'A Relic?'
Lune's eyes widened at the sound. Relics were magical items that could only be obtained by killing monsters… or humans. They were immensely powerful. Even the weakest Relic far surpassed any weapon humans could forge.
Without wasting a second, he opened his status and focused on the new item.
[Scavenger's Glaive]
[Crafted with desperation, the weapon provides-]
He gave the description a quick glance before closing the window. He wasn't interested in the weapon's history, at least not right now.
Now, he just wanted to see a Relic for the first time in his life.
He stretched out his arm and focused on the weapon's name. As he did, a sudden energy burst from within him, and in an instant, a long glaive materialised in his grasp. It was made of dark, ragged wood and used a sharpened beak, identical to the one of the bird he had killed, as its blade.
"Lighter than it looks," he noted as he swung it a couple of times.
The good thing was that he had a weapon. The bad thing was that he had no idea how to use it.
He'd never used a glaive, or a spear, or... well, any weapon at all.
A sword, he could maybe imagine, but this?
A slight frown appeared on his face as he clumsily swung the weapon in awkward, useless arcs.
'This… will take some time.'
Then his focus shifted to his shoulder. The wound was still bleeding, though it seemed to be slowing. He grimaced at the ugly sight, then forced his gaze forward. There was still nothing in sight.
Not wanting to waste more time, he continued onward, pushing himself through the desert. The pain in his shoulder lingered, and so did the foul taste in his mouth. The sun, despite descending, still beat down relentlessly.
But worst of all was the thirst. A dizzying haze started to cloud his mind, but he didn't have long to bask in that unawareness, as a sudden shriek snapped him back to the present.
His gaze shot upward to see two more vulture-like creatures hanging in the sky. Whether they were drawn by the smell of blood or the death of their kin, he wasn't sure, and it didn't matter. They snapped their wings and dove down toward him.
'Damn it!'
Without skipping a beat, he summoned his new Relic. The dark wood felt foreign in his hand, but he paid it no mind and squeezed his grip in anticipation.
He awkwardly pivoted to the side, tumbling across the sand as the first beak stabbed the space he'd just occupied. But without giving him a moment to adjust, the second bird was already on him.
Lune swung the glaive in a wild, desperate arc.
Luckily, perhaps due to the bird's lack of intelligence or his own sheer desperation, the blade connected. Dark liquid sprayed from the vulture as the glaive tore across its torso. The creature shrieked and fell, the wound too deep for it to recover.
[You have slain a White Stage, Dormant Monster: Crimson Vulture.]
Before the announcement could even finish, the second bird lunged.
Lune moved just in time to block the creature's beak with the shaft of his weapon. He stumbled backwards, the bird on top of him, its weight driving him down as its beak scraped against the dark wood. Its wings flapped violently, pushing with terrifying force.
After a short, straining struggle of him trying to shove the creature off and the vulture trying to force its beak past the shaft, he finally managed to break free. The bird fell on its side, scrambling quickly before lunging at him once more, but this time, Lune was ready.
He thrust his glaive forward with all his strength.
The sharp, beak-like blade connected, slicing just deep enough across the bird's neck. The vulture collapsed onto him, its thick blood spraying over his face and chest.
The oversized bird tried to lift its beak one last time, its wings giving a final, spasmodic flap before its body went still.
[You have slain a White Stage, Dormant Monster: Crimson Vulture.]
Lune allowed his head to fall onto the sand, taking in painful, ragged breaths. His muscles screamed for rest, his body yearned for water, his mind begged for sleep. But he pushed through.
With a painful groan, he pushed the bird off himself and looked around.
There were still no landmarks on the horizon, nothing to stride toward. The only thing around him was sand, and two dead vultures sprawled across that very same sand.
His thoughts drifted to his quest, the Temple of the Hollow God.
'How the hell am I supposed to find a temple in a place where there's nothing but sand?'
Frustration grew like a hot coal in his chest. But as much as he wanted to give up, he wouldn't. He wasn't about to let the place that killed his mother claim him, too.