“I think it’s people in the other direction, south. Almost a mile from here, I think they’re in danger.” Cole said, scratching his head with one of his hands.
“And? Let’s kill the jaguar and get the exp. They can’t die, anyway.” Sun Tie said. Waving for Cole to follow him.
“That’s not the way I do things, kid. Let’s help them.” Cole sighed, adjusting his hat and switching his body weight from one leg to another.
“What? No way,” Sun Tie protested.
“It hurts, doesn't it? Even if it doesn't kill you.'"
“So?”
Cole spat on the ground, nodding his head negatively.
“So, you owe me one. You know what, two, actually. Let’s help, then you can do whatever you want.”
"Who do you think you're talking to?"
“Cut the bullshit, kid. No matter who you were in your 'stupid zen farming place,' we're in the same shithole now, and I need you. Are you going to help or not?”
Every fiber of Sun Tie’s body was commanding him to say no. The old fool would probably put both of them on their grave with this good-hearted act, but Sun Tie was wise enough to know that his chances were way better close to someone like Cole, no matter how stupid he was.
“Okay, let’s help your peasant friends!” Sun Tie agreed with a grin on his face.
The walk took little time. Sun Tie and Cole spotted three humans and two beasts from a distance. The creatures resembled large dogs to Sun Tie. Both were attacking one of the individuals, trying to run away. The other two people seemed hesitant to strike the attacking beasts.
Without intervention, that person was as good as lost. With the wolves distracted, Sun Tie saw an opportunity.
“Can you hit them?” Sun Tie asked. Worry in his voice.
“From here? I don’t think so, kid. Let’s get closer,” Cole replied
“Useless,” Sun Tie responded and started running towards the beasts, his robe flapping in the wind.
“Wait!”
“We have no time to lose, old fool! They need us!” Sun Tie shouted. They had to use the element of surprise, and he intended to use it. Earlier today, when that giant bat attacked, he'd been caught off guard.
As he closed in, he could see the people fighting. One was a man, skin black as the blackest night and completely bald, tall as the tallest of cultivators. He wore clothes similar to Cole’s, but all black, and had a short sword in one of his hands. This one has style.
The tension was palpable. Near the bald man was a woman with short blond hair cropped close to the head. She wore a dress just below her knees, decorated with small white flowers set against a red background.
She looked back to see Sun Tie; her eyes were as blue as the Infinity Sea. Her outfit didn’t match the fierceness she wore on her face. She wielded a strange wooden stick.
The one being attacked was a woman in tattered clothes. Her skin was the opposite of the man's, white as milk. Her veins were almost translucent. Her facial expressions were hidden between her arms, but he could see pointed ears. She was defenseless, healing herself while the monsters tore her limbs apart.
Sun Tie was now aware he was fighting wolves. But these were different. Half of their faces were missing skin and eyes. In some areas, muscle was visible, while in others, there were only stark white bones. Parts of their legs were similarly disfigured, lending them a gangly walk. These creatures should be dead.
Sun Tie didn’t lose time. He ran in the direction of the monsters, feeling his speed increasing.
[Combat dexterity], huh? Good.
The beast close to him turned its attention to Sun Tie, growled, and jumped in his direction. This time, the young master didn’t try to use his lost Qi. He ducked, lowering his left shoulder and hearing the monster’s jaw-snapping close his ears.
Cole’s arrow was inside the monster’s mouth. One down. Sun Tie thought, turning his attention to the other wolf.
This one also growled menacingly, but Sun Tie rushed in its direction, his fists raised. He didn’t care to take any wounds. He would be healed. All he needed was one window to kill the monster. It was close to death, anyway.
Sun Tie’s fist struck the beast’s head on the white skull. Sun Tie felt the bones crackling, and the creature flew. [Echo Strike] had activated in the first punch. Lucky me.
“Aaaaaaarrghhh!!” Sun Tie screamed and looked down to his feet.
The first wolf was biting into him, its head shaking violently. Cole’s arrow was still inside its mouth.
“You should be dead, creature!” Sun Tie roared, striking the beast with his fists. In the third punch, the creature let go and rushed toward its companion.
The blonde woman motioned him to approach. His wounds were already closing.
“They don’t die. They are not regenerating themselves like us, but they also don’t stop. They’ve been stalking us for a while,” The blonde woman explained, locking eyes with him.
Cole had now joined them, bow pointed to the creatures.
“I don’t want to be on the other side of that punch of yours, kid,” Cole said.
“Better watch your mouth, then old fool.” Sun Tie replied. Cole sighed, eyeing the monsters’ approach. “We need to immobilize them.”
“Any ideas how?” Sun Tie inquired. It was the black man who responded.
“We could behead them and see what happens.” He suggested, shrugging his shoulders.
“Do it then, Swordsman…”
“I’m no swordsman. I’m a priest. I have no clue how to do that,” the bald man replied, his shrug bigger. Now, Sun Tie could see fear in his eyes.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
"Do you see this, Cole? The God behind this system is comparing me to people like him," Sun Tie lamented. "When I give the signal, toss me the sword. Throw it in the air, blade facing upwards, not aimed at me. Understood?"
The black man nodded. Cole locked eyes with Sun Tie, both men acknowledging that they'd have to handle the grim task themselves.
“I’ll keep the arrows flying, kid.”
Sun Tie prepared and walked forward. The attack would be quick. He waited for the creatures to run in his direction. When they did, he would ask for the sword.
An idea came to his mind, something he’d thought about earlier today. Intelligence was used to increase the amount of mana and Qi. Maybe, just maybe, he could cultivate mana instead of Qi and use it against these wolves.
[Your cultivation core is shattered. You can not cultivate.]
Do you want to accept the [Swordsman] class?
[Y/N?]
What a stupid god…
And if he tried to manipulate exterior mana? There'd be no harm in trying.
He extended one hand in focus and locked eyes with a beast closing on him. The fur on the wolf's body bristled. It's working... maybe if I push a little more. But the creature was already lunging at him. There was no more time for experiments.
“Sword! Cole hit the other one!”
The sword soared through the air. Sun Tie dodged the beast like before, catching the sword midair and crashing it down. The monster’s body was on the ground, and its head followed moments later.
Sun Tie was already in motion. The second wolf filled with Cole’s arrows didn’t have a chance. One hit and its head was on the ground, too.
Sun Tie knew precisely how to manage a sword. It had always been easy for him, but as his grandfather said: “the easy path is always the wrong path.”
The wolf's body shook on the ground seconds after receiving the messages.
[You have slayed Undead Wolf - lvl 2]
"Reanimated creatures from Umbraheim, these undead wolves serve as companions to necromancers. Although death diminishes their sense of smell, it intensifies their ferocity."
[You have slayed Undead Wolf - lvl 2]
[You have gained a level]
You have received 1 basic skill point, 1 class skill point, and 1 stat point.
- Mission Updates -
Kill 5 Umbraheim different hostile life forms (2/5). Reward: EXP and an Uncommon Treasure Chest.
Kill 15 enemies (4/15). Reward: EXP and Uncommon Treasure Chest.
“That was incredible!” The black man exclaimed, a huge smile borning on his face.
“I know.” Sun Tie muttered, cleaning the sword with a swing and handing it to the bald one. Cole was now close to them.
“I thought these monsters would follow us back to the camp.” The black man said, realizing he shouldn’t have mentioned it too late. He traded glances with the blond woman.
“Thank you for your help. My name is Sofia. This is James, and she… I don’t know her name.”
Sun Tie looked at the woman on the ground, trembling, her face between the knees. She looked traumatized. Sun Tie could only imagine how much longer she might have suffered under the claws of these hellish beasts if they hadn't arrived. His heart sank for the woman. As he approached her, she stumbled backward and drew her knees even closer to herself.
Realizing his presence might be unsettling, he straightened up and returned to rejoin the others.
Cole got close to the woman, and she didn’t flinch. He crouched at her side.
“Are you okay, ma’am?” He asked with a hand in her direction, but not touching like someone does with a feral cat.
Her eyes got up and locked with his. A blend of fear and anger resided in her gaze.
“It’s okay. We’re not going to hurt you. The evil creatures are gone,” Cole assured her. The pale woman chuckled a little, making a shiver run through Sun Tie’s spine. This one is far gone, he thought. Glancing at Sofia, who was also observing the woman on the ground.
Looking at the scene was making him sadder, second by second. He locked his gaze with Sofia and asked,
“Did you enjoy the killing of the beasts, woman?”
“What?” She asked as if only now realizing his presence.
“The killing? Did you find it satisfying??” He asked, already losing his patience.
“What’s there to like?” She said and started moving in Cole’s direction.
What’s wrong with this place? Back home, she’d beg to join my harem—not that I had one yet. Sun Tie thought.
“We found her not long before the wolves attacked. She was just as you see her now, afraid and trembling. We managed to convince her to come with us, but then the wolves appeared.”
“And that?” Cole asked, raising his eyebrows and pointing to one of her arms, where a number had been branded with hot iron. Sun Tie couldn’t determine the number, but he was sure it was one.
She was enslaved. A victim of the worst crime a person can commit.
Cole also knew what she was. They all did. The real question was if they were involved with it or if it was just a coincidence, as Sofia claimed. Cole was probably questioning that in his mind.
Sun Tie just wanted to leave.
“Do you want to join our camp? We’re probably just half an hour away,” James offered.
“No,” Cole and Sun Tie responded in unison.
“Okay…” James replied, slightly confused, lowering his voice.
“Will you be alright?” Cole asked the woman in tattered clothing. She nodded back. “So here’s where we part ways,” Cole completed.
“Yes, thanks for the help.” The woman extended her hand to Cole, and they shook them. They had gazes locked. Uh, tension…
Sofia completely ignored Sun Tie and went to the woods, holding hands with the branded woman. The immense man followed them close behind, wavering and repeating his thanks.
“They didn’t ask a thing about this whole integration situation. Strange, huh?” Cole asked. “What do you think?”
“I think we need to go back and see if we can find that jaguar.”
“I want to follow them. I don’t trust these two. Especially the blond one, maybe they branded the woman. She seemed scared,” Cole was looking to the horizon, bow on his back and arms crossed.
“We have nothing to do with that. What business is that of ours? Why do you need to help everyone in distress you come across?" Sun Tie challenged. Cole raised his eyebrows as if to say, 'That's how we met, kid.' Stupid old man.
“You was the one running to the danger to help the woman and maybe we can find something else along the way, Sun Tie. It’s only thirty minutes. We’ll be back before the sun goes down. Aren’t you curious?”
“Of course not.” He definitely was.
“But I’ll be okay if we find some rewards. Let’s go before I regret it.”
“No. I just acquired the [Tracking] skill. No need to rush, let’s give them a ten-minute head start, and we go. Rest a little. I just found us a mystery to uncover.”