an avalanche, they hadn’t appreciated how much easier the terrain was compared to the other side.
The slope was soft, the ground covered in smooth snow that held firm beneath them. Their feet didn’t sink into it either.
With such favorable conditions, it didn’t take long for them to reach the summit.
Going down was going to be something else entirely. This side of the mountain took the form of a succession of rocky cliffs. Battered by strong winds, the rocks were covered in a thick layer of ice.
(Div, I think we should turn back.)
[What? Why would we do that? It’s a little steep but we can do it.]
(A little steep? We’re going to fall!)
[We fell from the top of a cliff already, it’s fine.]
(There’s no water to catch us here.)
[Look, En. I understand, I’m also scared. But we need to do this. Remember, last time we went down in an avalanche, it can’t be worse than that.]
En wasn’t pleased with Div’s speech, but he had to relent. He couldn’t let his fear best him at such a critical moment. They had to reach the other side of the mountain, so they would.
Div and En began their descent, testing the ice beneath each step to ensure it would support their weight. Their grip was weak, they often slipped and drifted down for a few seconds.
As long as they didn’t hurt themselves, it was fine.
Their progress was slow. Each section of the mountain was challenging. Not only did they have to ensure they wouldn’t plummet to their death, they also had to decide which route was the safest.
They were above the tree line; it should have been simple. But they had trouble seeing far enough to really plan ahead.
With all the snow and ice mixing together in a sea of white, making out details was close to impossible.
More than once, they had to backtrack and choose another path after encountering impassable cliffs or massive holes in the ice.
Yet, despite all the difficulties, they were advancing. After hours of toiling, they neared the halfway point of the treeless section of the slope. Once they were past the first pine trees, they would be fine. Free from the ever-present ice, they would be able to move much faster.
(Now that I think about it, we should feel colder than we are.)
[I don’t know. It was never really cold in Kheiron. Besides, it’s not like it’s warm now.]
(We’re surrounded by snow, ice, and wind. It should be a lot colder. Actually, it should be dangerously cold, even with Cassandra’s clothes.)
[You think? We never really experienced snow before the rift. Maybe it's normal. The Leios clan was never afraid of cold.]
(That’s because of their sun-attuned bloodlines… Don’t you think it's strange?)
[I guess it is. Maybe some sun mana rubbed off on us.]
They couldn’t find an answer in the rift.
Their descent ended without a hitch. Vegetation was sparser on this side of the mountain. Only a few groves of pine trees dotted the land.
Div and En remembered the way to the stone, but expecting the guardians to be there, they chose another direction. Roughly following the direction they had entered the rift from, they traveled for some time.
[I don’t know how we’re going to find anything this way.]
(We don’t have a better idea. We can only scour the place.)
If the exit were that easy to find, they’d have left long ago.This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
They wandered for a long time but found nothing.
That was until three separate groups of faceless appeared. They were now coming toward them, each from a different direction. Composed of several dozen humanoid monsters each, the three groups were nowhere near the size of the army that had chased them toward the guardians.
However, all of them combined reached at least a hundred heads. Far too many for Div and En to face head-on. Furthermore, they didn’t think they could take care of each group separately. Their size was too large for that, even if they could maybe prevail over a single group, the rest would have time to provide reinforcement.
(It’s the same as before, they’re trying to get us to the stone.)
[There’s not enough of them to make it happen.]
With Blighted Passage, Div and En were faster than their new pursuers. It was easy enough for them to create some distance between them and veer off in a different direction.
But other groups of faceless were patrolling the rift.
Half an hour after they escaped, they were flanked by two new bands of faceless. Once again, escaping wasn’t difficult. They ran using the fifth direction for a while, evading the monsters.
Yet, the frequency of encounters was only increasing. Soon, they went from half an hour to a few minutes. Shortly after they got rid of a group, another one would appear in the direction they were running toward.
[They are surrounding us. We’re losing.]
(I know. But what can we do?)
Neither could come up with a plan. They had a few options, but none of them felt good. They could fight the faceless groups now, but it was pointless. Their number was overwhelming, they would collapse from exhaustion before they could triumph over them.
They could keep running, hoping that an opening would form in the enemies’ ranks letting them get away. If they were lucky, they could maybe find the exit. By now, they had realized the guardians must have prepared for this. Div and En would be surprised if the masked faceless hadn’t prepared countermeasures around the exit.
[How about we rush toward the black stone on our own.]
(Why would we do that?)
[With how things are going, we’re going to end up there eventually. Might as well get there on our terms.]
(Actually, as far as bad ideas go, I like this one. We may be able to surprise the guardians. I’m not seeing a way out of here anyway.)
[With how things are going, I’m not either. Plus, I’m tired of fleeing. Let’s face them head-on and deal as much damage as we can!]
With a quick look at the mountains in the distance, Div and En calculated the direction of the stone. Then, they started running in its direction.
The faceless hordes had done their job well: it didn’t take long before they spotted the rectangular black rock in the distance.
(Be ready, this is where we make our stand.)
[I’m readier than ever.]
As desperate as they were, Div and En were not going to go down without a fight. As they moved closer and closer to the stone, they spotted the figures of the three guardians waiting for them.
One thing stood out to them, bringing a small relief in an otherwise dire situation.
[Bird is missing a wing. The one we hit with our Rotting Spear.]
It was confirmation that they had damaged her. That they could hurt the guardians. It was only a wing, something likely coming from a body skill, meaning she would be able to regrow it in time.
But what if they hit an arm? A leg?
It wasn’t going to be easy.
But maybe?
Maybe they could do it. Div’s desire to take on the Evolved Rank faceless was still present in the depth of his chest. His will was influencing En. The latter didn’t have any goodwill left in him toward the three. While he was wary of fighting them, since things had already reached this point there was no benefit in rejecting Div.
“There you are,” Dog greeted them. “Enough fooling around now, let’s get it done.”
“I won’t let you have your way,” Diven said. “I escaped once, I can escape again.”
“Escape?” Dog asked. “I understand why you would think that, but please have some self-awareness. I could smell you all along. I knew where you were. You’re only prancing around because we allow you to.”
“Bird’s missing wing tells another story,” Diven said, a smug smile tugging at his lips.
The three guardians laughed.
“Any of us would make that trade again,” Feline said. “A limb that will regrow against a few more levels to put toward my skill’s ascension. Worth it.”
Diven’s face fell. Their repeated escapes made a lot more sense now.
(No… That can’t be it. We’re so done.)
[Don’t let it get to you. They might have let us escape to farm a few levels of Blighted Passage they could extract for themselves. However, losing one of Bird’s wings was definitely not part of their plan. We did that! We beat them!]
(You’re right, they’re trying to make us lose confidence.)
“See,” Dog continued. “You never stood a chance. Now, if you would, we have a ritual to get to.”
(Let’s pretend to be defeated.)
[Another surprise attack?]
(I’m not sure they’ll fall for it, but it doesn’t hurt to try.)
“I…” Diven stuttered, tilting his head down. “I don’t want to.”
“I know,” Dog said, stepping toward him. “Trust me, we are not enjoying this either. Do you think Feline wants to extract your rot-attuned skills? Of course not. Unfortunately, our hands are tied.”
Dog came to a halt in front of Diven. Then, he used his claws to pull the boy’s chin, forcing him to lock eyes with him.
“Diven, if your sacrifice allows us to leave the rift and ascend, we’ll make sure to remember you and all the others who have helped us.”
“Cassandra?” Diven asked, his voice shaking.
“Sadly, the girl passed away too long ago– at a time when we were still figuring things out–we weren’t able to collect her skills.”
“Please, remember her regardless.” Diven pleaded.
“Fine. Anything else?”
“Yes, there is something else. About my family, could you…”
[Now!]
Div flooded their inner world with rot-attuned mana, he was channeling straight from the core while En thrust their bone spear toward Dog.
But the guardian was fast. Reacting almost instantly, he jumped away from them, using his superior strength to avoid the tip of their spear.
En’s eyes grew wide.
No, he couldn’t allow the faceless to get away.
There had to be something he could do.
His arm was almost fully extended and his spear wasn’t going to reach Dog.
Unless…
Blighted Passage was leading straight toward his target. En didn’t think stepping into it would be enough. As good as their skill was, Dog was fast enough to react to another strike.
Instead, he willed his spear through the fifth direction—something he had never considered before.
It worked.
But with the weird space Blighted Passage worked with, the spear initially aimed at Dog’s head landed on his left leg.
The sharp bone penetrated deep into the guardian’s flesh, piercing through clothes, flesh, and bone.
With the rot-attuned mana Div was recklessly pushing into it, the wound began to decay before En even pulled out the spear.