( 30 minutes later, Dragon Valley )
30 minutes later, Rocky and team were nearly at the end of Dragon Valley, and by now the situation between the wyverns and the dragons had taken a turn for the worst.
Thankfully for Rocky and team, they were too busy fighting amongst each other to spare any attention to Rocky and the parcel, however, unfortunately for them, once the Dragons overcame their initial shock of wyverns attacking them with a suicidal mentality, the tide of the battle changed significantly once again, this time in the favor of the dragons.
With the apex predators of this land also banding together and absolutely mauling the wyverns alive, the wyverns' numbers soon began to dwindle as they were picked apart and hunted by the dragons rather brutally.
Within half an hour, close to 70% of the dragons present in Dragon Valley had lost their lives and the remaining 30% seemed to be fighting a losing battle.
Corpses were strewn all across the land and the fury of the dragons was evident.
Every other second there was either a dragon roaring, or a dragon breathing fire, as the sound and light effects were a constant accompaniment for Rocky and team as they made their way across the valley.
Finally, as they reached the entrance to the fated tunnel which would lead them out of Dragon Valley and towards a safe zone, the team momentarily believed that the worst was now behind them. However, to their absolute horror, from within the tunnel emerged a new batch of wyverns who flew straight towards the team, with the sole intention of stealing the package.
[ Thunder Talisman ]
Without hesitating even slightly, Rocky immediately crushed the Thunder Talisman he had purchased from the system space when he saw the dozen or so wyverns emerging from within the tunnel, as within a split second a massive bolt of lightning rained down from the sky towards their current location, splitting into 9 smaller thunderbolts at the last second, as it incinerated 9 of the 12 emerging wyverns to dust.
1..2....3....
Rocky's exhaustion was clear in his labored breaths, while Erin, Kronos, and Buhara had already surpassed their breaking points. They were so worn out that they could no longer even muster the energy to pant; as instead, they moved forward with open mouths, drooling from sheer fatigue.
Dragon Valley, a trail that typically took two hours to traverse at a fast walking pace, had been covered by the team in just under 45 minutes by running as if their lives depended on it. But as they finally entered the tunnel, with the immediate threat to their lives momentarily behind them, the adrenaline that had driven them forward for so long began to fade.
All at once, the full weight of their exertion hit them, making it impossible to ignore the overwhelming fatigue that now washed over them.
"Sir Rocky, I have checked our surroundings, and we are safe within this tunnel. Please, I beg of you, let's rest because I can't move my legs anymore," Erin pleaded, his voice trembling with fatigue as he slumped against the cold, stone wall of the tunnel.
Rocky turned to look at Erin, Kronos, and Buhara, and the sight of his team, barely able to stand, struck him harder than any battle they had faced in Dragon Valley.
They had pushed themselves beyond their limits, and it was showing as Kronos, who was usually so stoic and composed, was leaning heavily on his new sword, his breaths ragged, while Buhara, who was always brimming with energy, now sat on the ground, his chest heaving with every labored breath.
Even Rocky could feel the weariness in his own bones, the weight of the battles they had fought pressing down on him, as after contemplating for a while, he decided to give in to Erin's request as he said "Alright, we rest here. But only for a short while."
The relief was palpable in everyone's eyes as Rocky said these words, as they all sank to the ground immediately, their backs rubbing against the rough tunnel walls, causing everyone to wince, as they recalled the burning pain from the dragon breath they suffered before.
Rocky remained standing for a moment longer, scanning their surroundings one last time for any signs of danger, and only when he found none did he allow himself to relax.
The tunnel they were in right now was dark and silent, a stark contrast to the chaos outside in Dragon Valley, and for now, they were safe. But Rocky knew they couldn't stay here for long, since the dragons and wyverns were still out there, and there was no telling when the next threat would emerge.
As he sat on the floor, for the first time in hours, Rocky felt the tension in his muscles beginning to ease, as the sound of his team's heavy breathing filled the tunnel, a reminder of just how close they had come to the brink.