First Kill

June was a bit hesitant.

He had found a littoral cave that was barely noticeable behind the fog, but he was fearful of what could be waiting on the other side. That, and he feared that with Gemm unconscious, he'd get them both killed.

Perhaps if he was alone, he'd try his chances.

But he wasn't.

Then again, it was clearly the better decision rather than continuing east.

He was sure there were far more things waiting for them up ahead, and if he were to head there without Gemm conscious… well, they'd die. June wasn't capable of fighting on his own — or fighting, period. On top of that, he was responsible for protecting someone who wasn't capable of doing so themselves.

'… yeah, the cavern it is.'

With a sigh, June moved forward through the open passage. It was a part of the mountain itself, so traversing inside felt as if he was being swallowed. The woman carved into the structure outside made it seem much more eerie as well, which was something he was still struggling to comprehend.

The instant the boat passed through, the whispers from the fog — along with the fog itself — faded, and the gloomy daylight partially crept away.

Illuminated by nothing but the light from the outside, June drifted forward cautiously, surveying the shadowy space.

The inside was structured just like the mountain: an uneven and rugged circle.

However, there were walkways encircling the edges, somewhere June and Gemm could possibly rest. Without waiting any longer, June pushed forward and docked them near one of the patchy walkways. They seemed to lead upwards, while a few turned in several different directions.

June was just glad to be out of the water, though, and he soon placed the oar down onto the hull of the boat.

'Now, how am I going to do this…'

June planned on waking Gemm — or at least trying to. If not, he'd have to carry her off the boat himself so they could get out of the water. He'd also have to find a way to secure the rowboat so it didn't drift away from them.

But before he could even consider doing either of these things, something caught his attention.

Looking over his shoulder, June noticed a large and shattered… egg? No, perhaps it was something else entirely. But it did indeed resemble an egg, only it was hanging from the shadowed ceiling by a gooey thread.

It was barely visible if not for the outside light.

One half of the egg was cracked open, with dried pus leaking out and several cobwebs surrounding it. The other half was intact but seemed like it had been ripped through from the inside of the opposite side, resulting in a web of cracks to appear on its weathered surface.

For some reason, June got the feeling that whatever was inside had not only escaped, but eaten the shared organism along with it before doing so. He wasn't aware of how long ago it had happened, obviously, but judging by the condition of the egg… he'd guess it was about a few months old.

Which wasn't good.

'I have to leave.'

At first it seemed like a good idea to rest up inside the mountain, but seeing the egg changed his mind instantly.

Whatever otherworldly creature had hatched out of that damn egg was likely still roaming about within the cavernous mountain, and June was not about to wait and find out.

With a heavy gulp, he grasped the oar once more. Only, when he was about to begin rowing, he felt the tip of the oar make contact with something in the water, stopping him.

Perplexed, he took a look downwards and his eyes widened.

'What the hell are you?'

Nibbling the tip of the wooden oar, a small creature the size of a fish was looking back at him with jet-black eyes. It was like a bloated worm with a circular mouth that flashed a row of sharp teeth.

"Get the hell off!"

Already impatient and under distress, June flung the oar repeatedly in order to get the creature to let go. Which it did, however… it flung into the wall close by and splat against the surface.

A moment later, the Entity spoke:

[Awakened Creature Felled: Hatchling Of Blot...]

Although it was completely an accident, June had killed it. A few seconds later, he came to regret doing so, because in return, several more emerged from the depths of the water.

… And this time, they were severely agitated.

"Crap…"

They chirped loudly as they emerged, hissing at June who sat with his jaw agape. In an instant, the boat was flung from underneath, sending him and Gemm toppling over.

Thinking fast, June grabbed hold of Gemm and tried his best to shift them toward the walkway before the boat crashed against the rocky wall. He managed to do so, falling with a thud onto the dirt with Gemm wrapped in his arms.

June was scrawny, but he was still an awakened human so his strength was capable of accomplishing that much. 

With a quick inhale, June stood up with speed. Their boat was now in pieces, serving as mere splintered wood scattered near the rocky walls.

'Damn it!'

In front of him, several Hatchlings were present, their worm-like bodies contorting in place as they hissed at him in evident fury. It was as if he was looking at an army… with more emerging from the waters and approaching them.

Suddenly, one lunged at June. Reacting swiftly, he threw a lucky kick that landed, crushing the Hatchling in an instant.

[Hatchling Of Blot Felled...]

The Entity said once more, irking June from the inside. 

From the looks of it, the Hatchlings weren't strong in nature if June was capable of destroying one with a singular strike — however, he was sure if they attacked all together like they did the boat, he'd be in pieces so it didn't really matter.

Plus, one bite from their razor sharp teeth would definitely pierce through his skin, which wasn't the least bit enticing.

June took a look behind him to make sure nothing else was present.

Then, without hesitation, he summoned the Skewering Twig. The moment he did, another flung at him which he swatted away with the now sturdy twig resting in his tightly gripped hands.

He could manage fighting so far, but with each passing second, the number of Hatchlings only grew. June couldn't manage defending his ground or killing every single one with that being the case — no way in hell.

So, after swatting away a few more, June grabbed Gemm as quickly as he could before hoisting her onto his back and clenching the twig between his teeth. A split-second later, he took off running up the path.