39: End of a Battle

The mutated spider quickly recovered from the shock of being thrown through the air, and just as it was about to attack the defenseless Sara, it heard the sound of fast footsteps behind it.

Grey was sprinting at full speed to cut the beast in two with Odyssey, just like he had done with the others.

With his arm extended back and Odyssey gleaming in his hand, he prepared to deliver a horizontal slash that would split the monster.

In one fluid motion, Grey lunged forward. Odyssey flashed through the air, whistling as it approached the spider's head, which barely had time to turn to see him.

Before it could react, Odyssey sliced through it like it was cutting butter.

[You have slain an awakened monster: Steel Spider]

"We did it!" exclaimed Grey, quickly turning toward Sara, who was sitting in the mud, breathing heavily and visibly exhausted.

"Sara, we killed an awakened monster!"

Suddenly, a new notification echoed in his mind.

[You have received a memory]

'Huh?'

His face froze in a crooked smile as he quickly checked his runes.

Name: Grey

True Name: Legacy of Ruin

Class: Dreamer

Dual Core: Inactive

Soul Shards: [160/1000]

Memories: [Odyssey] [Tear] [Kalictis Armor] [Steel Cover]

'Steel Cover... An armor!?'

"Sara! I think I got an armor," he said excitedly.

She slowly got up from the mud and walked heavily toward Grey, who was looking at her with a smile, stepping closer to help her.

But Sara was staring at him with a strange expression.

"Sara...?"

Before he could finish, a solid punch landed on his face, knocking him into the mud as he looked at Sara, completely bewildered.

"Idiot! You can't just show up and leave me fighting an awakened monster alone!"

"That damn thing almost ate me alive!"

Sara approached him, looking at him closely. Grey was still dazed, trying to understand what had just happened.

"If I weren't much stronger than most sleepers, that thing would have killed me. Idiot!"

Grey got up, rubbing his cheek where Sara had hit him, and glared at her.

"That hurt, dummy. I knew you could handle it, that's why I left it to you while I took care of the other two."

Sara turned her head away but glanced at him from the corner of her eye. The blood that had escaped from her mouth still stained her chin and part of her armor. In the center of her chest and ribs was a noticeable dent, and a thin line of blood trickled from the back of her head.

"Hey, did you get hurt badly?"

"Well, I took several direct hits, so yeah, I don't think I can fight much longer. We should hurry to our destination."

In truth, Grey's body was also in a mess of pain. His chest was compressed from the dent, and he knew he had one or two broken ribs. His head was throbbing too; the spider's hit hadn't been devastating thanks to his ascended helmet, but it had definitely left a mark.

"I think the cores of the three spiders will be empty, let's not waste time with that and keep moving."

Sara glanced at the mutilated bodies of the creatures and nodded. Then she began walking toward an exit leading to the rocky peak where they would set up camp for a few days. Grey followed her.

"Oh, before we continue, take this."

She looked at him, and he extended his hand. When she did the same, Grey grabbed it. At that moment, Sara felt a spark of energy travel from her hand to her chest, knowing he had transferred a memory to her.

Sara stared at the air for a few seconds before looking back at Grey, her voice still tired.

"Turn around, I'm going to take this off and put on the armor."

Grey nodded and turned around, hearing the algae Sara used to cover herself fall into the mud. A few seconds later, he heard her speak again.

"You can turn around now, let's keep moving or we won't make it."

When Grey turned, he saw the silver armor covering Sara's body. Her chest and back were protected by layers of silver steel, leaving minimal gaps. She wore bracers on her forearms and small shoulder plates. Her thighs and calves were also covered in metal, with boots of the same material on her feet. Beneath the armor was a white fabric covering her body, though her stomach was partially exposed, revealing more of that white fabric.

"You look good," Grey said as he began walking behind her.

"Thanks, I already knew that."

…

The day was coming to an end, and the night would soon cover them, but the two sleepers had finally reached their goal.

Fortunately, they only encountered a few stray awakened beasts, which they quickly eliminated. Though both were far from being in their best condition, Sara's strength and Grey's powerful weapon made dealing with them relatively easy.

Additionally, now that Sara could take on the role of a tank and charge first into enemies, her already powerful physique was backed by the protection of a level two awakened armor.

Grey, despite the pain and blood loss, had quickly recovered from the head wound, which had stopped bleeding and hurting. As for his fighting style, he had adopted the role of an assassin: Sara distracted the enemies by diving into the battle, while Grey stayed behind some coral or at a distance, using his spear to finish off the beasts.

With that, his soul shard count had finally reached 200.

They now stood before a rocky elevation that would protect them from the black sea's devastating waves during the night.

They looked at each other and sighed in unison. The climb ahead of them would be exhausting, and their already tired bodies would have to make one last effort.

"Let's go."

"Yeah."

Both started climbing, searching for handholds when they could or using their weapons when they couldn't find a proper crack. It took them at least half an hour to reach the top, already exhausted from the tough day they had.

Sara carried an improvised bag made of algae that contained the meat of a beast they had hunted along the way. They walked toward the center of the platform, which was a few meters in diameter, and collapsed next to each other. Sara threw the bag with the meat before doing so.

Both were covered in dirt and wounds, but Grey was in worse shape. He removed his breastplate in a flash of white sparks, revealing his torso.

Sara looked at him, and a mix of surprise and compassion crossed her face.

"Grey... your wounds." She said, moving closer to take a better look.

Grey glanced at her and sighed.

"Yeah, it doesn't look good. I'm going to need a few days of rest before I can fight properly."

He had at least three broken ribs, and his chest was covered in a massive purple bruise that spread across most of it. Every time he breathed, a sharp pain ran through his body, but he had no choice; he had to endure it until he healed enough to continue their journey.

"Have some."

Sara extended her hand, where a black leather bowl appeared, a latent memory she had obtained in her first nightmare. It was the water they had been drinking all those days.

Grey lifted his hand with effort and took the bowl gratefully, drinking carefully. The simple act of drinking or eating wasn't without pain; in fact, it made his chest hurt even more than breathing.

Despite it all, he had no choice. His body was dehydrated and needed water. He even splashed some on his face, cleaning the blood from his chin. His wet hair was pushed back, and small drops of water dripped from the tips.

He handed the memory back to Sara.

"Thanks."

She took a large sip before making the bowl disappear, and looked at Grey, who already had his eyes closed, with a slight grimace of pain on his face.

She watched him for a moment longer.

"Rest through the night. I'll take the watch and sleep during the day."

"Thanks." Were Grey's last words before losing consciousness.

Sara watched as the water from the black sea rose to a few meters below the platform.

"It's going to be a long night."