A Slightly-Regretting-Things World

Cael and Val's journey through the forest was soon to come to an end. They'd just made it through the densest part of the forest, and now, they were closer to the northern edge where the cavern was supposed to be.

The new types of undergrowth in the area made them a bit slower, but at least it was more open and the air less suffocating. The ground had also become rockier, with larger stones jutting out of the dirt here and there.

Cael looked up above them as they continued walking. If the redness of the sky was anything to go by, the sun was getting close to sunset. The forest canopy was thick so that they could only see slivers of the cinnabar-colored air, but that was enough. It was definitely getting late.

"How are we doing on time?" Cael asked Val, who was leading the way, the dress of her skirt swaying with every step.

"We should reach the entrance soon," Val answered, not looking back. "I'm a bit tired though… We've been walking a lot today, and I'm not used to it."

Cael nodded. He was a little tired too. And he had a few scratches on his arms and legs from all of the branches and shrubs that he had to push away. The path they were using was clearly overgrown—sort of to be expected considering how long this world has been empty. That said, it was still passable.

"Can we rest after we reach the cavern?" Cael inquired. "If that's fine with you, I'd like to stop there."

"I suppose we could," Val said after a moment. "That was sort of our plan anyway, wasn't it? Plus, I think I'd much like to indulge in the 'wilderness stargazing' you mentioned earlier." She looked at the thinning foliage above them. "The way you describe things always leaves me curious to experience them."

He bashfully scratched the back of his head at the compliment. "I appreciate the compliment, really. But I'm sure if there were still people in this world, all of them would be able to word things better than me."

Val sighed. "You're never one to take credit where it's due, are you?" She turned her head back to him and smiled. "You're a great storyteller and a very kind person. Plus, the way that you can get so invested in things with things like your hand gestures and expressions are so… genuine. Even if the topics are sad, or the words are simple, you always make it feel special."

Cael couldn't help but smile back at her. She had such a sweet way with words sometimes. "Thanks, Val. I still think that you're giving me too much praise, though."

She scrunched her face up at him. "Too much praise? No, no, that's not possible. You're the greatest person in the whole world!" She then looked ahead and huffed, her face growing a bit red. "Y-you're a hero that swept in and saved a poor lonely maiden, just like in my stories."

Cael laughed awkwardly. "Greatest person in the whole world? I think that might be a bit much, don't you? Well, I mean, there's no one to really compare me with, but still." He shrugged and shook his head.

Her cheeks puffed out like a gerbil. "Hmph, you know, you're very cute, but when you do things like deny yourself praise or try to downplay your accomplishments, it makes me upset with you."

"C-cute?! W-what do you mean? I'm not—"

"See, just like that." She crossed her arms. "You're supposed to say 'thank you' when someone compliments you and accept it. Although… admittedly, the cuteness you give off when you get all red like that usually makes the frustration worth it."

He let out a long sigh, his face feeling hot. "O-okay, I get it. Sorry, I'm just not used to compliments. I'll try to take them more often."

She giggled. "Good boy."

He fell to his knees, clutching his chest. "Ack! Stop that!"

"What?" Val asked, a happy glint in her eyes and a playful grin on her lips. "I'm helping you… acclimate. Getting used to praise is important."

He groaned. "V-Val! That type of compliment could get taken the wrong way!"

"Hmm? Why's that?"

He sighed again, shaking his head. "Never mind, I don't think I should explain it. I-it's fine." He stood back up and brushed himself off, hoping his blush had faded. "L-let's keep going, we're probably close to the end by now, right?"

Val turned around and continued walking. "Indeed. We have perhaps half an hour of walking remaining—"

She paused.

Cael looked at her questioningly. "What is it?"

Her eyes darted to the side. "Did you hear that?"

He focused, trying to listen for whatever she had heard. All he could hear at first was the rustling of leaves in the wind, but then he heard something faint—like a small animal scurrying across the forest floor.

"An animal?" he asked. "I don't think that's any—"

A loud, rumbling roar cut through the air.

Cael's eyes widened and his thoughts started to race. The sound had come from somewhere nearby, and he could almost feel it reverberate through his bones. That definitely didn’t belong to anything small, and he didn't think it was a good idea to stick around long enough to find out what it came from.

"Let's hurry and get going," Cael said, picking up his pace.

Val nodded in agreement, her face pale. She turned and began walking quickly, trying not to disturb the foliage any more than absolutely necessary.

"Have you gotten the hang of windwalking yet, Cael?"

He shook his head. "No, not really. I haven't practiced it much since you taught it to me. I've been focusing more on the other spells."

She bit her lip. "Then we'll have to do the best with what we have. If that's what I think it is, our best option will likely still be running though." Her grip on her dress tightened as she looked around nervously.

Cael's breathing quickened as he heard something snap behind them. He looked over his shoulder but didn't see anything more than the blur of a shadow amongst the trees and bushes.

"Wh-what is it?" he whispered. "What's behind us?"

Val's voice was quiet and shaky. "Probably an irita. We'll have to run. It's not too far now, but we need to move faster."

Cael swallowed nervously, looking around frantically as the sounds of heavy footsteps and the occasional snapping twig or rustle of leaves grew louder behind them. He could feel his pulse beating wildly, his palms sweaty, and his breaths short and ragged as they took off sprinting.

However, before they could even get close to their destination, a massive, bear-like creature with sharp claws, fangs, and large, angry eyes emerged from the brush and leapt towards them.

"CRAP!" Cael screamed, his voice cracking. "Run faster!"

His heartbeat pounded against his ribcage so hard that it hurt. The creature was massive and intimidating, easily towering above them at around 2 meters tall despite still being on all fours. It had a matted gray-brown fur, sharp fangs, and large piercing eyes that glinted with hunger.

Val grabbed his hand and pulled him forward with her, causing him to stumble slightly as he tried to keep up with her. "Cael, I'm going to try something. Hold on and don't let go, no matter what." Her words were urgent and rushed.

"Okay!" He had no idea what she meant, but he gripped her hand tighter, trusting her completely.

Val spoke an incantation, and suddenly, the two of them were nearly lifted up off the ground. The air beneath them billowed and flung them forwards, sending them into a breakneck pace. The wind was roaring in their ears as they rushed through the forest.

Windwalking.

Unfortunately though, Cael immediately sensed something was wrong. The wind was doing its best to push them, but there was simply too much weight. His feet were still hitting the ground hard with every other step. It was almost as if the spell was trying desperately to lift him off the ground but couldn't quite manage it.

He grit his teeth as his legs ached. He glanced over his shoulder to see the creature still chasing after them. It was thankfully getting smaller into the distance, but with how things were going, he wasn't sure if that'd last.

It roared, shaking the trees and scaring away birds that were hiding in the canopy above.

Damn it, why hadn't he just sucked it up and agreed to bathe with Val? They could've been safe and back at the cottage now if he had.

Curse his concept of modesty! It was going to get him killed!

"Keep going! We’re almost there!" Val yelled.

Cael pushed harder, pumping his legs faster. His lungs burned, and his muscles screamed at him to stop. But he could see Val was right. The forest was thinning considerably, and he could see the edge of tree line. Just a little further, and they'd reach it.

And then finally, they broke through.

For a brief second, the two of them were airborne. Time slowed. The beauty of the setting sun flashed their faces, its warm, orange rays lighting their skin with a golden glow.

Then they landed.

Cael and Val tumbled down a steep hill of grassy plains, rolling, bouncing, and scraping against the ground. Cael instinctually pulled her close, doing his best to shield them, but Val beat him to the punch by uttering some sort of barrier spell to absorb some of the impact. They finally came to a stop at the bottom, bruised and battered, but alive.

Quickly, he looked back at the forest, half-expecting to see the creature chasing after them, but it was nowhere to be seen.

"I think we're good," Val gasped, clutching her chest. "It won't follow us out here."

"R-really?" He asked, trying to catch his breath.

She nodded. "Yes, because we've finally arrived." She weakly gestured toward a large opening in the hillside, a few dozen meters away from them. It was a massive cave that was nearly pitch black, and the faint hum of something near-silently droned within.

Cael gulped.

The bath crystal better be worth it.