In the evening glow, Kadi could see the Stone House before him, exuding an air of tranquility. He really wanted to approach and have a closer look. However, due to Igor's caution, Kadi dispelled the thought.
"Though I have no idea what will happen next, I believe we can't just stand here doing nothing. We must do something. But what should we do? I'm completely clueless," Igor softly sighed.
Kadi really wanted to suggest they go take a look at the Stone House. But on second thought, that would be too selfish, he chided himself. Igor hasn't even said what he wants to do. How can I only think of myself?
So Kadi had no choice but to remain silent. To him, Igor was like a commander, leading the way.
"It's getting late. I think we should find some food nearby. We might have to eat grilled fish tonight," Igor suggested.
"Uh, no. Let's search for food first; let's forget about the grilled fish," Kadi quickly waved his hands in dismissal, his head throbbing at the mere thought of the fishy smell from before.
Food is the best pacifier. No matter how tired, hopeless, or idle you may be, the aroma of food can always energize you and push you to take a firm step forward.
Kadi searched the area, but this side of the swamp wasn't as resourceful as the previous location. Besides the white, floating cattail fluff, there was nothing at all edible. From time to time, fish would leap out of a small adjacent pond as if hinting that they were today's meal. Although it was winter, the area was as vibrant as early summer.
Despite the vibrancy around, Kadi was somewhat disappointed at the lack of anything edible. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
Kadi occasionally glanced at the Stone House nearby. It was so close; maybe if he knocked on the door, he could enter and enjoy a nice meal...
"Kadi..." Igor, noticing Kadi zoning out, felt something was off.
"Hmm?" Kadi snapped back to reality, noticing a strange look on Igor's face.
"I feel like the Stone House... is moving!" Igor whispered.
"What!" Kadi could hardly believe his ears. He gave Igor a puzzled look, then turned his head to observe the Stone House closely.
The Stone House remained completely still, as tough and unyielding as a rock.
"Are you seeing things, Igor? Or is it due to hunger?" Kadi felt something was definitely wrong with Igor this time.
"No, I really feel Stone House is moving," Igor insisted.
"Uh, how can stones..."
Before Kadi could finish, he heard a RUMBLING sound, and a stone rolled down from the Stone House before them.
"Watch out!" Igor shouted, grabbing Kadi and leaping to the side.
Scrambling and tumbling, Kadi and Igor dodged the stone. Then, the two of them, all three eyes wide, stared in shock.
"It must have been an accident," Kadi reassured himself after catching his breath. "The house must be old, and that's why this happened."
"Watch out!" Igor shouted again, pulling Kadi away from another incoming rock.
And this rock was the same one that had just fallen off the house!
"What…" Kadi was dumbfounded. He had never seen a rolling stone make a turn before.
Not long after, Kadi's eyes widened even further, and a wave of dread washed over him. The Stone House before them, just as Igor had claimed, started moving.
RUMBLE... RUMBLE... RUMBLE... Stones from the Stone House kept rolling down, all targeting them without exception.
Igor and Kadi zigzagged, narrowly avoiding the rolling stones. They had just worked up a sweat crossing the swamp, and now they were enduring a similar ordeal, panting and perspiring. The danger this time was no less intense than their trek through the swamp.
"Are these stones under some kind of Magic? How can they all move by themselves?" Kadi wondered aloud, hopping about.
"They didn't just move—they came alive!" Igor replied. Despite the dangerous situation, he didn't forget to observe their surroundings.
After their attack failed, the stones RUMBLED and rolled back together, reforming the house before standing still once more.
"Hah... hah..." Kadi panted. "They haven't just come back to life; they've gone crazy!"
"Yeah, I have no idea what's going on." Igor wiped the sweat off his forehead, his eyes intently fixed on the Stone House.
The Stone House remained still for a while before it started to RUMBLE again. But this time, the stones didn't roll down one by one. Instead, they rolled upwards together; soon, with more RUMBLING, they formed a humanoid shape.
"Holy crap, is that a Stone Monster?" Kadi exclaimed.
"More like an assembled Stone Monster!" Igor said as he jumped in another direction, barely avoiding the Stone Monster's giant fist.
BOOM! An earth-shattering sound echoed as the giant fist smashed a small tree into splinters.
"Is there no way for us to defeat it?" Kadi asked. He had been constantly dodging, now leading the Stone Monster in circles with nimble steps.
"We must find its weak point. But it's solid rock all over; how can there be any flaws?" replied Igor, sweating profusely and breathing heavily.
"To think that stones can actually have life, what a spectacle! Why didn't it appear all the time I was at Guru Mountain? Yet it shows up as soon as you arrive," Kadi said.
The stones paid no mind to Igor and Kadi's conversation, continuing to roll relentlessly. It seemed that whether they were forming a humanoid shape or attacking, they did it all through constant rolling.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! Stones kept rolling and crashing towards Igor and Kadi, but the duo's Bomb Jump ability and reflexes were surprisingly good. Several times, by running in crisscross patterns, they tricked the Stone Monster so effectively that its fist almost hit itself.
"Let's see if I can lure it into the swamp and let the swamp be its Devouring end," Kadi said, growing increasingly confident as he led the Stone Monster around, gradually guiding it towards the swamp.
Unfortunately, it seemed the Stone Monster understood Kadi's plan. Each time Kadi leaped towards the swamp, it would stop its rolling advance and switch its attack towards Igor.
"Igor, you lead it this way too!" Kadi shouted. He knew that in a head-on confrontation, they were definitely no match for this Stone Monster, so they could only rely on cunning tactics to win.
It seemed their only hope was to lure the Stone Monster into the swamp.
Clearly, Igor was no fool. He immediately ran in Kadi's direction, knowing their time was limited. They had only a few minutes at most—any longer, and the swamp would spew fire again...
This brief window of time would decide their fate!
Kadi and Igor stood still on a solid patch of ground by the swamp, waiting for the Stone Monster's giant fist to smash down.
If that fist fell there, the Stone Monster would certainly sink into the swamp and no longer be a threat to them...
Igor and Kadi waited silently.
However, things did not unfold as they had envisioned...