Chapter 112: Strange Aura

"What’s with this rotten luck?!"

Aurelius bellowed as he flashed to the left, seamlessly dodging a lunge from a Blackfang Leopard. He brandished his sword for a piercing strike, the blade of his sword gleaming coldly. The leopard was only at the First Realm, but it was very agile, its speed already in the Second Realm.

But none of that mattered as he drove his sword into the beast’s side, ending the creature’s life. The beast collapsed with a thud, Aurelius watching as the life drained out of it.

What had gotten him to bellow that bitterly was the fact that he hadn’t found any bird of prey at the peak of the Second Realm yet.

A bird of prey was the beast he wanted for his second tamed companion; not that the order mattered that much. It was simply a preference for the kind of abilities he could awaken.

Straightening himself, Aurelius sighed and looked up, spotting Adam who was perched atop the branch of a tall tree, looking down on him with a smirk on his face.

"What’s with that face?" He asked flatly.

"Hehe. Nothing." Adam replied as he stood up and jumped, free-falling to the ground with a gentle thud. "I just find it entertaining watching the great Aurelius feel frustration."

"Yeah, yeah." Aurelius shook his head, sheathing his sword. "How far are we from that mountain range?"

He and Adam had been moving for almost an hour now, constantly fighting the beasts that came after them. They had chosen to take a rest here when the Blackfang Leopard came at them.

"Not much. We should get there in about another hour if we maintain the same speed." Adam answered, having wandered to the carcass of the leopard, kicking it curiously. "There is a bit of a problem, though."

"Problem?"

"Well, I’m not sure if it will truly be a problem, but just before we reach the base of that range, we’ll have to traverse a lianas field," Adam explained, pointing in the direction.

"So we could be facing mutated vines, huh." Aurelius sighed, rubbing his forehead. "This is exhausting."

Despite barely using their essence in the fights, their stamina was not infinite. The process was only slower when one relied more on physical capabilities.

Adam might have a faster recovery rate, but Aurelius wasn’t built the same way. It was something Aurelius had noticed but chosen to keep silent about.

"Maybe we should rest some more before leaving?" Adam proposed.

"No, it’s fine. This place is already compromised." Aurelius waved it off and took to walking. "And we wouldn’t want to be here at night."

Adam nodded and followed after Aurelius. They took off once more, gradually closing the distance to the mountain range in the distance.

***

As Adam had estimated, they arrived at the vine field in about an hour. Adam handled most of the fighting on their way, as firing his guns required very little effort.

His accuracy and dexterity made it easy to aim without having to spend too much mental effort. The beast boy would not lie; he had severely underestimated the kind of monster Adam was.

"You’re sensing it too, right?" Aurelius glanced at Adam from the corner of his eye.

The duo stood before a convoluted field of lianas, the arm-and-thigh-sized vines twisting and creeping over the surrounding vegetation and trees. It formed a natural barrier close to the base of the mountain range.

There were openings one could exploit to navigate the lianas, but there was a possibility that the lianas could come alive and strangle them to death.

Adam did not immediately respond, his eyes roaming over the field extensively. He had more or less determined that the lianas could come alive. But that was not the concern at the moment.

Adam’s eyes then wandered towards the mountain behind it, narrowing ever so slightly. He then glanced at Aurelius and nodded, turning his head to look at the mountain again.

Aurelius was right; there was a strange aura coming from the mountain. The aura did not feel ominous; it was rather the opposite. But the sense of danger was real.

Whatever it was that was in the mountain was dangerous.

"What do we do?" Adam asked.

"We’ll need to investigate to know what is causing this... this kind of oppression in the air," Aurelius said, staring at the mountain.

"This could be dangerous, you know."

"Everything we’ve been doing so far is dangerous, Adam. The only reason we’ve felt otherwise is that we’re able to deal with the danger."

"..."

Adam sort of agreed with Aurelius. Returning with just, ’we felt a strange aura’, wouldn’t suffice. They needed visual confirmation for a report.

"Then we’ll have to get through the lianas field first," Adam stated flatly. "Let me try something."

Under the curious gaze of Aurelius, Adam stepped forward and took out one of his guns. He calmly aimed at one of the massive vines and fired.

Bang!

The bullet made out of Tier 2 metal tore into the vine, cleanly piercing through it. The vine squirmed for a moment and slowly regenerated, going quiet once more.

Adam lowered his gun and turned to Aurelius, his tone serious. "It’s doable. But we’ll have to move fast and stay alert."

"Clearly."

Aurelius walked forward, pulling out his sword. He glanced at the gun in Adam’s hand and added. "Though your guns won’t be helping in this situation."

"Good thing I have this," Adam smirked.

A tactical tang dao appeared in his left hand. It was the same weapon he had used in cutting through that Third Realm sniper.

He knew a statement like that would be coming his way sooner or later.

"Touche."

Aurelius acknowledged the response with a soft smile. The duo turned to face the lianas field, their expression becoming serious.

"I’ll take point on this one," Adam proposed calmly, his unique skill analysing the openings in the lianas field.

Aurelius took a momentary glance at Adam, noticing the way his iris danced in his sclera. This wasn’t the first time he had noticed it. He suspected that Adam had some sort of eye technique or skill meant for analysing his surroundings.

"You ready?" Adam asked as he glanced at Aurelius.

"Always."

"Excellent," Adam muttered as he took a step forward, brandishing his sword. "Stay close."