Deus Didymus: Rend

Pt2Ch74: Starship XV

Riwon kneeled in front of Daeun while the young girl laid flat on her back. Next to her, a crude container held water for Riwon to dip and wring a makeshift towel before laying the cloth atop Daeun's forehead. For days on end, Riwon stayed by Daeun's side—never worried for her safety, but guilty for what she made her do.

Bae frequently came in and out of the cave to train or to grab food. Without Daeun nor Riwon around to track for him, Bae spent a majority of his time outside the cave looking over his shoulder. Each passing week, left Bae increasingly frustrated. Not only by the lack of progress the group made, but also his inability to carry his own weight. The blame could easily shift to a single person, but who was he to blame anyone? Thoughts he knew were unfair ran rampantly in his mind leading Bae to look forward to his distractions.

Gaeul remained inside the cave and at Riwon's side at all times. Not because she provided any assistance, but because she was too scared to step outside. The idea of fighting anything else sent chills down her spine; not to mention the awkward silence between herself and Bae made the passing days torturous. Whenever she finally got into the mood to talk, Bae was either asleep or out.

To add fuel to the flames, Bae separated his sleeping quarters from the rest of the group's with the help of his summons. It was Gaeul's idea as Riwon omitted most clothing, save for her bandages and cloak, to prevent herself from overheating around Daeun; even with her cloak covering her body, Gaeul didn't trust Bae's prying eyes.

"You've been up for three days straight. You should get some rest," Gaeul advised.

Riwon wiped forehead, shaking her head. Sweat covered the entirety of Riwon's body, giving the impression she'd just come from an intense workout. Covering her skin with water did nothing to lower her own temperature, providing zero relief while sitting next to what felt like the sun. On multiple occasions, Riwon collapsed from dehydration only to wake up because her overheating body triggered her instincts.

Frustration built up in Riwon as nothing she did cooled Daeun's body nor the area around her. The resistance to flames she earned from the first dragon she slayed proved to be of no help—whether it be because of her prolonged expose to the intense heat, or because the heat Daeun emitted was fundamentally different. Regardless, being in the same area as the young girl was unbearable at best.

Bae took a deep breath, drawing an arrow from the body of his bow. Branches and leaves shrouded him from the rest of the forest where animals walked below him.

Ms. Ezaki was able to make a bow her strongest asset. She was able to take just a simple bow and arrow and make it a hanam level weapon of destruction.

One by one, Bae tracked his targets with his sights on their eyes. When the center of his focus stopped moving, he moved to another, never releasing the tension in his bow. Once ready, Bae repeated the same process but instead of waiting till his target stopped moving, he fired when he was sure he'd hit.

Is there a point in training with a bow when my summons are so strong? Jiyeon's efficient with her energy costs, so I can have her out for long times, Seungho can probably take even Y/n on, and Soobin can do what I'm trying to learn better than I ever will.

Bae continued practicing, only hunting as much as he believed he'd need to feed his party. Familiarizing himself with the forest around his base made the act of practicing less stressful and helped him dodge larger monsters he doubted he could safely fight.

How long will Daeun be incapacitated for? I doubt we can fight monsters like Soobin and Seungho without her, and even if I wanted to make strategies, I have to know what I'm facing before I make any plans.