Chapter 91: The Panthers Rift 2
Darius clutched his arm with his grin gone, his eyes were haunted. Kelvin’s hands trembled, his body aching, but pride swelled in his chest, a spark of defiance was reignited.
"We are still here," he said with his voice hoarse and the whispers fading. Lyra nodded with her eyes fierce despite the pain. "Together." Darius leaned on Rhoam, his voice quiet as he said. "Barely."
They searched the panthers’ remains and searched for loot: a handful of beast cores, their surfaces pulsing with faint soulstream energy, and a chunk of enchanted ore, its metallic sheen laced with dark runes.
"Split it evenly," Kelvin said, dividing the cores among them for their gear and giving Darius the ore to reinforce Rhoam’s armor. The act was a small gesture of unity, a reminder that they had survived another trial together.
The monitoring device flickered back to life, its message was weak but clear: "Rogue activity is neutralized. Return to Sanctum. Report unknown energy."
The words were a lifeline, but the mention of unknown energy was a warning, the cloaked figure’s presence lingered, which was a shadow that refused to fade.
They camped that night in a shallow cave with the wind carrying the Peaks’ mournful cries. Kelvin lit a fire with Xerion’s breath, the End-Tyrant’s flames casted a warm glow that pushed back the darkness.
Lyra tended to her wounds, using her runes to seal the worst of the damage, though the pain lingered in her eyes.
Darius bandaged his arm, his humor was gone at this point, his silence was heavy as he fed Rhoam a chunk of dried meat, the panther’s iron plates clinked softly.