The weak cling to the strong, the strong protect the weak. This might seem like the most natural thing in the world, but it doesn't necessarily hold in the world of adventurers.
Most adventurers come from poverty and are accustomed to life and death situations. This naturally makes the profession largely unsympathetic. If there is no mutual recognition, pulling together the strong and the weak can lead the weak to be not so much companions on the journey, but more like bait, cannon fodder, and even... "food".
However, "Low Novel" differs fundamentally from other adventurer groups. Its leader is not just an adventurer, but a mage as well.
Do mages have compassion? Bartlett doesn't know. He's only met a few mages, which is relatively more in comparison to the general population. Bartlett even saved one of these mages twice, and has had over a decade of trade relations with another mage (Bartlett sold most of his forest finds to this mage).
Despite this, he still doesn't understand the behavior of these individuals who wield great power. In fact, even mages themselves don't bother guessing the unpredictable thoughts of their peers - it's pointless.
Bartlett looked at Handsome Jack's flat nose and couldn't help but chuckle. The whole point of his long rant was to win the acknowledgement and sympathy of a mage with his words.
He doesn't know whether this was Handsome Jack's original plan or if it came to him on the spot. No, Bartlett shook his head; it couldn't have been planned. It's impossible to predict encounters in the Foggy Forest, so it must have been a case of quick thinking, which earned Jack a notch of respect from Bartlett.
Personally, Bartlett didn't want to merge the two teams. He felt some pity for these people, who more or less were marching to their deaths in the Foggy Forest. But nothing more than that — he would not take on these 'burdens'. However, he isn't the leader of the team. The final decision lay with Old Will, the over-two-hundred-year-old mage.
"We have 27... um, I mean 26 fine lads!" Handsome Jack continued his hard sell. "We just lost 'Curly' a while ago, forgot about that." He sighed.
You'll lose more. "Are you sure by 'fine lads' you mean those guys behind you who can't even hold their weapons properly?" Bartlett pointed out.
"Can't hold their weapons? No, I must say, you don't understand them!" Jack countered, "Their grip on their weapons is stronger than you'd imagine! They hold them even while eating, sleeping, and even shitting. They might lose their lives, but they won't let go of their weapons!" Jack waved his hand with emphasis.
Bartlett was somewhat speechless. This isn't exactly something to be proud of.
"Does that include the young man named 'Sieve'?" He countered.
"Including 'Sieve'! He may be shaking uncontrollably, but he'll definitely not throw away his weapon. You don't believe me?"
Bartlett shook his head.
"We originally had 30 people, but we unfortunately ran into a pack of Frost Spiders. Those damn fat-bodied bastards dragged away three of my 'fine lads'." Jack sighed again, "You know, when they were dragged away, they were still clutching their weapons, still clutching!"
"But that did not save their lives." Bartlett frowned.
"Hey! You should know that was a pack of more than ten Frost Spiders! At least fifteen, maybe more. It was so chaotic, I didn't get a good count." Jack argued, "Even if it was a big brute like that ogre over there, they'd have a hard time dealing with those spiders. Let alone for these guys, that was their first battle."
Frost spiders are a group of creatures that only appear in winter and live under the ground. They are bigger than an adult ram, agile, with two front claws as sharp as ice blades. While these spiders are not venomous, they spit out a very cold frost that can freeze someone solid upon direct contact.
All magical beasts that can use a type of magical abilities generally have one or several mutated organs. These organs are used for storing, guiding, and releasing magic power. Creatures like frost spiders, where the entire species can use magical abilities, can be considered a distinct group of magical beasts.
A gland located in the spider's abdomen enables them to spit the frost; it is quite valuable, but the precondition is that you have to kill them first.
Bartlett knew that if the number of frost spiders were indeed as Jack reported, then the loss of three people was somewhat trivial. Perhaps this was also one of the reasons why these people were so panicked.
"They came out of nowhere, surrounding us all of a sudden." Jack's expression held a hint of lingering fear, " 'Shy Casper' was the first to charge forward. He's the sort who flushes red even when speaking and never dares to make eye contact, but he courageously charged forward first! Don't you think he's a good lad?"
It seemed as though Jack was reminiscing, "Casper had a spear in his hand, apparently a gift from some adventurer. I have to say it was a good spear, with its sharp and pointed head, it seems to be made of fine steel rather than wrought iron. It was rightly weighted and could surely kill a large-bodied crawler in one hit if thrown right. But it was too good a spear, it gave Casper courage yet made him reluctant to throw it. He charged with it, fell amidst the frost spit by three or four large-bodied crawlers, the poor kid, he still had the spear in his hand when he went down. I've told you they grip their weapons tightly, Jack never lies!"
Newbies are always like this, either panic-stricken or feeling ashamed when facing fear. Some would stand there, not knowing what to do, while others would scream and charge forward without thinking. These are all signs of being controlled by fear.
However, with enough experience, the newbies will eventually grow. Fighting, surviving, being forced to grow, and then continuing this cycle is the life of adventurers.
Bartlett didn't know whether Jack was trying to gain more sympathy by telling these stories, or something else, nor did he care much. After all, the final decision was not his to make.
Barbarian glanced at Old Will, still puffing his pipe, and the other few silent people in the crude novel, evidently, no one was willing to comment for now.
"How did you guys escape from them?" Bartlett inquired. He didn't use the word 'wipe out', because for this group, this was obviously an impossible task.
"I brought quite a lot of fire oil before I came in. It was initially intended for making fire; after all, the forest is still quite cold at this time, and we need to make a fire for warmth from time to time. It's definitely wise to bring some extra fire oil if you come to the Foggy Forest at this time," Jack made a smile that further contorted his face.
Bartlett nodded, expressing his agreement with this statement.
"I poured out all the fire oil, and the brown-amber liquid covered the ground. When it ignited, the damn spiders could only stand still and howl, not daring to take a step forward. The flames were not as big as you might imagine. You know, outside the forest, when the oil catches fire, the flames can surge into the air violently. But not in the forest, no! We all know that this forest is weird; flames never burn too vigorously, or else someone would set a big fire and burn down this forest together with this damned fog. But those flames at the time were not fierce, but enough to stop those spiders."
Bartlett nodded again, this was indeed a good method to deal with the frost spiders. In fact, using fire to deal with most creatures in the Foggy Forest is quite effective.
When a powerful force cannot be controlled, it is deeply feared, and this is not only about fire.
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