Tigers stalked their prey in the tall grass. This was the thought in Ryker's mind as he descended from the night sky and landed on one of the dusty roofs.
Anna was walking down the street, alone, lighted only by a few lamps. She looked over her shoulders every once in a while. Her gait was practiced as if she'd done this a hundred times.
Following after her from the rooftops, sometimes in bat, other times in human form, managing his stamina. He kept out of her line of sight.
He told himself that he would confront her when she reached her destination but curiosity was killing the flying cat.
A cold sweat formed on his brow when Anna turned towards the forest. Strolling down the dirt-path, she went deeper into the woods until she reached an entrance, a gaping black cave.
Ryker was between the trees, sitting in a tree branch, hoping no spider would crawl on him. His skin crawled at the mere thought.
Dungeons were sealed with barriers to prevent people from entering without an official pass or application. But unranked dungeons were different. Even a kid could kill a goblin with a stick if they were brave enough.
It seemed that Anna was collecting the mana crystals from these goblin and selling them to the pawn shop.
Unsheathing her sword, checking her gear one last time. The dryad disappeared into the maw of the cave, vanishing from Ryker's sight.
He took out his phone and clicked on Brock's contact. Typing a short message, he paused before deleting it.
A sigh escaped his lips. It was just goblins. He can claw his way out and Anna had nature magic at least. If she can't handle it then he'll jump in.
The thought alone made him feel alive, that thrill he always craved.
Slowly he made his way to the entrance. The only thing he could see was darkness, that is the gate to the dungeon prevented any light from entering or exiting. A hum filled the air.
Stepping through the gate, a cold shiver ran down his spine as he felt like he walked through a wall of jelly.
Twilight was replace with a bright grassy plain that seemed endless. A few trees were scattered in the landscape.
The world around him was magnificent. Wind was blowing as if the plains had its own ecosystem. Sunlight and clouds were visible as if it wasn't night anymore.
Beeping sounds echoed near him. By instinct he picked up his phone but it wasn't that. His forearm was beeping and small light was flashing.
"What is this?" he said out loud.
The beeping and flashing were systematic as if it was a digital tracker.
A screech and a grunt made him look away.
Fighting a goblin was a girl with bright green braids. Anna moved with a practiced ease that spoke of many nights spent in this artificial world.
It attacked and she dodged with practiced movements, her sword slicing through the air. Raising her hand a small spike made of wood shot from the ground and impaled it in its eye.
The creature fell with a pathetic whimper. Blood was pouring out of it's eye and staining the grassland. Anna crouched down to her bag and took out a knife.
She used the knife to cut out the blue mana crystal from its chest.
Butterflies were in Ryker's stomach. Seeing her fight, seeing this confident side of her, was intoxicatingly attractive. But that admiration vanished once the reason for this desperate scene came crashing down, that is she needed the money.
A group of five goblins were making their way in her direction. Trying to move away, she turned around and noticed Ryker standing next to a tree.
Her face went pale like a deer caught in headlights. She let out an audible gasp.
"Ryker?" her voice trembled.
Her fear of being discovered vanished as the goblins shrieked, charging towards her.
Breathlessness took over Ryker. His pulse was faster than ever. He had no mana core, no magic, no weapons. Yet that made the blood in his veins burn more. He shot towards Anna as a bat, wind whistling past his ears.
Anna snapped out of her trance, her expression hardening into a mask of concentration. She dispatched the nearest goblin with a swift thrust of her sword, the blade glowing with faint green light, while sending another spike into the leg of another, causing it to stumble.
Ryker reached one of the goblins and morphed back into his human form mid-air. He kicked one of them with such force it skidded across the grass.
His claws retracted out of his fingers. The familiar weight and feel was natural to him, as if they'd always been a part of him. He wasn't a master by any means, but years of roughhousing with a stone golem had taught him a few things.
"I'll take the ones on the right," Ryker yelled at Anna.
She nodded, her face a mixture of surprise and grim determination.
They fought back-to-back. Ryker relied on his claws, and the brutal efficiency of street fighting. He ducked under a wild swing, his claws raking across the goblin's exposed flank, earning a satisfying shriek of pain.
Blood splattered on his face. It was the first time he had drawn blood from the living. The thrill was making him giddy, letting him feel the exhilarating adrenaline.
After a short while, five mangled corpses lay at their feet.
Ryker and Anna were panting, catching their breath. Silence stretched between them, broken only by their ragged gasps.
He turned to face her, his heart hammered against his ribs.
Her face was beautifully enhanced by the spilled blood.
"You followed me?" her accusation was harsh, but her voice cracked.
"What was I supposed to do, Anna?" he shot back, gesturing at the bodies around them, "No lies, remember?"
"That's different! This is..." she faltered, searching for the right words.
"This is you risking your life because you won't let us help you?" he finished for her, his voice softer but edged with anger.
He wiped the blood from her face. His thumb smearing a crimson line across her cheek. She flinched.
"This is beyond stupid."
"You wouldn't understand," she whispered, looking down at the blood-stained grass, "Having to ask for every single little thing. Being the charity case."
Silence fell again, heavy and uncomfortable. Metallic tang was filling the air.
A sharp pain hit him in the chest. She was right that he couldn't understand fully. But he did know what it was like to be missing something crucial, to feel like you were less than everyone else.
He hugged her, the hug was awkward with them both being sweaty and covered in filthy goblin blood, but she melted into it.
"You're stubborn," he said into her hair. He could see her neck pulsating and found himself staring at it.
"I know..." she murmured against his shoulder. Her grip tightened, as if she was afraid he might disappear.
"Can I be stubborn too?" his breath was warm against her neck.
Anna's heartbeat hammered against his chest. A visible shiver ran down her spine.
She tilted her head to the side, exposing more of her neck, giving him permission to mark her.