Abyssal Awakening

Chapter 136: Carter

Panting heavily, a young man with short blonde hair could be seen running through the forest while using the trees to help him run.

He would weave through trees while jumping from branch to branch, not daring to slow down for even one second as doing so meant the beast behind him would be one step closer.

'I need to fight but my arrows aren't doing anything!' He cried out in his mind as this was not what he had planned at all.

Without looking back, he could tell the beast was getting closer with each passing second. The loud thuds of trees being shoved aside and falling to the ground were clear.

Biting his lip, the young man dove over a pile of logs and rolled across the ground before pulling out his bow and preparing an arrow.

Swallowing his saliva, the world was quiet as time seemed to stop. From within the forest, a large beast with dark grey fur and a silver mane appeared. It towered over the young man as he could see the three crimson jewels glaring at him full of fury and bloodlust.

Two demonic horns spiralled from its skull as the beast opened its jaws and let out an ear-rupturing roar, revealing two large canines that were far bigger than its other teeth.

The young man could see his reflection within the beast's saliva as despair gripped his heart yet in the next second, he watched as a girl suddenly appeared beside the beast.

She had flowing hair that danced with lightning and punched the beast across the face, shattering the teeth on impact.

*BANG!!!!

Following her arrival was the sound of thunder crashing around him as the force sent him flying back.

"Careful. There's a bystander here." Another voice called out as someone had caught him before he could crash into a tree.

"Sorry! Didn't notice him!" Ria apologised, causing Alice to sigh out heavily.

They had been travelling for over two weeks now and they had gotten lost. With Alice misinterpreting some of the key locations on the map, they've been wandering from forest to forest all this time, killing beasts and drinking river water to clear their hunger and thirst.

Yet without a proper place to stay, their outfits have become worn out and their hair was dishevelled.

"Sorry about that. If you don't mind, can you tell us where we are? We've been lost for quite a while now." Alice asked as she glanced down at the young man in her arms.

After spending all this time with Ria, she had become more fluent in her speaking and was able to speak more often while conveying the thoughts in her mind. Which also meant she had become quite blunt in her speaking habits.

"Ah yes erm. You're near the Blackrock Castle. Wait! No before that you need to go help your friend!" The young man replied before panicking, remembering how dangerous the beast was.

After all, that beast was a Nether Claw, a fearsome beast that shouldn't be in this part of the land. He had only just discovered the location of this beast not long ago otherwise he would've become a corpse on the ground by now.

"She's got it handled don't worry. It's just an overgrown cat, not even at five star difficulty too." Alice reassured as she gestured towards Ria who was now ducking and weaving through the Nether Claw's swipes and launching counter punches with a leisurely smile on her face.

She had been training on how to best use her power while in her resonance form so that she could extend the time she had with this power.

"What the…" Blinking his eyes in disbelief, the young man couldn't comprehend what he was seeing as this was a beast that was on the verge of tearing him in half two seconds ago. Now it was being thrown around like an amateur in a fighting ring.

"So where exactly is the Blackrock Castle on this map? It's a little dirty since we've been walking around for a while but it shouldn't be too bad." Alice asked, snapping her fingers in front of his face to get his attention. Sprawling out the map, she wanted him to show her where they were so that she could finally get them back on the road to their destination.

"But…" Furrowing his brows, the man glanced back and forth between Alice and Ria.

Seeing his hesitation, Alice scratched her cheek before standing up.

"Finish the fight quickly. This guy's not saying anything because he's worried that you'll get killed by that cat." Alice shouted out as Ria turned around and rolled her eyes.

"Really? This thing?" She asked, pointing at the beast behind her that tried to slam its claws down yet it was blocked by Ria's hand.

"I'm offended. Really? Do you think this thing is going to kill me? How so?" Ria questioned the young man as she threw the beast over her shoulder and summoned a bolt of lightning to crash down upon it. Letting out a cry of pain, the beast stumbled back before glaring at Ria.

The third eye positioned between his two eyes started to glow red as black scales stabbed through its flesh, forming a protective armour around its body while a pair of wings erupted from its back.

"It's the first time we've met a person in a while, let's make it quick." Alice complained, causing Ria to sigh and nod her head.

"Fine, it's partially my fault we got lost here anyway. Alright, give me two seconds then."

Stomping down, Ria dashed towards the beast as lightning surged around her arms. Arriving mere inches away from the beast, she placed her finger against its chest before forming a fist and punching out in one swift motion.

*BANG!!!!!

A spear of lightning erupted forth as it tore through the armour and flesh without any issues, creating a hole through the beast's body. Smoke and the smell of cooked flesh spread across the area as the beast collapsed on its side, dead before it could make a move.

"Alright, I've killed it. Happy now?" Ria shrugged, sitting on the beast and using it as a chair.

"Yep. So as I was asking, where are we on this map right now?" Alice nodded before turning back to the young man who was bewildered at everything that had just transpired.

"No wait, give me a moment to calm down." He took a step back, overwhelmed by the fleeting moments of life and death. He may have survived but death was about to welcome him into its cold embrace yet denied because of the two strange girls that appeared before him.

"And…. A moment has passed. Are you calm now? Where are we on this map?" Alice asked.

". . . .Okay, let me have a look."

Glancing over the map, he noticed several red circles that had been crossed out in what seemed to be frustration before a giant question mark was scribbled onto the map.

"Erm… So here's Blackrock Castle. Even though I said we're near, that's only because it's the closest place to us. We're currently in the Great Forest of Kulia that stretches on for this entire section. If you want to get to Blackrock Castle, you'll have to travel for probably two days?" The young man explained as he pointed to their rough location on the map.

"Oh… two days? We'll probably miss the castle by accident then." Alice sighed as she rolled up the map and placed it in her bag.

Even though it could be classified as her 'bag', it was her cloak and other pieces of her outfit repurposed into a bag due to the damages caused to them.

No matter how durable the outfit was, with the fights she had gotten herself into along with the hunt against the Leviathan, it was surprising it had managed to last this long.

"Ria! We got a two days journey north. It's a place called Blackrock Castle and it should be pretty hard to miss." Alice called out.

Upon hearing that it was a two day journey, Ria groaned in fatigue as she laid on her back before letting out a deep sigh.

"Alright, let's get going then. Hopefully, we don't have to keep wandering around like this."

Seeing that they were about to leave without taking the corpse of the beast, the young man hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

"Are you not taking the carcass of the Nether Claw with you?"

"No need. Too much of a hassle and we just ate not long ago." Alice shook her head.

"Then if you don't mind waiting, I'll take this carcass back and I'll show you the way to Blackrock Castle." He offered.

Hearing this, Ria didn't hesitate to nod as she was more than happy to trade the body of a stray beast they killed for some direction.

"Lead the way, we'll carry the body for you since it might be too heavy." Ria reassured as Alice brought out a cleaver and started to chop the beast into large chunks for them to carry with ease rather than one large carcass.

Unsure as to where Alice had even pulled out such a large cleaver, the young man gathered some of the items he had dropped while he was running before leading the way back to his home.

His name is Carter and he's a Hunter as well as a woodcutter who lives in this forest with his family. Usually, the forest would be home to low danger beasts that he has no issues with killing as he had received some training from his father.

"My father passed away when I was young so it's just my old mother and my younger brother living in this forest. My brother keeps my mother company while I go out and hunt." Carter explained while Alice and Ria listened intently as it was a good change of pace after weeks of travelling and hunting.

However, he couldn't be considered a real 'Hunter' in the traditional sense as he didn't go out of his way to kill beasts nor does he own many Sigils. It's merely what's required for his way of life. He only possessed two Sigils belonging to weak beasts as his family couldn't afford a good Shaman nor was he dedicated enough to hunt the stronger beasts.

As they were listening to stories about Carter and his family, his house soon came into view as it was a humble abode hidden within the forest.