Ruddy ran inside the forest without stopping and made his way towards the cave; the sounds of trees creaking due to the demon's force echoed throughout the forest. Each creak made his heart beat louder, as he could feel the demon coming closer with each moment.
But he knew the demon could close the distance whenever it wanted; it wasn't doing it cause it desired to play with him. It liked to toy with its prey first, giving it hope and then taking it all away in a single swoop.
Ruddy knew that, but he continued to run.
"Don't kid me! I will survive no matter what." Ruddy said as he moved through the wild maze of trees without stopping. His feet were bleeding from the sharp pebbles or gravel that were ever-present on the pathway. His lungs were heavy due to continuous running, but he didn't stop.
Right then, a vine lying on the ground wrapped around his leg and caused Ruddy to lose his footing, making him fall. Ruddy's face turned grim as he looked at the demon who was standing just a few meters away from him.
'No... No... No...'
Black sticky liquid oozed out of its maw as it looked at Ruddy, who was hurriedly trying to unwrap the vein binding him.
'Not like this...' Ruddy looked at the demon with a horrified expression.
The demon, seemingly sensing his peril, stepped towards Ruddy. Right then, Warrior, who was standing on a branch on a nearby tree, jumped at the demon with his sword ready to split the demon in two.
The demon jumped back without any waste and looked at Warrior with vigilance. Warrior, however, didn't even look at it and turned towards Ruddy as he spoke.
"Didn't I tell you to stay there?" He questioned in an annoyed tone. His lips fell into a frown.
Ruddy looked at Warrior with a bewildered look.
"B-But-" Ruddy stuttered as he looked at the demon with fear evident in his eyes.
"Hah…" He heaved a sigh and unsheathed his gunto and looked at the demon.
"Let's do this." He spoke as he took his stance and pointed the sword towards the demon.
He moved like an expert as he slashed, stabbed, and thrusted at the demon. The demon blocked and parried his attack, but Warrior was still unscathed.
Warrior was a master of combat, and it was evident as He was able to easily overpower it, but the demon knew that its chances of defeating the Warrior were near zero. So, it turned towards the shadows and ran away.
Warrior clicked his tongue and sheathed his sword.
He looked towards Ruddy with a frown as he spoke.
"Get up. We have to move."
Ruddy came out of his reverie and hurriedly stood up.
'He must be an awakened… otherwise, he couldn't just beat that dormant demon like this.' Ruddy concluded in his mind as he looked at Warrior.
"Let's go to the carriage," Warrior said as he turned back and came to a halt.
"What's wrong?"
Ruddy turned towards him with a raised eyebrow and looked towards the carriage, only to find that there was none.
Both of them turned silent as they continued to stare at the place their carriage had stood before.
"What about we stay at this cave for today?" Ruddy questioned without shifting his gaze.
"Yeah…" Warrior nodded at his words and turned towards the cave.
Warrior and Ruddy stepped towards the cave; neither of them said anything as they made their way inside.
Moments later, they sat opposite each other with their backs supported by the cave.
Ruddy didn't sleep and looked at Warrior with vigilance.
Warrior sensed his gaze on himself and spoke in an annoyed tone.
"I can kill you whenever I want; I don't need you to be sleeping for that."
Ruddy's body trembled, but he didn't say anything and turned away.
"So stubborn," Warrior said as he closed his eyes and tightened his hug on his gunto.
"Hah…" Ruddy heaved a sigh as he lowered his head.
'That was an actual demon, but… he is an awakened, what if I have to kill him to complete the trial?' Ruddy thought with a dejected expression.
'What if… I have to kill both of them?'
Ruddy continued to think of different ways that could lead to the completion of the trial, and each was extremely hard to fulfill. But…. He had to do it one way or another.
Ruddy once again wished for his stats and focused on his sub trait.
[Purified] Trait description: Your blood has gone through the trial of the crimson flames.
'[Purified] It's a rare sub trait, but we already know about it…. And if I am right…' Ruddy lifted his head and looked at the warrior.
'He wants to use me as a sacrifice for the shadow god.' Ruddy concluded and looked at Warrior with fear, but deep down, he had already made the resolve to survive and complete the trial.
'I have to find out how to use my triat abilities.' Ruddy concluded and closed his eyes. After all, he couldn't do it right now. Taking a nap was the best course of action at the moment, and he did just that.
A few moments later, Warrior opened one of his eyes and looked at Ruddy with a remorseful expression as he spoke in a low voice.
"I am sorry..."
He looked out of the cave for a moment. He lowered his head and looked at his bloodied palm. The palm was smeared in red and black, but it was the subtle blue that truly felt like a piece that didn't belong there.
'I have to finish this by tomorrow... otherwise...'
Warrior thought as he clenched his fists and closed his eyes, drifting to the world of dreams.
From a few hundred meters away from the cave, the demon stood in the shadows as it looked at the cave with its malicious blue eyes. It turned towards the inner forest as its eyes turned darker.