"Did you manage to make any progress on your core?" Cain asked Luna in the morning, setting down the book on Cultivation Techniquest that the elven Librarian had made him copy out as essential knowledge for this world.
"Nope, zip zero nada. Not a single point." Luna sighed.
"But meditation was really relaxing, we should do that more often for sure." She added, snuggling deeper into Cain's lap.
That's what Cain feared. The cores they were working with were already formed, they only had to integrate them, and the system had set a goal of how to do that, which didn't include leisurely meditating in a hotel.
"Alright, after we eat, we will head out into the forest and see what we can find for entertainment. There should be some beasts out there that might taste better than expected, and we definitely need the experience." Cain told her, placing her on his hip as he stood up to go down to the dining hall.
"You take care of this precious creature, you hear me? This world is dangerous, don't let her out of your sight unless she has a powerful escort you trust." Little Moon demanded when they were almost ready to leave the Inn.
"She's not just my disciple, she's my daughter. You don't need to worry about me neglecting her, I'm watching her at all times." Cain replied honestly.
Even if not physically, he would usually send a Summon to keep an eye on anyone who was important to him, and Luna didn't like being away from him, to begin with.
They had decided to stay on the ground, so they didn't miss important things on this trip, and the air in the forest was an incredible change from the city. They still used fire for everything there, so it constantly smelled of smoke and infrequently washed bodies.
How the sensitive noses of the others could deal with it, neither of them knew, but after spending a few days in the city you did kind of get used to the constant smell.
"Can we play tag now that we're out of sight of the city? Wait, do we have to pretend to be normal humans out here or just human-shaped?" Luna asked.
"Human species, but you don't need to hold back to regular human speeds, the people here are very fast when they get powerful, so you can run if you like, just don't leave my sight, I haven't had time to send anyone to check the area to make sure we weren't followed," Cain instructed her.
"Oh, that's good news. You're it first." Luna cheered, running through the trees with Cain chasing her.
Both of them had their senses open waiting for something to happen, but they didn't hear any other people in the area, much less any monsters. It was only later that afternoon when they got to the foothills of the mountains that ringed the valley that they found signs of magical creatures and humans.
"Was there supposed to be a Sect near here?" Luna asked, pointing to a spot where it was clear that someone had butchered a large animal and left the offal for the wildlife.
"Not according to the map, but you never know if there are things hidden in the world that the locals don't know about. Stay close for now." Cain told her with a wink and a nod toward the trees where he had heard something moving.
"Got it. There's nothing of value left there anyhow. But I smell a river nearby, that might be a good spot to sit down for a while and have a snack." Luna suggested.
She led the way to the river, while Cain listened to the unknown person following them. They were pretty good, but not perfect, and occasionally he could hear a branch crack. Unfortunately for them, they weren't actually invisible, and the vision of an Ancient picked up much more than a human did.
Even Luna, with the sight of a Lamia that included thermal images, had no problem spotting their pursuer once they started moving. It was only one person, and they seemed content to remain at a distance for now, so Cain thought they might be a scout or border patrol guard for something in the area which hadn't been marked on the map.
"Oh look, there is a waterfall. You don't mind if I have a quick shower, do you? I want to get the smell of the city off me." Luna suggested.
"That's fine. I will keep watch while you get clean. Don't forget the special shampoo for wilderness travel, the stuff without the extra scents." Cain reminded her, and Luna gave him a pleading look.
"You can smell like fruit and herbs when we get to the next town. For now, we don't need to deliberately attract everything within five kilometers of us. The waterfall is nice, but it's not really sheltered for a good night's sleep." Cain reminded her.
Their delay seemed to be enough to make the follower impatient, and Cain could see them circling through the trees, getting in a position where they could easily attack the waterfall.
"You're too close. I can sense you in the tree even without looking at you." Cain called out to their follower, who immediately froze as if that would stop them from being detected.
"Are you going to come out, or am I going to throw rocks at you until I've chased the peeping Tom away?" Cain tried again, and the mysterious follower made their move, leaping out of the tree with a talisman in their hand.
After seeing the other cultivators teleport away with a similar token, so far that not even the Oath Breaker could find them, Cain was extra cautious. He didn't need to start a rescue Luna quest this early in their trip.
He sent the Oath Breaker out to intercept, letting it appear between the two of them. The token was a stun talisman, and the Oath Breaker simply shrugged it off and let the Cultivator bounce off him with a fleshy thud.
"Immortal Wanderer, I challenge this mortal to a test of arms. Please don't interfere." The young man demanded.
"You want to fight Luna? Seriously?" Cain asked.
The man wasn't even awakened, but he was close to her level. From his perspective, they might be somewhat evenly matched and a good combination for a fight, but in reality, he was signing up for a painful death.
"I accept," Luna called out happily, always up for a bit of entertainment, and not realizing how lopsided this fight was about to be.
She already had two short swords in her hands to use the Dark Elven Combat Techniques, and this time, she was regenerating mana fast enough that she didn't really have to hold back on anything but [Cloud Dancing] to keep her reserves up.
"I am Nathaniel of the Crimson Blade, might I know who I am facing?" The challenger asked.
"I am Luna of the Darklight Host," Luna told him proudly, assuming that Guild names were the same as Sect names.
The man frowned at the unfamiliar name, then got an extra large smile when he realized it meant that this was an opponent he would be entirely unfamiliar with.
The two of them bowed to each other and began circling while an Immortal Cultivator dropped from the sky to land beside Cain.
"I see the young ones have found themselves a fight. What did he ask for?" The long bearded man asked.
"He wanted a test of arms. As I understand, that's not a death match?" Cain asked.
"It is not. The tradition is to forfeit before serious damage is done that will affect their future. The acolyte wandered a way out of our training territory looking for a challenge, and I was sent to find him before he insulted someone or was caught trespassing." The Immortal explained.
"I think he's in for a bad day though. Luna is a tiny savage, and it looks like he underestimated her due to her size." Cain pointed out, making the man smile.
"Oh, I hope so. These children on the cusp of the first Ascension are so obnoxious, it's good for them to get taken down a little bit."
So, he was on the verge of Mythic Awakening then. That made sense why he would be looking for a challenge. From what Cain knew, challenges were the best way to break through.
The fight went just as poorly for him as Cain had imagined. Luna was half his size, but many times his strength with a Dragon and a Greater Demon merged with her.
Her first strike broke his sword, then she kicked his legs out from under him and threw him into the river, where she could fight him without getting dirty. It didn't matter at all to Luna that she was soaked, or that she had to jump out of the water to breathe, she was much happier fighting here than in the mud, and she could hold her breath for nearly fifteen minutes, thanks to her high constitution.
The water was hindering the boy's energy attacks, blunting them before they made it to Luna, who moved through the water like a fish, always seeming to be behind him and hitting him with the flat of her blade until he used a movement technique and jumped out into the trees.
The giggling Demon chased him around for the next ten minutes until he ran out of energy and collapsed to his knees, with her blade at his throat.
"I surrender. Your evasion skills are incredible, Miss Luna, I am not your match." He admitted.
His clothes were shredded, and there wasn't an inch of his body that wasn't bruised from her attacks, but at least Luna looked satisfied, so Cain wouldn't have to restrain her from doing anything stupid.
"It was a pleasure to play with you. Come back anytime you want and we can go again." Luna agreed, helping him to his feet, and dusting some of the leaves off of him.
"Well, that was unexpected but enlightening. That Combat Style is an insidious one, so fast and agile. It was a pleasure seeing you here today." The Immortal informed Cain before leaping into the air and flying off on top of an enchanted sword, leaving his Sect's disciple behind.
"Your Elder said to head back into the training territory before you get yourself in real trouble Nathaniel. Luna, you're plenty wet now, and dirt free, so let's get going again, I have a spot picked out for tonight." Cain called, then turned to leave when Luna joined him.
The boy was exhausted, but Cain didn't sense anything else in the area, so he should be fine until he recovered.
