Soul Digger-Chapter 65: SOLO EXPLORATION
Rolan’s words left the atmosphere with a damp, heavy feeling.
His body language and firm expression revealed his seriousness. Ceaser was at a loss for words, unable to grasp Rolan’s overall intentions.
Kill Cole Raden?
Though it was a popular goal among all supernatural beings and Indulgers, it made no sense to chase such a goal with an aura of immense disdain. Out of everyone, Snider was especially puzzled, hanging between disbelief and suspicion.
’Is this really Cole Raden?’
Rolan pointed towards the ruins and wore a bitter scowl. "Be grateful this was the worst that happened. If I were desperate enough, I’d burn down the entire Western Nickel side." His words were laced with an intimidating presence.
Rolan shrugged them off and stomped across the snow with an angry gait. He passed Ceaser’s side; for a brief moment, they exchanged menacing glares before ignoring each other. Rolan continued to stomp into the distance, not a single word or comment escaping his lips. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
The others watched him, their expressions unimpressed, as though they were watching a delusional person ramble nonsense. At first, the majority of them saw Rolan as someone calm and logical, comparable to the likes of Nagita and Ceaser, but after the messy outburst he exhibited, they saw him as an overgrown child.
"People like Rolan are usually the first to die," Nagita murmured, fixing a steady gaze on Cole.
"So, what now, Ceaser?" she asked, a bit perplexed herself.
Ceaser clasped both hands and buried his head inside them. Constructing his thoughts, he remained quiet, chasing away any distracting emotions. As much as he hated to admit it, Rolan was right. The trial was why they came; completing it was their main priority.
"What about the girl?" Snider inquired as he took gentle steps towards them.
Ceaser didn’t answer; he averted eye contact and rose to his feet. Dusting the snow off his palms, he pointed to his chest and stroked it down with his hand.
"I’m afraid I can’t tell you that, Snider. Please understand," he spoke with a plain voice.
Snider shrugged and shook his head. "You must have a good reason, so I understand."
"Thank you," he uttered with relief. "Now, back to business."
Ceaser’s tone, vibe, and demeanor altered into something different. Bearing order and demanding respect, his posture screamed of tactical accuracy and command as he exuded a poised manner.
Gradually, Ceaser was beginning to resemble his old self: the strong, able-bodied, composed, and brilliant rookie of Eerie Gothel.
"I apologize to everyone here. Since we passed through the city sets, I lost myself a bit," he spoke with a steady yet weaning voice. "No, more accurately, I remembered something tragic that happened in my past, and it clouded my decision-making and actions."
"For that, I apologize. Now, I’ll focus on leading us to victory so we can complete the trial with our lives. That much I’ll strive for, but I’ll need your cooperation. Every single one of you is important; each contribution has worth." He stretched his lips into an affirming smile. "We’re all a team, after all."
"YEAH!"
His encouraging words had the others fired up and ready for action, fueling their hearts with determination and hope despite what the dreadful trial had in store.
In truth, deep within—though he didn’t show it—he was beyond glad there were no corpses. There was hope the patrons were alive despite being missing; the chance to save them tugged at his heartstrings. Ceaser battled to subdue his pleased smile.
Instead, the smirk plastered on his face was a good enough reaction to the situation. To make things even better, the trial and their disappearances were linked, meaning Ceaser didn’t have to abandon one for the other. At the same time... what lurked beneath the facade of this rookie trial was still unknown and possibly very dangerous; that much made it a fool’s wish.
All in all, Ceaser had to take things seriously. Far more than he estimated could be at stake.
Meanwhile...
Rolan went towards the set’s exit. He couldn’t help but look at each and every person with suspicion. He didn’t know what was what and who was whom. During his mercenary days, identifying targets from a batch of look-alikes was child’s play to him; this situation, however, was beyond ridiculous.
He dug his hand into his pocket and yanked out the pocket watch partially. He paused for a while, waiting for any response of sorts.
Nothing happened.
’Deity! Hey, Deity!’
Nobody responded. Rolan stood in the middle of a busy road like a beggar with amnesia; the pocket watch glistening on his palm casted him as a thief more than a beggar.
’Did she block me? Is that possible?’
"Neataruzo..." He blurted out subconsciously.
He returned the watch and kept going towards the set’s exit. Before leaving, Rolan had managed to steal Ceaser’s uniform during his stay at the lounge after the incident. Rolan wore a cheeky smile as he felt the uniform; petty theft didn’t suit a skilled veteran such as him, but he made do.
As to why he stole Ceaser’s uniform... well, why not?
He pulled out the uniform from within his shirt; Rolan had purposely folded it to make the material portable and less visible, placing it between his chest and abdomen.
’He doesn’t need it now; I’ll return it later.’
Rolan prepped himself. ’Till then, I’ll borrow it and start my investigation from the outside.’
’The Deity might not be answering me, but I’m sure as hell she’s watching.’
ZZZZZZIIP.
Rolan suited up, smoothed his hair back, and accepted the uncertainties for what they were. He tore off any piece of hesitation and blanked his mind; nothing would stop him from finding his aunt and completing the trials as well.
Regardless of how many times he had to die to accomplish his goals, Rolan wore a strong resolve along with the warm material. Instantly, he darted through the streets, his features a blur as he pierced through the falling snow.
Indeed, Rolan’s plan was rather reckless. He lacked both a destination and a hunch to guide his movements. Essentially, the idea was to look around the frozen wasteland and stumble upon something suspicious.
Drifting through the snow, Rolan went deep into the freezing cold and harsh winds. He gained several meters of distance from the city before stopping. Surveying the area he halted at, Rolan didn’t spot anything out of place for miles.
He sniffed the air—nothing. To the average person, the area was peaceful and undisturbed by any external force, but Cole wasn’t an average person. His years of experience and previous tasks kept him stagnant in place.
Rolan narrowed his eyes. A tingling feeling tapped his neck, and his spine went somewhat stiff. The fresh air was painful to inhale yet had a musty stench hiding beneath the sharp cold, yet a paint of white was all the eye could see.
"Haaa....aaah." Rolan puffed out cold air like smoke. His fingers twitched as he crouched slightly, his guard up.
WHOOOOOOSH!
The wind orchestrated a dramatic choir of its own, setting an uneven mood for Rolan. As before, the place was bland and uneventful.
Rolan sighed.
CRACK!
Like a threatened toad, Rolan sprung up over 380 feet, the propulsion slamming against his visibly frail features.
The snowy ground swallowed itself into a hole, exposing a spiral maw decorated with a collection of razor teeth. Whatever waited beneath slid up, its body cylindrical like a rod as it propelled upward with blinding speed.
Rolan flipped his body mid-air, managing to avoid a last-minute snag by the creature. Nimbly, he rolled on the icy floor and slid safely away.
"A Man-Eater!" Rolan exclaimed, hardly shocked.
The Man-Eater had white strands throughout its body like hair. An oval opening spaced itself equally a few meters from the mouth region and glowed a bright red while oozing out a smoke-like substance.
Rolan couldn’t adequately determine its height; from the way it blocked the weak sun’s rays from meeting his skin, he guessed at least 500 feet.
SSSSSZZZZZ.
The creature increased its smoke output and created a thick fog covering the area. Rolan covered his nose in case it was poisonous, his vision obscured by the endless sea of white surrounding him. He heard a loud crunching that echoed, repeated clicking digging through his eardrums, and rumbling from beneath the snow.
In a moment’s breath, Rolan sidestepped multiple times. A loud crunching, followed by loud cries of the earth accompanied the vague depiction of the creature’s stretching body as it headed upward, in the same place he stood previously.
"I see now. The smoke is used to blind its prey so the Man-Eater can ambush them. Insane," he concurred. "Does this mean all the clicking I heard before was caused by this?"
The Man-Eater receded into the ground, its actions blocked by the thick fog. This time, Rolan bent downward, placed his left fingers on the chilling snow, and shut his eyes.
He felt the ground’s desperate quaking, the snow’s frightened warmth, and the air’s spooked change in direction, and exhaled sharply.
He waited patiently...
Until the ground beneath his feet crumbled. The maw appeared, ready to swallow both Rolan and the stack of snow. He didn’t panic in the slightest; instead, using his right hand, Rolan gripped the Man-Eater’s sharp teeth and pressed its lower jaw with both feet.
Several meters above the ground, the creature’s cylindrical body extended beyond 500 feet as though it aimed for the heavens. Bothered by the high altitude, Rolan slammed a simple punch against the Man-Eater’s furry head, at the section right after its teeth.
The sound of rattling preceded the downward spiral of what seemed like shattering bones and flesh. With a loud squeak and pained shriek, the creature tilted off balance and wobbled back to the ground.
Rolan clung to its white hairs as its corpse collided with the ground. The splash of debris and hard snow resembled a bomb testing site, followed by a roaring BOOM!
The wind cried as a result.
Rolan sat with crossed legs and a bored face on the creature’s corpse. "If you weren’t so big, I wouldn’t mind burying you as well."
The smoke and icy dust merged into a swirling mist. The weak sun made the particles sparkle like a performance of fireflies around Rolan; his face glittered like he had been attacked by confetti.
For a brief second, a dark, shadowy figure observed him and vanished with the swipe of dust.
Rolan winced, rubbing his neck. ’So there IS more than Man-Eaters. Whatever stalked me just now wasn’t ordinary. Worst of all, I didn’t even notice it until it disappeared.’
