Ash shivered in fear. His pupils widened, two Fangbanes held captive in his hands. He saw his fellow traveler gets split. Not just in half! The Vilewarren slashed the traveler into four pieced of flesh, all cut diagonally.
Blood streamed everywhere, some even had splashed on Ash.
Ash stood in silence. He didn't accept that result. He just stood there, not moving an inch.
One of the Fangbanes who clinched on his body bit him and that forced Ash to react quickly or rather he would lose his life.
Ash threw the Fangbanes from his grip away. One of them dropped in the water of the river and the other was sent directly to the Hollowbane.
The Vilewarren sensed the Fangbane and picked it in the air once it reached him, opened its mouth and served its flesh and blood like a well-served steak on a golden plate.
At the same exact time, Ash was trying to kill the Fangbanes that still hugged his body. There were three in total.
Ash gripped the one which bit him and punched its eyes. The Fangbane shuddered and released its maw away from Ash's leg. Ash kicked it away and dealt with the other two. He didn't kill, he wished he could. He just threw them away.
Once he cleared all of them, he ran towards the direction which Aeris took before the Hollowbane reached them.
Ash sighed in relief. Although so many Fluffbanes and Fangbanes rushed to attack him from behind, Ash didn't mind and kept sprinting as fast as his legs could endure.
His speed was two folds now. It was a dumb idea for the Fluffbanes to pursue him. All of those monsters had very low intelligence, even the Vilewarren himself.
That's how Ash noticed why did the Hollowbane ignored him all of a sudden.
There was only one thing that kept him safe from the Hollowbane and that's... the Fluffbanes' azure blood.
When he and Aeris were fighting the two Fangbanes, Ash tortured the last one of them before slashing its neck. Ash was bathed in its blood.
That was why Ash screamed and warned the traveler... uh, dead traveler without risking his life. Well, just from the Hollowbane.
'He wasn't after me from the very beginning! At least, after Aeris healed me.'
When Aeris was healing him, the Vilewarren was really after them. Ash was mangled after all and the scent of blood was so strong for the creature's nostrils.
Only after Aeris finished healing Ash did the Hollowbane realize the other pray who had the same scent and that was the weakling traveler.
As Ash was getting away from that horrific scene, a sudden panel shimmered in front of his line of sight.
[Attention to all of the latest travelers!]
[Traveler, Elarion Thayr, Code: *789#0999, has been slain by a Hollowbane!]
Ash didn't care one bit about his death, he just saw it terrifying.
'That weakling... is higher than me in codes!'
That was the only thought that echoed in his mind. Yet, he was the one who tried to save him. How ironic!
'I can't accept this. Codes must be randomly installed. If it defined ranks then how the hell does that weakling higher than me?!'
Ash had the full right to compare himself with that traveler, Elarion. Ash was mangled and yet he fought, thrived to kill and level up for the sake of his life.
Elarion just stood there without attacking or even defending himself and let the Lower Fluffbanes eat him alive before the Vilewarren puts an end to him.
'Well, he had much worse luck than mine. At least, I didn't encounter the The Vilewarren from the beginning.'
Ash sprinted for about 2 minutes. He was breathing hoarsely but not to the point of exhaustion. He glanced after he stopped behind and couldn't see the Vilewarren.
He knew that the Hollowbane won't chase him. Ash didn't even sprint with his full speed because of the Vilewarren, it was only to find Aeris and regroup.
Yet, he didn't spot him.
'Where the hell are you, Aeris?!'
Ash looked every where around him. He still didn't find him and yet Ash didn't blame him for running away. The Vilewarren was a true terror for them... Now, at least.
Aeris wasn't a coward for running away, not like the other traveler at least. No, Aeris didn't run away because he was afraid, he was just saving his life with a plan in his mind to get separated from Ash for a while.
Ash was now standing still in his place with the river on his right and the Fluffbane forest on his left. Closing his eyes, he tried to use his sense of hearing. Maybe luck will point him to Aeris.
But it didn't, unfortunately.
Instead, Ash heard something like a rumbling from behind. He immediately turned and saw a hoard of Fluffbanes and Fangbanes running for only one purpose.
To murder!
'AH SHIT!'
His instinct screamed.
'RUN!!'
And sure he did. Honor? Courage? Nah, he didn't care about such things.
'50% of courage is running away saving your life anyway.'
Ash sprinted. Not with his maximum speed. He wanted to see what was the speed gap between him and the monsters. Without his full speed, he was still faster so he didn't bother accelerating further.
The Fangbanes was in the front raw of the hoard, They are faster and stronger. Obvious.
While he was running... for his life, he heard the same noises coming from the forest on his left.
'AH HELL NAH!!'
Ash became surrounded. No where to escape. Still, he was running and escaping. He knew that there was a way out of this cursed place.
Yet, he was bothered by another thought, making him regret risking his life for that pathetic traveler.
'I risked my life to save that weakling and yet... I didn't gain a single EXP!!' That was what bothered him. A human who reeks inhumanity, and that was what he needed to survive in this anonymous world.
Suddenly, something grabbed his left arm and pulled him intensely.
'Huh?! Ah shit. I'm dead. Goodbye, who ever finds me, you got my respect--'
"Sighs! You are safe here, my friend."
"Aeris?!! Where have you be--"
Aeris shut his mouth and whispered:
"Quiet! They are close."
Ash silenced his damn mouth, making Aeris releases his grip.
They waited for about 10 minutes until the full hoard... two hoards had passed.
"Ash, we need to level quick."
Ash looked at him, a sense of seriousness appeared on his face.
"Yea, we definitely need to."
They were inside a shattered tree, its space barely fits them together. They stepped out and stared at the forest then to themselves.
They shared the same thought.
"Shall we go, my friend?" Aeris smiled.
Ash, for the first time, smiled and said in a slightly high tone.
"Let's go, Smiley!"
It was time to level up.