"Hey, you guys…"
I glared at the four mages running behind me, feeling a twinge of annoyance.
"Do you guys really need more than two hours to cover two kilometers?"
Despite my complaints, we were finally two kilometers away from the convoy. A distance we could cover in fifteen minutes if we kept up our current pace. At this rate, I didn't know if Chris and the others would be in any condition to help. They would probably be too exhausted after the run to fight.
Fortunately, casting magical spells depended more on mental and spiritual power than physical strength, so they might be able to barely handle it. On the other hand, one's mental state was clearly interdependent with one's physical condition, so if you were physically exhausted, chances were that you would probably be mentally tired out as well.
That said, I wasn't feeling particularly confident in their skills right now. Well, I was sure I could figure something out. Since they were mages, there was no need for them to get up close and personal with the enemy. As long as I could find cover for them, they could take potshots from range and offer support from a safe distance.
Or so I hoped. I still wasn't sure what exactly was the threat we were facing. Despite her assurances that she wouldn't do anything reckless, Stella had not returned. I had a feeling that she didn't bother with hit and run tactics and had instead charged straight at the enemy.
As much as I appreciated her sense of duty and knight's honor, her stubbornness frustrated me sometimes.
Would she be all right? Or would the ominous premonition that I had earlier come true?
"I know Stella is…strong, but…Mikhail is…also no pushover…"
Behind me, Chris panted. He must have sensed my worry and shared it. I nodded thoughtfully, unconsciously clenching a fist.
"With her skills, Stella will have no problem defeating most foes. But the opponent is Mikhail. According to you guys, he is the most talented mage in the mage corps?"
"That's right," Wilson confirmed. He looked a little bitter. "He's…stronger than…us."
"You should…go ahead." Rose heaved, her face red from the exertion. "You…don't have to…stay with us. You can…go ahead and…help Miss Stella."
"We go together," I replied firmly. "I'm already regretting not forcing Stella to stay with us. In a situation like this, splitting up will only be more dangerous. I don't know if that bastard has prepared an ambush."
"We will…deal with…whatever that…bastard planned…" Lance huffed, his breaths coming out in short gasps.
"As much as I trust you guys, I don't want to take the risk. Remember what I told Stella about prioritizing her life? And how she's more important to me than anything? That applies to you guys too."
"Huh?" Chris managed, staring at me in disbelief. I nodded.
"You guys are my comrades. And I will never leave my comrades behind. We're all going to survive this together." I took a deep breath. "And I believe in Stella. She'll definitely hold on until we get there, and even continue to fight alongside us after that."
However, I couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine. That premonition again.
Damn it. I prayed that Stella wouldn't be in trouble.
"She was only supposed to scout, not fight! I told her to wait for us!"
Even though I growled under my breath, I knew Stella better than anybody. I knew that with her personality, she would never be able to stop herself from leaping into the fray if she saw people get hurt. Even if all of the Gensies had already been killed by the time she arrived, she wouldn't be able to restrain herself from seeking revenge for them immediately.
She definitely would have tried to attack Mikhail.
It wasn't just out of recklessness, but also out of a sense of duty. Stella would have judged that if she could defeat the opponent before we arrived, then that would reduce the danger the party would be in. And if she couldn't, then she could at the very least evaluate his strength and return to the party bearing vital information regarding Mikhail's abilities and the disposition of the forces that he had at his disposal.
We continued to run for a few moments longer, and to my utmost surprise, a sudden flash of crimson appeared in front of us before skidding to a stop.
"Whoa!" Chris cried, instinctively coming to a halt. His fellow mages did the same, watching the red light in astonishment. I was the only one who reacted by rushing forward and catching hold of the person who generated the light.
"Stella? Are you all right?"
That was a stupid question. Even as I gently supported her and laid her down, I could see that she was clearly in a terrible state. Her armor was broken in many places and she was extremely pale. I caught sight of a few cuts that were still healing. Thanks to her vampire physique, she possessed amazing regenerative abilities. Most of her injuries had already mended and vanished, but judging from the blood splattered all over her battered armor and torn clothing, it was clear that she had suffered quite a bit and lost a bit of blood.
Fortunately, I had prepared for such an event. Retrieving a vial of blood from my jacket, I uncapped it and brought it to her lips, allowing her to drink. The mages couldn't see because it was too dark so they assumed it was some sort of medicine. They watched, impressed, as Stella's healing sped up.
"Are you all right, Miss Stella?" Rose asked, concerned. I shook my head and asked a more pertinent question.
"Mikhail did this to you?"
"I'm…very sorry." Stella looked bitter as she nodded. She raised her head and met my gaze, her blue eyes filled with sorrow. "I was too late. By the time I arrived, the Gensies' convoy…everyone was already…"
"Dead?" Wilson asked quietly, having been the one who spotted Mikhail from the start. Stella grimaced and cast her eyes downward.
"Worse." I could actually hear her teeth grounding against each other as she gnashed them in impotent rage. "That fucking Mikhail…I don't know what he used, but he had something that could transform the Gensies into monsters. Mutate them into something…monstrous and deadly. He has at least fifty of them, from last count. That doesn't include the seventeen mutants that I was forced to dispatch."
"He's the same as that bitch, Miranda!" Lance growled, hammering his fist against a nearby tree. "Just what do they think human lives are?!"
"Something to be experimented on, evidently." My tone was cold. I took a deep breath and forced myself to remain calm. "So Mikhail set his mutants on you? Did you engage him in direct combat?"
Stella met my gaze again, understanding the intent behind my questions. "I tried to attack him directly and exchanged a few blows with him. I was able to confirm that the spear augmented his physical strength, speed and reflexes. Even without proper training and techniques, he was able to overpower me with sheer brute strength."
"All that power converted from converting the life essences of the victims he slaughtered, no doubt," I remarked sourly. "Anything else?"
"I was not able to find out anything else. Perhaps the spear might still possess some other ability, but Mikhail did not employ them against me."
"It's likely that it doesn't have any other abilities, given the raw power that he obtained to be able to fight on par with you." I pondered for a few moments. "Nonetheless, we had best be prepared. He isn't someone we can underestimate."
"As much as I hate to admit it, Mikhail is a genius." Chris scowled. "He was the most promising of our batch and was well on his way to becoming a commander."
"He was Chairwoman Miranda's right hand man and her favorite," Wilson added. "We all know that he would have been her successor."
"More like lover," Lance muttered. "Especially after he changed his face, she would call him to his bed every night."
"All right." I took another deep breath and turned to Stella. "Can you provide more details on these mutants? Their abilities, the changes to their bodies, etc."
Stella nodded and proceeded to elaborate right away. The mages were horrified by her graphic descriptions.
"What on earth were they creating in the lab?" Rose asked, staggering. Wilson quickly caught her before she could fall over from the shock.
"I don't know." Stella shook her head. She was on the verge of tears, despite doing her best not to show it. "I…honestly don't know."
"We should go over there now and kick his ass!" Chris growled and rose to his feet. The rest concurred. Stella's return had given them the opportunity to rest and catch their breaths, but none of us wanted to dawdle for too long.
"Wait." I considered the situation. "Stella, Mikhail just let you go like this? Or you were fast enough to outrun those mutants?"
There was the possibility that the mutants were closing in on us as we spoke, so we might have to set up a defensive position here and eliminate them wave by wave.
Stella sulked before reluctantly admitting, "He let me go."
"Huh? Why would he do that?" Chris's jaw dropped. He then hastily held up his hands. "I mean, I'm glad that he let you go, Miss Stella. I'm glad that you got away relatively unharmed. But…that doesn't sound like what the bastard would do."
"No, actually, it does sound like something Mikhail would do," Wilson mused. "The moron has an ego the size of a mountain."
"That's true," Rose agreed.
"He told me…" Stella took a deep breath and clenched her fist. "He told me to bring you guys to him, so that he can crush all of us together in one go."
"Yeah, definitely sounds like him." Lance nodded with a sigh. "He was always an arrogant prick."
"This means we'll be walking straight into a trap." I frowned.
"Yeah, but we don't have a choice," Chris pointed out fiercely. "We can't let him get away with this. Imagine if he gets to the city and create more of those mutants…"
"Oh, I'm not suggesting that we let him go. I'm saying that we had best be careful." Then I pushed my glasses up my nose and smiled. "On the other hand, this gives us an opportunity, to set up a scheme of our own."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Rose asked, looking at me in puzzlement.
"We can use the idiot's arrogance against him," I explained. "From what Stella tells us, he's going to stay where he is and wait for us to attack because he's confident in his victory. If that's the case, we don't have to rush. We can take our time and go there whenever we want."
"I see." Wilson nodded thoughtfully. "And thanks to Mikhail's pride, we have ample time to prepare."
"Good," Lance groaned. "I was tired from all that running. I could use a break."
"Stella," I addressed my knight. "Do you remember the geographical details of the region where Mikhail and his forces are currently in? Will you be able to draw a map?"
"Yes." Stella's gaze hardened. "I remember every detail."
"I can scout from above and help with drawing the map," Wilson offered. I nodded.
"Yeah, I'll be counting on you two then." Leaning over and watching Stella work on the map, I began simulating several possible strategic positions.
Even if the bastard had an entire army of mutants at his disposal, as long as I was able to work out a sound strategy and perhaps use the terrain to our advantage, then we might have a good chance of winning this.