The journey toward Narier City began with the grueling rhythm of the Arorikund Valley. They walked for hours, the uneven terrain testing Blop's newly formed joints.
June moved with a predator's grace, but even she couldn't predict the sky. The clouds bruised into a deep purple, and a violent rainstorm broke, the drops hitting like cold gravel.
"We need cover," June grunted, her eyes scanning the jagged cliffs.
They scrambled toward a gaping maw in the rock. As they crossed the threshold, the air grew heavy and stagnant. June's blood ran cold. A dungeon entrance.
The rain was a solid wall behind them.
"Waiting is a waste of time," she muttered, looking at the dark depths. "We'll be soaked to the bone and frozen by morning if we stay at the mouth. We go in." She looked at Blop, who was staring at the rain with wide, curious eyes. "Hey. Follow me."
As they descended, the darkness swallowed them. Then, a sound. A low, guttural growl that vibrated through the stone floor. June instantly pressed herself against a jagged rock, pulling Blop down with a sharp signal.
From the gloom emerged a Mutated Dire Wolf. It was a horror of evolution—its fur was a deep, bloody crimson, matted and thick as iron plate. Its jaws looked capable of snapping steel. June knew their scent was masked by the storm outside, but they were blocking its path.
"Blop," she whispered, her mind racing through her limited inventory. She pulled out a heavy chain and a rusted bear trap. "Attack on my mark."
Blop lunged. He swung his sword, but the blade sang as it bounced off the wolf's red hide. The beast was a blur of muscle, dodging Blop's follow-up and snapping its jaws around his hand. Bone cracked.
Blop felt the white-hot flash of pain, but instead of retreating, he leaned into the agony. His right hand rippled, flesh turning into jagged, black claws. He lashed out, tearing a patch of red fur from the beast's throat, exposing the pale skin beneath.
Twang! June's arrow buried itself in the exposed meat. The wolf recoiled, its movements becoming sluggish.
"The neck!" June shouted, tossing the heavy chain. "Their nerves shut down if you hit the cervical spine! Chain it!"
Blop caught the iron links. He dived forward, looping the chain around the wolf's throat. With a roar of effort, he hauled the beast toward a specific shadow. "Jump!" June screamed.
Blop leaped into the air, using his momentum to jerk the chain. The wolf lunged forward to regain its balance—and stepped directly into the bear trap June had set in the dark.
The steel teeth slammed shut, shattering the wolf's leg. It was over. June stepped forward and finished it with a final arrow to the brain.
Silence returned, broken only by the sound of Blop tearing into the wolf's leg. He ate with a ravenous, biological need, his wounds knitting together as he consumed the meat.
"Eww, no," June gagged as Blop offered her a mangled limb. "I'm a vegetarian. And even if I weren't... I'm not eating a mutated corpse."
She watched him, her eyes narrowing. He's strong, but his battle IQ is non-existent. He's just a heap of power with no direction.
They pushed further, discovering a dead-end filled with the wolf's "treasures"—scraps from fallen adventurers. June's eyes lit up. She found a darkwood recurve bow, far superior to her own, and tossed a shimmering, light shortsword to Blop.
"Here," she said. "Sharper. Lighter. Don't lose it."
An hour after the rain stopped, they found a river. The water was crystalline and biting cold. June sighed, feeling the grime of the cave on her skin. She waded in, swimming with a focused intensity to wash away the day's blood.
Blop watched her, then mimicked the action, placing his sword down and stepping in. The instant the cold hit his core, he scrambled out like a scalded cat, shivering.
June climbed out twenty minutes later, clutching the leather armor she'd found.
"Oyy. Turn around," she said with a sarcastic snap of her fingers.
Blop obeyed, facing the trees while she dressed. "Okay, let's move."
The sun began to dip, painting the canopy in gold. June's stomach was a void. She had survived on dry bread for months and was desperate for something sweet. She found a fruit tree, but it was barren.
"I'm going to go crazy," she whispered, leaning her head against the trunk.
Then she saw Blop. He was standing by a cluster of low bushes, popping small, dark spheres into his mouth. Berries.
"How did I forget those are edible?"
she muttered, walking over. She tasted one; the burst of sugar was like a miracle.
She began harvesting them into her pockets, a small smile finally breaking her noble mask.
As night fell, June took command of the camp.
"We don't sleep on the dirt," she told Blop. "The insects here carry paralysis toxins."
She led him in lashing branches together to create a platform three feet off the ground. Underneath, she raked the dying coals of their fire.
As they sat by the embers, Blop pulled out the remaining raw wolf meat. June watched him, a hidden shiver of shock running through her. Monster meat was notorious—poisonous to most, and the muscle fibers were like chewing on old rope unless boiled for a day. Yet Blop ate it raw, his jaw snapping through the "unbeatable" meat as if it were soft fruit.
"You really are a monster," she let out a short, dry laugh. "But with the lowest IQ I've ever seen. Go to sleep."
She climbed onto the platform and collapsed into a deep sleep. Blop finished his meal, feeling his energy swell. He climbed up beside her, staring at the warm coals beneath them.
She is a genius, Blop thought. The way she had used the trap, the way she knew the wolf's weakness, and even this—using the coals to heat the bed from below. It was common knowledge to her, but to Blop, it was a masterclass in survival.
He looked at June, a deep sense of admiration filling his mind. He was a creature of power, but she was a creature of mind. He closed his eyes, his last thought being that he still had so much to learn from her.