Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 15: Chapter 11: Vrung’s Quarry

Read chapter 15 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Chapter 11: Vrung’s Quarry Chapter 11: Vrung’s Quarry Time Remaining; 714 Days, 13 Hours, 48 Minutes… The two of them awoke early the next morning to set out and Alex was still quite tired too. They each took turns keeping watch while the other slept throughout the night. Yet Alex barely slept at all, his mind still preoccupied with the lizard-men from the day before. His guilty conscience blasted him with the guilt of possibly killing what could be considered a person. He felt like a hypocrite as he lay in his tent agonizing over this internal battle. As someone who joined the military, feeling guilt about killing a lizard-man because they could have been sapient felt stupid. As if he wouldn't have been ordered to kill a human at some point. Like he hadn't been fully ready to -and actually attempted to- kill Lance the first day they had woken in this world. Why was he getting bent out of shape about this then? He was willing to kill a human if he had to. He already did kill wild animals when he was hungry and cold. So if a sapient lizard attacks, why lose sleep about it? Maybe it was that he could have avoided the fighting if he talked to them? That didn't seem right though. Garret and the first lizard were already fighting, and the second one came at me without even trying to talk. I didn't try to talk it out with Lance before trying to put a round through his skull either. Alex admitted to himself that things were not as cut and dry as his feelings of guilt seemed to paint them. I'm not a murderer. But I'm not a saint either. He thought in the silence of the morning. I have to accept that things like this are going to happen. Just like Alex's previous world, this world was not fair. It was not neatly structured with easily set views of good or evil. Alex will have some days when his hands are clean, and some days when they are drenched in blood. "You good man?" Garret's voice pierced his thoughts, drawing Alex back into the forest. "Yeah, just tired. Let's get to the village already, I want to try to find out what exactly is going on." Alex said as he pulled his backpack on to his shoulders. He didn't wait for Garret to agree and simply started marching onward. The two of them continued their journey in awkward silence for the rest of the morning. Garret seemed to notice Alex was still in a bad mood, and by some miracle decided not to try cheering him up with his awful jokes. It was approaching afternoon by the time they saw a change from the thick forest in front of them. The two men noticed the trees begin to thin a bit, and eventually end after a couple hours. They stepped out of the forest and on to what appeared to be gentle rolling plains. The river still flowed on their right, winding through the plains of wild grass until it finally met with a collection of buildings far in the distance. This must be the town that the elf was talking about. Alex thought as he surveyed the scene. "What the hell is that?" Garret shouted next to Alex's ear, making him jump and pull his spear into a fighting position. He looked around and found no threat. No lizardman, badger, or otherwise. He finally looked at Garret in an attempt to figure out what he was talking about. He found the scout looking up into the sky, almost directly at the sun. Alex understood the reaction now, as Garret was seeing that gaping black void in the sky for the very first time. During the day, it appeared even more strange. The sun's light appeared to be bending and stretching around the void. The blue sky turned dark in the immediate proximity too, showing the bare peek of stars around it, but almost all of that was washed out by the sun. "Told you it was freaky. I think it's a black hole." Alex said as he stepped closer to Garret's side. "Gotta be right? Unless it's some light sucking super monster. The final boss?" Garret looked at Alex with that same goofy grin as always. "I sure hope not! Come on, let's get to the town already. We need clothes, gear and i