After his fight with the Teleportcrows, Edward went back to his room and spend the rest of the night sleeping to recover. Although he was an awaken he still needed to sleep, especially after an active day fighting or running away from monsters. In the morning he did some meditation, sensing his internal aura. Mediation had become a habit, it helped him to cast aside unimportant thoughts and to calm his mind. Sensing his aura had a relaxing effect, it was as if his body was reminding him that he was alive and telling him it would support him as best as it could, no matter what.

Then he got up ready to delve back into the ruins to retrieve Adrien’s remain. Things should have calm down, the Bloodmaws returning to their usual occupations. Edward slowly got down the stairs until he stood in front of the teleportation mural. He gently pressed his hand against the wall, experimenting the usual kaleidoscopic lights before finding himself back in Oshle Tirion.

There were no Bloodmaws in the surrounding. Edward went around the room, slowly picking up Adrien’s skeleton which had been scattered around by the monsters’ fury. You were so close to escape. You can rest in peace now, knowing the Bloodmaws will stay sealed inside the ruins and that Agripin is safe. I didn’t kill all of them but I can say that I killed my fair share already.

Once, he picked up all the remains, Edward teleported back to Shele Nalore. He walked outside his base, watching around him to find a good place to bury Adrien’s skeleton. I’m in a scree, there are only rocks and bigger rocks around me, that won’t do. I remember the lake I found higher in the mountain. This place would be much better. Edward begun a hike, climbing the mountain, not going deliberately slowly, but taking his time. It was also his way to say goodbye to his friend.

He walked past the short grass area filled with burrows. The small mammals inside, still sleeping peacefully. He finally reached the lake, stopping to appreciate the view. He turned back and saw the forest standing as majestic as ever, however one detail made him frown.

Was that web area this big before? I feel as if it got bigger. Something is definitely happening. First the increased number of Teleportcrows, and now that. However, I’m not sure this is something I should get involve with. This whole place seems uninhabited, and the number of Teleportcrows alone will make it difficult for me to navigate inside the forest. Moreover, from when I blasted my aura, I know there are dangerous monsters residing inside too. I think it’s best if I go explore the world somewhere else, maybe Gobéliard, as a city I could learn more about this world. And I’m not at all choosing this option because I hate spiders. No, no, this has nothing to do with it.

Edward chose an elevated place overlooking the lake. He used his daggers as small shovels and started to dig into the soft soil. Not the best use of my daggers. He winced. But with how sturdy they are, I’m sure they will be fine. Once the hole was deep enough, he laid Adrien’s remain respectfully inside before fulling it back with earth. He walked aside to find a suitable size rock, pick up his dagger, activated his aura along it and carved the stone. “Here lays Adrien. A courageous man who continued to fight even when all hope seemed lost. May he rest in peace.”

He stayed near the tomb for some time, eyes gazing into empty space. Finally, he shook his head to regain his bearing, and his eyes stopped on the cavern on the other side of the lake. This place reeked of death. I’m not sur how I should rate it compare to giant spiders. Anyway, that is another place I’m not particularly excited to explore. I should better go back to Agripin. Leyla is still waiting for her metal delivery after all.

Edward stood up, and climbed down the mountain, the sun high in the sky shining on him. He entered the ruins and teleported once more to Oshle Tirion. The teleportation room was still empty when he arrived. He started to run, not making any effort to be discreet. In the end, he knew the Bloodmaws would spot him. They would chase him and they wouldn’t be able to take him down.

As he was running, one of the monsters from a side alley spotted him and roared alerting the other monsters in the area. Edward didn’t care and continued to run. By the time he reached the bridge there was already a sizeable group after him. As he was running on the bridge, more monsters running after him from below, and the one behind him slowly gaining on him as it was straight line, Edward had a bold idea.

As he was running, he suddenly jumped from the bridge, falling down toward the horde of monsters waiting for him. He didn’t know if it was because of their low intelligence or if it was because the bridge wasn’t that high, but the Bloodmaws chasing him jumped after him. Edward smiled as he teleported back on the bridge from midair, landing on his feet with a slight thud from the impact. He actually took the leisure to stop in place to admire the monsters falling on each other and all the mess and angry roared that ensued. He couldn’t help but broke into a loud laugh before resuming his run.

There were no monsters coming from the bridge anymore, but it didn’t take long for new ones to aggregate after him. However, this part of the ruins was more complex, and Edward wasn’t lacking adjacent rooms to avoid them. He reached the airlock made by the rune barrier without problem, the monsters still running behind him. He passed through the barrier as if it didn’t exist, but the monsters impacted it one after the other, pressing each other against it in a mess of limbs and opened maws. All the while the draining rune was running its course, stealing their life force to feed the barrier.

The monsters collapsed one after the other. Edward sight. And I have to clean the mess once again if I don’t want to deal with the smell of putrefying corpses. Next time I should add an incineration function, I swear.

Once the passage was clear, the bodies added to the growing mount of corpses outside, Edward picked up the gold, the tome and the metal scraps that he had left in this place. He noticed that some beasts had already started to dish themselves out of all that free and available Bloodmaw meat. I hope I’m not killing one bane to attract another.

Edward looked back toward the ruins. Now that I think about it I should bury the remains of the other members of the expedition. He had a pang of shame, realizing that he hadn’t thought about it sooner. But this was within reason as well. Most of the expedition members had perished inside the library, the scene had been a nightmare. It was hard to associate the place with the respect given to deceased. The remains were scattered all over the place and mixed together, it would be hard to identify what belonged to who.

Moreover, Edward had spent more time with Adrien and he didn’t talk much with the others. He had focused on Adrien and had avoided to think about the library massacre and his indirect responsability in it. He let out a sight before getting on with the job. He collected all the bones in the library. The Bloodmaws had dispersed after he managed to escape them, and the fiercest ones had been killed by the draining barrier. This way, he was able to freely trod in the library as long as he didn’t make noise to attract their attention again. Once he was done, he buried them in a collective tomb near the entrance of the ruins. This tomb would also serve as a warning to anybody foolish enough to explore a lost ruin in the middle of a forest riddled with monsters.

Having done what he came for, he left, jogging in the forest to return to Agripin, quickly disappearing under the cover of the trees. On the way back he only met one Bloodmaw that he deciding to spare leaving it as a blood supply for the villagers, they were now strong enough to take care of it without much danger. Moreover, it wasn’t that he was feeling especially kind hearted, but he had only one bag, and he didn’t want to damage it in a fight. It would be a real bother if he had to do another round trip to pick up what he couldn’t carry just because his bag had been damaged.

The monster didn't notice him as he passed it from above through the canopy. His aura range had improved and it enabled him to spot the monster before it could realize his presence.

Once he reached the village, he waved at the guards letting him in, before he headed for Leyla’s forge. She was still busy with the rune tome translation that he had given her. She was sitting at her desk, alternatively reading and scribbling notes on a paper next to her. She hadn’t noticed him yet, Edward smiled at the view.

Leyla finally notice him. “Umm you are back. I was starting to wonder if something happened, it has been more than one day already. But I must say I have ben pretty busy myself. This book is incredible, it opens so many possibilities.” She exclaimed eyes glowing with energy.

“I had to cross the ruins, and wait for the situation to calm down before coming back, so it took a bit longer than usual. But I told you I would bring you back some metal, so here I am.” Edward stated his tone becoming warmer at the end.

“Show me what you have got.” Asked Leyla impatiently.

“Here goes nothing.” Edward said as he shed the content of his bag on the floor. Brokens lances, lacerated chain mails and mangled swords spread on a heap.

Leyla whistled when she saw the damage done to the chain mail. “And you were fighting the things that did such damage. No wonder you need better equipment, otherwise you are pretty much one bad hit away from getting dead.”

Edward patted his head awkwardly. “They are strong but not that clever. And I have a teleport power, that help with dodging. Although I must say most of the monsters I encountered were having less raw power.”

Leyla raised her head at that, one eyebrow raised in curiosity. “Most? You have met something stronger?”

Edward face froze thinking back to the wyrm he escaped from. “Yes…and I have no intention to meet it again.”

“Between this and the rune tome, you are certainly broadening my horizons. That’s exactly what I needed, new knowledge to experiment with and an appropriate challenge.” Leyla proclaimed, grinning widely.