That discovery rattled Jacob. He could not believe that on top of what he already had to face, he would meet the thrice-damned Charybdes. It was looking like he had angered a God or something.
He looked left and right, but the nasty monsters had left hours ago. And even if he could track them down, considering how many egg sacs were spread in that corner of the forest, it would be a titanic feat to kill them all without dying.
The earth where they had laid eggs had become red and black, impossible to farm for decades to come. They were like a poison with incredible depth and potency, capable of corrupting nature itself.
Once he got his hands on a sword, he knew that he would need to start hunting the monsters. He could not give them time to reproduce nor eat people. Instead, he would need to find every single nest and creature, then swiftly bring an end to them.
Jacob's expression was so serious that neither Juliet nor Frederic said anything.
However, Juliet could also feel his emotions through the Ancestral Bond. And to her, Jacob looked like a massive vessel cruising on top of ski-high waves during a terrible storm; and even though such a ship was as solid as a rock, some catastrophes were truly hard to fight off.
"We need to go and reach the place I was telling you about. We need weapons. Those eggs… Christ," Jacob couldn't find the right words. "We are going to need many weapons, and I'll need to teach you how to kill the bastards that we are going to face very soon."
Neither teenager got what he meant, but they both nodded and followed in silence, primarily thanks to the grave air that surrounded Jacob rather than their own propriety.
…
Jacob dismounted, still distracted by the thought of the Charybdes.
"We have to go on foot from there," Jacob signaled to Geneva, the self-appointed leader of the conspiracy theorists.
"What are we looking for?" she lowered her voice and looked around furtively as if someone wanted to eavesdrop on them.
"I have an ability that allows me to feel…" Jacob made a dramatic pause and lowered his voice as well.
"Treasures," his voice was barely a whisper.
Geneva's eyes brightened, and she looked as excited as a human being could get. She finally felt part of something greater, something she was leading. She went to relay the news to the others, which mainly looked as enthused as her, with a few dubious stares in between.
"So, form a straight line and don't wander off. If you see a monster, run to us immediately. If you think you can take care of it without making a big ruckus, do it. If it's not a simple Demonic Wolf, run immediately to me. I know a few of these Demonic Beasts also thanks to my special ability," Jacob raised his voice, and the twentyish people present nodded.
Why do I feel like I'm doing something wrong? Without me, these people would be rushing to certain death.
Nonetheless, it was a little too easy to manipulate their opinions. If you could manipulate them, fear and adrenaline worked at your advantage, and Jacob had worked all the right buttons to make it possible.
Right now, they were as loyal as one could hope they would be in this situation. He could feel a certain skepticism from a couple of them, but the beating taken by their former "bosses" had taught them that the mob's will was more important than the individuals'.
"So, if you can do Magic, go in the middle of the line. If your body is stronger than the others and you can punch really hard, go to the back. I will lead with Frederick and Juliet. We will try to get as many threats down before they become a problem. However, even weaker people need some fighting experience. When we meet the government, we need to be prepared. If the military makes things difficult for us, we need to be able to defend ourselves!"
He slightly raised his voice toward the end, regretting it immediately since his throat was a little tender. His body was still experiencing side effects from the Forbidden Technique and all the strain he had put himself through.
What surprised him was that a man in the crowd cheered, and Geneva soon followed after, bringing with her all the others.
Jesus…
Jacob raised a fist and smiled.
I mean, if you can't fight them…
They started walking soon after. Time was a currency he couldn't afford to waste. The stakes were too high to fail.
After a few hundred meters, he saw the first Demonic Wolves. There were five of them.
"Let the adults take care of them," Jacob said to the others.
He gestured toward Geneva.
"We need to see how strong you all are! Try and take down those five. There are four of you for every monster. You should be able to do it. If things turn dire, we will come to your rescue."
Geneva seemed uncertain but still nodded. She was too focused on the grandeur that would wait for their endeavors to think about the risks of the fight.
She balled her fists and focused.
Demonic Wolves were 1st level Cockroach realm beasts. They had sharp fangs but an exceptionally weak body. Anyone at the 1st level of Qi cultivation could crush their skull or just strangle them to death.
"Don't let them bite your hands, or you risk losing them," Jacob warned them. "Circle them and have your magic users attack. And be fast, they are glancing at us, and they will probably start running toward us in less than a minute. Next, split into groups with both Magic and Qi users, in equal numbers if possible. The strongest people should be divided and not banded together. The most resilient will act as a tank since anyone at the 2nd level of Qi cultivation or higher can take a bite or two without major wounds."
Jacob directed them with a calm and composure that reassured them. He was, in fact, not new at all to this. He had led warriors in his past life, even if he had always been a loner. More than one war had seen him on the battlefield alongside other humans, for better or worst.
Jacob sighed when he saw a couple of his new troop shaking and on the verge of pissing their pants.
Well, no one said it would have been easy.