Everything was still shrouded in darkness, a deep, dark blue covering the sky like a silent veil. The stars, still clinging to the night, twinkled faintly, resisting disappearing.
But then, the first rays of the sun began to tear through the horizon. A golden light, faint at first, broke through the darkness with the delicacy of a leaf cutting through water. It was dawn breaking, relentless and serene.
One by one, the stars faded away, swallowed up by the rising sun. And with each passing mont, the light grew stronger, warr, more vivid. The shadows receded. The world slowly awoke.
The jungle was still in chaos. Thick smoke still clung to the air, tangling itself among the treetops like a dirty fog.
So tree trunks burned with dull crackles, and new bursts of fire ignited among the dry underbrush, devouring branches, leaves, and roots. The sll of burning wood, damp earth, and charred flesh perated every corner.
Kael and Michel had already climbed down from the large tree and, after finding a clearing among the thick vegetation, lit a small fire to have breakfast. The journey ahead of them would be much longer than expected, all because of the chaos unleashed by the red dragon.
Above the flas, a black cauldron hung from a makeshift structure of branches. Inside, a steaming soup of at and vegetables bubbled slowly.
Kael stirred it with a wooden spoon, maintaining a calm expression. He had taken the ingredients from one of his space rune rings: a handful of cured roots, pieces of smoked at, and so wild herbs. His ticulous preparation was the result of a mind that always calculated possibilities.
The warm, spicy aroma filled the air, making Michel’s stomach rumble.
"Which way shall we go now to reach Mount Dibhu?"
Kael didn’t look up. He continued stirring the soup with slow movents.
"We have to move carefully," he replied calmly. "The jungle is in chaos. If we advance without caution, we could encounter a King-ranked beast... or several Viscount-ranked ones."
Michel let out a long sigh and leaned against the trunk of a nearby tree. He closed his eyes for a mont, trying to ignore his hunger. His mind, however, was restless. He wanted to reach Dibhu Mountain as soon as possible. He needed to contact the Abraham family and report the fall of Elder Milson.
But for now, all they could do was wait... and eat.
After eating, they set off on their journey through the chaotic jungle, taking care not to encounter any beasts.
However, Kael had other plans; he was going to take advantage of this chaos to make so gains in the four territories left empty after the death of their leaders.
Moving forward, with Michel cutting away all the vines that blocked their path as they went deeper into the forest, the humidity was unbearable. They also found so traces left behind by the red dragon.
Whispers. Whispers.
Kael raised a hand in a quick gesture, and Michel stopped dead in his tracks. They both slid behind a thick tree, covered by shadows and undergrowth. They held their breath.
On the other side, two six-legged tigers passed between the bushes, their muscles tense beneath their striped skin, advancing with predatory stealth. One of them carried the lifeless body of a blue ape with a liquor skirt hanging from its jaws, the corpse’s fur still dripping blood.
Suddenly, the tiger carrying the dead man stopped. It let out a low growl and scanned the surroundings with its golden eyes. Its ears perked up, its body tensed like a string about to snap. The air seed to stand still.
Kael narrowed his eyes. The sll of the corpse, mixed with blood, already perated the air. They might have been sniffed out. He braced himself for the worst.
But then the unexpected happened.
From further ahead, not far from his hiding place, a group of blue liquor-skirted apes erged from the undergrowth. They did not hide or hesitate: they roared with savage fury and lunged like an unleashed wave against the tigers.
And chaos erupted.
Claws against teeth. Brutal swipes. The tigers fought with precision and brutality, while the apes attacked with madness. They didn’t care if they died. Each one seed determined to tear the enemy apart with their bare hands until their last breath.
It was revenge. It was fury. It was a dance of death in the jungle, stained red.
Kael motioned to Michel to continue on their way; staying any longer was dangerous, as more beasts could appear.
After leaving the place, they continued moving carefully and with much more caution. They did not want to beco food for so beasts.
They advanced through twisted branches and vines, passing through several areas where other groups had stopped.
The noise was constant: distant screams, clashing weapons, rustling in the undergrowth... the air vibrated with the sounds of combat and tension, as if the jungle itself breathed violence.
Shortly thereafter, the landscape changed. They entered an area where the shadows thickened and the sun barely filtered through the treetops.
The atmosphere beca heavy, humid, almost suffocating. Cobwebs hung from the trees, covering every corner with a sticky, whitish layer. So trembled gently in the wind.
Kael had co to this place to collect so spider silk to upgrade his armor. The armor he currently had would only last until he reached rank 8; now it was useless.
And all the animals he encountered could easily kill him with a single blow.
They went deeper and deeper, dodging the cobwebs, which were appearing in greater numbers, and they could also see so spiders, but they were too small to pose any problem.
After about five minutes, Kael finally stopped at a cave, which was the forr lair of the Giant Blue Spider.
"Keep watch," Kael told Michel as he entered the cave filled with cobwebs.
With calm steps, he looked around, where in one corner he could see all kinds of animals wrapped up and hanging from the ceiling, with so blue spiders.
Kael kept going until he reached the end, where he saw an egg made of pure cobweb, the size of a dog, with several eggs on either side.
Just as he was about to take the spider egg, his body reacted reflexively, and a line of blood appeared on his cheek.
It was a trap. And he had fallen right into it.
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