Hot steam emanated from a bowl of rich soup, and the smell of fresh herbs wafted along the table, afraid to approach the fireplace burning off to the side.
Tap.
A piece of bread ended up to the right of the plate as Derek looked up at Kain.
"Come on, boy, you need to eat. You're skinny and weak," Derek crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you thinking about?"
Kain shook his head. "Nothing, just nothing..."
He picked up the wooden spoon and began to eat. However, recent events flashed through his mind.
'When she realized I escaped, Valkyra didn't look like a cold-blooded fanatic. She seemed like a regular person who lost her last hope... In some ways, she is similar to Reina, but unlike her, Valkyra has a chance, yet.'
Kain peered at Derek, at the walls decorated with animal heads and various hides. Deer, wolves, or bears didn't strike him, but some of the creatures were unfamiliar.
"So... Are you an Awakened as well as an Elder of the Dark Horn?"
Despite his rugged appearance, muscular body, short black beard, and dark eyes, Derek appeared to be a surprisingly sociable man. He just made Kain tell him everything.
Well, he withheld the part about Valkyra, replacing it with the worm's sudden awakening.
Derek nodded. He could see the runes clustering around Kain. "You are a Tainted. You are on the right path to becoming one of us. All you have to do is find the Ascension Rune."
'Hmm... I see,' Kain took a bite of bread. 'So Keepers and Awakened and Contenders and Tainted are basically the same thing.
"How?" Kain raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. You did. Can you give me a hint?"
Derek shook his head, an ironic smile playing across his face. "No one knows. You are Tainted, everyone thinks the Ascension Rune is a treasure that lies somewhere waiting for you to find it.
"No, it is a journey full of trials, pain, and joy. There is only one thing waiting for you at the end - power. Listen to the runes, they should give you a clue, at least some. Only then will you have a chance to get the Codex."
"Codex... What does it look like?" Kain's eyes grew deeper.
"Hah, if the opportunity presents itself, I'll show you. Anyway, finish your food, and let's go hunting."
Kain froze. There was no rest in sight for him.
"Hunting?"
"Yeah, I was going to make another foray and head to the Hollow Patch. I don't know why you attacked Swirl Worm, but it's none of my business," Derek waved his hand nonchalantly.
Soon, there were only empty bowls on the table as Derek prepared for the hunt, not forgetting his gear for Kain.
Suddenly, from outside came Kain's voice.
"Why?"
"Hmm?" Derek turned around over his shoulder. "What do you mean?"
Kain removed his dirty cloak, dressing in the hunter clothes. "Why did you help me?"
"Hah, what did you think I was supposed to do? Kill you? Or just walk past the young man who fell off the Swirl Worm? As a hunter, I couldn't miss such a thing, and your story paid off my efforts."
With a smirk, Derek approached the weapons stand. "What do you usually fight with? I certainly don't have a military arsenal, but I have some stuff."
It was a difficult question. The only weapons Kain had ever used were his fists.
"A sword..." he muttered uncertainly, deciding on the basic option. "I like balance, you know?"
Before he could speak, a spear with a dark, jagged tip fell into his hands.
[Hunter Spear
Type: Weapon
Tier: I
Significance: None
Enchantment: [Pierce.]
'Enchantment?' Kain muttered inwardly. 'That sword didn't have anything like that. But, all the other parameters are at the same, lowest level.'
The runes quickly responded to his desire to know more, flashing before his eyes.
[Pierce] Description: [The attacks of this weapon, regardless of its type, are much stronger with piercing lunges. The speed of the lunge may slightly increase the final result.]
'I see... So the same Enchantment can also be used on a sword or even a hammer...? But, for a spear, it fits perfectly.'
"Where did you get such a cool weapon?" Kain raised his spear.
Derek laughed, unable to hold back.
"Hahaha, you call this cool? What are you, from a remote village in the middle of nowhere?" his face grew darker. "Oh, right... You've become a Sacrifice. Nothing is surprising about that. I'm sorry."
Kain stepped forward. "It's all right. Let's go hunting."
This was his chance to learn something. No one knew how to survive better than hunters.
"Alright! Now that's what I call fighting spirit!"
...
Kain was hard to navigate, at the Astral Dimension he knew few places, what he had seen and heard from Kserx, but they didn't go far. The forest where Derek hunted was ten minutes from his hideout.
Tap.
Derek's hand fell on Kain's shoulder, pointing ahead to an unsuspecting deer, exhausted, drinking from a puddle.
"Here..." he whispered. "Stand up straight, one foot back, and throw the spear with all your might. If you miss, it's no big deal. It's bad to never make a mistake since that means you're not trying anything."
Kain nodded deeply. "Got it."
In the next breath, Kain threw the spear, ineptly but with determination in his eyes.
Cutting through the wind currents, the spear slammed into the soft soil at the deer's hoof, just a little short of a successful hit.
'Shit! I fucked up!'
The deer tore off, trying to run away.
"Hahaha, nice throw! If it was your first time, I'd be proud if I were you."
In response, Kain gritted his teeth. "Even if you say so, our prey got away..."
"Hmm? Kain, that's nonsense!"
Before Kain could say anything, Derek's spear reached the deer, piercing it through the back of the head.
"Alright. Come on, I'll skin it, and you pick the mushrooms, but only the ones with brown caps, the others won't be good for stew," Derek patted him on the shoulder, handing him his hunting knife.
Slice.
One swing and a bunch of mushrooms were in Kain's hands.
'I should find the Ascension Rune, but... That's not bad either,' he looked at Derek skinning a deer. 'After all my failures, I finally got a break. But, I can't stay with Derek much longer. I have to find a way to become a Keeper and return to my world. I doubt Valkyra will give up trying after one failure. She... looked desperate.'
Suddenly, two amber eyes with vertical pupils reflected in the knife blade.
Kain raised his head, seeing an unusually large wolf watching him from the bushes. Then, powerful jaws were ready to close in front of him when a shadow swept by, dragging him away.
Opening his shoulders wide, Derek smirked, looking at the shocked Kain lying on the ground.
"Damn, boy. Do you have any idea how rare it is for Astral Creatures to show up in places like this? That wolf... Any more and you'd be nothing but scraps."
Kain gulped.
"On the bright side, though, it's a good thing. You could say you got lucky this time."
Derek swung his spear, runes running down his arm.
"You wanted to see the Codex in action, right? Hah, get ready. It'll be quick but spectacular."