Chương 22: Scent of the Monster

The broken silhouette of Bassasina Castle slowly disappeared behind us as we descended the steep mountain path. The air grew colder and thinner with every step we took, biting at our lungs like invisible blades. Mist clung to the jagged rocks, and the wind howled through the narrow passes as if warning us to turn back, before potential disaster falls upon us. Larina walked between Galer and me, her small green hood pulled low over her white-ashen hair.

Her grey skin looked almost luminous in the fading daylight, like moonlight trapped beneath thin porcelain. Every few minutes she stopped, lifted her delicate nose to the wind, and breathed in deeply. Her small membranous wings twitched nervously against her arms, the thin membranes fluttering as though they too could taste the foulness residual in the air.

"The scent is strange…" she whispered, her voice still soft and hoarse from crying.

"It is no longer just sour and rotten blood… It is a mixture now… human blood and monster blood blended together. I cannot tell exactly what kind of monster it is… but it feels wrong… twisted. Unnatural... like its should not exist on this Terrarum." Galer nodded grimly, his massive frame casting a long shadow across the trail.

"Can you still follow it?"

"Yes," Larina replied, sniffing the air once more. Her small nostrils flared.

"He was moving through the mountainous terrain on purpose… avoiding the soldiers. The trail leads down into that ravine ahead." We followed her lead without question. The path grew narrower and more treacherous, loose stones shifting dangerously under our boots. The smell became stronger the deeper we descended into the ravine, thick and cloying, clinging to the back of our throats like spoiled meat and wet iron. Eventually we reached a small sheltered spot between two large boulders…

a place where the blue-horned monster had clearly rested and took his refugee, as you tell something massive had been lying there some time ago. The ground was disturbed, scattered with crushed leaves and deep claw marks. The scent here was noticeably heavier, almost suffocating for Larina. Larina's small shoulders slumped slightly.

"He rested here… even slept. The smell is much stronger now… but he is still far ahead from here. But now i have his direct scent marked, this will be a long journey." She already looked exhausted. The young Damp princess, who had known only the warmth and safety of castle halls, was clearly not made for this kind of relentless march. We all understood that this pursuit would not be quick or easy. Yet her young face hardened with fresh resolve, her silver eyes narrowing with determination.

"I do not care how long it takes," she said firmly, clenching her small fists.

"I want to see it finished… for my father… for my family. I will not stop until that monster pays for what he did." We continued without resting much. The bushes grew thicker, the altitude increased, and the air became tighter and colder, each breath burning in our chests. Larina began to stumble more often as the height we currently walked at, over 1, 600 meters above sea level, started to affect her. Her breathing grew labored and ragged.

Her small wings drooped heavily, dragging slightly against her sides as fatigue took its toll. After another steep and brutal climb, she nearly collapsed. Her legs gave out completely and she fell to her knees on the sharp rocks, gasping for air, her tiny chest heaving.. I stepped forward immediately and crouched down in front of her.

"Jump on my back," I said gently in tone but firmly with my face. Larina looked up at me with wide, surprised eyes, her pale face flushed from exertion.

"Why you? You are only a little bigger than me… Why not the bigger one, Galer?" A smug grin spread across my face. I could not help but savor the chance.

"Think about it," I said, my voice carrying a hint of pride.

"If the blue-horned monster or his friends suddenly jump out… do you want our strongest fighter to be carrying someone? He needs to be free to protect all of us.

"Besides… carrying her will be perfect training for my back and stamina, I thought to myself. I offered her a small, encouraging smile and added more softly, "Besides… I want to carry you. Let me help."

"I know Galer is nearly over thrice as strong as I am right now… but I am getting there. I am progressing." Larina stared at me for a moment, then nodded slowly. She climbed onto my back. Her small royal body was surprisingly light, yet it still carried the heavy weight of exhaustion and grief.

"It is an honor," she said quietly, her voice carrying a touch of her royal upbringing. I could not help but smirk wider and jest with her.

"Yeah… your honor who bit me. I will carry thee until thou hast gained strength to prosper forward again." The formal, slightly smug royal wording made both of us laugh, a short, genuine moment of lightness in the middle of our heavy journey. Even Galer allowed himself a small smirk.

"Let's keep going," he said, his voice steady and calm. And so we did. The next three days were long and grueling. The mountain paths grew steeper and more treacherous with every passing hour. Sharp rocks cut into our boots, cold winds whipped through the narrow passes, and thin air made each breath feel like fire in our lungs. We took only short breaks to rest our legs and eat what little provisions we had left.

At night we lit small campfires in sheltered spots, huddling close for warmth as the temperature dropped sharply. Around the flickering flames, Larina slowly opened up more about her kind... the Damps. She explained that they could fly using the wings on their arms, and they often used this ability to dodge attacks in the air and strike from blind spots while staying hidden in the shadows. When we asked about Vestuto, she shook her head.

"We do not have Vestuto," she said.

"We have something similar… but also different. It is called Velo." She tried to explain it as best as a nine-year-old could. Galer and I listened carefully. It seemed to come from the same basic idea… drawing power from within… but while our Vestuto drew from the spirit of our souls, theirs was rooted in life force itself. Biologically different, yet built on the same ancient foundation of inner power taken outside. The conversations helped pass the endless hours.

Larina was endlessly curious about our mercenary life. She asked many questions about Husher, laughing softly when we told her how he used to blow bubbles even in the middle of fierce fights or how he ate apples with a quick bite. She was especially fascinated by how Humans slept compared to Damps… since she goes hanging upside down like bats from cliffs or rocks, usually needing only three to four hours of rest. One night she even tried to check the stump of my missing arm while I was half-asleep.

My old instincts from my slave days kicked in immediately… I woke up instantly and stopped her curious hand firmly with proper strength, surprising her.

"Don't," I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended. The branding mark from my enslavement, that cursed letter H burned into my flesh like a brand of eternal ownership... was a scar I carried in silence, a constant reminder of chains, humiliation, and the weaker boy I once was. It was my shame, my private wound, a piece of darkness I had sworn never to reveal willingly to another living soul unless needed.

"I'm sorry," I added more softly, though the fire in my chest still burned hot, "but I won't let you see what´s there." Larina pulled her hand back quickly, looking guilty but still visibly curious. Her silver eyes lingered on the stump of my missing arm for a heartbeat longer than necessary. She was a young royal who had rarely, if ever, heard the word "no" in her short life. Deep down, she did not like being denied, it only made her more determined, more intrigued.

For now, though, she reluctantly put the thought behind her, lowering her gaze with a small, apologetic nod. Yet I could tell from the bright spark that remained in her eyes that the matter was far from forgotten. She would probably try again someday, when she thought I would not be watching her. We pressed on in heavy silence. The scent for her had grown so thick and overwhelming that every breath felt like swallowing spoiled copper and rot.

After two more exhausting days of climbing, the trail finally led us to a small, abandoned-looking building nestled against the mountainside like a forgotten scar. The structure was half-swallowed by vines and moss, its stone walls cracked and weathered, yet somehow still standing defiantly against the elements. The smell was now so intense that Larina suddenly gagged hard, her sensitive nose completely overwhelmed.

She clamped a small hand over her mouth and nose, breathing only through her mouth in short, shallow gasps.

"It is… too strong," she managed to whisper, her voice trembling.

"Like death itself is leaking from the walls." We approached carefully, weapons drawn and ready, every sense on high alert. The wind had died completely, leaving an unnatural stillness that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. We expected an ambush at any moment, the blue-horned monster, his twisted followers, or worse. But the building itself stood dead silent, devoid of any signs of life. Inside, the air was even thicker with the stench.

Only strange statues of weird, unrecognizable figures stood silently in the dim light filtering through broken windows. None of them resembled anyone we knew, not from Larina's kingdom, not from any tale we had ever heard. Twisted, elongated forms with too many limbs and hollow, bright yellow eyes stared blankly into the darkness from a different Realm, as if guarding secrets no living soul should uncover.

Larina, still recovering from the overpowering scent, tilted her head and perked up slightly despite her discomfort. Her small nostrils flared one last time as she forced herself to focus.

"Behind that statue…" she said, pointing with a shaky finger toward the largest figure in the center of the room.

"There is a hidden passage. The scent is coming from there… much stronger now." She stepped forward and pushed against the heavy stone statue with all her small strength. It must have weighed well over three hundred kilograms, cold and unyielding under her palms. For a moment nothing happened. Then Galer and I moved to help her. Together we strained, muscles burning, until the ancient statue finally groaned and slid aside just enough for us to slip through the narrow gap.

Beyond it lay a properly built cave system... far too neat, too deliberate, and too well-crafted to be natural. Smooth walls, evenly spaced support beams, and faint torch sconces suggested this place had been deliberately carved and maintained. The entrance to the blue-horned monster's true hideout had finally begun. The darkness ahead seemed to breathe Our counter-offensive was truly underway..