Chapter 37 - 36. Where It Always Near
"I'll explain later," Bassena smiled amiably, still holding into Zein's shoulder with one arm. He looked around at the mass of red eyes, his own amber glowing with ferocity.
Zein heard the esper sigh, before Bassena lifted his leg lightly and stomped the ground. There was nothing happening inside the safe zone barrier, but their surrounding was drowned in darkness—a different kind than the natural darkness of the Deathzone. The darkness swallowed the confused and agitated kobolds and suddenly, the area was filled with shrieking sounds. The researchers closed their eyes tightly and covered their own ears, and the espers watched the boundary carefully.
Zein, however, was watching Bassena. The hand on his shoulder was gripping tighter, and he could see a few beads of sweat on the esper's neck and temple. The man didn't appear to be hurt anywhere, but something terrible must have happened during the last two hours if he had to use Zein as support.
The darkness that devoured the surrounding beasts was like a giant snake with countless mouths. The crunching sounds of bones breaking and the splat of blood keep on resounding for quite some time.
All the while, Zein straightened his back, making his posture firmer for Bassena to lean easier. With the hand that wasn't gripping the Black Pearl, he touched the esper's arm that flung across his shoulder.
Zein widened his eyes, almost gasping at the accumulated corrosion that went up two levels in the span of a mere two hours. "What—"
"Shush," Bassena smiled, lowering his gaze to stare at the concerned blue eyes. Zein could see it then, the exhaustion inside, the subtle deep red on the outer rim of the amber orbs. "Just guide me,"
Whatever happened to the man in those two hours, it was enough for him to use his skill until his corrosion reached the orange level. It was as if he just battled an A-class dungeon in solo-mode.
But Bassena was right, it wasn't something that should be mentioned willy-nilly, lest it would procure distress among the team. So Zein wordlessly held the hand gripping his shoulder and guide Bassena as the esper continued his onslaught on the kobolds.
"More is coming," Ron informed them. "Looks like wraiths and something reptilian, also—"
"Their kind is not important," Bassena cut the scout. "There must be an opening when they come to the boundary. Locate it, and calculate how long it'll be opening," he gripped Zein tighter as he shifted to look at Sierra. "Use your homing skill."