Bab 107: Traversing the Desert (Pt 2)

***** Rudeus' POV *****

Eris consoled me as I vented my anxiety and frustration. For the past day, ever since I heard that Roxy was in trouble, my mind has been constantly racing from one possible disaster to another. The utter hopelessness I felt when Roxy died was threatening to overwhelm me once again.

Eris not only saved me from that succubus, she saved me from losing myself to despair. That's right. Roxy isn't the only person I need to protect.

"Thank you", I said, breaking the silence. "You do so much for me, I don't know how to repay you."

"You've done a lot for me too. You brought us all the way home from the Demon Continent."

Eris let go of her hug and sat down beside me so we could chat.

"I do feel a lot better, but, erm... maybe we should get dressed."

I'm not sure if it is a lingering effect from the Succubus or just the situation we are in, but I'm getting very excited once again. Looking at Eris sitting beside me in that state it took all my willpower to restrain myself. Perhaps Eris wouldn't even be against it, but I can't. Not right now with Roxy in danger.

Eris' face flushed red with embarrassment when I said that. She balled up her fist like she was going to punch me, but at the last moment decided not to.

"I'm going back to finish my bath!", she yelled as she stood up. "Don't bother me!"

The two of us rested in the shelter for a couple hours. Eris took a short nap after her bath. I also tried to get some sleep but every time I closed my eyes dark thoughts about Roxy in peril would start creeping into my mind.

We decided to continue our journey in the early afternoon. It was the hottest time of the day, but I cast melded magic of [Icicle Field] and [Wind Blast] to create a pocket of cool air around us as we traveled. The cool air still didn't protect Eris from the sun, so I gave her my hooded robe to wear while we traveled. My armor protected me from the intense sunlight and was also temperature regulated so I was fine with what I had.

We encountered a couple monsters during the day, but nothing we couldn't handle with ease. We didn't encounter nearly as many as the night before, it would seem that monsters here are much more active during the night.

By late afternoon we reached the large rock shelf that stretched across the horizon.

"What do we do now?", Eris questioned.

"Stand next to me, I'll lift us up."

Using gravity magic, I lifted the two of us into the air, aiming to set us down atop the edge of the rock shelf, about fifty meters high. Eris flailed her legs at first when being lifted. It was a little amusing seeing how uncomfortable she looked without having her footing. I couldn't help but smirk.

"I didn't take you for someone who would be afraid of heights."

*SMACK*

Eris punched me on the back of the head.

"I'm NOT afraid. It just felt weird!"

"Hey, don't hit me while I'm lifting us with gravity magic! Do you want me to accidentally drop you?"

Eris just glared at me with her arms crossed in front of her chest as I continued lifting us up.

Once we arrived at the top the two of us were greeted by a pair of Griffons. Before Eris even drew her blade the monsters were shot down by well placed [Electric] spells. The two of them fell to the ground, convulsing slightly from the paralyzing shock.

"Keep an eye out above us", I warned. "This huge rock shelf is a Griffon nesting ground. They're very territorial."

"I'll be careful... but these things look pretty weak."

"They shouldn't pose a problem for either of us. If we continue at the pace we've been running they probably won't even be able to keep up."

That's exactly what we did. The two of us ran at full speed and made it across the rock shelf in about four hours. Not a single Griffon was killed during the process. It would have been easy enough for us to kill any we came across, but that's not what we came here for. Plus, we're the invaders in their territory.

At the end of the rock formation we looked down to see a large lake glistening in the moonlight. The scene was a stark contrast to the desert we've been traveling through. The lake was surrounded with white-roofed buildings and vegetation. We'd reached the oasis city of Bazaar.

The city was surprisingly well lit considering how late at night it was. There were bonfires going all around. It almost looked like a festival fair back in my old world. The people of the city were all wearing turbans and wore a wide variety of brightly colored and patterned clothing. Eris and I must stick out like sore thumbs, especially me in my jet-black magic armor.

I decided to stash my armor away in some bushes on the outskirts of town. Even if someone were to find it, each piece weighed several hundred kilos. Even Zanoba couldn't lift the main chestplate. Additionally, I had several copies of the summoning scroll that would summon the armor back onto me at a moment's notice.

Watching everyone feasting around the bonfires got both of our stomachs growling soon enough. The two of us had only been eating dried meats from my traveling rations along the way and were both eager for a proper meal.

"Let's find a place to eat. We can rest here until morning."

"Are you sure?", Eris questioned. She knew how much of a hurry I was in, but we needed to take care of ourselves as well. I haven't slept at all since hearing the news about Roxy and we have been running at full speed for nearly twenty-four hours, with the exception of the small break we took this morning.

Truth be told, I was cautiously optimistic about the progress we've made so far. When I traveled with Elinalise it took us a full week to make it to Bazaar, but with Eris we made it in only a day.

"Yeah. I'm exhausted and I'm sure you've got to be tired as well."

"Phew!", Eris let out a loud sigh. "I could keep going but I guess a little rest wouldn't hurt."

Eris looked in much better shape after our second round of travel, likely because she was properly geared and I had used magic to make the environment more tolerable. I was more mentally exhausted than anything else. I felt like I could pass out at any moment.

"Hey, you two! You looking for a meal?"

A merchant approached us trying to make a sale.

"You know, that sounds good. We were just saying that we were getting hungry."

"What's he saying?", Eris questioned.

The people here spoke in Fighting-God tongue. I could understand most of them pretty well, other than those with a very thick accent.

"He's asking if we're hungry. He's a merchant."

"Yes! Tell him we are! I'm starving!"

Once we settled ourselves down on the carpet, the man reached his hand out expectantly.

"Gonna have to ask you to pay up front. That'll be three Cinsha."

'Oh shoot! That's right. It slipped my mind that they don't take Asura currency here.'

As if sensing my dilemma, one of the other patrons called over to the merchant that he would pick up our tab. The man who covered our bill approached us and reached out for a handshake. He was tall and muscular, had a tattoo covering his face, and wore an eyepatch over his left eye.

"We don't see many mages too often in these parts. Nice to meet you. The name's Balibadom."