Navia let August into the room for the two of them to discuss the plan and not let anyone see her not fully healed face. The muscles fully regrew, but a lot of her skin was still missing.
“You… Ekhm… Look better…” Muttered August as he sat on the bed opposite from Navia.
“I just need a bit more time to heal. So we can start in a few hours.” Navia looked at the cracked clock on the wall. “If the clock is correct, then how about we get out in the morning?” That would mark the second day of being stuck in a cavern full of monsters, and by the estimated time from the captain, it meant that there was enough food for that day and a bit for the next.
“Good thing the chef portioned the food to a minimum. After a short argument while you were gone, she made her point and saved enough food for two more days.” Answered August, realizing that time was so little to act for Navia as she checked the clock. “Dinner should be any minute now that I think about it.”
“I’ll skip dinner and get some rest.” August was about to state his worries about the empty stomach of someone who is going to fight, but Navia cut in quickly before he could say anything. “There are a lot of monsters out there. Barnacles are easy to kill, but then there are those… Frogs… They are intelligent and set up traps. We tried to get out by the main staircase, but they were waiting for us.”
“Side stairs might be a safer option. They only lead to upper floors, not the outside, and they are narrow. Enough for three people at the time.” August rubbed his chin, thinking about how they should move, which path to take.
“Using the side stairs… What then? Is there a way to reach the exit?” Asked Navia, the plan of using narrower, less-used stairs meant there could be fewer monsters, and even if there were any, she would have fewer to worry about.
“We can move through the entire top floor, which is the smallest, toward the stairs leading to the outside. But we can use the unusual exit. The window near the stairs. It’s wide, and we could easily get from it to the top. Though there is a risk of falling from the top floor since there will be nothing below us.” As he explained the paths they could take, Navia considered the options.
“The window is the fastest option by the sound of it, but there is a risk of falling… And I expect frogs to hide there, attached to the walls… I know what to expect from the main exit. I could try and wipe out as many monsters as I can. That way the escape can be easier once we find the exit…” Navia wasn’t sure what to choose, but for now, she answered, “We’ll use the side stairs and use the exit accordingly. Let’s rest for now and begin early in the morning.”
“Okay…” It seemed like August was realizing that he would leave those safe walls and risk his life. He was anxious but eager to survive at the same time. Once he left, Navia immediately resumed her meditation. Except this time she sat on the bed, wrapped in the blanket so it would be like she had fallen asleep.
Breaking the hard and sturdy ground, then training with different types of weapons, a night quickly passed for her. Once she opened her eyes, she could feel the difference. Even though they broke an inch of the ground, it felt like a massive step forward. To test that she bit her finger and let the blood envelop her. The blood she was able to control enveloped her whole arms and torso with spare blood to create a weapon. Hardening the blood was quicker, and the creation of the armor was much faster.
He took off the blanket to take a better look at the armor. She could tell that it was sturdier, probably could withstand Godan’s force, unlike last time. Hearing the knocking, she turned around. She opened the doors to see who it was and was welcomed by a comment, “I see you’re already prepared …”
“Kind of…” Navia noticed that August had two kitchen knives attached to his belt. She extended her hand and changed the remaining blood she could control into a short sword. “Take this. It’ll be better than a kitchen knife.”
“Thank you.” August grasped the blade, expecting it to be hot or at least warm since it was made from fresh blood, but as he grasped it, he felt a cold, quartz-like surface. Navia was all healed without any wounds, but with that blood in his hands, it felt like she was dead cold.
“You don’t have to worry about it breaking. I already cut and broke many monsters with it. It’s as sturdy as iron or steel.” As Navia explained the blade's endurance, August lightly swung the sword around. Not only was it as durable as steel, but it was as light as a stick.
“With that in my hand, I won’t have to worry about monsters.” August smirked, holding the sword in front of him. “Before we go. May I ask a question?”
“Go on.” August got Navia’s full attention, curious about the question on the man’s mind as it sounded genuine.
“Is it possible for me to acquire a gate?” His heart raced, wanting to hear the truth. If his dream is possible, or is it just like a star that he can’t possibly reach?
“Of course you can. Everyone can. Not many people possess gates because it's hard to find one.” The last part seemed to confuse August. “The first step is to enter the inner world by meditating. Which takes a lot of training, you have to be in the right state, which differs from person to person. Some need to be calm, like me, while others need to be excited. When entering the inner world, you have to look for the gate, which may take days, months, or even years. I unlocked my first gate after three years of wandering around the thick forest.” Navia felt nostalgic as she pictured the beautiful forest that once was in her world.
“So the inner world is like a forest, and inside it are hidden gates? If it took you three years, I imagine the forest must’ve been massive.” August was glad to hear that he could acquire a gate, a power of his own, which got him even more curious.
“The inner world can be different for everyone. For example, the master who taught me the most about the gates said his inner world was like a library, each book containing written experiences of his past, his old thoughts, and imagination. Even the ones from his childhood.” Navia chuckled a bit, remembering that the monk would sometimes tell her the stories he imagined as a child.
“I wonder what my inner world would look like…” August felt like a child listening to fairy tales and legends, imagining himself in the position of the hero.
Navia walked past August, commanding him, “Let’s go.” He quickly turned around and followed Navia in her blood armor. The steel door looked fine, like she didn’t bust them up. “Were you able to weld back the hinges?” Asked Navia, surprised that they were able to repair it after all.
“Goldsmith’s special item worked, at least for a moment. Shortly after repairing the door, it broke. At least your journey wasn’t for nought.” Explained August.
He reached for the door handle, but he stopped once he heard someone approaching them. Behind them stood Captain Oswold, who seemed disappointed and conflicted. “So you didn’t give up on that plan of yours…”
August straightened his back, and with conviction, he answered, “Like I said, Sir. I would rather die trying than waiting for help.”
The captain took a deep breath and scratched his nose bridge. He didn’t like the answer, but he did expect it. “I can’t stop you… So I will only wish you good luck. Come back alive…” Oswald patted August on the back and left, hiding from their sight while the rest of the people came to watch. The goldsmith and one other man came to the door with chairs to push back any barnacles away, like last time.
August stood by the door with the two men, his hand on the handle and sword ready. Navia kneeled as if she were preparing for a sprint. The blood from her lower chestplate moved to her arms, making two short battleaxes. Once she nodded, August shouted, “Look out!” and opened the doors wide open.
The second they were wide open, Navia dashed past them and chopped the few barnacles that stood by the door. Their cut-off arms, heads, and legs fell to the ground. She looked around for more monsters, but there weren’t many of them. Just two barnacles wandering far in the corridor.
Navia gestured with her hand for August to follow. He closed the door behind him and made sure it was closed properly. Once August closed the door, he waved his sword in each direction he looked, expecting many monsters on his path.
“There are only a few monsters left on this floor. Looks like I killed most of them.” Navia turned the axes back into her armor and looked up the main staircase. “I can hear many of them walking above. They just didn’t walk down yet. So, where are those side stairs?”
“On the other side of the ship, behind the seating area.” Answered August, turning down the corridor, left with corpses after Navia’s advance.
“So it should be safe. Nonetheless, be on the lookout for the Frogs. They can hide everywhere just to ambush us. If you see one, pull back, and I will take care of it.” At the mention of the frogs, August tensed up a bit, remembering the nasty wound from the previous frog he met.
Once they entered the seating area, he saw the bloodbath left by Navia. He hasn’t seen her in much action except for the few Barnacles, but just by watching the corpses, he came to a conclusion. To him, she was the strongest person he had ever met.
As August instructed, at the end, there were stairs leading up from two sides, and there weren’t many Barnacles on their path. Navia used a rapier to put holes in their heads, letting the bodies fall down.
When August flinched, ready to react to the upcoming monster, the creature already had a hole in the head. The speed and precision were nothing like he had ever seen.
Before they left the staircase, Navia knelt and turned to August. “Get ready, there are more monsters ahead. Mostly Barnacles, but there most likely will be a few Frogs between them. Is the corridor up ahead narrow?”
“No. It’s quite wide. Why do you ask?” Navia didn’t need to answer as she changed most of her armor into a long cleaver. Once she jumped out of the staircase to the corridor, August quickly followed to witness her strength.
A whole crowd of Barnacles was slashed in half by a single swing. Next, she turned it into a rapier, piercing two Barnacles’ heads at once. As more Barnacles approached them, she changed the rapier into a double-edged sword. Each swing, slice, and thrust was precise and well combined. If not for the falling corpses, it would look like she was dancing.
Between the corpses, August noticed a movement, something was hiding under the benches and moving among the fallen. “Look out!” Shatoued August as he began moving forward to attack the hidden enemy. At his scream, the frog leaped out of the hiding toward Navia with its mouth wide open. As the acid spit began to come out of its mouth, it was closed by a black shield. Navia pinned the monster to the ground, and with a knife, she pierced its head.
“Thanks!” Shouted Navia before jumping forward at the oncoming group of Barnacles.
The whole corridor got cleaned by Navia, making way for the stairs to the next floor. They swiftly reached the top floor with an exit as well as the window August mentioned.
Since there weren’t many monsters left, they decided to use the normal exit, but as they walked, Navia couldn’t shake this feeling, “Something is off…”
“What do you mean? Heard something coming?” August turned around with his blade in hand, thinking that they would be attacked from behind.
Navia stopped and answered, “No… And that’s the problem. I don’t hear anything. We didn’t encounter any Frogs since the lower floor…”
Before August could even turn around to face her, he watched the floor in front of him collapse. Underneath the whole corridor was covered by an army of Barnacles. Then a group of massive Barnacles with blade bones instead of their hands appeared from the corner.
“That’s a trap!” Shouted Navia, grabbing August’s hand and pulling him closer to her as the floor slowly began to crumble. It was either to fall into a crowd of Barnacles or to face a group of stronger Barnacles. “Look out for the floor! I’ll take care of those things!”
Navia turned the daggers into a long cleaver and swung at the first bladed Barnacle. The monster met her blade and held for a moment before losing in a match of strength. They caused a greater threat, but were nothing to Navia.
Suddenly, bits of the walls began to crumble, and from them entered more bladed Barnacles. The frogs used the acid to slowly weaken the walls, and the much stronger Barnacles broke through them.
“August!” Shouted worried Navia, as they fell into the trap prepared by the Frogs.