"What is it?" Mark stopped a couple of steps further.
"Found a cave."
"So?"
"So it might be a good place to stop. You really need me to spell everything out for you."
"Wouldn't a cave be... The entrance to a Dungeon or something?"
"Not necessarily. If it is, the System will tell us before entering anyways." Elisa's tone seemed like a reminder, not an explanation.
"Oh... That's how it works." Mark whispered in a low voice.
An agitated Moonlit Feline was freed from Elisa's embrace, and it jumped to the ground.
"Well?" She waited for an answer. "I'd rather not sleep in the snow and cold. Need to recover Mana too so..."
Mark called out his digital map.
"If we keep going at the same pace... We'll cross into Sloth in a day or two. Though my sense of time is kind of messed up. Haven't thought in 'days' for a while..."
"I know, right? First the Dungeon, now this damned blizzard..."
The two thought silently for a bit.
"Let's check it out. Either we get some rest, or we find a Dungeon."
"You're not planning on entering it if it's a Dungeon, are you?" Elisa asked suspiciously.
"No, especially if the Monsters inhabiting it can't be seen from outside."
"That's usually not the case. But I guess if the Dungeon's Rank is low enough, we could give it a try. Clearing out the place will make for a safer temporary shelter."
'So Dungeons have Ranks too...' Mark noted internally.
"Then it's decided." He said.
The next second, the Moonlit Feline, perhaps feeling left aside, climbed over his body.
"What do you think?" Mark asked once Krista was seated on his shoulder.
The Moonlit Feline showed its fangs as it yawned heavily.
"Lead the way."
And Elisa did just that.
...
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the cave's entry.
After all, the area over which Elisa could read the Wind was one hundred and fifty meters at maximum.
One hundred and fifty was the limit that she could only reach when trying to sense obstacles present in a certain direction.
When doing so for the area around her, the distance dropped significantly.
"So this is it."
"Yep."
The cave's entry was relatively narrow.
Or at least, that's what Mark thought.
After all, he was used to the caves inside the Dungeon.
The caves in which resided Insect Monsters or Minotaur Monsters.
Krista stared at the entry for a bit.
Snif-
Snif-
"The whole area is elevated... A small hill."
"Yes...? What did you expect? A hole in the ground? A hare's burrow?"
Mark walked closer to the entry without answering.
He stood in front of it, and stared at the darkness that reigned inside.
Krista got a bit closer too.
Snif-
Snif-
The air was moist.
"Can't hear anything... Didn't get any news from the System either."
"Oh, thank goodness. Perfect. The cave is pretty deep, but there are no Monsters inside."
"Isn't that strange?"
"Aren't you being a bit pessimistic?"
Mark scratched his head before turning back towards the darkness inside the cave.
"I wouldn't mind looking around inside, I guess."
"I'm more worried about something coming from above."
"True. Might be Monsters on top of the hill waiting for something to enter."
"I'm running out of Mana, so we'll have to go check before going to sleep."
"I can do that. Not really sleepy."
Elisa stared suspiciously for a bit.
"Yeah... I think I'll go too."
"Suit yourself." Mark said before spreading his wings.
The Moonlit Feline climbed over his shoulder.
Ten meters high.
A distance that didn't seem like much for them.
'Must be nice, having wings...'
Elisa stepped forward.
A couple of steps later,
"That's pretty cool."
With a small leap, she arrived at their side.
"I think you've said that already."
"I don't think I have."
"You've seen me do this though."
"And I didn't say anything about it."
"Meh." Elisa shrugged her shoulders. "Your facial expression said it in your place."
"I doubt that."
Both chuckled as they started walking.
A couple of minutes later, Krista jumped off Mark's shoulder.
Stomp-
Stomp-
"She really loves the snow."
Mark nodded, before moving his gaze towards Elisa.
With a tender gaze, she was looking at the Moonlit Feline.
'Yeah...'
Mark felt content.
He knew he could trust her to...
The hairs on Krista's body suddenly stood on end.
"What is it-" Elisa asked, but she felt it just a second after Krista had.
The blizzard picked up.
The cold and freezing wind turned violent.
The ground and the snow that lay above it started vibrating.
'An earthquake?' Mark asked himself. 'Or is it some kind of gigantic Monster making-'
The earth's trembling got even strong.
He lost his footing and,
Dark Corrupting Spear-
The Weapon that appeared in his left hand was immediately thrust into the ground and used to remain standing.
"What the hell is happening??" Mark shouted through the blizzard that had thickened and grown in intensity
"R... Run..." Elisa muttered.
She could feel her entire body twitching.
Elisa quickly bent her body and grabbed Krista.
"RUN!" She screamed as she turned around to face the opposite direction they had been taking.
Elisa took two steps away, but she didn't run.
She turned towards Mark, who was staring into the distance.
The earth's vibrations and the wind grew too powerful.
A second later, they understood what was happening.
It wasn't the earth that was shaking.
It wasn't the wind that had grown any fiercer.
No.
The earth wasn't shaking.
What lay below them wasn't the earth in the first place.
Mark immediately remembered words he had read some time earlier.
Some can be found hibernating on the ground. Beware! There is nothing scarier than walking on an Olga submerged in snow.
The ground suddenly rose.
"MARK!" Elisa shouted as she extended a hand towards him.
They weren't standing on the ground.
Mark stared at the hand extended to him, and reached.
