Kaelrin had been walking forever.
'At this point, I'll be dead before I find anything,' she thought.
The trees had started to blend together in space. The same brown cracked trunks. The same bushy pale green leaves. All running along the same height and width in a pattern with a path leading only straight in which Kaelrin had been walking.
There were no other signs of life anywhere. There were none of the flower beasts that Kaelrin had spent that one night hunting. There were no birds that would chirp endlessly throughout the day. There wasn't anything. Not even a whisp on wind.
Kaelrin's feet begged for rest. She had been walking here for a long time. Numerous days at least. Long ago had she let go of her desire to face a low tier beast. Now, she just wanted to find anything living. She was itching to find anything of flesh and blood.
She had thought about turning back at one point, but she decided against it. No matter how dangerous the path ahead was, she was sure there would be an equal amount of reward as well. Besides, where else would she go? She certainly couldn't turn back now. She had just run out of water, and her stomach growled louder than any monster she'd ever encountered.
Just as she was about to take a break and consider going into the patterned trees, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that the usual color pattern of green and brown was broken by a new addition of light grey.
She quickened her pace until she could clearly see the structure before her. It looked like an ancient ruin, worn down with cracks and missing parts due to erosion. Moss had caked the roof and started hanging down, some parts even reaching the floor.
In front was a massive arch, closed by two wooden doors that looked very new, contrasting the old look. The ruins seemed to be so big, must most of it looked crumbled away as though it was crashed into over and over again. There was also a fountain in front with water still flowing out of it.
"Water!" Kaelrin exclaimed, running to drink the beautiful substance. She bent down and took long gulps straight from the fountain for a while until she was quenched.
"Seems you were really thirsty," someone said behind her. Kaelrin immediately whipped around to see a tall man sitting on a crumbling bench, staring at her like she was an alien who had fell from the sky.
Kaelrin let out a small yelp as she jumped back, almost tripping on the fountain behind her. She had forgotten that there were other people here. In fact, she had forgotten that she wasn't originally here but instead was transported here from wherever she used to live.
'Earth I think it was called,' she thought. She wondered what earth was like. She tried again to remember anything about where she came from, but her head was too foggy.
Kaelrin snapped out of her and focused back on the task at hand, the burly man in front of her. She couldn't understand why he was there. He hadn't moved a muscle since he last spoke out to her, but hie eyes didn't waver either. They were pointed straight at her like daggers.
"Who are you?" she asked, deciding to play tentatively. After all, who knows why she finally ran into someone.
"Doesn't matter," the man replied. "I've been waiting for someone so that I can get into this stupid ruin." He finally got up from his spot and went to the door, strutting very slowly, and if Kaelrin wasn't about to shake in fear, she would've thought he was kind of cute.
"Why should I trust you? How do I know you're not a monster?"
He turned to face her and sighed. "Did you check me?" He then paused for a moment lost in thought. "You do have the identify skill, right?"
Kaelrin scoffed. "Yes, I do have it. I'm not stupid." She had said that, but she also didn't think to check the man in front of her at all. She quickly did so in order to follow through on what she said.
Immediately, a status window appeared before her.
[Name: Roan Rogue]
[Strength: 10.2]
[Agility: 10.8]
[Intelligence: 10]
[Stamina: 10.5]
[Skills: You do not have enough Intelligence]
She was taken aback at Roan's ten intelligence. She only had nine to start. Did he already get an entire point of Intelligence in these few days that they were here? She assumed he must've obtained a good item but decided to ask just in case.
"Why do you have ten intelligence?"
Roan looked confused for a second and tilted his head, seriously considering what she just said. Then he looked at Kaelrin again for a long moment before his eyes shifted into understanding and something akin to pity.
"I see," he said, breaking the long silence.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Kaelrin responded. "You didn't answer the question."
"It's how I started out. I had ten for all of my base stats."
Kaelrin was confused for a moment, but then she put the pieces together. Maybe she was a little dumb.
"Whatever," she replied quickly, red covering her entire face. "You want to go in this ruin? Fine we'll do that."
Kaelrin quickly walked to stand next to Roan at the doors. Another status window appeared before her.
[Ancient Ruins]
[Players Required 2/2]
[Would you like to enter?]
[Accept]
[Deny]
Kaelrin hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether or not it was safe to go in, but Roan pulled her out of her thoughts again.
"What are you waiting for? Are you chicken?"
Kaelrin looked at him with all the rage she could muster under her growing embarrassment and hit the accept button as hard as she could.
The giant wooden doors immediately swung wide open, allowing passage inside. Roan and Kaelrin took one last look at each other before stepping in, the door closing behind them.