But Northern held through, although times that he managed to get a glimpse of how Night Terror was doing made him perceive himself to be utterly weak.
The monster was not barely escaping the claws and teeth of Corpse Eaters like he was.
Night Terror was bring a menance and nothing more. In fact, it seemed to be having more fun than usual.
Northern gritted his teeth, feeling a rush of adrenaline course through his veins, as he was being motivated to do better by the a terrifying monster that once tried to kill him.
‘Damnit! What am I even doing?’ The question bore down a weight on Northern’s mind, almost threatening to slow his movement as a monster closed in.
But Northern twirled the silver stiletto and twisted his waist, slipping past the hoisted onslaught of the crude critter.
He buried the stiletto behind its neck and with another twist separated its body as the onyx blade cut across the air in a torrent of black gore.
<You have…>
[You have slain a Disastrous Savage: Corpse Eater!]
[You have gained +4 talent fragments!]
Northern watched the monster’s body crumple to thr ground with a condescending gaze.
He averted his eyes and looked down at the ever consistent panel.
‘Is it me or did the system sound energetic than usual?’
Having spent so much time with both voices in his head. Northern could easily tell if there was a slight change in their tone.
Since it has always been the same old same old since the teleportation.
Meanwhile Night Terror was already done and getting tired of waiting for him.
The monster shook its head dejectedly, and with a shrug turned around then began to venture forward.
“You bastard! I’m only a walker you know! Among your rank that is just like being a fiend! Damnit don’t ignore me!”
Northern shouted as he walked behind.
After that last horde, the Corpse Eaters stopped coming. Northern could feel their murderous intent. It was strong and came from almost all sides of the darkness.
But now, the duo had managed to instill enough fear in them that nothing they do can make them have the flesh and bones of this ones.
‘Still, I guess this is easier because they rather eat corpses instead of live beings?’
That would make more sense… since this was a land infested by the madness of war, in this ecosystem it was only right that there should be those that sit at the bottom of the food chain.
These Corpse Eater are monsters that feed on the matted bodies, reminiscent of battles.
To put it in a way, he would say…
‘…vultures…’
Northern threw a fierce glance at one of them and could feel it hurriedly retreat deeper into the darkness.
A smile curled up through the corner of his lips.
‘I am feared’ He whispered internally.
Then a couple more minutes or hours? of walk, Northern and Night Terror got to the base of the mountain he was looking at before they entered the forest.
Northern’s eyes narrowed.
‘Wait what?!… calm down North. It can’t be, no way this monster would be suggesting for us to climb the mountain!’ He scoffed.
Northern looked around, the place was rocky and sloppy but it was prim and proper, void of any critter, at least for now.
He nodded and uttered:
“I supposed this is to be where we will stay for a while?”
Immediately, Night Terror gave him a look of absurdity, one that made its hideous face more hideous.
The monster silently turned and pointed upward.
Northern followed Night Terror’s hand.
“What you want us to use that upper part… there’s no big deal. Since I’ve never seen rain fall in this place, I don’t think that should be an issue”
He said as he trudged forward.
Night Terror’s eyes creased into a frustrated frown, the monster hurried forward and stopped Northern, placing its hands on his shoulder.
Then it pointed forward again.
At that moment, Northern’s brows furrowed into an austerely grim frown.
He looked back at Night Terror and grunted, his tone tinging with anger.
“What? You want us to climb?”
Night Terror removed its hand from Northern’s shoulder, shrugged and began to walk forward.
Northern watched as the terror’s back went away from him. With a grit of his teeth and an powerful shout:
“AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”
He launched himself forward and getting to a distance, he stepped and flew into the air, wedging a kick towards the monster from above.
Night Terror sidestepped the attack but luckily Northern’s balance was not off.
So he managed to land on one knee.
‘Crappy shit’
Northern gnarled. He had at least thought he was going to land a single surprise attack on the monster.
‘Maybe, I shouldn’t have shouted’
Night Terror was an element of surprise itself, unless he could outperform such element, he was still eons far from catching the terror off guard.
As Northern raised his head, a frown creased down on his forehead.
Towered above him, a creature stood with four glowing crimson eyes looking down with a strangely familiar condescending gaze.
‘This bastard! Did it really see me when I did that’
Northern ate his shame and stood up like nothing in order to avoid going deeper into the topic.
He whistled forward without looking back.
‘This bastard just wants to rub it in my face how weak I am… crap! I want to get stronger!’
Right now there was no means at all that Northern could get stronger with. He had one attribute but it was unusable since he was a walker.
Attributes played more significant role than they seem. They were the magnetic pull of fate that brought drifters closer to their destiny… making them stronger.
To be particular there was something that attribute could earn a drifter. Which was what made it so important.
Northern did not know what or did not even know anything about attributes.
But since he was currently out of option to choose from. He had nothing else to look at.
He could only copy one talent for now. He couldn’t see the talent’s attribute which was now even evolved.
He couldn’t also use his own [Formless] attribute.
Not even its description, nothing about it could he seen. It just decorated his profile like a wordy ornament to fill blank pages.
And it was so frustrating that it was looking like he was out of options to choose from.
But then, he had items. He had gained over twenty items during his time spent in oblivion.
Northern shook his head.
‘The most those can do is raise my chances of survival, a better weapon, a better armor, maybe some other fun things but I need a way that I can get stronger. Faster’
He suspected that they would only be resting here till Night Terror is in his peak condition again.
After that Northerm was hundred percent sure the monster would begin its march back to the Kingdom of Red Mine. To have the head of the castle lord.
And he doubted if Night Terror alone would be able to defeat the castle lord.
Night Terror also probably understood, seeing that it had no issues allying with him, Northern was sure it did.
They would have to cut through hundreds of monsters and finally get to the castle lord.
From now till that time…
‘…I need to get stronger,’ Northern clenched his fist as they scaled up the mountain.