Suicide

Number seven had spilled out the location the search party would be meeting in two days time. It took Nile and Darren half a day to reach the location.

'Their strongest cultivator is warrior-4 he won't be able to sense more than a mile.' Nile thought while looking carefully at the environment. After a while, he spoke -"Darren let's wait a mile from here."

"Okay with me." Darren agreed instantly. He trusted Nile as in their stay in the forest Nile's strategies were yet to fail.

"How much more blood until the dagger evolves?" Darren asked with a curious look. Even though he did not fancy daggers but being a battle maniac he was interested in any knowledge related to weapons, and it was the first time he had heard a grade-weapon evolving.

Nile looked at the shaft of the dagger and replied- "Forty beasts until it evolves."

Once they were a mile away from the meeting point, they both climbed a huge tree and sat on different branches. Waiting for their prey to show up.

"Nile they are here." Darren whispered.

'They are punctual.' Nile thought while slowly opening his eyes. Both of them had been still as dead bodies for more than a day, trying to avoid any monster.

After a few minutes, Darren spoke hastily- "They are moving, in two separate directions."

Nile thought for a while before speaking- "Tell me the direction."

"A group of four moving in south direction from the meeting point while two moving in the opposite direction," Darren replied

Nile closed his eyes, trying to draw a vague map, and spoke with a smile -"Let's follow the two cultivators."

Darren did as Nile asked him, and they both started trailing the two Masked men (number one and eight).

"Why did you choose them rather than the other group ?" Darren asked while his eyes still fixed on the two cultivators.

"As per my intuition the other team is looking out for their missing teammates -" he then paused for while and spoke with narrowed eyes- "- and I guess the two cultivators ahead, have found out what they were looking for." Nile replied.

After hearing Nile, he fell into deep thought. In his stay with Nile, Darren had realized Nile was not someone who would do things based on intuitions. After thinking deeply for a while Darren's puzzled face eased a little as if he has untangled half of the mystery- 'Intuition... Hahaha, this kid is trying to act modestly. He had already analyzed the four masked cultivators are searching for their missing team based on the direction they choose to travel,... but what is with the other team? How can he tell they have located the energy stone?"

Darren thought for a while before giving voice to his thoughts- "I was just wondering how you could tell they have already located the energy stone."

Nile sighed hearing a question- 'He would not ask how a kid almost killed another human being just a few days back, but would ponder over such matters.' Till date Nile was not able to tell how Darren's brain operated. Darren was someone who would ignore the important facts - like how a kid possessed knowledge which the world had yet to discover, rather he would always ponder over petty things, and it was impossible to brush him off.

"The two cultivators ahead of us have not stopped even for a second in the previous hour, they are continuously moving as if they know the location where they are headed to." Nile answered.

"Very thoughtful." Darren appreciated Nile with a wide smile, Nile's answer had quenched his curiosity.

After running for another hour the masked cultivators came to a halt just outside the cave.

"Location confirmed, it is indeed the energy stone we were looking for. Let's return" Number one said while holding a device, and reading the static on it.

As they were getting ready to leave Number eight felt something lethal just behind him. He turned as quickly as he could and his eyes widened, a red-colored dagger was approaching him with great speed and it was impossible for him to evade the dagger at such a close distance.

'CLANKKKKKKKKKK' the dagger fell down after hitting a sword. Number one had warded off the dagger saving eight.

"Hurry let's leave." Number one whispered to his teammate.

"You are fast." Darren said and pounced at Number one from a tree branch while holding a huge battle axe.

"RUNN" The team leader shouted, he could tell the bald mountain-like cultivator was at least 2 ranks above him, and it would be impossible to fight against him.

Hearing the urgency in the leader's voice Eight concentrated his energy on his legs and got ready to escape, his eyes fixated on the enemy.

"Huh.... EVADE GRADE-WEAPONNNNNNN" Number one saw the dagger flying towards number eight from his blind spot, and tried warning him but was too late.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" eight fell to the ground while screaming in agony, the dagger pierced one of eight's leg like a hot knife passes through butter chopping it off completely.

Meanwhile, Number one tried dodging Darren but as he tried moving, he slipped on the ice Nile had created beneath his feet and he fell on the ground, soon Darren's axe severed his head in a single shot.

The time they both have spent fighting alongside with each other has made Nile and Darren's teamwork impeccable. Nile was so used to Darren's way of fighting that he could perfectly aid Darren without even exchanging a single word.

As Nile was busy forming ice beneath One's feet, Number eight knew death would be better rather than being tortured so while lying on the ground he had consumed poison committing suicide.

"He killed himself what a coward." Darren said in agitation, he believed the greatest sin for a cultivator was to kill himself out of fear and he loathed such people.

Then they both checked the storage pouches which had just some healing pills, that were useless for both Nile and Darren.