Chương 40: Family bonding

Ethan stood atop a low ridge of sand with Leah beside him, the wind tugging lightly at their clothes. In the distance, jagged stone formations broke the horizon. They had reached Highrocks territory. After a week of travel, they were finally close. Another day, maybe less, and they would arrive. The journey had gone smoother than Ethan expected. They had been forced into a handful of fights. Ethan took care of them rather easily, however.

His cultivation and being a higher level made things like Sand Stalkers a lot easier to deal with, especially now that he had a lot better understanding of exactly where he sat with his power. It had taken some adjusting, he would be the first to admit. He had overestimated himself when he first entered the trials. But now his body was beginning to feel like his own again. He had even managed to gain another level from their travels.

As he thought back to his journey with the colossus, it became more and more evident that he had been steadily growing. Still though, the lack of monsters was odd. Ethan glanced sideways at Leah. Was it her doing? He still didn't fully understand her skill. From what she had explained, it nudged her in the right direction whenever she was looking for something or trying to go somewhere. From the way she described it, the skill just gave subtle feelings, like she just knew it was the right way to go.

They had talked it over, and found an obvious flaw in the skill. It didn't always work perfectly. While she felt it had guided her to Arrowtown, trusting it had also put her and her team in danger. Still, if the ability nudged her toward optimal paths, it was absurdly powerful. This was all just speculation though. Maybe they had simply been lucky and not stumbled upon any monsters by chance. Ethan's attention shifted forward again as his senses stretched into the dunes ahead.

A faint scent drifted through the dry air. Rot. He focused, isolating it from the other smells carried by the desert wind. He couldn't see anything yet, but the smell was unmistakable. Undead were up ahead, and now that they were back by the outskirts, the level of monsters would be far lower. It was perfect for Leah. Low-level undead would become more and more common in the coming days. As more humans arrived in the Trials, the number who failed to reach settlements before dying would inevitably increase.

Not for the first time, Ethan felt the familiar irritation rise in his chest. So many would die and there was nothing he or anyone could do. There was no changing it. The worst part was those wandering undead would become opportunity for the people who survived. They would grow from the deaths of others. Ethan looked over at Leah. He planned to include her in that growth.

"It's time we get you a few levels," he said, coming to a stop. Leah paused with him and glanced around the empty dunes.

"I understand the idea," she said cautiously.

"But how?"

"There's undead ahead," Ethan replied.

"I can smell them." Leah gave him the side eye.

"You can smell them?"

"Rotting flesh carries surprisingly well in dry air," Ethan said with a small shrug. He pulled his sword from its sheath and offered it to her.

"I'll draw a few of them out. Injure them enough that they're manageable. You finish them off." Leah accepted the weapon, weighing it in her hands. It was obvious she hadn't held a sword before.

"You're just going to herd undead toward me?" she asked.

"Pretty much. I'll only bring a few at a time. Injure them so they won't be a threat, then you can step in and cut their heads off." She looked uncertain for a moment. Her thoughts were probably churning. Ethan knew she was struggling with adapting to this lifestyle. It wouldn't be easy for anyone, but still, she had to push through.

"Alright," she answered after a moment.

"I've never used a sword before, though."

"It's fine. Undead are extremely weak, their bodies practically fall apart. Just whack their necks and the sword will do the rest." Leah agreed, so Ethan closed his eyes, breathing in deeply to catch the scent, then began to follow the trail.

"Just be ready!" It didn't take long for Ethan to spot them. And unlike when he first arrived, there wasn't a massive mob. He was glad. It meant he wouldn't have to worry too much about them getting overrun. Ethan stepped into view. The undead reacted immediately, drawn by movement. They had a strange sixth sense for detecting living things. They lurched toward him with determination. Leah was perhaps thirty yards away, back at the top of the dune.

He slowly walked backwards in her direction while the undead pushed closer to him. By the time they reached him, he was a lot further up the dune. They had been slipping in the soft sand, stumbling over each other, trying to get him. Ethan stopped retreating and moved to attack. He was weaponless, but that shouldn't be an issue. The first undead swiped at him, trying to latch on. Ethan stepped back, avoiding the blow before moving into range and kicking its knee inward.

Its foot slipped into the sand and it staggered, but Ethan's blow powered through, resulting in a satisfying crunch. It tried to stand again, one of its legs not working, a result of being bent in the wrong direction. He targeted its other leg, not giving it time to adjust. The undead hit the sand, beginning to crawl. Ethan grabbed its collar and threw it behind him and up the dune towards Leah. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

"Finish it!" he shouted. Before he could witness if she had or not, the next undead came at him. So together they began culling, with Ethan immobilizing them and Leah finishing the job. By the time the last undead collapsed into the sand, Leah stood breathing heavily with Ethan's sword resting in her grip. Ethan grabbed his water purifier from his bag and took a sip. There hadn't been too many undead, only around eight. But it was a good start. He grabbed the sword from Leah and handed her some water.

"Any luck?"

"Level ten," she said, a little surprised. Ethan nodded approvingly.

"That's great. Especially considering the diminishing returns you'd be getting because of my help." The small pile of ruined corpses around them had stopped moving entirely now. The smell of rot still lingered in the dry air, but he couldn't hear anything else close by. Leah wiped sweat from her forehead and took a drink.

"I was level nine. But still, the notification said I could get another skill now."

"That's perfect," Ethan replied.

"Have a look at your options. I'd prefer if you got something combat-related though." Leah frowned slightly as she navigated the system shop only she could see.

"There's a lot of options."

"There always are," Ethan said. She stood quietly for a minute, eyes flicking slightly as she read.

"[Dagger Mastery] is available," she finally said.

"Like I was telling you, the necromancer and his people drained our PO. It's the only thing I can afford." Ethan nodded, it was a bad situation for her. They likely had someone with a high level inspection skill. Forcing the prisoners to keep their PO down. The thought made Ethan irritated. But as he considered it, dagger mastery wasn't a bad option.

"It's probably because of that hairpin you purchased. I guess it counts as a dagger." Leah agreed, reaching up to adjust the metal rod sticking out of her bun.

"Do you think I should take it?"

"I think a weapon skill is extremely important to have. It will help you learn how to wield it a lot faster than if you didn't pick it. Also, as it levels you can learn techniques that utilize the weapon. I guess it just depends if you want to use a dagger or not. It's an important decision to make. I could teach you [Sword Mastery]." Leah hummed.

"Could I learn both?" she questioned.

"I can't teach you [Dagger Mastery], but technically you could fill all your slots up with weapon mastery skills. I think you could definitely learn both, perhaps even fold the skills into one down the line to get a unique skill."

"Shit, I don't know." She huffed.

"You don't have to take a weapon skill," Ethan continued, sensing her reluctance.

"There are other options. Ones that don't involve combat." He didn't like the thought of her not being able to protect herself, but he could see the wars raging in her head. Killing someone had taken its toll on her, even if she was trying to hide it from him.

"But you think that's a bad idea, don't you?" Ethan smiled a little.

"Yeah. I think being able to handle your own is the most important thing you could do. But it's your path. I can help you decide, but ultimately it's up to you." Leah sat on the dune, slightly away from the undead.

"Would folding the skills together make me have something powerful?" Ethan sat beside her.

"It's not completely unique. But the skills available are powerful. It will likely take you into a hybrid class. Though your [Wayfinder] seems powerful and might influence your selections." Leah nodded.

"Alright, I'll do it. But I want you to teach me [Sword Mastery] as soon as possible." Ethan agreed.

"We'll start as soon as we can." Inside, he was glad. After finding out Leah took Scout he had considered what options would be available for her. And he had come to the realization that she had the potential to create a uniquely powerful class. Something he would guide her towards. But he needed to be careful about it. Leah was a stubborn woman.

"It's done," she said, while flexing her fingers, testing the subtle shift in muscle memory that came with the skill.

"That feels weird," she said.

"Awesome, right?" Ethan asked. He loved the feeling of a new skill entering your soul space. The knowledge that flowed into your body and settled into your very being. It was addictive, to say the least. Leah was still looking at her hands.

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Let's keep moving," he said, while standing and offering her a hand.

"We want to create some distance between us and these undead." Leah took his hand and looked once more at the dead bodies by their feet. Then she turned away, looking at the distant rock formation. Together, they walked away, letting another day pass beneath the desert sun as they closed in on their target. When the stone walls of Highrocks finally rose into view, they were far more welcome than the endless dunes behind them.

The settlement sat carved partially into a series of towering red cliffs, its outer gates reinforced with thick scorpion chitin. Guards stood watch from above, and again, there was a large line to enter the settlement. After a week in the desert, the sight of solid stone and civilization again felt strangely comforting. Ethan slowed as they approached. The trip had been productive in more ways than one. The levels were helpful, of course.

Leah had grown stronger, and her foundation was beginning to take shape nicely. But the time together had done something else. The week together had bridged a gap Ethan didn't realize he had created. For Leah, it felt like nothing had changed. To her, Ethan was simply her younger brother, the same person she had grown up with and helped raise before the Trials. For Ethan, it was different. He hadn't seen her in nearly twenty years. The big sister he remembered suddenly didn't seem so old.

It was needed, it only being the two of them for an entire week. She had told him about her experiences since arriving in the Trials—about the confusion, the fear, coming to realize he was telling the truth, her being captured. Ethan had listened, offering reassurance where he could. But inside he felt sick. He hadn't been there to protect her. When she asked about his own journey, he had shared pieces of it too, even times from his first life.

The stories had filled the long hours of walking beneath the desert sun, slowly closing the distance that time had created between them. By the time they reached the gates of Highrocks, that distance felt a little smaller. He could see she was hiding things; he could sense it in the way her hands shook slightly, in the way she would wake up from nightmares. Ethan had tried to comfort her as best he could. But the reality was, he was out of touch with the feelings she was experiencing.

Her life had been flipped upside down. Even if before the trials, the world had been chaos for the last five years, she had never had to kill anyone. But for Ethan, he had been living this life for longer than he hadn't. It was all he knew. So he had to adjust, had to find a happy medium where he could understand her better. And now, at the entrance to Highrocks, he felt he had. He had his sister back.