"What should I do? Am I going to die like this?"
Noah was standing in front of the corpse of the leader who was cut into three while covering his nose and mouth with the hands.
But it doesn't seem to be effecting just yet.
After a while, the smoke started to lift slowly that the surrounding could be started to be seen.
Noah looked at the direction of wagons where Grot and others were at. There was a enormous earth ball covering there.
"They seem to be inside it" Noah thought.
Was he lying when he said I was going to die. The poison had not worked yet.
After the gas lifted completely, Noah went to the ball and knocked it.
"It is over. You guys can come out"
The ball opened up and Grot and the others came out.
"It is over finally" Mira, the magician girl said while stretching her hands over her head.
"Mira, are you okay?" Grot asked.
"Yes, somehow. But Arthur has not woken up yet"
Noah looked at the guy who was lying on the ground with the wound which was spreading purple liquid into the veins. It had swollen and gave off a nasty smell of rotten fish.
Arthur, the sword guy who was completely useless in the battle.
"Posion" Ezral murmured while looking at him.
"I've poured healing portion on it but it is not working" Mira said and looked at Noah's face who was sitting on a rock to rest.
"Hey, you! Why is the poison not working on you?" the thirteen years old girl who was with the merchant asked Noah with a loud, sharp voice. She walked toward Noah and stood in front of him while folding her hands.
She has a scarlet long hair which is kinda curly and fluffy. With wide eyes and a small face, she obviously is a beautiful noble girl. On the head, there was a golden flower patterned hair pin. She was wearing a red dress with a balloon-like fluffy white skirt attached to which goes very well with her hair. The skirt and the hair sway from left to right rhythmically as she walkes in her leather comfortable looking boots.
The only problem is that she acts high and mighty for a kid.
Noah looked up at her face without standing up and ignored her.
"Hey, I am asking a question" she was enraged.
"Anlin, introduce youself before asking a question and don't be rude" the merchant who seems to be the father said.
He was a thin old man with a rectangular shaped glasses. There were not a string of hair on the top of the head. Instead the silver hairs were growing on the sides of the head. In the middle of his thin face, a silver mustache was covering his mouth and it moved as he spoke. He was in a black suit with a long coat covering the body and a white handkerchief could be seen sticking out in the chest pocket.
"Yes"
"I am James Bell, the only son of the Crombell famliy. This is my daughter, Anlin Crombell" He said formally while pointing to her daughter.
"I am Mira, B ranked Hunter" the magician girl in white robe introduced herself excitedly and touched Ezral with her elbow to remind him tk introduce.
"Ezral, also B rank" Ezral, the archer said in a low voice.
"I am Grot, A ranked Hunter and the leader of this party. The guy over there is Arthur" Grot said loudly while pointing to the man lying on the ground.
Then they all looked at Noah's face in unison.
They are asking me to introduce myself.
"I am Noah"
"Noah" Mira repeated the name.
"Are you also a Hunter?" Grot asked.
Hunter?
"No" Noah answered shortly.
"How is the poison not affecting you?" Mira asked in curious face.
Noah observed the faces of everyone. They all seemed curious.
Well I also don't know myself.
"I don't know" Noah answered honestly.
Grot looked at Noah with half-doubting eyes and looked away.
"Arthur is going to die at this rate" Mira said concernedly.
"Yes, 10 days until we reach Abrinial City. We won't make it in time for him to recieve proper treatment then" Grot said.
Ezral was just sitting nearby with no interest in the conversation.
"Noah,I beg you, if you have an antidote for it, please help us" Grot asked Noah.
"I don't have any antidote"
"Just help him already" the annoying girl, Anlin Crombell, shouted.
"If you don't wanna help him, how about selling us?" Anlin asked.
Noah glared at her face with grumpy eyes which made Anlin hesitant to say more.
Her father,James Crombell, pulled back her from her shoulder and said
"Mr. Noah, can you please help us? We have 10 more days left to travel through this hellish desert"
"I am sorry but I really don't have one" Noah answered respectfully while swallowing the anger.
"Then I will just go" Noah stood up and prepared to depart.
"W-wait, why don't we just spend the night here together" James stood up desparately and said.
"Yes, just stay with us tonight" Mira also agreed.
"Well" Noah murmured and sat down.
Then the nightfall came when they started preparing the dinner. Several ingredients were mixed together in the pot and added water in there. Then hang the pot with a stick on the campfire which was made by Ezral with his ability.
"Hey, how old are you?" Mira sat down beside Noah and asked.
"I am 16"
"So young and yet you are traveling alone"
Mira was impressed.
"Don't tell me, you ran away from home."
Her expression seemed excited contrary to what she said.
"No" Noah answered sharply.
"Really, aren't your parents worried about you or ...?"
"Mira" Grot shouted and stopped Mira.
"Ohh, sorry" Mira apologized for her inconsideration.
Losing a family is not uncommon in the world. Those people can be seen in everyday life. Especially, hunters have to deal with those people more than anyone. The ones who lost their loved ones because of the monsters and demons joined the Hunter guilds to get revenge. Travelling alone at a young age means that he just does not have home anymore.
"Sorry, she is pretty excited because she sees someone close to her age" Grot apologized.
"Close to her age?"
"Yes"
"She is 18"
Being a hunter is a dangerous job where you can lose your life anytime.
18? Why is she a hunter?
Noah did not ask.
Ezral is sitting in a corner without making a sound as usual.
The lip of the pot started moving and white foam starting come out while making a boiling sound.
The food is ready.
Mira poured a spoonful of soup into a bowl and put some dry meat on top.
"Here" she gave it to Noah.
"Thank you"
"How is it?" James asked.
"Yes"
"Will you help us escorting to Abrinial City?"
Noah observed James' face. He seemed anxious.
"No wonder he is like this. We were only lucky today" Noah thought.
"I am sorry" Noah declined.
James looked disappointed.
"Dad, don't invite him to travel with us. We don't need him" Anlin said loudly.
After listening to the chit-chat and complains, Noah went to sleep with extra caution.
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Crying voices. That was Mira.
"Mira, don't cry. It is natural for hunters to lose their lives like this and you know that" Grot was comforting Mira.
Noah woke up because of the commotion. It was past midnight.
He then turned around and looked at the direction where the others were without getting up.
Mira was crying while covering her face with the hands. But sparkling tears could be seem even from the distance because of the yellow light from the campfire.
Beside her lied Arthur who was injured pretty badly. Grot was sitting beside and trying his best to calm her down.
Even Ezral was there.
Anlin was wrapping a blanket around herself very tightly and sitting across them. She seemed horrified and her shivering body covered by the wrap of the blanket could be seen. James sat beside his daughter and hugged her shoulder for comfort.
Arthur had died.
Noah did not know Arthur personally but he did not want to look at the sad and depressing expressions of everyone.
He looked the other way and closed his eyes.
"I will just sleep this through" Noah thought.
Death huh?
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Noah parted ways with them in the morning.
Grot invited Noah to join their party but was declined.
They put the things that were left and not severely damaged in the battle into a wagon and departed.
Grot and others took the remains of the bandits' leader including
Could I have helped them?
Noah could not also find out the reason why they were going through this desert.
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