Uloth Gul
'Fuck, it's grade IV's, leading the group!' I said telepathically as the group of monsters came into view.
Eleven crimson-tusk hogs are in a group, two of which are Grade IV.
'The bait worked better than we had thought,' replied Aya, with her eyes focused on a group of monsters before us.
It is our third year hunting here.
Although this is the first time we've reached this deep, we came to hunt monsters for their parts, with crimson-tusk hogs being one of the top three targets.
Their tusks sell for quite a good bit of money. Alchemists want them, and so do the artificers.
Our last time here, we earned a satisfactory amount of money through them.
'You are not thinking of attacking them, are you?' I asked my friend, and her eyes became hesitant.
She was thinking just that.
'They will tear us apart!' I added in all seriousness. The monsters were too powerful. We might be able to handle Grade III, but Grade IVs are out of our league.
Even dealing with so many, Grade III is dangerous for us.
Her condition is getting bad, requiring more and more money, which makes her desperate.
It is forcing her to take significant risks.
She had nearly died two months ago if I hadn't saved her that time. We all could have died.
Last year, I decided that it would be my last time. I have a comfortable job at the mage guild. It didn't pay as much as adventuring, but it was safe.
The only reason I joined her this time was that I was worried about her, that she would take a foolish risk.
It was a wise choice.
Over the eight days we have been here, I have seen her on the edge of making foolish decisions over and over. I know she would have made them if I hadn't been here.
I didn't even dare to imagine what would have happened to everyone.
'No,' she replied defensively. I knew she was lying, but I didn't call her out.
'We will wait out till they leave,' I said. 'We are doing well. We do not need to take needless risks,' I added encouragingly.
She nodded, but I could feel the unwillingness in her body language.
I didn't say anything and turned to crimson-tusk hogs. We are hiding well and have our bodies covered in anti-smell solution.
It's a cheap one. So, it's a little itchy, but it does the job.
There is also a stealth spell. So, even Grade IV monsters won't be able to sense us.
Thud!
A few minutes later, monsters begin to turn to leave. A relief started to appear in my eyes when something suddenly fell in front of us.
Not a something, but a man. A human man.
It would be a grave understatement to say that it shocked us. One moment, there was nothing, and the next, he was directly in front of us.
He turned, and I saw his dark eyes, which were red around them, and his pale face, which resembled that of a vampire.
There are injuries all over him.
He looked at us. His eyes were surprised but also cautious and heavy with fatigue, and I felt like he would fall down at any moment.
"Roar!"
We were looking at each other when the monster's roar broke the atmosphere.
"Shit!" I cursed, hearing the roar, and saw that the monsters that had been moving away a second before had now turned toward us.
"Run," I said to Aya, casting haste on us. I took a step to run when I suddenly stopped.
I saw my friend appear in front of an injured man with a shield forward instead of by my side.
"He is injured," she replied, and I felt her activating her skills.
"The monsters will kill us!" I begged her, but instead of answering, she adjusted her posture to defend herself against the monsters now approaching us.
The monsters are powerful.
We are not their match, and besides, she is sick—she has always been sick—but her condition is getting worse.
"Fuck," I cursed and gritted my teeth as I stopped and began casting spells on her.
I cast Rock Skin and Taris Layer on her.
Taris Layer isn't a beneficial spell for most people, but for her, it is lifesaving. It absorbs physical force and protects her delicate bones.
I cast spells on myself and defensive spells in front of her before I started casting Rock Nails and Myron's Acid Ball, with most targeted at two Grade IV monsters, four leading the charge.
My spells begin to hit, and my expressions become worse.
My spells barely affected the two Grade 4. Their thick hides made them easily able to defend against them.
It didn't surprise me.
I am a Lv. 18 Mage, capable of casting Grade II spells, while Grade IV spells are required to kill them or powerful Grade III spells.
I wanted to run away seeing that and turned to my friend.
I was hoping to see her change her mind. Instead, I saw her get ready to face the monsters, which were only a few meters away from us.
Bang Bang Bang!
Finally, they reached us and blasted through the shields like they were nothing with their burning crimson tusks.
I cast more shields, but they broke through before finally reaching Aya.
There was now barely a meter of distance between her and the first monster.
Hun!
She had readied herself to face the monsters by bringing her shield forward when something shocking happened.
The pale man appeared in front of Aya like a phantom. So fast that I couldn't even see his movements at all.
Puch Puch!
He attacked, and the next moment, we heard the wet sound.
A second later, I saw a monster fall to the ground. He attacked again, and I heard the same sound, and the second Grade IV monster fell.
I watched in shock. Even Aya is shocked, but she recovers faster and attacks the monster.
A moment later, I cast spells, but we are still slower than the pale man.
Who moved like a phantom around the monsters.
Everything is a blur. The only clear thing is the sounds; whenever they rang out, a monster fell.
Soon, everything stopped with the bodies of eleven monsters on the ground. Nine of them were dead by the man with bloody eyes, while two that we killed made a messy scene.
The man turned to us, and I was surprised to see how young he was.
He is even younger than us. He looked barely twenty.
"Thank you," he said, looking at us with cautious eyes before sitting down shakingly on the dead body of the Grade IV crimson tusk hog.
"It should be us, thanking you," replied Aya.
He didn't say anything and brought his hand to his pocket. He took out a bottle of potion and drank it before taking out another and drinking it whole.
A few seconds later, the color begin to return to his face.
It made me relieved because I worried that he was a vampire. They are bad news.
...…..
I looked at the two staring at me dumbfounded.
They are two young women in their early twenties. The orc holding the mage staff has a muddy green complexion.
The other woman is human, slightly thin, but wearing thick mismatched armor, a red metal shield, and an enchanted sword whose enchantment is nearly faded.
They are both looking at me with wide eyes, like seeing a ghost.
I am injured and look quite pale.
I drank the potions, which helped with injuries but slightly alleviated the tiredness. I fear that I will fall asleep if I close my eyes for a moment too long.
When I appeared, I thought they were a threat.
The people, my enemies, had been stationed at the landing point, but I had not appeared at the landing point. I had veered away from it. Not by much, but away.
There is also the fact that these two move to defend me instead of attacking.
However, the one fact that genuinely convinced me they are not enemies is their strength.
They are far too weak.
The orc mage was casting only Grade II spells and seeing her efficiency and power. She is a Mage closer to Lv. 20 while the human woman is above Lv. 20, near Lv. 25.
I think they are unrelated to enemies that attacked me, but I am still cautious of them.
"What is this place?" I asked.
"Dominion," replied the woman with the staff. I wanted to roll my eyes hearing that, and I did.
"Where in the Baxzar?" I asked. "Vradis Valley," she replied, and the name felt familiar. I activated my skills, and I remembered.
"South of Bor extreme magic region?" I asked. "Yes, we are around a hundred miles from it,' she replied.
I nodded and took out the map of Baxzar Dominion. It was the best one I could get and also big. It didn't take me long to find the Bor extreme magic region.
"Can you point me exactly where we are?" I asked them, and they looked at the map in surprise.
They controlled her expression and looked at the map before the human woman walked forward.
"Here," she replied, pointing at the spot.
I looked at the spot and place from which I had teleported.
They cannot track me. I didn't let any of their skills touch me when the spell activated on me, but they could still track me in other ways. Not me, I am still protected, but the spell.
They have mages, and I am sure with the preparation they have made.
There is at least one among them capable of calculating the landing point of the teleportation spell.
I hesitated a moment and thought about it before turning to the two.
"How much time would a group of people need to reach here from here?" I asked. Their expressions became severe, and they looked at each other hesitantly.
"It will depend on their levels and classes and whether they are traveling by foot or using the beasts," replied the woman with the staff.
"A group of Lv. 30 and Lv. 20+, with mixed classes of mages and warriors. Local with terrain knowledge and the best monsters," I replied.
This information makes their expression turn even more serious.
"Around seven hours," replied the woman with the staff.
I sighed upon hearing that. I thought it would be more, but I was not just that lucky.
I need to move as soon as I can and fast.
They can not track me personally, but I am sure they have trackers. I hope my people reach me first. They could calculate the landing point, and, most importantly, they can track me.
Margaux could track me.
She is connected to me with the legacy and feels my location as I sense her location right now.
It is faint right now, but as she gets closer, it will become stronger. When she is close enough, she will be able to connect to me telepathically.
However, I plan to reach a safe location first, which is a big city.