Free Web NovelChapter 308: A Strange Land (1)
Chapter 306
Looking around them, the trio could see how strange the world was and it made their skin crawl.
The earth itself was pale, dry, and cracked, layered beneath endless remains that stretched farther than the eye could follow.
Bones littered the terrain in horrifying abundance—scattered carelessly across the land as though countless creatures had simply collapsed there and never risen again.
Some were small and brittle, crushed beneath wandering feet like fragile twigs.
Others were enormous, far too massive to belong to any ordinary beast. ƒreewebɳovel.com
Gigantic ribcages arched from the ground like the ruins of ancient temples, their curved bones large enough for entire groups to walk beneath.
Massive skulls lay half-buried in the dirt, their hollow eye sockets staring endlessly into the lifeless sky.
Jagged spines protruded from the earth like rows of white spears, while broken tusks and claws jutted from the ground at random angles.
And the bones were strange. Disturbingly strange.
Some were twisted into unnatural shapes, as though the creatures they belonged to had never truly been meant to exist.
Others carried faint cracks glowing with dim crimson light, while a few were so blackened they looked burned from the inside out.
The wind didn’t seem to blow normally here.
It moved in low, whispering currents, slipping through hollow skulls and empty ribcages to create eerie sounds that resembled distant cries.
Every gust carried dust and the faint scent of decay, though no flesh remained anywhere in sight.
Even the landscape itself felt cursed.
Sharp rock formations rose between the fields of bones, resembling jagged teeth erupting from beneath the earth.
The ground dipped unpredictably into massive pits filled with skeletal remains piled atop one another in grotesque heaps, some so deep their bottoms disappeared into darkness.
Nothing grew there. No grass. No trees. No signs of life. Only bones.
"Sheesh. What’s with this place? It looks like a graveyard for bones or something. Are there even beasts here?" Chloe asked as she slowly turned her head around, looking at the weird location they had suddenly found themselves in.
’This place gives me the creeps.’ Ray shuddered inwardly as he surveyed his surroundings.
So far, they hadn’t seen any beast roaming around here, unlike Hill Valley that always had a few Advanced-rank beasts roaming around during the day.
This place was eerily calm.
’System, how many hours do we have till sunset?’
[2 hours left]
’Damn. How many hours did we spend trapped under the sea? I thought it didn’t take more than a few minutes. But I suppose traversing the vast sea took up a chunk of our time too.’
"So.... what now?" Chloe asked while rubbing her arm with a worried expression.
Touching her back, she adjusted her bow and quiver half-filled with arrows.
Unfortunately, some of her arrows fell from the quiver into the sea, leaving her with half the normal amount.
"Luckily, these bones form some housing like a cave of some sorts where we can take shelter from threats.
The only downside is that there are no hills that will allow one a vantage point. This is dangerous in case of when a beast attacks," Ray uttered as he rubbed his chin in deep thought. freewēbnoveℓ.com
’Are there even any beasts here? I can’t see any signs.’
"So technically, we are open to attacks," Trisha muttered as she looked at the strange bones that formed a few cave-like systems to allow one to take cover.
Ray nodded as he scanned the place once more.
"I think we should get a move on and find shelter. We have less than two hours before it’s nighttime."
Trisha nodded in agreement, and they were about to leave until Ray stopped them.
"Uh... Trish?"
Trisha looked at him with a raised brow.
"What?"
Stretching his hand behind his back, he activated his inventory and then stretched out his hand to reveal a black guard that used to house a sword in it.
"I’m sorry. That’s all I could manage to bring back from your sword. I tried my possible best, but the damned Kraken was too strong. But rejoice though, your sword fought valiantly and didn’t give up until the last moment."
He thought for a few seconds, then quickly added,
"...I mean, it saved my life too. So here..."
Trisha looked at the guard for several seconds, then at the boy without an ounce of emotion on her face.
"What am I to do with that?"
Ray looked down at his hand—at the guard that had a small blade, which was barely a few inches tall, still stuck in it.
"You might want to say a last word to your dear sword."
Chloe facepalmed herself while shaking her head with a low grumble.
Trisha looked at him for a second, then turned around and began walking away.
"You are weird."
"Hey! At least say thank you. I managed to retrieve something for you. Do you know how hard I had to battle the Kraken to let go of the sword? But it took the blade with it. Because of you, I fought the Kraken."
«Eh?»
Chloe just shook her head and followed after Trisha, leaving Ray to continue rambling on.
Seeing as the girls were leaving, he frowned.
"Wait up."
He dashed after them while still yapping on and on.
«Oh my goodness. When did you become such a talkative?!» Bruce groaned loudly from the mindspace as his sensitive ears were beginning to tingle.
Annoyed, Trisha snatched the guard from his hand in an attempt to at least shut the boy up. Unfortunately, it made it worse.
"Ohoy~! I might not like you and I don’t think I ever will. The least you can do is appreciate my sacrifice for you. Honestly, it’s not your fault. I blame that damned red gate that brought us together if not—"
"— Oh my goodness. Ray, SHUT UP!" Trisha and Chloe shouted in unison as they glared daggers at the boy, who immediately shrunk with a fake fearful look on his face.
Maybe he was imagining it or not, but it seemed as if mist was oozing from their heads.
