We were both seated, defeated and terrified by what we had just seen. What was that? Where did this terrifying creature come from? Where had we fallen? Even Raysley, who couldn't see anything at all, seemed just as terrified as I was, if not more.
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I had to admit that hadn't crossed my mind, probably due to the adrenaline, but I too was starting to feel hungry. To survive, we first needed to find food, and luckily we had something to eat—at least, I hoped so.
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I could clearly see she was disgusted by the idea of eating something like that, but I understood; I wasn't too fond of the idea either.
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I cautiously approached the carcass, anxiously watching the sky and the surroundings of the clearing. Luckily, nothing seemed to move. And I was facing the head of the beast that had served as the other bird's meal.
Its head was enormous. If I had to make a comparison, it was the size of a motorcycle but much thicker. Up close, I could see its scaly skin, which seemed terribly tough. If its skin was already that hard, how much tougher was its shell? And if the other creature managed to shatter it with such ease, how powerful was it? The more I thought, the more absurd it became.
But my current problem was how I would manage to cut its meat without a knife or any other sharp tool. I had to find a solution very quickly because scavengers wouldn't be long in feasting on such a banquet. I didn't want to know their size, what they looked like, and especially, I didn't want to become their meal.
Then an idea crossed my mind.
I started examining the pieces of shell that had been shattered in the fight to see which one could serve as a knife. It was a real mess. Its shell had been blown into a thousand pieces; even with shoes on, I had to be careful not to get hurt. Finally, I found a perfect piece for the task I had to accomplish and even more.
The piece of shell was as long as my forearm and was sharp enough, even if very irregular. In any case, I didn't have many options. I tore a piece of fabric from my t-shirt to cover the base of my future blade so I wouldn't hurt myself using it. But the fabric was too thin and tore. So, I decided to shape it to round off the base.
To do so, I took a stone from farther away and started rubbing, again and again, as fast as possible. Every passing second brought us closer to potential danger. But my efforts weren't in vain. Rubbing the two materials together created sparks. I was smiling so much I almost forgot the situation was critical.
Once the base was polished, I attached the fabric again, and everything was perfect. Now it was time to cut the meat.
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My shoes were soiled with the creature's blood; I could feel the liquid at the tips of my feet. It was an unpleasant sensation.
Once I reached the head, I targeted the neck. It seemed the most accessible area. Once my makeshift blade was in place, I started making back-and-forth motions, pressing very hard to penetrate the animal's flesh. It was difficult and exhausting, but it was cutting. I only needed a piece; as long as it allowed us to survive, it was fine.
Finally, after so much effort, I managed to cut off a fairly large portion that I could carry. It seemed to weigh 4 to 6 kilos; it was hard to describe. Now we had to get away from here as fast as possible.
But just as I was about to rejoin Raysley, I heard a noise from the other side. Startled, I almost dropped the meat but caught it just in time. I was ready to attack, or at least defend myself. I couldn't help but stare anxiously at the other side of the field.
Then I heard voices, human voices. From the other side, four people in armor were approaching.
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My heart was racing. If there was something more dangerous than a creature, it was a human. You can't trust just anyone.
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The shortest of their group approached us with his hands up as if to say we had nothing to fear. But I was still suspicious.
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Raysley tapped me on the back and looked at me with a smile.
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Finally, I lowered my weapon, but I was still just as wary. The meat was tiring to carry, so I cut a large leaf from a tree and placed it on top.
The three other armored people joined us in the meantime.
The one who had approached us, Karla, removed her helmet.
Their armor was made of white metal that seemed very sturdy. You could see some silver or gold patterns engraved on it. Even though the armors were similar, you could see differences in each, especially Karla's, which had a long cloth at her waist reaching down to her ankles and was red compared to her comrades, who were white.
Once she removed her helmet, her light brown face was easy to look at while her short, straight black hair floated freely in the air as if jubilant to breathe fresh air again. Her red eyes seemed to pierce the soul of anyone who looked at them, yet at the same time, they seemed terribly warm and concerned.
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The other two removed their helmets in turn. One had blood-red hair and a scar on his right eyebrow that went up to his forehead. His eyes were light brown. The other had brown hair tied back and a dark brown complexion. They were Estris and Hiyro. The last one, who was also the most imposing and didn't want to remove his helmet, was named Rayzo.
Each of these four knights had a weapon of choice:
· Karla had a simple longsword that seemed very sharp.
· Estris had a greatsword as wide as his back, which he carried easily. Even though he had an extraordinary build, I couldn't explain how he fought with it.
· Hiyro had twin blades; in length, they were barely shorter than my shell blade but had strange patterns engraved on their backs.
· Rayzo had a shield and an enormous hammer. The hammer had a flat head and a long spike at the back; the handle of his weapon was as tall as he was.
All their weapons had different patterns or symbols. I tried to understand how some could use their weapons, but I quickly gave up.
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Hiyro: <
Nico: <
Estris: <
Nico: <
They were very serious. Their words were about to make me crack. What do you mean, toxic?
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Karla: <
Hiyro: <
Estris: <>
Rayzo: <<....>>
Raysley: <
Nico: <>
Night was already beginning to fall. As a result, we needed to make a fire if we didn't want to be in complete dar