After enjoying the dinner, the group meets again—excluding Marsha and Jolt, who are enjoying a self-described romantic walk through the harbour at night.
"So what's the plan?" Neffi asks, tapping a finger on the table.
"I'll need a few more days to take care of the remaining patients," Auren explains calmly. "I'm not doing this completely out of charity. It will strengthen my position, and most importantly, I can feel my Hatsu improving at a crazy pace." His tone reveals a hint of excitement. "If I keep this up, even I don't know the limits of my Hatsu. It's already at a point where I can literally reverse anything, aside from ageing."
"Your ability is miraculous," Eren states. "Auren, to be perfectly honest, I've been hearing rumours about you already... after a day. They are absolutely not negative, and the details are very murky, but it might be a little concerning. People are talking about miracles and being blessed by god... though they are not even sure which god they are even talking about. It's all a big mystery... only one thing is certain. They are looking at you like you are either a god yourself, a prophet, or some sort of angelic being."
"Ignore that," Auren says, slightly annoyed, though not entirely surprised. "Hopefully, they're bored, and these rumours disappear."
I feared that... after the reactions I've received today.
"Anyway, after I'm done, we'll explore the vicinity of the site together, as a group. Until then, you won't go out on your own. If you want to do something useful, I suggest you join the guards patrolling the outer vicinity of the landing point. Apparently, they get enough action with the beasts living closeby." He looks at Leira. "Though, Leira, you should focus on your research. There must be enough samples for you to work on."
"Indeed, there are," Leira agrees.
"I'll do my best as well," Eren says, without hesitation.
"Fine..." Vanessa mutters. "Guard duty... not my thing, but I'll get to practise at least."
"Stop complaining!" Neffi chimes in. "I'll patrol the area. With my new suit, I'm pretty much untouchable in case of emergencies. I want to get used to the terrain before heading out." Her eyes brighten. "I'm more than a little curious. I can't wait to check what's out there. The beasts are just crazy. You can't see beasts like that in the west. I wonder what else is out there?"
"We'll find out soon enough," Auren states, his voice growing firm, before glancing towards Vanessa. "Until then, don't screw around, or I'll send you home right away."
"Why are you looking at me?!" she protests, looking aggrieved.
As they argue and eat, Elder Kirda enters the airship along with two male Elders, whom Auren somewhat recognises from the meetings and life in the familiar mountain city. The latter look a little embarrassed as they step inside.
"Welcome," Auren says with a smile. "Please sit down and eat with us. I'll show you to your cabins afterwards. You can enter and leave whenever you please."
"Thank you, Auren!" Elder Kirda says, holding back a tear. "Finally.... a nice bath, a nice bed... and the food!"
"Behave yourself!" one of the other Elders immediately chastises her.
"Little girl, your behaviour needs some adjustment," the other one agrees. "While our people are working hard, you are merely filling out papers in a warm office. You should be grateful."
"Please relax," Auren says. "There is no need for any manners. You are all working hard, and we need you in your best shape. Please feel at home. Whenever you need to rest, you are always welcome." He pauses, then adds, "I have a few questions you might be able to answer for me..."
As they eat and talk, Auren asks question after question about the management of the landing point, finally obtaining all the relevant information. He also shares his own experiences and his plans for the coming days, which the Elders gracefully acknowledge.
Well-fed, Auren returns to his cabin and immediately rests, spending his night using Zetsu to recover his Aura, and then switching to Ten, keeping it up even while sleeping.
The next morning, Auren leaves early, seemingly before the others even wake up, the sun still not visible.
Alone, he makes his way through the dark camp. For once, there is no audible noise—the landing point is completely peaceful, with only a few lit-up tents and container apartments.
When he reaches the wooden sheds outside the camp near the forest, he immediately continues his job, now alone, with nothing to distract him.
It takes him five days, a little longer than expected, to cure every last patient. Thanks to the efforts of Neffi, Vanessa, and Eren, who have joined the patrols securing the vicinity of the landing point, the number of new patients stays extremely low.
At some point, whenever Auren walks through the camp, everyone bows to him, some even kneeling down in worship, annoying him to an intense degree. It happens so often that he starts dreading every walk across the tents and containers, even when he's just trying to get from one place to another.
Every day during dinner, Vanessa and Neffi argue about who's managed to kill more prey.
Finally, on the sixth day, the group meets up after waking up and eating together, everyone finished with their own preparations.
Vanessa is wearing a full set of the heaviest armor, provided by Neffi. She is also carrying a pair of guns, and a large semi-automatic rifle with a scope attached to it.
Eren is wearing visibly lighter armor, carrying a single pistol and a sniper rifle.
Auren and Neffi wear their own personal combat suits, with their special additions that allow them to glide through the air—or outright fly, in Neffi's case.
Of course, Auren is also wearing his set of Nen Regalias, never really taking them off, except for sleeping and showering.
Leira, seemingly not too excited about possible combat, is carrying a simple hunting rifle and is wearing basic clothes provided by Neffi. However, to compensate, she is wearing a large backpack full of supplies and tools.
Heavily armed, with solid defensive gear and enough supplies, the group of five briefly announces their plan to Elder Kirda, who is seemingly always in her office, never venturing outside. After that, the group enters the forest, with Leira holding a map created by her with the help of Jolt, who flew over the landing zone with her a couple of times, allowing her to get a good look at the immediate vicinity.
Confidently, she suggests: "The shortest way inside the area that may hold some discoveries leads through the west... this mountain chain is around 30 kilometers (18 miles) away. We should explore there first, as it will give us the opportunity to find our bearings."
"Finally!" Vanessa says. "I'm yearning for some battle!"
Honestly... my sword arm is itching for some action as well... I wonder how much Aura I can siphon into Eternity. Well, first I have to make sure nobody actually dies.
"You'll be the rearguard. Follow along... this is an exploration trip. We can fight after the job is done!" Auren immediately states, making her slump in disappointment.
"But why?!" she asks, seemingly not understanding Auren's decision.
"You are the one with the rifle, and the Hatsu that has a delay and works best from a distance. Aren't you an Emitter? Do you want to go to the front with your abilities?" Auren asks, visibly confused by her lack of understanding.
"I... I didn't consider that," she admits, looking visibly shocked.
"I'll take the front," Auren announces. "Neffi, you are on the right. Eren, take the left, but retreat if you are in trouble. Leira, you'll be in the middle—behind me and in front of Vanessa." He looks at each of them once, making sure they're listening. "This formation doesn't have to be kept up perfectly, but if things turn serious, don't run around on your own. Make sure to stay close to me. That's the most important thing. If you need to flee, run towards me."
"I'm getting really weird vibes, when the kid is protecting us adults and telling us to lure potential enemies to him..." Vanessa remarks.
"Act like an adult before you call someone else a kid," Neffi mutters.
"Stop bickering. Let's move on before the sun sets, or I'll actually leave you behind," Auren says, his voice not playful at all.
Walking in the formation Auren decided on, the group slowly heads into the wilderness, leaving behind the landing point.
Auren draws Eternity so he is ready to defend himself at a moment's notice, using it from time to time to cut open a path through the vegetation blocking their way.
They're steadily making progress, albeit at a relatively slow speed, travelling through truly untouched paths.
Nobody has ever been here. No paths... no maps. This is a new experience. I need to balance risk and reward. I can't blindly rush through this wilderness, but I also can't carefully walk around every brush, or else we'll take days to make it to our goal.
Whirling his blade from left to right, cutting through brushes with insane speed, Auren picks up the pace, mimicking a spinning blade as he clears the way. Now they make faster, steadier progress.
"Are you using En? You aren't, right? Isn't this rather reckless? We could slow down," Neffi asks, looking slightly worried.
"No," Auren replies. "We are hunters. We are prepared, and my Hatsu can deal with most issues. We can't cower in fear because of a situation like this." His tone stays firm. "If I use En, I'll run out of Aura sooner or later, which is arguably more dangerous. I'll use it only sparingly, when I sense something wrong."
"Yeah!" Vanessa says, agreeing with Auren, clearly sympathising with his seemingly extreme and exciting decision.
As they make steady progress, Leira urges them to stop a few times.
She takes various pictures of trees, plants, herbs, mushrooms, small insects, and animal trails, also packing several samples into small bags.
Despite her slowing down their pace, Auren instantly realises that she's genuinely limiting herself, doing her best to only take what she considers necessary and valuable.
After a few hours, the mountains they are aiming for have grown significantly closer.
"Boring... only birds and some small animals. I think I saw an ape in the distance," Vanessa remarks. "Let's hurry up already. I think the animals are scared of us! I'm simply too strong."
"We've made progress, but stay vigilant." Auren doesn't even look back at her. "This is exploring and training. You said you wanted to hunt. This is not truly about reaching the mountains, or we could have just used the airship." He starts to say more, then suddenly quiets down and raises his hand.
En.
Checking the terrain, Auren immediately notices something off in front of them. There is a large hole ahead. On closer inspection, Auren identifies it as a tunnel reaching into the ground at a steep—yet not impossible to descend—seventy-degree angle.
Under his leadership, the group slowly approaches until they see a wide opening leading into the dark earth below. The light can't penetrate deeply into it, making it appear like a hole with no bottom.
"It's huge! You could drive a damn bus down there," Vanessa points out, sounding excited now.
"A cave... it's rather out of place." Auren says quietly. "We're still far away from the mountains we were aiming for, and it's angled rather weirdly." He stares into the darkness. "Also, the cave... at least as far as my En reaches is created evenly. This is impossible. This looks like a round hole was dug into the ground. This raises the possibility, and frankly the danger, that it was..."
"Created by a beast," Leira says immediately. "Without a doubt, this cave did not occur naturally."
Auren, still keeping up his En, suddenly notices something approaching from below. A long, extremely large presence moves through the earth, aiming directly for their position.
"RUN! NOW!" Auren yells, sprinting forward.
Surprised, the group hesitates for only a moment, then obeys and moves, following after him.
Three seconds later, a gigantic, monstrous worm digs out of the ground. It bursts up with a terrifying, nightmarish maw—hundreds of sharp teeth at the front—its mouth pointing towards the sky.
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