The shadow of the Death Swamps still clung to their clothes, but the air outside the gray veil was crisp and clean. June let out a long, weary sigh, her fingers fumbling with the straps of her leather armor.
It had loosened during the frantic run, the buckles rattling against her chest. She sat by a flat stone, pulling an arrow from her quiver to use the tip as a makeshift tool to re-tighten the leather.
Beside her, Blop stood like a statue, staring back at the dark tree line. He was trying to process the frantic pulses he had felt in the swamp—the way the trees had felt "hungry." His mind was a storm of new sensations, but his thoughts were cut short by June's voice.
"Let's collect some food.
Our berries won't last another day,"
she said, standing up and testing the fit of her armor. The sun was high, baking the valley in a relentless, dry heat. "You search for fruits. I'll handle the meat."
They split up. June moved through the brush with the quiet confidence of a master hunter. She found what she was looking for near an old oak: three fat rabbits huddling by a trunk. She crouched low, loading three arrows onto her darkwood bow at once. With a single, sharp breath, she released. The arrows whistled in unison, pinning all three targets before they could even twitch.
When she returned to their meeting spot, she found Blop waiting. He was holding a mountain of wild fruits and, to her shock, a heavy bee's nest dripping with golden honey. But it was the hollow bamboo stalk tucked into his pack that caught her eye.
"What's that?" she asked, pointing.
Blop struggled, his chest heaving as he tried to force the word out. "Wata... wate..."
"Water?" June's eyes widened. She took the bamboo, finding it filled to the brim with cool, clear spring water. She took a long, greedy drink, the liquid soothing her parched throat. "Good job, Blop. Seriously."
She gave him a thumbs up, a gesture that made Blop's chest swell with a strange, warm pressure. He handed her his shortsword so she could chop wood, and as the sun dipped below the horizon, they lit a fire.
The night was silent, save for the crackle of the flames. June roasted the rabbit meat on wooden skewers, but she chose to eat the fruit first. She sliced open a large, purple-skinned fruit Blop had found.
It was sweet, with a sharp, tart kick that made her eyes water. When she drizzled the fresh honey over it, the flavor exploded—a rich, floral sweetness that melted on her tongue.
"Oh, gods," she whispered, her mood instantly lifting. "I could die happy right now."
Blop watched her, his hunger gnawing at him. June pulled a golden-brown skewer from the fire and handed it to him. Blop took a bite, and the world seemed to stop.
It wasn't the raw, iron-tasting meat of a monster. This was soft, warm, and rich. He chewed slowly, marveling at the texture. He never knew that death could taste so... peaceful.
They ate until they were full, the firelight dancing in their eyes. For the first time, they didn't build a platform.
The joy of the meal and the exhaustion of the swamp had made them careless. They drifted into sleep right there on the grass.
The morning brought a rude awakening.
June opened her eyes and immediately saw Blop. He was staring at her, but something was very wrong. His face was covered in swollen, angry blue and purple blotches.
"Hahaha! Ahahaha!" June erupted into a fit of laughter, pointing at him. "What happened to your face? You look like a bruised plum!"
Blop didn't say anything. He simply pointed at her face. June's laughter died. She reached up, touching her own cheeks and forehead. They were lumpy and tender. The toxin-carrying parasites of the valley had feasted on them while they slept on the ground.
"How could I forget?" she groaned, her voice muffled by her swollen lips. "I'm an idiot! We're both idiots!"
They spent the next hour in miserable silence as the swelling slowly receded. Once they were presentable, they began the final trek toward the city. To keep their spirits up, June talked.
"In Narier, the food is incredible," she said, her eyes bright. "They give five days of free shelter to new arrivals. And the Guilds... we can find real work there. If you behave yourself, I'll even make you a barbeque."
Blop tilted his head. "Bar... be... que?"
"Meat, Blop. Cooked over a flame with spices and sauces that will make that rabbit taste like cardboard."
Blop's eyes lit up. The promise of better meat was the best motivation he had ever received. But as they approached a nearby lake, the forest went dead silent. No birds. No wind.
"Hey, stupid ass! Get back!" June screamed, sensing the shift.
A massive creature, twice the size of a man and covered in shimmering, translucent scales, lunged from the water. Blop dived to the left as the beast smashed the earth where he had been standing.
June fired three arrows in a heartbeat. They hit the creature's flank, but as she watched, its skin began to ripple and turn gray, hardening into something as tough as granite. Her next shot bounced off harmlessly.
"It's adapting!" June realized, her heart hammering. "Blop, move!"
Blop transformed his hands into the jagged, red-furred claws of the mutated wolf. He shredded the beast's side, leaving deep red gashes, but within seconds, the monster's flesh grew thick, leathery ridges that his claws couldn't penetrate.
It was learning their rhythm, evolving to counter every strike.
Think, June, think! she told herself. It adapts to what it feels. We need to hit it with something it can't anticipate.
"Blop! Run toward the big tree!" she yelled.
Blop didn't hesitate. He sprinted, the monster thundering behind him. "Jump now!" June shouted.
Blop leaped high into the branches. The monster, blinded by rage, charged forward and slammed its front leg directly into the bear trap June had hidden in the roots.
The steel teeth snapped shut. The monster roared, but it hadn't had time to harden its bone.
"Now! The eye!"
June fired a distracting shot while Blop dropped from the tree like a falling star.
He drove his hand—not his sword—straight into the creature's eye socket, his fingers pulsing with "glitch" energy as they reached the brain. He yanked his hand back, and the creature collapsed, its rapid evolution failing it at the moment of death.
As the dust settled, Blop didn't wait. He knelt and began to consume the creature's brain, looking for the source of its power.
"Eww! Don't eat that in front of me!" June cried, turning away in disgust. "That thing was at least a D+++ monster. You're going to give yourself a stomach ache."
Blop looked up, blood on his chin. "D... plus?"
June sighed, sitting by the edge of the lake.
"It's a rank, Blop. F is the bottom, S is the top. The pluses mean you're the best in that rank. You're getting stronger, but you still have a lot to learn."
She looked across the lake. The sun was setting, and for the first time, she could see the distant, glowing spires of Narier City.
"Tomorrow," she whispered. "No more monsters. Just the city."
They spent the evening cleaning the blood from their gear, the reflection of the city lights shimmering on the water like a promise.