Rise of the Blood Weaver - Chapter 83 (Patreon)

Arlo ducked under an incoming projectile. It whizzed past his ear. It was a pointed horn. If it struck him, no doubt it would send him flying backwards. Or maybe it would just bore a huge hole through his body. That one was more likely.

The culprit was a feline that was 6 feet tall on all four legs. Arlo didn’t want to know what its size was standing on two legs. It had 6 horns jutting out from its skull in rows of two. The first set was just above its eyebrows. It was a Monster. A powerful one.

Even engaged in combat with Vyr and Merc, suffering attacks from both Elian and Justin, it still tried to attack him.

Arlo was aware of his current strength. With a whole 100 points gone, he wasn’t confident in getting too close to such a creature. So he let Cyr fight for him while he kept an eye on everyone's backs.

Thankfully it wasn’t long before the onslaught of Arlo’s team killed it. Merc held back her final blow, letting Vyr get the kill.

[You have slain a Tier IV Monster, Horned Feline.]

| Your blood becomes stronger.

Just from that one fight alone, Arlo had received 8 entire Blood Fragments. Of course, if he hadn’t gotten the kill, he would receive nothing. It was the downside of his unique Core. And he still hadn’t told the others about it.

They probably already have an inkling, Arlo thought. From the time spent with the lineages, it was obvious they weren’t stupid. In fact, they were probably smarter than most he had ever come across. That wasn’t saying much, but still.

He was certain they were at least suspicious of him not absorbing cores. He didn’t know why he hadn’t told them yet. Maybe it was Jay’s words repeating at the back of his mind. Maybe he didn’t want to betray Jay’s advice. Arlo didn’t know what it was, but he couldn’t keep four Monster cores all to himself. He’ll just take one.

Vyr extracted the cores on his command. He walked to each person, and handed them over.

“It’s your kill,” Elian said.

But Arlo shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

“But–”

“Sweet,” Justin interrupted while grabbing hold of the core, absorbing it on the spot.

“Let’s keep going,” Merc said, also absorbing the core. It not only provided them an extra boost of strength, but it also revitalised them somewhat.

Arlo was certain. Justin and Merc obviously had figured out what its core was about. After all, he had told them back in the academy. It wasn’t difficult to piece things together. He gained fragments directly by killing.

So that’s why Merc held back? Is she aware that Vyr can even grant me fragments? Her intelligence is quite frightening.

To so easily find out the inner workings of his unique core and Reflection just by watching was indeed a bit scary. Others could also do the same if they were perceptive enough. It might not matter with the others here since he trusted them, but the same couldn’t be said of others.

He was reminded of the fight with Louis. The demon that had overtaken his mind knew exactly how to fight against Arlo because he had been watching all along.

Information is dangerous. Jay was right.

With that realisation, they continued onwards. Another four days passed, but the oncoming creatures had severely dwindled. There was the odd Monster here and there, but with their current party, it was manageable.

And on the fifth day since they had passed the centre room of the maze, Arlo spotted a straight line of bright, blazing light. They had found the end. Arlo and the others sprinted ahead, emerging into the desert once more. The bright light blinded Arlo. he closed his eyes as the sun struck Alro’s flesh. The heat arrived with it. But for some reason, he welcomed it.

“My god, that feels good,” Arlo said, massaging his neck. The cold fabric of [Dune’s Crest] brushed against his fingertips.

“Yeah, cos’ you’re the only one with a heat resistant Remembrance,” Justin spat while squinting his eyes. His shoulders shirked from the heat. “Lucky bastard.”

“I think I see something,” Elian said. He used his hands as a sun-visor as he gazed ahead at the horizon.

All Arlo could see was enormous dunes to the left and right. Straight down the middle was an opened path leading to the horizon. Arlo squinted. Nope, he couldn’t see anything. There was only a squirming haze in the distance.

“What is it?” Merc asked.

“Not sure,” Elian said. “I can barely make it out. But if I can see it from here, it must be a gargantuan structure.”

Merc said after a moment's silence, “It would probably take us a few days travel to get there. Maybe more. Even with my Reflection. There doesn’t seem to be any mountains either. Finding a tunnel to hide in won’t be easy.”

“Guys, look,” Justin said as he crouched down to the sand. He covered his mouth and nose with a piece of fabric to ward off the crimson sand. There were footsteps. They led forwards. “It must be that man that Arlo saw.”

“See, I’m not going crazy,” Arlo stated, crossing his arms.

“Alright well, I guess we’re following the footsteps then?” Elian asked. “If he’s going out there, he must know of somewhere that’s safe against the Sand Surge.”

“It’s risky,” Merc said. “Once we reach midnight, the Sand Surge will erase any of the steps. We’ll be walking blind.”

“We’ve made it this far,” Justin said. “A little tsunami won’t kill us. We’ll just have to be quick. As long as we find one safe spot, we can take time to find another. There has to be other locations in the vicinity.”

Merc nodded. She agreed. “Alright. Everyone good to go?”

Everyone nodded. It was time to head back into the desert once more. There was no time for rest. To Awaken, they had to find the Gateway. They had to return home.

Mum, I’m coming home soon, Arlo thought with a small smile. Would a hot meal be waiting? A Sunday roast, maybe? Damn, he was beginning to drool at the thought. He hadn’t eaten in days.

Shaking his head from the invasive thoughts of hunger, Arlo stepped onto the golden sand. He took another step. Crimson grains of sand flickered amongst the golden specs. Once more, they had to travel the vast expanse of the desert.

Hopefully they could find shelter.

***

Thankfully, they did. The footsteps led directly to a cave. Everyone held their weapons at the ready, but it was clear that the man wasn’t within. His steps stopped at the cave entrance, turned, and headed further into the desert.

“Is he leading us out of the desert?” Arlo asked, confused as to what his motives were.

“Either that, or he’s leading us to our deaths,” Justin said. “It’s a smart move. Something I’d do, to be fair.”

“That’s comforting,” Elian said with a smile.

“We’ll rest here for the night, then head out early. We’ll pick up the pace. I want out of this desert as soon as possible.”

“Don’t we all,” Arlo joked.

It was time for bed.