"Maybe I should scream for others. Guess some people are left?" Fiona muttered to herself.
"However, would they hear me? Or will monsters rush to me? I don't think I can handle that many at the moment," she mumbled, shaking her head. It was hard to believe there would even be any survivors.
Fiona walked towards what looked like a destroyed market. She found a sturdy bag and began packing everything she found useful.
After a while, she stood staring calmly at the big bag in front of her, taking in the food, clothes, knives, and some bathing supplies.
She decided to move on, hoping to explore other places since this city didn't have much left to offer. But just before she could pass through the city gates, a small hesitant "uh" echoed in the air. Fiona turned around and spotted a young guy hiding behind a building, his face pale with fear.
"Hey, what are you doing hiding there?" she called out, staring at him.
"Uh… please, are you a traveler?" he asked, peering at her warily. He hesitated before stepping out slightly, revealing himself a short young man with black and purple hair, black eyes, and slightly worn-out dull ancient brown robes.
"Yeah, I think so," Fiona replied, scratching her cheek nervously. This was the first person she had seen since arriving here, and she didn't want to scare him away.
"Also, what happened to everyone?" she asked.
His expression instantly shifted to pure terror. He started trembling uncontrollably, biting his lip hard as if trying to hold back tears. Fiona walked over and gently patted his head. The moment she did, he broke
into quiet sobs and clung to her tightly.
'So much for stranger danger. What if I was a bad person?' Fiona thought, sighing inwardly while continuing to pat his back.
After a few minutes, the young man finally calmed down, wiping his eyes.
"Nice to meet you. I am Rose. And you?" he asked, tilting his head up at her. She was noticeably taller than him.
"It's Fiona."
"Basically, seeing how the city is in ruins and there's blood everywhere, it's obvious it was attacked by monsters," Rose said, his voice still shaky.
"So since everyone is dead, what are you doing here, Fiona?" he asked, glancing up at her.
"Just came to see if I'd meet people, and you're the only one I've met so far," she chuckled softly.
"Yeah, well it's not like I could go anywhere else," Rose replied, his hands fidgeting nervously. "Even if I wanted to go to the safest city, it's at least two months away from here, and I don't think I can make it with the monsters around." He swallowed hard before continuing, "Also, how did you even manage to come here with all those monsters in the forest? It should be impossible."
"Well, it wasn't that hard, but it was hard as well. I was simply using the trees to jump," Fiona answered calmly.
"How? Why?" Rose's eyes widened in confusion. He clearly struggled to believe her, though he glanced at her visible muscles as if trying to convince himself it might be possible.
"So are you going ahead?" he asked hesitantly.
"Well, it's better than staying here," Fiona said with a small shrug.
Rose fidgeted with his hands, his gaze darting between her and the ground as he searched for the right words. After a moment, his expression hardened with determination. "I want to come with you as well!" he declared, though his legs were still trembling. "And if you encounter monsters, I can help you! I train!" He flexed his biceps in an attempt to look strong, then quickly lowered his arm. "And I can lead you to the safe city I spoke of."
"Are there any more survivors?" Fiona asked.
"Nope. I checked the whole city for five days. No one," Rose replied, shaking his head sadly.
"So how did you survive?" Fiona asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I have no idea myself. The monsters were just ignoring me. I had to watch as everyone was dragged away or eaten," Rose said, his eyes growing teary again. He quickly wiped them away.
'A guy whom monsters can't detect his presence… or he's lying,' Fiona thought coldly. 'However, his body language hasn't changed to indicate he's lying. And this safe city… it's better to go there. If he tries anything funny, I'll kill him.'
"Please, I want to leave here and stop living my life as a coward from these monsters," Rose continued, his voice cracking slightly. "I don't want to die here without even trying to escape. The monsters that attacked this city may have ignored me, but I have no idea about the monsters out there. They may be different and kill me. That's what made me afraid, but I still want to try."
"Have you packed supplies?" Fiona asked and he nodded quickly.
"Are there any horses around?" she asked but Rose shook his head. "Also, the horses were killed by the monsters. Others were taken by demons. I saw it while I hid in the city."
"Wait, I need an explanation on what is really happening," Fiona said, scratching her head.
"Are you not from this country? Or are you from another country or something? Because everybody knows what is happening," Rose replied, suspicion creeping into his tone as he narrowed his eyes slightly.
Fiona looked at him nervously, unsure how to explain. After a moment, she decided to tell the truth. "Well, crazy enough, I was in another world and the next thing I knew, I'm here. I know it's hard to believe, but that's what happened."
Rose gave her a long, suspicious look before speaking again. "Well, most people know humanity's greatest enemies at the moment are the Montocons, which are the most dangerous of monsters, and the demons."
'Montocons… that was probably the monster I saw in the forest,' Fiona thought. 'And the first beings killed were probably demons, and they come in different forms.'
She nodded, now understanding the situation better. Wanting to know more, she asked, "So are there people who can kill these monsters and demons?"