Thankfully, level ten was still within my abilities. I was almost upon them when the Crimson Fenrir raised its head and released a bone-chilling howl, warning the entire party that intruders had arrived.
In a flash, it bolted around the tree and leaped onto Megan, who had just managed to pick the lock that held the women captive. The freed women sprang into action, darting toward the woods, while the men, still somewhat sober, scrambled after them. The clearing erupted into chaos, with women screaming as they fled and men chasing them down, some of them not exactly gentle in their attempts to recapture the escapees. Megan stared up at the Crimson Fenrir, her eyes wide with terror, as the beast snarled a warning to stay put. Meanwhile, a bearded giant, swaggering with a drunken confidence, made his way toward her.
I could hear the sickening sound of bones cracking as the fleeing women were caught, and it made me shudder as I stealthily moved through the thick underbrush. I stumbled upon one woman, pinned down by a man's foot on her back, her leg twisted and bleeding. She was sobbing helplessly while he looked down at her with a twisted grin, beginning to strip off his gear.
"You want Big Jim to teach you your place? Cry louder," he said while stepping down harder on her as he continued to remove his armor and gear.
I flicked the switch on my Mana Whip, flipping it from stun mode to lethal. In a flash, I charged in behind him, unleashing a deadly arc of my whip aimed straight at his neck, severing it cleanly. He lingered for a heartbeat, then crumpled to the ground. Blood sprayed across the weeping woman, silencing her cries. She turned to me, her eyes wide with terror and disbelief.
"Your village sent me to rescue you ladies," I said softly before continuing to the next.
Racing through the forest with the stealth of a seasoned warrior, honed by years of training in combat and agility since childhood, I stumbled upon a bandit. He had just struck a woman, knocking her out cold, and was now dragging her limp body over his shoulder like it was nothing more than a sack of potatoes.
I leaped from a towering tree, landing squarely on one of the massive men's shoulders. These guys were colossal, likely not entirely human—maybe a mix of ogre or giant blood coursing through their veins. As he tipped backward, I seized the moment, snatching the woman from his grip and vaulting back with her safely in my arms. I set her down and turned just in time to see the brute starting to regain his balance. With a grunt of annoyance, he pushed himself up, and from his shadow emerged a massive phantom boar, its four enormous tusks gleaming menacingly.
Still a bit dazed, he leaned back as the boar fixed its fierce gaze on me, standing a staggering seven cubes tall and ten cubes wide. The beast dug its hooves into the ground and charged at me with a thunderous roar. I sidestepped just in time, and the tree behind me splintered and crashed to the ground, obliterated by the furious boar. I lashed out with my mana whip, striking the beast's tough hide, but it barely made a dent. This creature had clearly been trained to withstand punishment.
I quickly scrambled up the branches of a sturdy tree and fished out a small pull-string sack from my storage bag. With a resigned sigh, I opened it to reveal a collection of tiny gems, a few larger ones, and one medium-sized gem I had been saving for a rainy day. This gem was worth more than the job I was on, but I couldn't just abandon my mission. Maybe if I took down enough of these mana beasts, I could at least break even.
I yanked the medium mana gem from my pack and slotted it into my mana whip, letting out a deep sigh. The whip ignited with a fierce orange glow as I felt the boar's relentless headbutts against the sturdy tree. With a powerful leap, I swung my whip down, the orange energy slicing through the air and striking the boar with deadly accuracy. It roared in fury, digging into the ground before charging at me. I darted around it as it crashed into another tree, then swung my whip again, targeting its back leg and severing it cleanly. The creature howled in pain, slamming into yet another tree as I narrowly dodged its charge.
"You made a grave mistake choosing your master," I growled as it charged at me, head lowered, ready to strike. With a swift leap to the side, I cracked my whip, severing its head in one clean motion. No time to waste; I bolted away, leaving the lifeless body behind. I raced through the trees, adrenaline pumping, until I spotted two men dragging women by their hair toward the clearing. One brute had a sobbing woman pinned down, his hands roaming over her helpless form. I switched my weapon to stun mode, ensuring the victims remained unharmed, and launched myself at the bandits, allowing the women to escape the campsite. One after another, I took them down, freeing the captives. Then I faced the red wolf pinning down Megan, its growl echoing in the air as I approached.
"What are you doing following me? I can totally handle this much, you know!" Megan shouted.
I nearly tripped, my mind reeling at the sheer absurdity of her words. How could she be so foolish?
"So you know each other!" said the head bandit with a wild sneer on his face.
"That ridiculous girl? Never seen her before. I'm here to bring you bandits in, I said, walking closer with determination.
"I suppose there's one way to find out. Raoul, if he comes any closer to me, go ahead and bite her, don't disfigure her and don't kill her, I still want to be able to sell her later."
I hesitated for just a heartbeat, then shook off the doubt and charged at the wolf with all my might. My whip lashed out, aiming for the beast as it clamped down on her arm, its teeth sinking in deep.
Megan's voice pierced the air, filled with rage and curses directed at me. A smirk crept onto my lips as I sprinted toward the head bandit, my mana whip slicing through the air to stun him into submission.
I quickly deployed my net, hurling it over the bandits and pulling them into a chaotic pile near the fire, stacking the dazed ones like trophies. While I worked on the fallen familiars, Megan's frustrated grunts reached my ears as she fought to dislodge the dead wolf still pinning her down.
"Seriously, how can you claim you didn't know me and then just charge in after he told that fenrir to take a bite out of me?!"
"Since we're on the topic, how could you be so naive to claim you knew me while you were in a hostage scenario? What kind of sense did it make to rush into this chaos without a way to protect yourself? Just know that the only reason you're alive right now is because I made a solemn promise to your father to ensure your safety."
"Stop dodging the issue! Just look at my arm!" She raised her arm, peering out from under the fallen wolf, and I burst into laughter at the totally absurd sight.
"Once we reach the village, your dad will have a healer patch you up. The bandit confessed he had no plans to take your life or leave you permanently disfigured, so you were safe from any serious harm."
"Ugh, the pain is just the worst! Seriously, do you even know how much this stings?"
"Think of this as a wake-up call: diving headfirst into peril isn't the smartest move. You should be grateful to me right now. The sting you feel is nothing compared to the nightmare he had waiting for you if I hadn't intervened."
"It still hurts," she said in a quiet pout.
I let out a heavy breath and sent the wolf sprawling away from her with a kick. Grabbing her hand, I pulled her to her feet. "Hang tight, you'll be patched up in no time. Just give me a moment to finish up here, and then we can head back together."
"Yay!" she exclaimed, beaming at me as she pulled me into a warm hug. "You're just too reliable! I wasn't even worried about going to save those women because I knew you'd swoop in to rescue me if anything went wrong." She flashed a cheeky grin, and I playfully flicked her nose before gently pushing her away to deal with the monsters and gather the bandits' stuff. I'd sort through the gear and bags later.
She casually rubbed the tip of her nose and stood next to me, eyes fixed on my task. Before long, I had finished processing the monsters and secured several new mana cores. It was time to head back. I dragged the criminals toward the village, my magic net making their weight feel almost nonexistent. As we walked, Megan kept stride with me, hands resting behind her back, humming a joyful tune, completely carefree. Apparently, her arm wasn't hurting nearly as much as she had made it out to be.
Coming Next Time: Revelation