The swamp greeted them with an oppressive silence and the stench of rot. A stillness to complete it felt weaponized. This wasn't a region that was neglected; it was abandoned by the world itself.
After three arduous days of travel, Tyson and Malric, who was still tied up, were worn raw. Soreness had settled deep into their muscles, and the dampness had soaked them to the bone.
Tyson's boots squelched and sucked with each step through the mire. The forest that surrounded them bore little resemblance to the luscious forestry that bordered the town they had fled.
Oriana halted, her eyes scanning the dead trees that surrounded them. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"We aren't alone." She spoke. She turned toward Tyson.
"What do you mean we aren't alone?" he asked.
"We aren't alone. What else would that mean?" Malric chimed in. "When are you going to untie me? I can't do anything to you." he said as he looked at Oriana.
She snorted.
"I don't do this for my protection, I do this for your punishment." She started walking again, "if it were up to me, you would be dead."
Malric's head dropped as he shuffled forward.
"F rank beasts are near us. They are harmless but a good way to practice, when they show themselves, Tyson, kill them."
Now it was his turn to stop walking. He looked at Oriana dumbfounded.
"F rank? Monsters are ranked?"
Oriana didn't stop. "Yes, monsters have ranks, usually it's the same on every world, but I see it isn't a thing here."
Malric took the opportunity to talk. "We know nothing about you. Where exactly are you from? And we do have ranking system for beasts, but a town without a hunter's guild wouldn't know much about the beast ranks."
Silence was the only answer Malric got.
"He makes a good point. We know nothing about you."
Oraina stopped. She grinned, "and you will continue to know nothing about me." she tossed one of her swords toward Tyson.
He didn't react fast enough, and the sword hit the ground.
"What the hell?" Tyson bent over to grab the sword.
Then he heard it. Clicking.
He looked around. Before he could ask, a tree trunk ahead of them exploded. Tiny chicken-sized spiders spilled out.
"You have power now, and you need to form abilities." She instructed as she watched the spiders move closer. "These are babies, F-rank, no worse than a pest."
"Individually, they are harmless, but as a pack, they can kill any opal realm user." She continued.
Tyson readied himself. He tried to feel for his core, but nothing happened.
"I can't use my essence." He gritted his teeth.
"You don't need it. You need to learn to fight. To kill." She spoke.
The first spider reached Tyson. He tried to dodge it, but its sharp legs dug into his thigh.
Before he could shake it off, another jumped at him. This time it met the blade of his sword. Cut it in half. It let out a sharp cry.
He then stabbed down; his blade sunk deep into the spider on his thigh.
Another sharp cry. More came at him.
His movements were clumsy as he dodged and rolled. He sliced at one spider and kicked at another, trying to hold it off.
After what felt like hours, the final spider was crawling away. Purple fluids spilt out of its missing limbs. Tyson walked up to it. Cold and calculated. He plunged his sword straight through its head.
He took a moment to study the battlefield. Spider legs and chunks of the creatures littered the swamp grounds.
He was covered in purple fluids. Blood, he assumed. As he looked around, he noticed within the body parts, two shiny stones.
"What are those?" he asked.
Oriana was quick. She scooped up the stones and studied them.
"Corrupt." She hissed.
She threw one down and tossed the other to Tyson. He caught it.
"An opal?" shock was clear in his voice. Gemstones were a rare thing to come by, and they were only owned by noble families and earned by warriors.
"Yes," she said. "You will need it. If you want to blend in."
Malric spat. "He didn't earn it. He doesn't deserve it."
Oriana vanished. When she reappeared, a loud SMACK sounded.
Malric's head snapped to the left as Oriana's hand fell back to her side.
"Shut it."
A loud shriek erupted from deeper in the marsh.
Tyson jumped. "What the fuck is that?"
Oriana, sword now in her hand, faced the source of the sound.
She smiled. Not a smirk or a grin, a genuine smile.
"C grade beast." She sounded…. Happy?
"Is that bad?" Tyson asked, ready for another fight.
The ground shook, and for the first time, Tyson noticed what he thought was moss and goop, was a series of webs.
They vibrated.
Within moments the fog cleared, and the dead trees were annihilated.
The biggest damn spider Tyson had ever seen halted before them, its front legs raised, ready to attack.
Its eight emerald green eyes focused on him. The purple venom on its sword sized fangs dripped. Sizzling as it met the ground. Purple smoke rose from the spot.
"Holy shit." Malric whispered. But the silence amplified his words.
The spider moved first, a massive bolt of web shot toward Malric, pinning him against a dead tree.
Oriana put her sword away and walked toward Malric, propping herself against the tree, arms folded.
'This can't be happening.'
He was going to die here, wasn't he?
"Abilities come at the lowest points of your life. For combat abilities, the real threat of death creates them." Her voice interrupted his thoughts.
"You fight and adapt, or you die."
On queue the spider charged. He dodged, the spider was quick, its foreleg glowing a bright purple, a ball formed at the joint and shot out at Tyson. He scrambled, moving quickly, the ball barely missed.
It splattered against the ground, purple venom landing on Tyson's leg.
"FUCK," he screamed as the venom melted away his skin.
He didn't have time to wallow is his pain. The massive creature was on him. Its leg stood as tall as he did.
There was no way he could fight this thing.
He stayed on the defensive, dodging and redirecting. Avoiding the venom as much as he could.
Finally, it let up.
The air around him seemed to settle as the spider lifted itself, it was like staring down a small building.
Then, it inhaled.
A massive spike formed between its two fangs, and it glowed a brilliant purple. It's thick gloss black chitin taking on a purple tint.
'OH NO'
The only thought he could produce before it released its attack.
The spike launched, firing at a speed no human could track. It landed, piercing Tyson's shoulder.
The pain was intense. His world spun as he fell to the ground, a loud squish from the mix of mud and spider guts.
He looked toward the spider; it was approaching him. Its trunk-sized legs pounded the ground, the shockwaves resonating through his entire being. He was staring death in the face.
Then he felt the familiar power call for him. The essence around him vibrated with hunger. It called to him.
He pulled it on, drinking it in, thirsting for it. His core filled, the red liquid a welcome sight for him.
But now what? How did he use it? He hoped Oriana would interfere, but she just watched from the side.
He was moments from his end. The spider one last stride away from striking.
Then it clicked.
Requiem slash.
His eyes ignited, and his entire being surged with power. The essence became a part of him, moved. It flowed through his body, draining his core. The sword in his hand caught fire with liquid blood. He could stand, his sore shoulder no longer bothering him and he waited.
As the spider was on top of him, he brought his arm back and slashed. A streak of black shadow laced with red fury carved through the spider's head, a gory crescent of vengeance. The sword bled into the spider's head and ignited. The entirety of the spider was coated in blood essence and black smoke rose.
It hissed loudly, shaking and reeling. Smashing against a tree. Trying to gather itself. But Tyson power ate away at the spider.
Oriana had seen enough, satisfied with the result. She appeared in front of the wild spider and smashed down on its head with all her power.
The air rippled and warped at her blade swing, destroying every part of the head. The spider twitched and fell, the shockwave destroying every tree within a touching distance.
Tyson collapsed; fatigue set in. he felt his core pulse and it grew slightly. His eyes widened before he passed out.