Far from the city of Rumbus, a beautiful woman with long white hair and two pairs of wings on her back landed in a small clearing between two hills. On her shoulder, pressed against her, sat a small gray ball of fur with black tips of ears.
As soon as the beauty landed, the little fox cub's face peeked out from under the fur. Her eyes lit up, as if she had discovered something familiar and visible only to her.
"This must be the place Idan pointed out, the one he got from Ned, — Arabel said, looking around but finding nothing. There were no footprints, no signs of life.
Arabel was absolutely sure that she had arrived at exactly the place that Idan had indicated to her. She couldn't be mistaken.
There was nothing around but a snow-white, snow-covered, calm clearing.
"Woo-woo-woo, — Coco purred, drawing Arabel's attention.
Arabel immediately used a mental link with Coco to figure out what she wanted to tell her.
"Rift, Rift, There, There," — Coco said, pointing her little paws in a certain direction.
"Are you saying that teleportation was used here?" Arabel asked, and Coco nodded vigorously.
"And do you know where they've moved to?" Arabel asked, and Coco nodded again, pointing her fingers.
"Good girl, thank you," Arabel patted Coco, thanked her and was glad to realize that she had not refused to take Coco with her for nothing. Initially, she wanted to leave Coco with Idan, but under pressure from another, she gave up and took her with her.
Without wasting any time, Arabel flapped her wings and soared into the sky, swiftly heading in the direction indicated by Coco.
At the same time, Idan, after talking with Arabel, stayed in the city to complete the task of the System. He was comfortably ensconced on the roof of the tallest building, with a beautiful view of the checkpoints set up throughout the city.
Unlike Arabel, Idan was all alone. No, not exactly alone. Their adopted daughter Rizzy was inside it, but she was still too young to keep him company.
During his two visits to the military base, Idan learned how the defense of the city is organized. The border was divided into eight sides, numbered from 1 to 8.
At that moment, sirens sounded throughout the city, and all the military and people ready for battle began to gather on the third, fourth and fifth sides. These three sides were the closest to the northern border, from where the first small wave of bronze-ranked beasts had recently appeared, but it had already been repelled.
Idan noticed that although the rest of the city's districts were relatively safe, they were fortified with a small number of military personnel in case of a surprise attack from any side.
At this time, Idan waited patiently. He was not eager to immediately join the fray and waste his energy. The experience of fighting in Forbidden Zones has already taught him that, no matter how confident he feels, prolonged battles can tire him, and at the most crucial moment he may not have enough strength.
Therefore, Idan decided that he would only join the battle when the gold-ranked beasts appeared, and only if he saw that the military would not be able to fight them back.
He didn't really care about the lives of the people below. At the moment, his thoughts were focused only on completing the System's mission and Arabel's safety.
Idan sighed and looked in awe at his new sword lying in his lap.
This double-edged blade, forged from a mysterious red material, exuded heat as if it was ready for its first fight.
Idan purchased it in the "Trade" function among the products of the "Supreme Blacksmith System" for 500 System Points.
The sword perfectly matched his fire element and was suitable for his current rank, and could also serve him even after he reached the platinum rank.
Looking at the blade, Idan felt the joy of owning a new toy and impatience to test it in battle as soon as possible. However, his mind kept him from these impulses.
A smile appeared on his face as he ran his fingers over the sword, feeling the heat radiating from the blade. Then, raising his head, Idan looked in the direction where Arabel had flown away, and remembered the sword she had acquired with him.
The last time they used their elements in combination with the energy of madness, it almost destroyed their old swords that had served them faithfully during their time in Limbo. But now, these swords no longer matched their rank and power level. No matter how much they resisted, they understood that they needed to find a new sword.
After Arabel suggested splitting up and sharing her thoughts, Idan decided to purchase new swords without hesitation.
"System, please sort and show the swords that match our current level and strength," he asked for help, knowing that they didn't have much time to search on their own.
Without further ado, the system immediately provided a list of several options for Idan and Arabel.
After quickly examining the list, they selected one sword for each.
The sword that Idan chose was called "Fire Epiphany".
Arabel's sword, matching her element, looked like it was made of ice. A beautiful blue double—edged blade with an elegant guard and a comfortable handle is the "Blue Veil".
After picking up her new sword, Arabel, like Idan, felt that it was perfect for her. The cost of her sword, as well as Idan's sword, was 500 system points.
After holding the sword in her hands, Arabel sent it to the storage and looked at Idan.
Pleased with his new weapon, Idan returned the favor.
After a brief exchange, during which Idan persuaded Arabel to take Coco with him, and specifying the coordinates of the place sent by Ned, Arabel approached Idan and kissed him without words. Idan was happy to reciprocate her feelings.
After about ten seconds, they parted, but Arabel couldn't take her eyes off him and whispered:
"Don't you dare die, Dan.
"I should have told you that, Belle. Don't you dare die. I haven't enjoyed winning our bet yet," Idan replied with a smile, and Arabel blushed at the memory.
"And also, Belle, try to find and eliminate the interference, if it exists. A hindrance that prevents me from contacting Ned," Idan said seriously. Upon hearing this, Arabel immediately understood what he meant and nodded in agreement with his request.
Then, turning, she soared upward and, after taking one last look at Idan, rushed to the place indicated by him, where her younger brother's group disappeared.