When morning came, I woke up feeling… mostly functional, My body had fully healed, my internal energy had partially recovered, and, unfortunately, I was still alive to deal with Jaipa.
Speaking of Jaipa, he was sprawled out on the cave floor, wings half-folded, muttering nonsense in his sleep.
"...No, I refuse... I don't care if it's digestible... I'm not eating rocks..."
I nudged him with my foot. "Wake up."
He groaned. "No. Let me die in peace."
"We need food."
Jaipa's eyes snapped open. "...Food?"
I nodded.
He sat up immediately, rubbing his eyes. "You should've led with that, stone-face."
Ignoring him, I stood and stretched, my arms reaching up toward the dull sky. My stomach growled in hunger. I'd been pushing my body too hard these past few days. That meant only one thing we needed food. And since the only things we knew were consumable in this world were fruit and meat… and meat wasn't an option right now, the answer was obvious.
We had to find those fruits again with those thoughts in mind we started to move
On our way, I spotted a few packs of Flyhums wandering through the forest, even a couple of Shadowmancers lurking near the shadows. We avoided them and kept moving toward the fruit trees. Just a few steps later, I heard familiar screams ringing from behind a tree that was near us
"Hey, what are you doing? Let's just "
"Shhh."
I pressed a finger to my lips, motioning for silence.
A pack of Flyhums was in a fight or more accurately, they were getting their asses kicked by a single monster.
It was something I hadn't seen before in this world, Curiosity or maybe something else prickled at me. I whispered to Jaipa, "What is that thing?"
Jaipa peeked from behind the tree.
"Hah," he muttered, "that's an Kirthagor."
The Kirthagor was a hulking 4 or 5 meters tall four-legged beast with a spiked, turtle-like shell across its back like a corrupted fusion of mammal and reptile. Its face was disturbingly humanoid, with jagged teeth, glowing eyes, and long, unkempt black hair, giving it a demonic presence. A thick, segmented tail swung behind it, ending in a venomous stinger.
"They're not locals," Jaipa whispered "Kirthagors are different they have Intelligent because of that they could get handy to deal with But sometimes... manageable and they also have....."
I narrowed my eyes. "Regeneration."
Jaipa's eyes widened with shock "How do you know that?"
"Look." I pointed. "Two of the Flyhums tore through its legs when we started watching... and now they're growing back."
"Huh," Jaipa grunted, impressed. "But it's too slow to be useful in a real fight " I said
"And those spikes?" Jaipa continued those can you see them they are Poisonous , So is the tail so Don't get hit by it "
We kept watching The fight dragged on, but the conclusion was clear. The Kirthagor killed five Flyhums by itself before finally falling. Impressive, even if it died in the end it was impressive
Once the creature lumbered away and the area fell silent again, we moved toward the fruit tree. The fruits were unmistakable pink with red patches, shaped just like a dragon fruit. I'd only seen them once before, but my memory was perfect. Finding them again was as simple as blinking.
And I hadn't forgotten the way either.
We made our way through the dense, unfamiliar terrain. Inside the forest, we wandered like careless children but in truth, I was deeply concerned for my safety. I didn't know when or how a truly strong creature might appear. If that happened… it'd be game over for us.
"You sure we're going the right way?" Jaipa asked.
"Yes."
He sighed dramatically. "Why do you get to have perfect memory? Meanwhile, I can't even remember my own face."
"That's your problem."
Jaipa groaned. "You're heartless."
His personality constantly shifted. Sometimes mature, sometimes like an immature child and sometimes, like a full-blown psycho. Honestly, walking with him was exhausting.
After a while, we finally reached a clearing where the fruit grew in abundance, hanging from thick vines wrapped around massive, twisted trees.
Vines?
"It seems that way," I muttered.
That was new. The fruits didn't grow on vines last time. Still, we needed to eat. I had briefly considered harvesting meat from the dead Flyhums, but by now, plenty of monsters were likely enjoying that feast. Heading back there was a risk I wasn't willing to take
Jaipa landed beside me, cracking his knuckles. "Alright, let's grab them "
I was already pulling fruit from the vines.
Jaipa stared. "Wow. Okay"
I glanced at him. "Do you want to starve?"
"No, but"
I tossed a fruit at him. He caught it effortlessly.
"…Wow ! " I muttered.
"What?"
That reaction speed was fast , faster than me I even had used a bit of internal energy when I threw the fruit just enough to make it challenging to catch. And yet, he did it with ease, Jaipa's transformation... it had changed him more than I realized
"There. Eat."
He scowled for but but in the end he took a bite. His four eyes widened. "...Oh. Oh, this is good i took a bite of mine, Sweet, Juicy, Refreshing.
Jaipa plopped down, happily munching away. "You know, this almost makes up for the existential horror of yesterday."
I ignored him and grabbed a few more fruits for later.
With our stomachs somewhat full, we began making our way back, trying not to draw attention. Along the path, I noticed the fallen skeleton of a Shadowmancer and not far from it, the cracked skull of a Titan.
The trek back was quiet, except for Jaipa making the occasional weird noise of satisfaction as he chewed more fruit.
"Seriously, you don't understand," he said between bites. "I have never tasted anything this good. Either this fruit is magical, or being solid has finally given me taste buds."
My focus had shifted towards the skull but there was nothing inherently interesting nearby just relics of things long dead but something did catch my attention the hill beside them at first glance, it seemed unremarkable. Just a slope of land covered in patches of vegetation, curving up toward the horizon.
But…for some reason, I couldn't stop looking at it.
Jaipa noticed my silence and followed my gaze. "Uh-oh. You've got that look again."
spreading my wings i flew toward the hill.
Jaipa groaned. "Great. Here we go,What now, stone-face?"
I kept flying ignoring him
He flapped into the air, following reluctantly. "I swear, if this hill is cursed or something, I'm leaving you to deal with it alone."
Getting on top it wasn't that difficult, but near the top, something unexpected came into view.
A cave entrance.
It wasn't exactly hidden, but it also wasn't obvious. The opening was wide enough for several people to walk through. Above it, an old, weathered board stood, written with stranger latters and a familiar mark
Jaipa landed beside me, tilting his head. "Okay. That's definitely suspicious."
I stared at the board. I didn't recognize the writing "What does it say?" I asked.
He squinted, then said in a deep, exaggerated voice, "BOOK of Etresh."
I blinked. "Book?"
"Hey, Rudra, look here."
What?
"Let me take a look at your face!"
"What? Why?"
"Look at that mark right beside those letters."
"What about it?"
"You… did you not look in a mirror after that snake incident?"
"No… why?"
Did something happen?
"Yes. That mark on that board it looks just like the one on your chin."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, my voice turning cold !
"I meant exactly what I said."
I stood in silence thinking about it for a while ,After a long pause, I looked at Jaipa, who stood there with his arms crossed "Yep. And let me guess you want to go in, don't you?"
I couldn't respond right away, I glanced at the cave, then back at him. "We should check it out it could..."
Ha.... Ha i know i know we could find something related to this mark on your chin
He groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Of course we should. Because why not walk into a mysterious cave marked with ominous ancient text?"
I was already stepping forward
Jaipa threw his arms up in the air. "WHY DO I EVEN BOTHER?!"
And with that, we entered the cave.