Free Web NovelChapter 16: Chapter 16: Destination Reached
Riven lay on the scorching sand, inhaling and exhaling deeply, staring at the sky above him. The horizon glowed a soft orange, while the rest of the sky remained dark.
Ayala, who was beside him, nudged him using her shoulder and said weakly.
"Night is going to end soon. We must reach my guild’s base soon otherwise the heat of the day will kill us."
Riven didn’t reply instead his gaze lingered on the words flashing before his retina.
(Sealing power: 5/10)
(Level: 4)
His level had reached 7 but due to losing nearly half of his subjects, his level had dropped to 4. Although, he was stronger than before facing the horde of undead... he could be much stronger if he was more competent.
Well, there was no use thinking about the past. Now, he had to reach Ayala’s base quickly...
As he was lost in his own thoughts, Ayala nudged him again using her arm and added.
"Are you listening, mister?"
Riven nodded his head and replied.
"Yeah..."
Riven stood up and his gaze swept across the entire desert. His subject stood around him in a protective circle, ready to attack any monster that got near him.
He was the one who commanded them to stay in a defensive formation after they got far away from the horde. Not because he was afraid of advancing forward but because he was too exhausted after his mana reserves were almost none.
Now he was feeling much more energetic... his mana reserve must have replenished to some extent so he summoned his mana reserves and stared at it.
(Mana Reserve: 79/ 260)
His mana reserves were still not full but it was enough for him to stand up without feeling dizzy and weak.
He turned towards Ayala and asked.
"Is your base far from here?"
"No mister..."
He turned around and locked his eyes on the spearman then looked back at her. Her injuries might slow them down.
However, he didn’t want his subject or himself to carry her anymore since to him, it looked like she had the ability to walk on her own.
Still, he wasn’t certain, so he just asked.
"Can you walk now?*
Ayala looked at her wounds, inspecting them for a moment and then she replied.
"I certainly can, Mister... my injuries have healed to an extent that they no longer make walking difficult."
"Then start walking towards your base."
Ayala didn’t respond or move immediately. Instead, she pointed towards nearly a dozen of his subjects and added.
"The noise of their footsteps might draw monsters to us."
Riven didn’t reply immediately. He fell into deep thought and said.
"They will protect us from the monster."
"But mister... what if they draw a horde of undead towards us?"
This was his worry too but he couldn’t do anything about this particular situation. It wasn’t like he could tell them to stay here since they would certainly be killed by some things that would make him weaker.
Riven sighed and replied.
"There is nothing I can do."
Ayala didn’t speak a word; instead, she started to walk in a certain direction. Before, following her, his gaze swept across all his subjects. Then he mentally issued a command.
"Follow me."
Then Riven followed Ayala while subjects followed him.
***
Riven walked across the desert as the scorching sunlight fell onto his body. This wasn’t all, sweat dripped out from his forehead as he continued walking.
Worse, he was thirsty, not the normal kind of thirst but the kind that was almost impossible to tolerate. He gritted his teeth and continued walking.
"Her base is not far away."
But a question arose in his heart...
Were they really close to her base?
Honestly, he wasn’t sure since they had been walking for nearly three hours now and yet there was still no sign of her base. Worse, he had spent the last hour in the scorching heat with no protection against the heat.
His subjects could protect him from the monster but not against the weather.
Suddenly, Ayala halted her steps and when she did — everyone behind her and surrounding them stopped. Riven looked in front of him and his expression shifted.
A large hill of stone covered in a blanket of sand lay in front of him. Beneath the hill, was a large tent, heavy canvas stretched tightly over sturdy wooden poles. Thick ropes extended from every side, disappearing into stakes buried deep in the sand.
The entire tent including the entrance was covered with a thick brown material that seemed like the hide of some creature. It didn’t take long for him to guess that it was harvested from a monster.
Riven glanced at Ayala and asked.
"Is this it?"
Ayala nodded. A sense of relief washed over him — now he could finally drink some water and be protected from the heat but before he could do anything he must do something.
His gaze swept across his subject and he mentally commanded.
"Guard the tent and us."
His subjects didn’t speak; instead, they spread around the tent and stood around the tent, ready to protect them from danger.
Ayala, standing beside him, walked towards the tent. He followed her. They stepped inside the tent a moment later. His eyes darted around.
Weapons of various kinds hung from the walls of the tent. There were dozens of pots that seemed to be made of clay all around them.
But this wasn’t what got his attention. Stains of blood were all around them and a heavy scent of iron filled the air. They stared at one another quietly and silence filled the air.
Riven broke the silence and said in a serious voice.
"There could be a monster here."
This was the only explanation but every single monster of the desert was made up of sand so they didn’t bleed or even had a little bit of organic matter.
Just what kind of creature did this blood belong to?
Just then the sound of something falling resounded through their ears. They looked at the source of the sound and froze, not in fear but in shock.
There was a woman with silver hair, wearing broken armor and her entire body covered in wounds from which blood flowed, leaning against the walls of the tent. A cracked sword rested beside her.
