Total silence, and it was jarring. Perhaps, the crickets were still chirping, but Kody couldn't hear that. What he could hear was his heart, beating faster with every passing second as if it was about to leap out of his chest.
He hadn't felt anything before, but now that he knew, he could feel it. The eyes that were locked on him; the breath of a monster on his neck.
It could very well be a hallucination. If it was though, then he wasn't the only one experiencing it.
Everyone's hands had inched closer to their weapons, except for Aphena, who seemed unmoved by the revelation—A facade? Most likely—and her butler who didn't have one.
The silence was brutally shattered by Aphena snapping her fingers.
In an instant, everyone jolted back, and that unreasonable fear in their heart dispersed, albeit only a little bit.
"None of that matters," she declared in her commanding tone. "We do everything as planned, attack the pack, clear a path, and reach the nest."
However, not everyone seemed as invested as she was. "Miss Aphena, I–I doubt that would be possible, even if we remove our limiters. I think it's best we–we back out now."
Limiters? Kody questioned in his mind.
"Whether it is possible or not shouldn't be your concern. Your concern should be on how to handle the upcoming battle. We move in the afternoon, when the sun is at its peak."
Now everyone was immediately put off and started complaining.
"So soon, that won't work."
"Wait–wait a minute, that's not possible."
"Yeah, we haven't even rested from yesterday's battle."
She ignored them all. "If what Dishon said is true, then it's best to attack right now. If we wait any longer then we'll be the ones getting attacked."
"Our chances are quite low. I know this mission is important to you, but it might be best to back out on this one," Alto whispered beside her.
"I have a plan, trust me," she replied inaudibly. Turning to the others, she continued "We still have a few hours, remove your limiters and get used to the new power within that time."
She manifested a few pills and handed them around. "Eat this, it'll help you get rid of the limiter."
They accepted the pill with complaints at the tip of their tongue, but everyone knew that when the lady planned to do something, she would always do it.
"Dagon, like usual you'll be in charge of Kody in this mission," Aphena said, as Dagon threw the pill into his mouth.
He nearly choked when he heard her orders. After a few coughs, he finally got the pill down his throat. He threw a shocked look at Aphena and said, "You can't possibly be planning to bring that kid on this mission, he'll die before he knows it."
"I feel I made myself very clear; you'll be in charge of Kody during this mission, Do you understand?"
"Bu–but…Yes, I understand." Dagon let out a sigh as he tried to stabilize the power building up within him.
As much as it thought it to be meaningless to bring Kody into the battlefield, he wouldn't risk going against Aphena's orders. Besides, her orders were always on point in the end.
The kid was observant, but he doubted he would survive something of this scale.
The energy flowing out of his limiter soon got so overwhelming that he had to focus entirely on controlling it.
Kody watched as everything played out, and in the end, each of them took the pills despite their objections. In truth, he would rather not go with them; he would rather skip this one, but after eavesdropping on Aphena and Dagon's conversation he doubted that was an option.
Aphena walked to him as everyone was busy removing their limiter. She stood beside him with her back against the wall.
"You're coming with us," she said, not leaving any room for arguments.
Kody nodded, signifying his willingness.
Stretching her hands into the air, a necklace appeared in her hand.
"Turn around," she whispered and Kody complied after a moment of hesitation.
She then opened the necklace and placed it on his neck. Her skin brushed against his neck and Kody shivered as he felt her breath. They were close, too close for comfort, and Alto, meditating in the corner, flashed him a frown.
With a small click, the necklace was fixed on his neck.
___
Would you like to use item [Lucky Charm]
Yes No
Kody stared at the screen, a bit surprised. The last thing he expected was to receive another gift although he didn't know what this one was about.
His gaze landed on [Lucky Charm], and after a while, another screen popped up.
[Lucky Charm], when used, grants the trait [Fortunate].
[Fortunate] Congratulations, there's now a high chance that that spell will miss you by a centimeter—maybe. But don't celebrate just yet, this won't save you on the second spell.
Remember, for good luck to shine, you must be swimming in bad luck.
"Use it, you'll need it," Aphena whispered into his ear.
His eyes locked onto the 'Yes,' and the screen immediately changed.
____
Host has gained a trait [Fortunate]
____
"It's a gift from me; a thank you for saving me."
What the hell is she talking about?
Just as Kody was about to turn back and ask what she meant by 'Saving me' Alto appeared and whispered something into her ears.
Her expression immediately turned serious as she followed him into the tent, not sparing Kody another glance.
Kody watched her disappear and all he could do was sigh as the torrent of events that he found himself in the middle of kept sweeping him around.
Right now everyone was busy, so all he could do was practice the few techniques he had learnt back on earth.
After more than a while the others started getting up and Kody could barely recognize them.
Their auras had changed so drastically and anyone could tell.
None of them even glanced his way, except for Dagon, who sighed at him. They all left the cave one by one to test out their new strength.
The sound of chaos erupted, and from within the cave, Kody could see the damage they had done to the forest. Their strength level had definitely increased.
Not long after, he got bored with watching them train and just stared at the roof of the hollow cave, reminiscing about his time in the underground facilities. The good 'ol days, not that he could remember much of them.
Time soon passed and the Sun reached its peak. Everyone gathered back at the cave, brimming with confidence.
Aphena was the last to arrive, leaving her tent with sturdy footsteps.
"It seems everyone is ready, good."
She picked up her sword, still in its sheath, and hung it on her waist.
"Let the operation begin."
The entire crew, with Kody lagging behind, walked out of the cave and headed for the Wyvern's Nest.
And so, with Aphena leading them, the group of adventurers—and their normal friend—embarked on their grand quest.
[Author's note: Ten power stones and I'll post an extra chapter today.]