The journey back to Castle Town took the better part of a day, their pace slowed by accumulated injuries and exhaustion that even Expert Peak cultivation couldn't completely override. The forest path seemed longer returning than it had during their initial approach, each step a reminder of violence endured and trials survived.
Raze walked in relative silence, his mind churning through everything that had occurred during the four days they'd spent in Titan Heart. Four days. It felt simultaneously longer and shorter, time distorted by the intensity of constant combat and the blank periods where his consciousness had simply ceased recording events.
Mariabel limped slightly despite the healing salves, her ribs still protesting where the Hornmaw's antlers had caught her. Oziel moved with practiced ease despite his own injuries, the Grandmaster's superior recovery already addressing damage that would have kept Expert rank cultivators bedridden for weeks.
