Komodo Dragons

The previous night's events left Ash restless. On one hand, he was a young man with his own birthday only a day away.

On the other hand, he didn't want to get involved in romance relationship at all. He wanted to focus on escaping that game, if possible, with his uncle.

Liliana had been a very attractive young woman; she was his crush, after all. Ash couldn't deny that he desired her.

He didn't dare to close his eyes the entire night, not wanting to let his desires take control. Now he had a headache and felt really sleepy.

'Damn it,' he thought.

Luckily, they only stayed at that place for one night. Ash wouldn't dare to imagine what would happen if she slept with him for many nights.

He fell asleep while sitting on the walking Jagu, and as if knowing that his master was sleeping, Jagu walked slower to prevent Ash from falling.

Unbeknownst to him, Liliana pouted a little, watching his body lean back and forth in slumber. She was disappointed that Ash hadn't been tempted by her the previous night.

***

That evening, the sun had only a few hours left before it set. The entire team rested in a spot where the grass began to thin out.

They all sat on scattered rocks at the edge of the tree line. Jagu had already fallen sound asleep next to Ash, who also slept on Jagu's back.

The trees grew with some distance between them, and the air in that place felt humid.

However, the trees obstructed Jagu from walking freely, so the entire team decided to walk on foot after they finished resting.

It was Liliana's turn to keep watch. She sat alone a bit far away from the team, playing with her status screen, and occasionally glancing at the team members.

After making sure everyone was asleep, she took a piece of raw meat from her inventory and stood up.

She walked to where Mason was asleep and opened his backpack. Mason was the only member who was carrying it.

Then she slipped the meat into the backpack, closed it, and returned to her spot with a smirk at the corner of her lips.

***

The team continued walking into the area with sparse trees. They walked neither too fast nor too slow.

According to Gabriel, this place was the territory of Komodo Dragons, and they should walk slowly and not make much noise.

Most importantly, the team could pass through if the creatures didn't smell any blood on them.

The Komodos wouldn't attack humans if they didn't feel disturbed or threatened.

Even so, Ash still felt tense. He often heard stories about these predators, which were only found in a specific area of the real world, from television.

Gabriel put his arm around Ash's shoulder and kept reassuring him that everything would be fine, sharing light jokes to ease his tense mind.

Suddenly, all the team members saw several Komodos moving towards them. They walked quickly with their tongues flicking in and out like typical lizards.

All the team members immediately formed a circle, and Jagu growled at one of the Komodos approaching Ash.

"Don't make any sudden moves, slowly," whispered Gabriel, while slowly drawing his sword.

The others followed suit, while Albert prepared his bow, ready to shoot the Komodos.

"We will run immediately if there is an opening," whispered Gabriel again.

Mason added while slowly lowering the tip of his spear towards the ground, "Be careful, their bite has a paralyzing effect."

"Should I make Jagu big again?" asked Ash in a whisper.

"No, no need," said Gabriel. "The important thing is that we have an opening to run away. Their running speed is not very fast."

The creatures suddenly ran towards them and attacked all the team members in unison.

Ash nervously swung or stabbed his sword into the empty air, trying to keep them away, even though Jagu stood before him to guard.

The others skillfully fended off their attacks, but they couldn't hurt any of the beasts. Their skins were too tough to cut through with just a simple sword swing.

Then Albert managed to shoot one of the Komodos right in its eye, killing it instantly and creating an opening for their escape.

"Run! Now!" shouted Gabriel, then ran, followed by the other team members.

Liliana, who was at the back of the running group, suddenly swung her kodachi at Mason's leg in front of her.

"What the—!" Mason fell with a large wound on his calf. Liliana leaped over him, running to catch up with the others.

None of the team members ahead saw what Liliana did, and they were shocked to hear Mason's cries for help behind them.

Mason was surrounded by the Komodos, his screams piercing the air as they began tearing his body apart.

Liliana screamed hysterically and tried to run towards Mason, but Gabriel held her back.

"It's too late," said Gabriel, then turned and walked away from the feasting Komodos.

"We better get going now," he continued.

All the members walked away slowly, accompanied by Liliana's stifled sobs, and followed by the crunching sounds of bones.

***

That night, they all rested and slept in a cave, several kilometers away from the place where they encountered the Komodos. Heavy rain drenched the ground outside the cave.

Their expressions were weary, Mason's death had shaken them. They were not yet halfway to BlizzViel, and they had already lost one member.

Ash sat, leaning against the cave wall, watching the campfire dance before him.

He stole glances at Gabriel, who was silently sharpening his greatsword, and then at Albert, who was also busy honing his arrowheads.

Liliana sat not far from him, wiping her two kodachis clean.

Ash had never tended to his weapon before, so he began cleaning his Tenebris sword as well.

He had only known Mason for a few days, but the other team members must have known him since they were children.

So, he remained silent, not wanting to disturb those who were mourning.