Everyone was on their guard. The massive surge of mana was incoming at an alarming rate.
They prepared to engage in battle when it stopped in its track. The aura was still there, but it wasn't moving anymore.
There was a light growling-like sound.
"What's happening?" Elliot asked.
"Connor, call the guards," Lance ordered. "Tell them that the boss had gone Cannibal. Seek permission to kill it."
Connor nodded. He was the one who added one of the guards to the Acquaintance list. He called her. It rang for a couple of times but she didn't answer.
"She's not responding," Connor said. "What will we do?"
"It even ate its eggs," Lance grimaced. "The feeling of a thousand specks of aura coming from its eggs vanished along with every nymph inside its den."
There was a loud shriek from inside the dungeon followed by a moment of silence.
"It's coming," Lance said.
The cave shook. The raging force of the Frost Mother Nymph from inside the cave made everything tremble. Even some crystals fell from their sockets from the shake.
Another scream followed, this time, a strong icy wind followed the voice.
"We can't handle it like this," Lance tsked. "I'll contain it. Elliot, use your Hasty Aspire and call the guards outside. Everyone, positions."
"You could solo a dragon, why are you scared of nymphs?" Connor asked.
Lance sighed, "Humanoid beasts or demi-humans are capable of a certain degree of human thoughts, or critical thinking if you call it. Like us, the nymphs are capable of tactics, or at least a basic tactic rather than fighting their enemies head on. Why do you think it's lurking there instead of attacking us? Because it knows it would be harmed when it strikes."
"So, you mean…" Elliot trailed off.
"I cannot defeat humanoid bosses alone," Lance confessed. "Now, go. With your help, I think we can handle it."
The Frost Mother Nymph was lurking in the corner, waiting for the Adventurers to let their guards down. It was peeking in the darker part of the deeper part of the cave, watching over with a raging killing intent.
"It can really think," Elliot muttered. "I have never heard of such thing."
From where he was, Elliot turned and he could see Lance shake. It was evident that he was scared.
But why?
"I'll go now," Elliot nodded and used his ability multiple times. If he used it continuously without rest, it would take a heavy toll on his body, so he made sure to put 10 seconds interval between the casts.
Seeing Elliot run, the beast raged. Its aura shook the cave like it was shaking it intently.
"How terrifying," Connor gulped. "It's even scarier than dragons."
"That's because beasts like dragons wouldn't target the Adventurers that are low on aggro unless they attack it. No one's safe against humanoid beasts unless we take precautions." Lance brandished his swords, making them glow and casting a spell under his breath. The trail of the tip of his swords formed thick rope-like auras.
"Ed, Hope, grab the ropes and we will contain the Mother Nymph until we get permission to assassinate it," Lance ordered, handing the ropes he made out of his affinity. "Surround it, and I'll signal you to pull."
"Lance," Connor patted Lance's shoulder. "You're just too OP."
"And you're too charming, get to work," Lance deadpanned. "It's here."
The shaking stopped and a series of heavy footsteps followed. A woman-looking beast walked over to them. It was 5 meters tall with its light brown hair drying up along with its scabbed body.
"It's even uglier than the other nymphs," Lance said. "I will aggro it. Then you tie the rope around it. Don't try to attack it or else it will come after you even if your attack is weaker than mine. Once again, it has a sense of humanity in it."
"Yes," the others responded.
Lance bolted towards the beast, crossing his swords and firing his crescent-shaped attacks. "Now!"
The Knights ran to the sides, surrounding the nymph within a distance. Connor wasn't allowed to tie the rope. Being the one with the lowest defense, the beast would toy with him, attacking him first.
Lance was dancing within the stage of the nymph's attention. He wasn't attacking it, but he also didn't let it attack him or attack his friends.
"Rope, done!" Hope signaled.
"Tie!" Lance yelled.
Ed and Hope pulled the rope that was encircling the nymph. Their rope got up to the hip, which was what they planned on doing. The beast was about to fall sideways, making it a cue for Lance.
Lance leaped and trailed the rope from his sword. Using his fast speed, he wrapped the rope he produced from the hips to the neck of the beast before it could crash to the ground.
"Why can't we just kill it?" Connor asked. He walked beside Lance, hiding behind the taller boy's long coat.
"There's a penalty from killing the boss that's producing the eggs we farm," Lance sighed, tightening the rope that wrapped the beast. "Our guild would be shamed and our party wouldn't be able to go to a farming dungeon again."
"But this boss tried to attack us first though," Ed sighed. "It almost made me pee in my pants."
"We need to report this to the guard first," Lance said. "If people would just kill the boss then report it as the boss attacking them first, then there'd be no more farming dungeons. It should be that the guards would see how the boss attacked the party or guild before they give the permission to kill."
"But what happens when the party couldn't contain the boss before the guards come?" Connor asked.
Lance shook his head, "The chance of the dungeon bosses coming out of its den is once a lifetime. I only heard of it once before."
"Once?" Hope asked to which Lance nodded.
"Only once," he sighed. "When Pentos went on a farming dungeon."
–
Elliot got out of the cave but the guard wasn't there.
He looked around the cold mountains but has not seen any other person.
He was about to go back when a notification popped up.
'Multiple Hostile Humans detected.'
Elliot brandished his swords.
"Wait," a woman said. "I'm the guard here."
Even hearing those words, Elliot did not stand down.
A figure emerged from the distance. Sure enough, the guard was walking towards him.
"I just went to the nearby valley with my fellow guards because I saw something from afar," she said. "What seems to be the problem?"
Elliot pretended to return his sword to his scabbard. "We need your permission to kill the boss. It had gone Cannibal and Carnal Breakthrough."
"What?" the guard's eyes widened but there was a hidden smirk that went away in a flash. "Let's go inside. We must see it before we give permission."
Elliot wasn't having it. He knew something was going on, but he didn't try to force it to come. He will wait for it and battle it head on.
It's what he's been doing for the past months.
"Let's go inside," Elliot said was about to go inside when a voice croaked from nearby.
"H-Help," a female voice said. "Dark G-Guild."
Eliot gripped the handle of his sword when another pointed at his throat.
"Connor Carp," the fake guard said, this time a male voice sounded. "Clone Deactivate."
A speck of blue light lit from the tip of the fake guard's nose. The light expanded, covering the face and down to the body. The fake guard's figure towered over Elliot, the light died down and a half-naked man with different large swords on his belt appeared.
"Why did Connor Carp cancel the guild's contract?" he seethed.
The man's words couldn't get through Elliot's ears. He was smirking at the sight.
'New quest [ The Royal Human ] available.'
[ The Royal Human
Reward:
Dragon Stone (Random Affinity)
// A Royal Human has appeared. Hunt the human to gain its skill. ]
In the man's bare chest, was a familiar symbol.
And it was orange.