Loud shouts reverberated through the forest, along with the frenzied cries of goblins, their screams like those of children fleeing a grim reaper.
[Brea absorbed a Goblin's soul]
[EXP: +1]
[Brea absorbed a (Tier 1) Goblin's soul]
[EXP: +10]
Constant pings echoed within Luka's mind, almost making it unbearable to live, so he muted the pings, leaving a small visual flicker in the corner of his gaze.
His eyes scanned the small blue experience indicator, which ticked upward slowly with each Unranked and Tier One kill.
'At the current rate of her slaughtering them, I should reach level five in an hour or so.'
"Sounds like she's having quite the time of her life..." Luvia mumbled while standing to Luka's left to avoid splashing herself with the corrupted lake water when running.
"Well, Templars don't fight like normal people." He glanced back at the pillar of light ascending through the darkness. "She can still cast blessings despite being cast out by the order. What a talented woman."
'Though...'
That also meant the Templar knew of her talents and still discarded her from their ranks. There was no chance those inflexible zealots would let her reign free forever.
'Somehow I don't like this strange bubble I am trapped within...'
Luka shook his head while chewing the inside of his lip and mulling over the chances this was another thread of fate he couldn't escape.
"This doesn't feel natural..."
A Templar.
A Princess.
A High Elf.
A Dark Elf.
and he himself.
"W-What did you say? Sorry, I was a little distracted..."
Because he didn't exist or ask Galatea about the details of the crushing defeat humanity suffered at the hands of the fallen in his first life.
Which meant he lacked critical information about who had existed in the past and about any manipulation that had occurred.
'Only Father knows of my rebirth and the fact I exist.'
Although preoccupied by the negative thoughts surrounding him, he continued down the path.
"Nothing, Luvia, follow me, we must get to the centre before the sun rises, otherwise everything will be for nothing."
He could have ignored this and just killed goblins to reach level seven at least before needing to take a short rest. Maybe it wasn't just his lust or pride that awakened when he died a second time, but greed.
Luka took Luvia's delicate hand and rubbed her faint calluses.
Her body trembled slightly at his touch before slowly calming down. "Let's go." He called out as he increased his pace, trying to rush through the thick vegetation and hanging greenery that blocked their path.
...
Luka and Luvia eventually found themselves reaching a dense part of the forest with little sign of exploration. Thick overgrown trees and mutated shrubbery blocked various paths, along with large boulders he couldn't dream of moving.
However, all was not lost.
The path eventually spread into an animal trail, winding downhill.
"What kind of animals do you think live this deep in the forest?" Luvia asked while shuffling through the sticky mud beneath their feet.
"Hmmm, maybe some rabbits?"
He had no clue about wildlife or animals; the most he knew was that pork tasted salty, beef was delicious, and he enjoyed the tenderness of chicken.
"Rabbits with prints this size?"
She squatted, revealing a glimpse of silver before quickly closing her thighs. "Stop staring, you damn pervert. I bet you planned for this to happen..."
"Yes, of course I did..." He'd helped her break free of the world's constraints, to use her skills with almost unlimited freedom as long as she had the energy and stamina to do so. Yet she complained that she could not hide her clothes.
'Well, she's able to hide my mantle for some reason.'
He watched as she pulled the black mantle around her figure, then sniffed it a few times, a stupid smile growing on her lips.
"Okay, so what prints are those from?"
They were long and thin, much like a rabbit's, which is why Luka wanted to believe it was something simple that wouldn't cause an issue.
Luka glanced towards the southwest; it wasn't far now.
His flesh tensed with a continuous dull throb that became more aggressive the closer they came to the source of the Miasma.
"Hmmm..." Luvia swept her fingers over the mud before a faint amber shimmer lit the edges of her eyes, much like the green of Vaun's elven sight.
The corrupted dark elves lost the forest's divine blessing.
Instead, they developed a slightly inferior version of their elven counterparts, but also managed to copy the dwarves' ability to assess any earth for its mineral content and the location of precious ore veins.
"How can this be?!" She exclaimed, looking up at Luka. "There's no monster I'm aware of that could make this footprint. It's similar to a rabbit. But there's no rabbit with back feet this big!"
"Yeah, although I said that at first, I agree."
He remembered that most rabbits lived on the fields and plains of Babylon. Would a rabbit choose to throw itself into the habitat of goblins and/or orcs to become food?
Maybe they didn't even have that level of intellect.
"Let's follow it, but from this point on, don't leave stealth. Even for a second! If you find your muscles starting to ache, burn, or experience a sense of emptiness in your abdomen, tell me immediately!"
Luka drew the replica Oblivion and slashed the overhanging vines and green moss blocking their way. Then he offered his hand to the squatting dark elf, while gazing towards the dark descent ahead of them.
"Y-Yeah..."
Luvia glanced up at her before lowering her face and reluctantly taking his hand.
"W-Why does my chest feel strange..."
'What is she muttering about? She's not having a heart attack or something, right?'
Oblivious to the changes in their dynamic, the pair dragged through the oversized trail created by the mysterious creature.
The southern part of the forest was horrid.
Whether it be the soppy mud that clung to their feet, sucking them deeper with each step, or the overgrown flora, which reeked of sour milk and tar while appearing to reach out to them like a human's arms seeking warmth and attention.
One metre became ten and ten became a hundred.
They followed step by step, shuffling, cutting down anything that approached. As the choking smog grew too thick, their words stopped. Though not all bad, because Luvia could now wear a face wrap and cloth boots without breaking stealth.
'It's almost like she's avoiding the important parts on purpose...'
In a world of silence, a gentle flash of text was all that kept Luka from going insane.
[Brea absorbed a (Tier 1) Goblin's soul]
[EXP: +10]
Followed by a pleasant jingle that scared him out of his wits.
[You have Levelled up!]
[Gained 10 Bonus Attribute Points]
[Sin Energy Increased: 176 --> 186]
[The Unholy sword Oblivion has reached Level 5]
[Range of Soul Absorption: 150m (1500m in Lord's own territory)]
[Life Steal: +5%]
[Sin Regeneration: +50%]
[Swordsmanship: +2 Levels]
And just like old wives said, all good things come in threes.
He stepped out of the tight passage, slipping from a sudden drop and sliding down the muddy wall into a massive basin in the centre of the forest.
"Ahhhh!"
His voice leaked and echoed as he spread his arms to maintain balance.
"Wooooo!"
Soaring down the incline beside him, the Dark Elf seemed in her element as she lowered her hips and spread her legs slightly to increase drifting speed. "Come on, Luka!" Her face beamed while glancing back at him.
'I can't lose to her!' He grumbled.
Then, immediately mimicking her pose, the moment he did, his body flew down the greasy track like a melting ice cube down a slope.
Swish~
Eventually, they flew into a sudden ledge they hadn't noticed, and both parties went airborne, rotating. Luvia's mantle floated up, revealing everything, while Luka reached out and dragged the elf into his arms.
He could absorb almost any damage. Using his Miasma, he enveloped them in a warm, soothing magenta glow.
The fall was around five metres at most, dropping into a massive crater.
Thud!
"Ugh, what's this softness..." Luka landed on his back, momentarily stunned. He squeezed something that weighed down on his chest. It felt familiar; his fingers sank into the squishy object as he tightened his grasp.
"Mm... don't....not here..."
Luvia's sweet hum woke him up instantly.
She was sitting on his chest with beads of sweat dripping from her plump peach as it swayed inches from his face, but the situation was too dangerous even to admire it.
"Luvia, hurry back into stealth, now!" He snarled.
The dark elf hurriedly snapped out of her daze and tumbled off him, dissipating into the shadows with a slight huff.
Luka rolled in the mud, covering himself as he placed both palms against the earth and glared at the strange green object pulsing in the distance.
His eyes remained fixed on the strange seed several hundred metres away in the centre of the crater. It hummed faintly, causing the hairs on Luka's skin to raise; his chest thumped with an irregular beat as if something inside was calling out to him.
'This is bad, this isn't what I imagined!'
He peeked at Luvia from the corner of his eye, but she remained perfectly fine.
'Eh?'
It didn't make sense.
Why didn't the strange seed affect her?!
Luka began to organise his thoughts, what happened, what they did, but the only thing he could consider was that her Miasma was the same colour as the seed.
'Is it that simple?!'
He had a hunch but lacked the time to test it.
"Luvia, hurry and focus on learning Stealth again!"
"Wha?!"
"Hurry, sit down and focus yourself like before... aim to master your skill completely! As I taught you, use your breathing to cycle the Miasma through your womb, around your limbs and into your muscles and bones!"
She looked at him like a deer facing a cavalry of hunters.
But, upon his request, she nodded.
Luvia removed all her clothes and sat, bare butt to the mud and crossed her legs.
Then she began to chant mnemonics.
"I am the everlasting shadow, in darkness I am without equal, there is no light that can penetrate my depths, Night is my domain..."
'This damn woman..."
"Is it working?!"
He quickly turned back to the seed, which began to stir; the green aura intensified, and small slits in the seedling started to grow, as if preparing to germinate.
All he cared about was the flow of Miasma that danced through the air, creating vapour trails as it flowed into Luvia's body.
She was absorbing the stream of Miasma at a startling rate.
[Luvia's Corruption: +1]
[Luvia's Corruption: +1]
[Luvia's Corruption: +1]
[Luvia's Corruption: +1]
[....]