"A Werewolf? That doesn't sound too bad. I just lost Light and Grey, so you might... You might... Yeah. Anyways..."
Mark's gaze went back to the snowstorm.
Elisa extended her arms and played with her fidgeting fingers.
'So they were taken away. Mm...' She wondered.
Seconds later,
"I might what?"
"Nevermind. It's just that-" Mark's slowly moved back to her.
What he found was...
Elisa's right hand next to her face.
Her fingers curled down.
She proudly showcase her newly obtained sharp canines and,
Rawr-
He froze in place.
Not all the reaction she had expected.
Elisa turned away, clearly embarrassed.
'Why the hell did I do that...?'
Imitating Werewolves?
Imitating the dozens, no.
The hundreds and hundreds of Beasts Mark had fought to make it here.
To make it to this place.
To the place they stood on.
Rawr-
Mark thought what he had just witnessed to be the cutest thing he had ever seen.
Stomp-
Both turned in the direction the sound came from.
A Moonlit Feline lowered its body, like any fearsome predator would while preparing to strike.
It took a leap.
Stomp-
Krista's paws were immediately buried in snow.
She moved those paws, as if trying to make a snowball, lost her balance, and gently fell on the snow.
"Like a fish finally back in water." Elisa said, happy to have found an occasion to move past...
Mark corrected himself as he saw Krista playing in the snow.
Elisa imitating those hundreds of Beasts was the second cutest thing he had ever seen.
The next second, Krista's ears stood up.
Elisa's twitched.
Mark felt something was approaching.
Powerful winds all of a sudden.
The ground shook.
Both Elisa and Krista directed their gazes to the sky.
The snowstorm had been cut in two.
That's how powerful it was.
The sky couldn't be seen, but the way from itself to them had been cleared.
"What the hell... Is that?"
High up above, was a gigantic Beast.
Gigantic did not even begin to describe its size.
Its wings moved, and Mark feared the wind produced would blow Krista off the platform they were standing on.
The Moonlit Feline felt the same apparently, as it quickly ran and hid behind Mark's leg.
"How big is that thing...?" Elisa whispered.
"Ten... Fifteen times? Fifteen times bigger than the biggest Monster I've ever seen..."
The creature resembled a Stingray.
"If it was closer, it'd look even bigger..."
Three main differences.
One, it was flying.
Two, its body was covered by what seemed to be a white pelt.
Three, its size.
Blow-
Each time its fins moved, more force than produced than the Guardian could by flapping its wings.
Thankfully, it was, at the very least, a couple of hundred meters away.
A couple of seconds later, the Monster disappeared, swallowed by the snowstorm.
"What... Was that?"
[Your Title "System Holder" opens up the "Unknown Hunter's Bestiary Notes" Item.]
[Olga, [C] Ranked Monster:
Olgas are creatures found in the South Regions of the Rift. A lot remains unknown about them, but they are mostly unoffensive and usually do not pose any harm to those on land. Magic isn't their forte, but if one were to get close enough to the ground, the wind pressure produced by its movement might be enough to blow a whole village away. Their mouths are incredibly large, but they do not possess fangs. Olgas simply move with mouths wide open, and swallow whatever enters their mouths. Some can be found hibernating on the ground. Beware! There is nothing scarier than walking on an Olga submerged in snow!]
"Huh..." Mark took his time reading the information.
"What?"
"An Unknown Hunter's Notes... That'll be useful." Mark said after reading all the given information twice.
"So you know what that was?"
Mark repeated what he had just learned.
At the end of the explanation, Elisa took a seat on the ground, her back against the edge.
"Ahhh, that's scary. The first living this we see, and it's something that scary."
Mark raised his gaze to the area filled by the Olga moments earlier.
"So cool..." He whispered.
"What?" Elisa asked.
No response for a couple of seconds.
"How long do you think it would take to defeat something like that?" Mark asked suddenly.
"Huh? Did you see how huge... First of all, it didn't do a thing. Why don't you just leave it alone."
Mark chuckled.
He could feel his blood pumping.
"Bigger than anything I've ever seen..."
"Ugh... Why do you have to be like that? It's just a peaceful-"
"Yeah. Yeah. Still, I..."
Mark didn't finish his sentence.
Elisa didn't really want him to anyways.
'I wonder how that would taste...'
They remained silent for a bit.
Krista didn't mind.
She was busy enjoying the snow.
Elisa's comparison was spot on.
For a Moonlit Feline or any other Ice-Creature really, being in the snow felt extremely comfortable.
It felt like being home in a way.
On the other side of the Boss Room, she was impatient.
But now that she had found the snow, the other two taking their time was perfect.
Mark called out the "Incomplete Map Of The Monster Realm" he had obtained from Raven.
"Map...? You have one?" Elisa asked.
"Give me the Map."
The next second, the Item, a half-torn map, appeared in Mark's hand.
"This is where I'm supposed to go."
'Supposed to, huh?' Elisa thought.
He pointed at the red 'DN' on the East side of Lust.
Elisa walked halfway to him before stopping.
Mark handed her the map.
She looked at it for a bit.
"Guess we can do a good part of the way together." Elisa turned the map towards him and pointed. "This is where I'm going."
"The Rift... Between Lust and Pride?"
"Yep. Following the Rift is dangerous. Adds a lot of distance since it would be faster for me to cut through Sloth and Lust but..." She handed Mark the map back.
"Mm." He stored it back inside his Inventory.
Mark walked towards the edge once more.
'Really can't see anything.'
They knew where they were.
They knew where they were going.
Only one thing left.
'Is he nervous? His hand is shaking.' Elisa wondered.
Nervous, or excited?
Mark climbed over the edge of the platform.
He stood there for a bit, before rubbing his twitching hands together.
'I'm scared...'
Mark spread his dark wings.
Elisa watched him.
Those wings, those fangs, that smile.
The expression on its face.
A Monster, no two ways about it.
'And finally free!'
