Xavier put the Shadowfang Daggers back into his inventory and exhaled gently. The female corpse beneath him had long been forgotten in his mind.
He had to admit, he had enjoyed killing her. Since the beginning, when he had deceived him and shown her prejudice against his kind, he had wanted none more than to kill her, and he had gotten his wish.
It was certain he wasn't going to put up with his own bargain. If the tables were turned, he would have done the same.
A screen suddenly displayed text on his face, and he looked at it.
[Levelled up!]
[Levelled up!]
[Levelled up!]
[Levelled up!]
[Levelled up!]
[Congratulations on slaying a monster! +10 to all stats.]
Xavier frowned at the text. Certainly, he had expected more than that because Bignath was no ordinary foe. She was absolutely more capable than the other monsters he had killed and yet it was still the same. The system was certainly stingy.
'System, ' He thought. 'Show me my stats.'
Level: 18
Strength:66 /1000
Stamina: 75/1000
Speed: 90/1000
Endurance: 87/1000
Dexterity:74/100
'At least, my stats have improved tremendously.' He thought, a noticeable frown on his face. 'It's better than it was before.'
He finally turned his attention to the massive door, and he tentatively put out his hand and tried the gargoyle doorknob. It didn't budge at all. It was very stiff.
"Shit." He sighed, slapping his forehead. "Maybe I should have killed her after she actually opened the door for us, first.. Now what am I going to do?"
He then remembered the gauntlets and was just about to remove them from his inventory to smash the door when Aria stepped forward with graceful ease.
"Allow me, Master." She spoke, her voice very soft.
Xavier stared at her for a moment before nodding and stepping aside. 'Maybe she has something up her sleeve.' He thought.
She walked slowly to the exit, a heavy door set into the wall, and examined it. The surface was worn, the hinges rusted, but it remained solidly in place. She did not rush. She placed her hand against the stone beside the door and let her thoughts settle.
Her breathing was even, her posture straight. The glow of power gathered in her hands, not bright or wild, but steady and controlled. She held it there for a while, making sure it was firm, making sure it would do what she intended.
When she was ready, she directed the force toward the exit. The blast was clean, precise, and without excess. The stone cracked, the hinges bent, and the door shifted under the pressure. Dust fell in small streams, and the structure gave way. The opening widened until the path beyond was clear.
Xavier winced as the bright sunlight filtered through the dungeon. He placed his hand across his face to adjust to the sunlight.
"Good work, Aria." He said softly.
Aria nodded as she stepped back, allowing Xavier to walk through the exit. He walked forward and then stepped out of the dungeon, Aria following suit.
Alas, he was free from the wretched dungeon. He inhaled fresh air into his lungs. He was finally out of there. It was then he remembered about the humans that died there and the mutants. They were gone now and he was going to have revenge for them. They were humans like him, and they were killed just because they were F-ranks; it seriously pissed him off.
He stared at his surroundings. As Bignath had said, they were in a forest. Blackwood Forest, to be exact, and it didn't look as ominous as Carragis. In fact, it looked mild in his eyes. He could still hear the occasional critters and chirps of birds and creature but that was normal.
"Bignath had said north from here lies a town," Xavier spoke, turning back to the silent Aria who nodded to his words. "Maybe a carriage will ride by and we'll be able to enter. If not, I'll guess we'll have to find a safe place to spend the night, then walk to the town, but I really hope it's the former."
A small gust of air swerved past him and he shivered. He turned down and then he remembered he was only wearing a small brown cloth around his waist. His real clothes had dissolved in the Nixatrine, and now he was looking like a caveman.
"Come on, let's go." He said to Aria. "I hate looking as ridiculous as this."
They began their walk, smoothly going deeper into Jenwood Forest until they saw the trail that Bignath had spoken of. They stood in the middle of the trail like wild hikers, and they looked so weird that both of them just stood there looking very strange and out of place.
"Aria?" Xavier asked. "Can you remember anything, anything at all?"
Aria shook her head. "No, Master. My memory just feels fuzzy. I can't remember anything at all."
Xavier nodded. She still couldn't remember anything, which was actually good for him. She thought of him as her Mastdr and he wanted it to stand that way. He was going to need allies who would help him enact his revenge, but he needed to get stronger.
It wasn't until another fifteen minutes had passed that Xavier noticed a carriage coming towards them. He had to admit he still remembered the last carriage that he was inside and that he was taken like a slave. The Neoterra kingdom had treated the so-called heroes like slaves, and so did the other kingdoms. Not like it mattered to him anymore.
He turned to Aria, remembering her skin colour was going to be a problem since it was the same colour as her species.
"Can you shape-shift into a normal human being?" He asked.
Aria nodded as she began to shift. Xavier watched as her gray skin colour gradually turned to human resemblance. After the shift, she looked more like a young girl than before.
Just as she finished, the carriage rolled by, stopping as the driver had noticed a peculiar sight. A young man with a dark skin tone, he had never seen in his life, a rough, brown, old cloth wrapped around his waist. A young woman was also beside him.
"Hello, sir." Xavier began with a practiced smile on his face. "Sorry for the disturbance. We were hoping that you could give us a lift into town."
The driver, a polished, dignified old man who looked comfortable and well off asked. "What happened to you?"
The lie came easily to Xavier. We were robbed by bandits. They took my armor and weapons. I'm just glad I was able to escape with my life."
The driver nodded. "Yrs, bandits have been increasing lately. Tell you what, I'll take you up to the town, boo, you up a inn for the night. How does that sound?:
Xavier smiled in relief. "That is more than enough. Thank you so much."
The driver nodded, releasing a bright smile. "No worries, you man. You and the missus should hop in."
Xavier and Aria climbed into the carriage. Once they settled, the carriage resumed for its destination.
"The name's Ostig." The driver said. "Just a humble,e merchant selling his goods. You guys are lucky o stumbled upon you. You may have spent the night in the harsh forest. "
Xavier nodded but he was not listening. He was out of Carragis, but now he needed to get stronger and he needed loyal allies. If he was going to have his revenge, he had to be thorough in all his dealings and actions.
"Just you wait," he muttered ominously. "I will have all your heads."