The Soul Keeper

"Should we go back?" He asked after a short moment. I nodded, now was a good time to go back, have something to eat and turn in for the night.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." I said with a faint smile. As we walked back, neither of us noticed the shadow that passed through the sky.

As we arrived at the camp, we noticed the group sitting by the small fire. Vincent shot me a worried glance as soon as we stepped out of the woods. His expression turned to relief as soon as he saw my faint smile. 

"So," Joshua said after we sat by the fire as well. "Anything out of the ordinary out there?" 

I shook my head. "Nothing that we noticed." To be completely fair, we really hadn't looked at our surroundings too much. "We should still keep watch through the night." I added. No matter how safe we believed this place to be, we needed to stay vigilant and on guard.

Erik and Vincent nodded. I glanced at Alina, who was still staring at the fire. I bit my lower lip – this was dangerous. She was unresponsive to most things, despite her excitement back in Baile Chailce when she saw me. 

I pondered a while as the Kestler brothers chatted. Bringing Alina here in her current state was a horrible idea. She wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings. She was a liability more than anything else. 

"We shouldn't stay up late." I said after a while passed. "I'll keep first watch."

Erik, Vincent and Alina didn't waste much time as they headed to sleep. Joshua, on the other hand, continued to sit by the fire. I could feel his deadly glare. I took a deep breath and stared right in his eyes. "So, what's going on?" I asked.

His lips formed a wicked smile. "You're actually asking?" He chuckled. "I didn't think you had the guts to."

I shrugged. "I'm not really afraid of you, so yeah. I'm asking. Care to explain?" He was no threat to me.

"Where did you go after Samantha died?" He clenched his fists. "Where were you that night?"

I looked away – the night Erik punched me, right after the funeral. "In the Divine's palace." I replied. There was no need to lie. 

"Why?" He hissed through his gritted teeth. "Why are you constantly somewhere else whenever something happens?"

I shook my head. "Because I'm constantly trying to do something. I can't afford to waste my time waiting for things to happen." 

Joshua clenched his fists. "You-"

"And you should really head off to sleep." I added, ignoring his anger. "We'll be there tomorrow. I'm sure we'll need all the rest we can get to face this 'cursed beast'." 

The young man stared at me for a bit before stomping off to his tent. I decided to wake Vincent up for the second shift rather than Joshua.

Hours passed. A while later, I woke up Vincent and headed off to sleep myself. 

Come morning, we all woke up at dawn, quickly had our breakfast and then set off. I walked in front this time, as Erik seemed to want to have a word with Joshua. While I couldn't hear what they were talking about, I had a guess or two.

Alina and Vincent were silent as they walked a few steps behind me. Vincent seemed to be lost in thought while Alina's blank gaze remained fixed on the ground.

We walked on until noon when we finally arrived at a very large lake.

"Is this the place?" Vincent asked, glancing at Erik. The young Paladin nodded. "This is what the map shows." He took a large parchment from his inventory and showed it to us. A red 'x' marked this place. 

I nodded while pondering why he didn't have a map in his interface yet. Had they truly not explored at all?

"Is the monster in the water?" Vincent asked. 

The lake bordered a rather wide, grassy area. The woods we were in ended a ways away from the shore. We'd have to get to the open if we wanted to approach any more than this.

"Let's find out." I said carefully stepping out of the treeline. I gestured the others to wait there and chuckled when I noticed Erik's expression. 

I took a few steps and waited, listening to my surroundings. Nothing seemed off, the birds were still chirping, and I could see the fish swimming in the lake, as well as frog like animals scurrying into the water as they noticed me.

A few more steps allowed me to have a better view of the lake. The water didn't seem very… clean. I could see something, almost like a layer of oil on it – it was a dark, green-brown colour. With my brows furrowed, I stepped closer to the lake. Knelt by the shore, trying to get a better look at the oily substance on the water. What was that?

Since I didn't want to touch it, I stepped away when I couldn't figure it out. I looked at my surroundings. A grassy field stretched before me, starting here at the lake, all the way to the distant mountains. Large patches of bushes were unevenly spread across the large field.

I walked around a little as the others watched from the woods. I still hadn't told them to come – I was worried that the creature was laying in wait for us. 

I stepped on a broken branch and flinched with the loud snap. Then again, when I noticed the large, massive even, hoof mark I was standing on.

"The hell?" I whispered as I stepped back. Something with hooves had passed through here, leaving such a massive mark on the moist earth.

I turned my back to it, shooting a quick glance at the water. Had it come from the water?

"Kai!" A scream, Vincent's scream, sounded. Then, something hit me in the back. I found myself flung to the air and plummeted into the water with a loud splash. 

I immediately figured out what that green-brown substance on the surface was. I wanted to scream in pain as my skin burned with acid. I forced my way to the shore and collapsed on the grass. Souls burst out of me and began healing the inflamed skin all around my body.

Something roared, but I couldn't see what exactly it was with my blurred vision.

"Look out!" Erik's shout sounded. I heard a loud clang and his huff. "Alina! Heal Kai, now!"

Nothing happened. More than a few seconds passed until I was able to get back on my feet, thanks to Soul's Respite. When I was able to see clearly again, I nearly choked on my own breath.

"Well, I guess we found the cursed beast." I mumbled as tried to process the creature before me.

It was about as large as a two-story building. It basically looked like a lizard with hooves for its hind legs and claws for its arms. It had no eyes and a pair of horns, as well as two large ears. The same acidic substance that covered the lake's surface dripped from its mouth as it hissed at us.

It had dark green scales on its belly and, well, the entire front side of its body. It's back however, was covered in long, green fur. 

My eyes widened as understanding dawned on me. The only reason we hadn't seen it was because we thought it to be a part of the terrain. When in curled up like lizards often do, it probably looked like a small hill – a bump in the terrain covered in grass-like fur.

It flung its tail at Erik as I realised all this. The young paladin raised his shield. His body let out a golden glow as the massive tail struck him. The creature seethed as it nearly lost its balance. Erik hadn't moved a hair – his power protected him, making him nearly invulnerable. I had seen him use this ability back when we fought the sea serpent.

The creature reared back, then lashed out at us with its claws.

"Erik!" I shouted as he blocked those strikes as well. He once again had come out of it unharmed, but I knew that his mana wouldn't last long if he kept on with this. "We need to do something, fast!"

The young paladin nodded. "The issue is Alina!" He glanced at the priestess. She seemed frozen in place. Joshua was dragging her back to the treeline while Vincent covered for them. I shook my head – we didn't have the luxury of time to wait for them. I had to do something – fast!

I stepped back as my wings appeared on my back. "I'll try to fly to its head! Keep it occupied for just a little longer." With those words, I leapt into the air as my scythe materialised in my hands. I flew up, higher than the creature's reach, then folded my wings and dove down, aiming for its head.

My arm extended, ready to swing my scythe, I quickly approached the monster. It couldn't see me – it didn't know where I was. 

As that thought crossed my mind, it lifted its head and spat at me.