Chapter 34 – The Aftermath of the Battle
Chapter 34
The Aftermath of the Battle
Date: Day 26 of Harvestmoon. 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.
Elise's eyes furrowed. Her brow knitting together. The blush still burning on her cheeks. But now mixed with frustration. With exasperation.
"You..."
The word came out as a half-growl. Half-plea.
She couldn't stay mad at him. Couldn't maintain her indignation. Not when he was looking at her like that.
She turned around sharply. Her back to him. Walking away a few steps.
Definitely trying to cool her face. Definitely not wanting him to see her embarrassed expression.
After a while, she turned around.
"Hyoren. Stay here."
Her voice was steadier now. More controlled.
"I need to do something."
He watched her reach her bag. She pulled out Ward Stones.
She began placing them around Hyoren. Creating barrier to protect him.
"Elise, it's still bright?"
Hyoren's voice was confused. Tired.
"We camp here? Near that field full of corpses?"
The sun was still high in the sky. Hours of daylight remained. It seemed too early to set up camp. And the location was less than ideal. The battlefield was strewn with wolf carcasses. The smell of blood was heavy in the air.
Elise turned around a bit. Glancing back at him over her shoulder. She checked Hyoren one last time. Her emerald eyes scanning his form. Making sure he was not in danger anymore. Making sure his condition was stable.
"No."
She shook her head. Her pointed ears twitching slightly.
"It's just for a while. I need to start dissecting those green wolves. Vent Crows or Slimes will flock soon."
She scanned her surroundings. Her eyes sharp. Alert. Her pointed ears twitching. Listening for any sign of danger. Any sound that might indicate approaching threats.
"I can't detect any monster around here."
Her voice was thoughtful.
"It seems with the Apex gone, the green wolves have also scattered. Afraid of something that can actually defeat their Alpha."
The pack dynamics were simple. Without the leader, the pack dissolved. The remaining wolves would flee. Find new territory. Avoid the area where their Apex had fallen.
"But just to be safe, I erected this barrier to protect you."
Hyoren nodded. Understanding. The Ward Stones would keep him safe while he recovered. While she worked.
He then saw Elise move from carcass to carcass.
Her movements were efficient. She approached each fallen wolf. Her knife flashing in the sunlight.
She only took magic stones from the twelve green wolves. Ignoring the pelts and meat. he also retrieved any usable arrows she could.
But then she worked meticulously on the Alpha.
The massive body of the fallen Apex. Still and lifeless on the grass. Its yellow eyes staring at nothing. Its once-terrifying form now just meat and materials.
She carefully skinned the fur. Working with deliberate patience. The pelt of an Alpha was valuable.
She took the fangs and claws next. And then the magic stone. Larger than the others.
She also took a few chunks of meat from the Alpha. For their meal.
She then left the rest to be eaten by scavengers.
She tied the Alpha fur neatly. Rolling it into a tight bundle. Securing it with rope. Then gathered all the spoils. The magic stones. The fangs. The claws. The meat. Everything carefully packed.
She looked exhausted. Her face pale. Her movements slow. The battle and the aftermath had taken their toll.
But triumphant. A small smile on her lips. The satisfaction of survival against impossible odds.
She entered the barrier. Approaching Hyoren with steady steps. Her arms full of spoils. Her eyes soft as she looked at him.
"Elise."
Hyoren's voice was quiet. Apologetic.
"I'm sorry I can't help."
He hated being useless. Hated lying there while she did all the work. While she processed the aftermath of their battle. While she carried the burden alone.
She put the spoils near Hyoren. Setting them down carefully. Then shook her head.
"Don't you dare apologize."
Her voice was firm. But warm.
"You're the reason I'm still alive now, Hyoren."
She looked at him. Her emerald eyes glistening slightly.
"You already saved me twice now. First from the goblins. And then this time."
She knelt beside him. Her hand reaching out. Touching his shoulder gently.
"Remember, I'm so grateful for that. So let me repay the favor little by little."
She smiled warmly. A genuine smile. Filled with affection. With something deeper that she couldn't quite name.
Hyoren nodded. He accepted it. As she had accepted his protection.
***
Elise smiled. A soft, warm expression. Then she reached into the pack of things she had gathered from the green wolves and pulled something out.
The steel tip.
"I pulled this from the neck of the Alpha."
She held it out to him. The metal glinting in the sunlight. Still stained with traces of blood. Wiped clean but not perfectly.
"Your spear. Only this left."
Hyoren reached out. His arm trembled slightly. But he could move it now. Without wincing. His fingers closed around the blade. Feeling its weight.
The dark steel blade was still flawless.
Even when the shaft had splintered. Even when it had been forced down into the neck of a Level 25 monster. Even after all the abuse it had suffered in the battle. The edge was dulled slightly from overuse. But the blade itself held strong. No cracks. No bends. No chips.
It was a naked blade now. There was no handle behind the cross guard. The tang was bare. Exposed. It used to be secured on top of the shaft. Now it was just metal. Waiting for a new home.
"This blade..."
Hyoren turned it over in his hands. Examining it. Marveling at it.
"So sturdy... I lost my weapon but... this blade persisted..."
He had crafted that spear in the forest. Attached the blade to a wooden shaft. The shaft was gone. Destroyed in the final attack. But the blade remained. A testament to its quality.
Elise looked at it too. Her emerald eyes examining the metal. Studying its condition.
"Yeah, I was surprised too."
Her voice was thoughtful. Puzzled.
"I thought this was a normal steel blade. But maybe it's made from better material."
She tilted her head. Considering.
"We should check it with a blacksmith later on in town."
Hyoren nodded. Agreeing with her. Curious about the origins of the blade that had served him so well.
"But now I'm without a weapon..."
He looked around. The grasslands stretched in every direction. Only small trees and bushes scattered around. No suitable material for a shaft.
"There's no material around to create a makeshift spear either. Unlike in the forest."
In the forest, everything he needed had been within reach. Wood for shafts. Stone for tips. Vine for binding.
Elise put her hand on her chin. Thinking.
"That might be true..."
She glanced around.
"Well, we should be really close to the road. So our journey will be safe from now."
Her voice was confident. Reassuring.
"I doubt we'll get attacked anymore after we defeated the Alpha. The wolves would have scattered. And other monsters won't come here yet, as this area used to be Alpha territory."
The logic was sound. Monsters were territorial. Without the Alpha claiming this land, it was neutral ground. Vacant. Other monsters wouldn't venture into recently claimed territory. Not yet. Not until the scent of the old ruler had faded.
"You can use this dagger for a defensive weapon."
She gestured to the blade in his hand.
"And you still have your Cinder-maw daggers."
She also gave back his two Cinder-maw daggers. The ones he had used to kill the two wolves. The blades still sharp. Still serviceable. And he could still use them to create flame throwing dagger.
Hyoren took them. Nodding.
Elise then reached out. She took the naked blade from him. Examined it for a moment.
Then she worked quickly. Pulling a strip of leather from her pack. Wrapping it around the bare tang. Creating a makeshift handle. Binding it with rope. Securing it tightly. Making it usable. At least temporarily.
She handed it back to him.
"Thanks, Elise."
Hyoren took the makeshift dagger. Testing its weight. Its balance. It was far from perfect. But it was a weapon. It was something.
"Truly."
Elise just waved her hands. Dismissing his gratitude.
She then looked at the spoils. The bundle of Alpha fur. The magic stones. The fangs and claws. The meat wrapped in leaves.
And smiled.
"This Alpha fur."
Her voice carried a note of excitement.
"It will fetch a huge amount of money if we sell it in town."
She touched the fur. Running her fingers through the thick pelt. Admiring its quality.
"It's rare. A Level 25 Apex pelt in perfect condition. Collectors would buy this for a high price."
She looked at Hyoren. Her eyes bright.
"It will become your starter funds to start your new life, Hyoren. You can buy a proper spear. Armor. Other necessities."
Hyoren looked up. Surprise on his face.
"Wait, Elise..."
His voice was concerned. Protest rising.
"But we fought this Alpha together. It's our spoil. I don't want to monopolize it!"
The idea didn't sit right with him. They had both fought. Both bled. Both nearly died. The spoils belonged to both of them. Not just to him.
Elise put her finger on Hyoren's mouth.
"Shuuush."
The sound was soft. Silencing. But playful.
"Hyoren. Remember, we're a party now."
She looked him in the eyes. Serious. But warm.
"We decided to go together, right?"
He nodded. They had. They were partners. Companions. A team.
"Your weapon, armor, and necessities are party expenditure."
She spoke the words as if they were obvious. Self-evident.
"I don't need any new gear right now. And you need it."
She put her hands on her waist. A lecturing posture. Like a teacher explaining something simple to a slow student.
"The logical choice is we use the funds for you."
Her voice carried finality. The matter was settled. No room for argument.
"Understand?"
Hyoren opened his mouth to protest. Then closed it. He wanted to argue. Wanted to insist on sharing the spoils equally. But he saw the determination in her eyes. The stubbornness. She wouldn't budge on this.
And she was right. They were a party now. What benefited one benefited both. He needed equipment. She didn't. It made sense.
He finally relented. And nodded.
"Understood."
Elise's face softened. The lecturing posture relaxed. A smile returned to her lips.
"Good."
***
Elise stood up again.
Her movements were still slow. Still heavy with exhaustion. But she pushed through. There was still work to be done.
She looked at the sky. The suns had started their descent. The golden and silver orbs sinking toward the horizon.
It would be night in a few hours. They needed to find camp soon. To recover. To spend the night.
She turned to face Hyoren. Still sitting propped against the small tree. Still unable to move properly. Still recovering from the backlash of his skill.
"Hyoren."
Her voice was gentle. But firm.
"Stay here. You still can't move. I'll look around and see if there's a good camp nearby."
Hyoren wanted to protest.
He could see the exhaustion in her eyes. The way her shoulders slumped. The way her movements were slower than usual. She had done so much already. Fought in the battle. Processed the carcasses. Tended to his wounds. Pushing herself beyond her limits.
He wanted to tell her to rest. To let him help. To stop doing everything alone.
But he still couldn't move well without wincing. His body refused to cooperate. His muscles screamed in protest at every movement. He was useless. Unable to do anything but sit and wait.
He resigned. His protest dying in his throat.
"Fine."
His voice came out quiet. Accepting.
"But don't wander too far, okay, Elise?"
He paused. Trying to make light of the situation.
"I'll be fine just camping here, smelling blood."
The battlefield still reeked of death. Wolf carcasses lay scattered across the grass. Blood soaked into the soil. The copper scent heavy in the air. It wasn't ideal. But he would grit through it.
Elise smiled. A tired but warm expression.
"Don't worry."
She adjusted her pack. Checked her bow.
"I'll only look around nearby."
She paused. Her eyes meeting his.
"Okay, I'm off."
She then walked away. Exiting the Ward Stones barrier. Her figure growing smaller in the distance. Her pointed ears visible against the setting sun. Her movements careful. Alert. Despite her exhaustion.
Hyoren watched her go. His heart tight in his chest.
"Take care!"
He shouted after her. His voice carrying across the grasslands.
"And be safe!"
For a while, Hyoren sat there.
Alone with his thoughts. Alone with the setting sun. Alone with the bodies of the wolves they had slain.
He checked his muscles. Testing his body. Assessing his condition.
His arms already could move. Slowly. Carefully. The pain wouldn't come unless he moved suddenly. Unless he made a sharp motion. He could feel the recovery.
His legs still needed time. But he thought in less than an hour he would be able to walk. Albeit slowly. Or with help. He wouldn't be at full strength. But he would be mobile. That was something.
His mind then wandered toward the experience in the white void. The meeting with the twin goddesses. The gifts they had bestowed.
"Divine Protection of Twin Goddesses."
He spoke the words aloud. Testing them. Remembering.
"Boosting growth across all by twenty-five percent is huge."
He did the math in his head. It didn't sound like much on paper. A quarter more experience. A quarter faster skill acquisition. A quarter better learning rate. But over time. Over weeks and months and years of adventuring. The cumulative effect would be massive. He would outpace normal adventurers. Grow faster. Reach higher levels. Acquire more skills.
It seemed even Luminara and Noctynara knew he loved grinding. They had given him a gift related to grind. A gift that rewarded persistence. That amplified his natural tendency to push himself. To work hard. To strive for improvement.
He chuckled. A soft, tired sound.
“They really do watch everything, huh.”
Then his mind wandered through his old life. The life he had left behind. The world that was no longer his.
“Back then my mind was full of Elise's danger. So I didn't really think much about them.”
But now. In the quiet. In the stillness. The reality settled in.
"I really died, huh."
The words came out soft. Almost wondering. Not sad. Just accepting.
"Well. That's good."
He nodded to himself. A small movement.
"I can truly say goodbye to Earth."
He thought about his old life. His old world. What he had left behind.
"The only ones who still remember me are my friends who share hobbies anyway."
A few close companions. People who would mourn him. People who would wonder what happened to him. But even they would move on eventually. Death was a part of life. People adapted. People forgot.
"That bitch definitely isn't going to miss me."
The thought came. But he shook his head. Trying to forget about it.
"No. Forget about her. I'll start over here."
A new world. A new life. A new beginning.
"In this Kresneger."
And his eyes wandered to the horizon. To the direction Elise had gone. To the future that awaited them both.
"With Elise."
The thought brought a small smile to his lips. A warmth in his chest. Something to look forward to. Someone to share the journey with.
He then thought about his dying moment as he finally remembered.
"That earthquake was definitely massive."
He had felt it. The shaking. The trembling. The collapse of the building around him. It had been a significant seismic event.
"I hope there are no other casualties."
He thought about his classmates. The other students in the lecture hall. The professor. Had they survived? Had they escaped? Or had they shared his fate?
"And Earth God, huh."
The goddesses had mentioned Them. The deity who had collected his soul at the moment of death. The one who had made the pact with Luminara and Noctynara.
"I never knew Earth had a real God too."
In his old world, gods were myths. Stories. Legends. Not real entities that intervened in mortal affairs.
"Must be a passive one... unlike here..."
In Kresneger, the gods were active. Present. Intervening in mortal lives. Granting blessings. Making pacts. Summoning souls.
"Oh well."
He shrugged mentally. Letting the thoughts go.
"No need to think too much about it. It's irrelevant for me now."
Earth was behind him. His old life was over. There was no going back. Only forward.
Then his mind wandered to the other goddess. The one who had resonated with him in ways he couldn't quite explain.
Goddess of Darkness. Goddess of Knowledge and Ambition.
"I don't know why, though..."
He spoke the words softly. Thinking aloud.
"Noctynara feels... resonant with me."
There was something about her. Something that called to him. Her pragmatism. Her directness. Her focus on knowledge. On ambition. On growth through challenge.
"Elise said she's labeled as evil in human society. And hated… but..."
The word 'evil' didn't sit right with him. He had met her. Spoken with her. Received her blessing. She hadn't seemed evil. Cold, perhaps. Stern, certainly. But not malicious. Not cruel.
"I want to know about her."
The desire was there. A curiosity. An attraction to her domain. Her aspects. Her teachings.
"Maybe learning dark magic. Her rules."
Elise said Dark magic was misunderstood. But it was simply another form of power. Another tool. Neither good nor evil in itself. It depended on how it was used.
"I should be careful, though."
He was pragmatic enough to recognize the danger. Society's perception mattered.
"I don't want to receive persecution."
He would need to be discreet. Careful. Learn what he could without drawing attention.
He was lost in deep thought for a while.
***
After about an hour, Hyoren tried to stand.
His muscles protested. A dull ache pervaded his entire body. The backlash of Berserker had not fully faded. But it was manageable now. Bearable. He could push through it.
He pushed himself up. Slowly. Carefully. His legs trembling beneath him. His core engaging to maintain balance. He was still a bit wobbly. Unsteady on his feet. But he could move. That was progress.
He needed something to help him walk, though. His balance was off. His strength was diminished. He couldn't rely on his legs alone.
He sat back down. Conserving what little energy he had recovered.
Then finally, Elise returned.
Her figure appeared on the horizon. Walking toward him. Waving at him. Her movements were tired. Heavy. But she smiled when she saw he was awake.
She carried small sticks. Branches tucked under her arm. Gathered from somewhere nearby.
She entered the barrier and then plopped down beside him. Her body collapsing against the grass. Exhaustion evident in every line of her form. She had pushed herself hard. But she had done what needed to be done.
"Good news."
Her voice was slightly breathless. But satisfied.
"Just a bit from here, there's a small waterfall. From the river we always followed."
She gestured vaguely in the direction she had come.
"On the cliff, there's a small indentation with an overhang. It's not a cave. But good enough to shelter us."
Hyoren nodded. A shelter. Water. Protection from the wind. The basics of a good camp.
"Thanks for the hard work, Elise."
His voice was genuine. Grateful. She had done so much while he lay helpless. She had processed the spoils. Scouted the area. Found them a camp. All while exhausted from the battle.
"I can walk a bit now. We should hurry there. Night will come soon."
He looked at the sky. The suns were already low on the horizon. Shadows stretched long across the grasslands. Darkness would fall within an hour.
Elise nodded. Understanding the urgency. She pushed herself back up. Her body protesting. But her will stronger.
Then she handed him one of the branches she had been carrying.
"Here, Hyoren. Use this to help you walk."
He took it from her. Examining the branch. It was curved here and there. Not straight. Not perfect. Only about a meter long. Too short to be used as a spear shaft. Too irregular to be crafted into a proper weapon.
But as a walking stick, it was more than enough. Able to bear his weight.
"Thanks, Elise."
He tested it against the ground. Feeling the stability it provided. The support it offered.
"Much appreciated."
Elise smiled and nodded. A small, tired expression. But genuine.
She then quickly gathered the four square Ward Stones. Deactivating the barrier. She packed them carefully into her bag.
Then she packed the Alpha and other wolves' loot. The fur. The magic stones. The fangs and claws. The meat. Everything secured and organized.
She slung her bow across her back. Adjusted her quiver. Settled her bag on her shoulders. Ready to move.
"Let's go, Hyoren."
Her voice was steady.
"Follow me."