Third POV:
Mash jumped in front of Ritsuka, her shield held high. "What... are these?"
"Undead? No, not complete at least," Scathach stated, looking around while summoning a red spear in her hands.
"Whatever they are, they're hostile," Medusa said, holding up a pair of chained blades.
"The people around have been calling them 'ghouls"," Zaraka commented as he held up his spear. "They're not natural, as you can see. The trap was meant for them."
"Okay, we can talk later," Ritsuka said looking around. "How about we deal with them first?"
Scathach shot forward instantly. Three heads suddenly fell on the ground and three ghouls vanished into smoke. Jumping in the air, Scathach sent several red spears raining down, killing five other ghouls in the process.
Medusa threw her chains forward, the blade tearing through the chest of one of the ghouls. Jumping in the air, Medusa flipped over the one her chain was stuck in and pulled down hard, causing the ghoul to be sent like a wrecking ball at another two ghouls, crushing them in one swoop.
Zaraka stabbed one of the ghouls on the head before pulling his spear back. He kicked another ghoul toward the trap hole, causing it to fall in and be stabbed with the wooden spikes. Charging forward, he stabbed another ghoul in chest before bushing forward, causing it to back up to another ghoul and push both towards the trap hole.
Mash stayed in front of Ritsuka, simply using her shield to bat away any approaching ghouls as she prioritised the master's safety. Not that many reached them with the three other servants dealing with them.
Soon enough, all ghouls have been dealt with and they all vanished to smoke. When they all disappeared, Ritsuka called out. "Roman, are we safe?"
"Yeah, the magical signals all disappeared," Roman's face popped up as he looked down shamefully. "Sorry for not warning you about them. Their energy is weird and it's all over the place. We can just tell you when they're around."
"It's okay, we pulled through," Ritsuka simply nodded and looked at the servants. "Great job, everyone." "Thank you for helping," Zaraka sighed while scratching the back of his head. "They're not really tough but the problem is their numbers."
Medusa was looking at where the ghouls used to be before they vanished. "That armour..." She mumbled while looking down.
"Is something wrong, Medusa?" Mash asked, noticing the youngest Gorgon look. "No, it's nothing," Medusa immediately shook her head.
"I've been staying in the village just a little way from here," Zaraka pointed at the path he came from. "We can rest and talk there while coming up with a plan."
"Sounds good. Let's go," Ritsuka nodded as they began to walk around the hole and started heading towards the village.
As they were walking, Scathach turned to Zaraka. "Can I ask, who exactly taught you spearmanship?"
Zaraka winced and looked at her with an awkward smile. "Was it THAT obvious?"
"That you've never really fought other warriors? Yes. It was painfully obvious," Scathach replied without holding back. "Well, I was never a warrior nor did I ever claim to be one," Zaraka sighed as he scratched the back of his head.
"I'm just a hunter. I'm used to dealing with beasts, not people or warriors."
"I noticed. Your fighting style was meant to cripple, kill with a head strike, or pushing towards your trap. All effective methods when it comes to dealing with beasts," Scathach commented before looking sternly. "But that's still no excuse to let your spearmanship become like this. If we get the chance, I'm beating a few lessons into your head."
Zaraka didn't feel comfortable with how she said 'beating' instead of 'teaching'.
(~X~)
"Greetings, travellers. I am Sebastian, the elder of the village." In front of the Chaldea team was an old man with a bald head and a long beard. He was wearing white robes along with holding a cane to support himself on.
They were standing in the middle of the village which was made up of buildings made from stone and wooden roofs. The people around were all looking at the group while commenting on their strange attire and equipment.
"Hello there. I'm Ritsuka. We're here to help with your ghoul problem," Ritsuka returned the greeting while trying to avoid the complicated details.
"I would question how you got here or how you know of our problem, but we are in desperate need of help," Sebastian sighed and lowered his head, "Zaraka has been helping but he can't fight all these things on his own. We're trying to support him in building the traps the best we can, but they keep coming back. Honestly, I don't know why the gods of Olympus have forsaken us to this fate."
"You say that as if they ever cared about you," Medusa mumbled quietly while looking away.
Judging by the quiet snort she let out, Scathach most likely heard her.
"Don't worry. We're actually trying to find what caused this and fix the problem," Ritsuka assured the old man.
"I know what's the cause!" One of the people that gathered yelled out. "This is punishment! We've angered the gods and now we're suffering for it!"
"Enough!" Sebastian yelled before he sighed. "I'm sorry. Panic has been getting high lately. We can hardly hunt for food or farm anymore. Zaraka has been helping, but he is only one man."
"Don't worry about it," Ritsuka shook it off. "Can you tell me, though, when and how did this all began?"
"It began around a week ago," the elder said as he began to recall. "They just appeared out of nowhere. They began attacking us, the animals, even just blindly attacking our crops. They don't seem to have a pattern or goal beyond destroying everything. When Zaraka appeared, he managed to drive them away and protect our village with traps. But, we haven't been able to hunt or farm as much and our supplies are beginning to run low."
"I've been trying to hunt for them, but I can't stay out for long in case something happens to the village," Zaraka added with a sigh. "Even with the traps, I'd rather not take any chances."
"Smart decision," Scathach commented.
"Have there been a location where they're most active in?" Ritsuka asked.
Sebastian stroked his beard. "Hmm... they're attacks have been at random, but if my memory doesn't fail me, then I believe their first attack came from the mountain."
"Can you show us exactly where?" Ritsuka asked.
Sebastian nodded before turning around and beginning to guide them through the village.
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