Grey nodded, and a quiet understanding passed between them. For the next several days, a new routine settled over Grey’s life. After a morning cultivation session, he and the captain would take a stroll around the outer settlements of the scavenger camp. The captain’s pace was leisurely, as if he had no destination in mind, and Grey simply followed. In the afternoon, they would return to the small brick house to eat lunch, after which they would stroll through the inner settlements, where the houses were better built and the air felt a little less desolate. Before evening, they would be back at the house for dinner, and then the captain would retreat to his room, not to be seen again until the next morning.
The captain’s behavior was a constant source of quiet bewilderment. He never spoke about his past, his purpose, or his strange morning ritual on the block of ice. Grey, in his newfound position of relative safety, decided not to pry. He simply accepted the captain’s peculiar kindness and his own good fortune. But on this particular day, the routine was broken. The captain came out of his room, his face more serious than usual, and said to Grey, "Tomorrow, we’re going on a hunting expedition. Be prepared." Grey simply nodded, and with that, the captain went back to his room. Grey spent the rest of the night cultivating, feeling a nervous excitement about the unknown challenge to come.
When morning came, the captain was not on his block of ice. Instead, both he and Grey left the scavenger camp before the sun had risen. When they were outside the corroded zone, Grey saw the burly man Zuro waiting patiently. He spotted them from a distance and, with a silent wave, they moved together toward the zone. A few hours later, they met up with Luo, who gave Grey a warm, disarming smile that made his face flush slightly before she nodded at the captain. Finally, the two other men, Trogan and Freis, joined the group.
After several more hours of traveling, it was dusk. They decided to set up camp, and everyone brought out a tent from their storage bags. Grey was also given a simple, canvas tent. He felt a pang of unease at the thought of sleeping outside in a world so filled with danger, but seeing the others settle down without fear, he decided to suppress his own.
The next day, they continued their journey and in four hours, they had gotten to the heart of the corroded zone. The captain took the lead, his pace steady and purposeful, and everyone followed in a single file line. When they reached a specific point, Luo took the lead, her movements sure and her eyes constantly scanning for danger. A few hours later, Zuro took the lead, navigating a treacherous-looking path with ease. Each member of the team seemed to have an intimate knowledge of a specific part of the corroded zone, a shared, living map that made Grey’s own knowledge feel painfully shallow.
He also noticed that they could have easily learned the entire path themselves, but they chose not to. It was a sign of their trust in one another, a silent agreement to leave their fate in the hands of their teammates. Grey didn’t know if this was wisdom or foolishness, but he knew it meant they would have to rely on one another to get out safely. After the time it takes for a candle to burn out, they all stopped at a big, withered tree to catch their breath. The usual easy conversation was absent; everyone had a solemn expression on their face.
An Arrow of Light
When they reached an unexplored canyon, the air grew thick with a palpable tension. The group brought out their weapons and fell into a fighting formation. Grey noticed the immediate shift in the atmosphere and pulled out his knife. He deeply regretted breaking the middle-aged cultivator’s dagger. A better weapon, he knew, would be invaluable here. Under the tense atmosphere, everyone circulated their Qi Accumulation, and Grey did the same. Only the captain seemed outwardly unperturbed, but Grey knew he was the most tense and concerned of them all.
Suddenly, the captain’s expression changed. A wave of cold power erupted from him, and he let out a low, chilling shout. "Get ready!"
A loud growl resounded in the canyon, and Grey saw several black dots rushing at them from the distance. He was still trying to figure out what they were when a massive shadow fell from above. But the captain was already in motion. His slightly long hair turned a shocking, ghostly white, and a white sword materialized in his hand. He brandished the sword at the falling shadow. There was a dying groan, and a waterfall of black blood suddenly poured down.
Grey looked up and saw the captain’s cold, noble face as he looked at the approaching black dots with pure disdain. He lifted his hand, and the sword grew longer, becoming a two-handed longsword. Pointing the weapon downward, he rushed at the approaching black dots, and the rest of the team followed, a cohesive unit.
Because Grey was at the rear, he didn’t see the captain fighting, but he saw the bodies of what he was killing. They were wolves, black steel wolves. He had seen these creatures before. Their cultivation base wasn’t high, but what made them truly terrifying was that they hunted in numbers. When he saw the sheer multitude of them, his face paled with a deep-seated fear. ’What in the corroded zones...’ he thought, his stomach twisting into a knot.
The clanging of steel against flesh rang through the canyon, and the pained howls of the wolves filled the air. The team moved like an arrow piercing through the heart of the pack. One of the wolves, its side cut open by an unseen blade, was not yet dead. It saw Grey, and with a furious snarl, it rushed at him. Its black, steel-like back glittered in the faint light, and its eyes glowed with pure bloodlust.
Grey was a little slow to react, but a bril arrow shot out from nowhere and struck the wolf directly in its eye. The force of the arrow was strong, and the wolf reeled back with a yelp of pain before collapsing. Grey turned and saw Luo, her face solemn, already notching another arrow. She nodded at him, a silent form of encouragement, and continued to release arrow after arrow at the advancing pack.
’Dammit, I don’t have any long-ranged weapons!’ Grey’s mind screamed. He had been so focused on his own survival that he had forgotten the necessity of having different types of weapons. As if responding to his thoughts, a dagger was tossed over by Zuro. The big man was standing behind the captain, pounding the remaining wolves that hadn’t died from the initial clash.
Grey’s expression was one of gratitude, but he couldn’t thank him. The wolves that had not yet died were now focused on him, their eyes wild with madness and bloodlust. They bared their teeth and lunged.
’It’s time to show my worth...’ Grey thought, his fear replaced by a cold resolve. His eyes narrowed, and he suddenly entered a state of perfect clarity. He noticed every single detail of the advancing wolves, their movements, and their weak points. He was not distracted by anything, and he moved in response.
**☺️😉**