Bab 42: Blood

After the flames died down, he saw the bear's corpse curled into a ball, and it was charcoal black.

Walking over to it, he punched it, causing it to crumble into dust. Staring at this scene, he felt excited because he had unlocked Dragon's Breath.

Shaking his head, he continued but was interrupted by more cannibals screaming.

''Meat, Meat.''

''Kill.''

He got annoyed again as he summoned his Cosmic Sword and killed the two cannibals running at him.

While he stared at the bodies, he mumbled to himself. ''Annoying.''

Looking at the setting sun, he decided to sleep in his Domain to avoid getting into more conflicts with the cannibals at night. ''Fuck that.''

Archer entered and made his way to the cottage. He was wondering if the cannibals worshipped any of the gods. ''I wonder if those weirdos worship anyone.''

Archer started walking up the wooden bridge as he continued talking.''There are gods and goddesses in this world; I wonder if the earth had gods, but if there were, why do they hide, unlike in this world?''

''I know there's the Goddess of Dragon's Tiamat and head Goddess Ziena, but that's all.''

After talking, he went to a bedroom, stripped of his clothes, and jumped into bed.

He was refreshed and ready to escape this hell hole the following day. Archer got up and put his clothes back on while casting Cleanse on himself.

Taking out some orcish bacon and dwarven bread, he ate the food as he left and returned to the jungle.

Exiting the portal, his Aura Detector didn't alert him to anything, so he continued on his way.

Walking through the jungle, jumping over fallen trees, and slapping away horrible bugs, trying to bite his exposed skin. Thanks to his scales, he didn't get a bit much.

Archer had been traveling through the dense and lush jungle for hours; he was finally fed up with all this walking, so he used his Draconic Form.

All his dragon features appeared as he leaped into the air, and his wings started flapping.

Bursting through the jungle canopy like a rocket, he soared over the treetops while slashing the branches that got in his way.

But what met his eyes as he stopped mid-air and started to hover in the air, all he could see was a vast expanse of woodlands stretching out before him.

The change in terrain was a welcome sight, and he eagerly flew towards it. As he approached the woodlands, he saw smoke rising miles away.

Curiosity got the better of him, and he flew towards the source until he spotted a clearing with a large fire burning at its center.

Three people were milling around the campsite, tending to the flames or cooking food over the heat. Archer landed on a nearby branch, observing the two people from a safe distance.

Noticing that they were dressed in unconventional clothing, the style was that of the Middle East on earth.

Their weapons were unlike any he had seen before. The people seemed wary of their surroundings, looking up frequently as if anticipating an attack. ''They are on guard against the cannibals; I have to get closer.''

Archer started leaping from branch to branch until he got close enough to hear what they were saying.

''Damn the King, why did he send us here? We were only meant to guard the Western border against the Nethania Kingdom, not search for a boy that the church wants.''

The man he was talking to replied. ''Well, he wants to conquer the Nethanians to connect the east and west to block the Kheesara kingdom from the northern trade routes.''

When Archer heard what the men said, he launched himself at the first man.

WOOSH!~

Landing on the man's back and slamming him to the ground, the other man panicked and went for his weapon, but Archer wouldn't allow that and pierced right through the human's chest with his tail.

Lifting the second soldier's body, he brought it closer and ripped out his heart as he threw the body to one side.

The one he landed on watched this in horror as he started trembling before he realized who the boy was. ''I-I-I-t's you.''

Archer nodded as he brought one claw to the human's eye. ''What were you talking about?''

The soldier stutters out. ''The K-k-king wants you for the church. They are on their way here now.''

Looking at the man with an evil smile. ''When will they arrive, and who's this king you speak of?''

The man calmed down a little, seeing the boy didn't want to kill him. ''King Isar Kheesara of the Kheesara Kingdom has a good relationship with the Church Of Light, so he called upon them to hunt you.''

Archer was happy he encountered these two, so he continued questioning him. ''You were guarding the border. Where is the closest town or village?''

''Zalat village, a two-day journey to the west, that way.'' The soldier spoke.

He pointed to the right as Archer stabbed him through the chest with his tail, instantly killing him.

Cutting out the three hearts, he stored them alongside the three gold coins and two hundred silver coins he found on the men.

Finishing his work, he jumped into the air, flapping his wings.

Archer flew west until the sunset, he found a branch to sleep on so he landed on it, dismissing his Draconic Form before pulling out some meat wraps and started eating as he settled down.

The flight wore him out, so he wanted to sleep. He started watching the stars and wondered how Talila was doing. It's been weeks since he had seen her.

While he was thinking about a certain dark elf, a beast smelt the meat and slowly approached the tree.

Aura-Detector quickly activated warning him about the beast creeping up on him, Archer was shocked as he quickly looked down.

His eyes widened when he saw the tiger-looking beast climbing up the tree towards him.

He pointed his hand while casting Plasma Shot at the beast, burning a hole right through the thing's head.

Falling to the floor with a thud, Archer scanned the area and didn't sense anything else. He couldn't smell any beasts either.

Settling back down, he nodded off. Archer suddenly stood on the edge of a cliff, looking out over a vast blue ocean, and the girl he loved was standing beside him.

They held hands and gazed out over the water, lost in the moment. But suddenly, without warning, Alexa released his hand and walked away, back towards the land.

Archer called out to her, pleading to return, but she didn't turn around. She just kept walking, her back disappearing into the horizon.

He ran after her, his heart pounding, desperate to catch up to her. But no matter how fast he ran, Alexa kept getting further and further away until she was nothing but a silhouette in the distance.

Reaching the edge of the land and looking out over the ocean, tears streamed down his face.

He knew that she was gone forever, and he was left heartbroken. Archer's breathing was heavy as he slowly opened his eyes.

The nightmare that he had been experiencing was still fresh in his mind, and his heart was racing.

Archer looked around but soon realized he was no longer standing at the edge of a cliff.

Instead, he was surrounded by the beauty of the woodlands. The sun was beginning to rise, and the soft glow of morning filtered through the trees.

Leaves were rustling gently in the breeze. Birds were starting to sing their morning songs. Taking a deep breath, he felt a sense of calm wash over him.

Archer sat up as he looked around at his surroundings, marveling at the beauty of the woodlands.

The trees towered high above him, their branches reaching the sky. The leaves were vibrant shades of green, and the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of wildflowers.

Getting up and stretching he summoned his wings and tail as he jumped off the branch, flying that way all last night caused him to be tired.

While thinking about the wings, he guessed that the more he used them, the better he would get. Flying above the woodlands, he stopped as he wanted to take in the view, so he hovered in the air.

Behind him was the jungle and woodlands he came out of. But the terrain in front of him revealed a breathtaking landscape stretching for miles.

The river itself serves as a life-giving artery, winding through the land like a ribbon of blue.

The delta at the river's mouth is a marvel to behold, a vast network of channels, lagoons, and marshes that have developed over millennia, providing a fertile home to a vast diversity of wildlife.

The banks of the river are lined with emerald-green vegetation, which serves as a stark contrast to the arid deserts that stretch out on either side.

The grassland desert, shimmering in the sunlight, provides the scene with otherworldly beauty.

Ancient dunes rise and fall away across the horizon, their ridges and valleys etched in intricate patterns by the wind.

The occasional oasis breaks up the endlessness of the desert, its lush palms and vegetation starkly contrasting the barren terrain surrounding it. ''Reminds me of the River Nile.''

Villages and settlements are dotted far in the distance. Archer smelt a heavy copper smell that he was very familiar with.

''Blood.''