There, just a couple hundred meters away stand a collosal entity, standing tall like a small mountain.
[Lesser Gravestone Titan (Lvl. 15)]
Status: Active
Rank: Greater
Existence Grade: Superior
Unique Ability: Lithic Dominion (Rare)
Attributes: Strength 35, Agility 4, Constitution 40, Intelligence 6, Willpower 12
Skill/s: Earthen Quake (Uncommon), Stone Bulwark (Uncommon), Seismic Crush (Rare), Geo Regeneration (Rare)
Description: A colossal being standing over 50 meters tall, its body formed entirely from dark, rune-etched stone. The Lesser Gravestone Titan is said to have been born from the bones of the world itself—an ancient guardian of Earth that has long been corrupted by war and decay. Every step it takes sends tremors through the ground, and its blows can shatter mountainsides. When enraged, its body radiates waves of seismic energy, turning the surrounding terrain into a shifting battlefield.
Its durability is unmatched among Greater creatures; shattered limbs reforge within moments as loose rock and debris fuse back into its body. Legends claims it that when it finally falls, its corpse hardens into an unbreakable monolith that marks the graves of those it has slain—hence its name, the Lesser Gravestone Titan.
•••
Below this creature was an athletic human, sprinting with all it's might, planning to move away from this creature. It was Erick, which was in a very pitiful state.
"What's this guy doing here?" Michael cannot help but rise one f his eyebrows as he stared at the pitiful Erick. His dashing and heroic impression on Micheal's mind when he first saw him where gone.
"Hmm... I cannot defeat his Lesser Gravestone Titan, but I can save this guy. But should I?" Michael think deeply, questioning his morality as he weight pros and cons. "Damn! Why I'm thinking about this right now? I'm a human and I should help fellow human when in times of crisis!"
Micheal slapped himself three times for thinking about this, as he step forward. Planning to save this pitiful guy's ass again.
Whoosh~
A couple moments later, he appeared before Erick. Shocking him silly, he almost attack Micheal but fortunately he stopped or he'll surely face the consequences.
"Why are you—"
Without finishing Erick from speaking, he immediately carried him away in a princess carry, shocking Erick back again silly.
Just before he burst out into rage from this humiliation, he suddenly heard the low but powerful growl of the Lesser Gravestone Titan at the back.
The powerful shockwave created by its growling were powerful enough to shake mountains, showing how powerful it were.
Then in fury about its toy escaping fast from his grasp, he punched forward down to the ground.
Rumble~ Rumble~
The ground swayed, like a wave in tumultuous ocean. Then the ground cracked, being pulled and created another earth formation in the process.
This attack were the Lesser Gravestone Titan desperate way to stop it's 'toys' from escaping.
Michael face turned serious, he swiftly moved forward to escape the area as fast as possible. He pushed himself to sprint much more faster, now he looks like a streak of blurring light speeding up towards the horizon.
Sometime later, they finally escaped the dangerous Lesser Gravestone Titan area, and it's powerful skill cannot reach out towards them. Now they both can sigh a sigh of relief.
"Huff...huff...huff"
Sigh!
Michael breath irregularly, he was a bit exhausted after running for a long time on his top speed, draining so much energy from him.
Then he stared at Erick, who locked preoccupied. He already put him down a long time ago, such that he can still maintain his dignity when he face him or so he thought.
"By the way uhm...Erick right? What are you doing in this area, and alone? Where's your group?" Micheal remembered Erick's named when he remembered the time he heard someone calling out for him just yesterday.
"..."
Erick was silent for a couple seconds before he replied, with midnd preoccupied:
"To look for you, to asked you to join our group again"
Then Erick jump back to reality as he look at Michael, man to man.
"..."
"What is it for me if I joined your group?" After thinking about it for some time, Micheal finally put a bombshell question hard for Erick to reply.
"Well..." Erick didn't know what to respond with, he was right and he knows it well but still persisted that he will join this group.
"You can help a lot of people to survive this trial, and after this trial would end the association of Ascenders would surely reward you handsomely"
Erick spoked seriously, wanting to morally bait him but would Micheal be fooled by that?
"..."
Michael rised one of his eyebrows in respond, while keeping awkward silence permeate. 'Why would he save those unknown people? Isn't saving them once out of goodwill is enough? What do this person want, want to to become body guard?' Micheal internally sneered, but keep up with his nonchalant and cold exterior.
Seeing the awkwardness, he knows that what he said doesn't interest him for a bit. Now he don't know what to do nor to say, he can only sigh.
"Hays...to be true to you, we need to unite in order to survive this trial. As you know this trial is not ordinary, and based on the information around about a world and trial like this, everyone should work together to have a chance to survive."
"Seeing what's currently happening, the monster would surely increase and become more powerful as times goes by, we need to unite so we would not get ganged up by them one by one. I know that you're strong but can can't possibly fight endless horde all by you own, right?"
Erick explained sincerely, wanting him to understand the weigh of the situation and why they need to unite. Unfortunately, Micheal were still nonchalant and looks uninterested at this nonsense.
His cold exterior created an invisible wall between Michael and him, making Erick felt powerless and can only sigh in defeat.
Just as he turned his back to walk away with nothing but injuries, Micheal suddenly called out at him in the back.
"Wait a second..."
"Did I say I'll not going to join?"
Erick hope seems to have been returned as soon as he heard Micheals words, and a heavyweight on his shoulder seems to have been lifted.
"So you're joining the group?" Erick spoked excitedly, his energy returning back to him.
"You could say so, but I do have a request..." Micheal rest his back at a rock wall, as he pondered what to say.
"Please say it, I'll do whatever you requirements as long as it's not overboard, we can do as you asked." Erick spoked seriously, his eyes sharp as he waited for Michael to speak.
"My request is that, I'll do whatever I want without being controlled by the group" Michael spoked, his face still pondering as his eyes fall towards Erick's face.
"This—" Erick hesitated, if he let Micheal's request, it means that he could freely cause chaos within the group without limits. But Micheal's next words makes him relaxed.
"Don't worry, I only means that, I'll have the freedom to hunt monsters and moved around without restraints" Michael explained, easing Erick's wild mind.
"Then... Welcome to the Apocalypse Survivors Group!" Erick smiled, as he approached Micheal to shake his hand.
____________________________________________
Author's Note:
Happy Belated Halloween to all readers out there, and All Saint's Day, should we use this day to visit our beloved that departed from the world.