Hazel, Astrid, and Nycteris swept through the marketplace, eliminating any threats that were caught in their line of sight. It was mostly Nycteris who did the killing since, unlike the player pair, he needed to level up more than them.

Every time they encountered a Fractured monster; Hazel would send her familiar to tear them to shreds. It didn’t take all that long before the entire marketplace was wiped clean of hostile creatures.

As a result of their extermination, Nycteris reached level seven. He only needed three more levels before getting to level ten.

After reaching level five, Nycteris was able to obtain another skill like Hazel and Astrid did when they reached their threshold. When he reached the threshold, he asked Hazel what skill to select to make himself stronger.

Hazel felt that it was his choice and told him as such. In the end, he chose a skill called [Stunning Screech]. It allows Nycteris to make a deafening noise that stuns his enemies.

With this skill, the group now had two ways of restricting their enemies' movements, which were Hazel’s telekinesis and the [Stunning Screech]. They would likely have to rely on Nycteris’s skill more since Hazel was still perfecting her Telekinesis techniques.

With their business done in the marketplace, the trio strolled out of the area as fragments of purple lights floated in the air behind them. It was as if they just left a performance of some kind.

Not even five seconds later, the group noticed more Fractured Humans ahead of them. Hazel sighed while pinching the bridge of her nose. Astrid attempted to pull her bow out but the novice mage stopped her by placing her arm in front of her.

“Don’t bother,” Hazel told her before turning to Nycteris. “Please deal with them, Nycteris.”

“Understood...!” The Nightwing firmly nodded his head, followed by a slight twitch before rushing toward the Fractured humans ahead of them.

Hazel and Astrid then watched as the familiar did what he did best; rip and tear. The pair was left with a familiar sight much like before, witnessing Nycteris slaughter the Fractured humans until they burst into purple particles.

“Coming to this city was certainly a good idea,” Astrid stated while crossing her arms and keeping a close eye on the slaughter fest before her. “By the time we’re done with this place, Nycteris could possibly reach level fifteen or twenty.”

“That would be nice, honestly. But what about us?”

At the moment, both Hazel and Astrid were at level thirteen. Ideally, they wished to reach level fifteen before their two weeks were up. But due to the level difference between them and the monsters here, that could take longer than they wished.

Plus, they were also prioritizing Nycteris’s growth since he was a bit behind. However, due to the sheer number of Fractured humans, despite their low levels, there was a chance for them to achieve that goal.

There was also the fact that the city was quite large, and possibly contained all kinds of monsters other than Fractured Humans roaming around. Monsters that could be strong enough to assist them in reaching level fifteen.

Of course, that would only be possible if the pair stepped up their game.

While pondering over this, Nycteris soon returned to Hazel and Astrid, sitting in front of the pair with an eager expression, like a dog waiting for his owners to praise him for doing a good job.

And Hazel wasn’t one to shy away from giving out praises.

“Good job, Nycteris!” She declared, vigorously rubbing her familiar’s head.

The Nightwing bat responded by pressing his skull against her palm lovingly. After letting this continue for about half a minute, the familiar pulled away from Hazel’s hand while staring at her and Astrid.

“What...shall I do next...master?”

Hazel pondered over what kind of order she should give to her familiar. Her first thought was just search and destroy, but she couldn’t risk her companion facing an enemy without back, even if it was just a horde of undeads.

So, the only option she had left was...reconnaissance.

Making her decision, Hazel pointed ahead of them, up near the roof of the buildings. “Go and survey the area ahead of us. Notify me if there are any Fractured creatures ahead.”

“Understood...!”

The Nightwing bat expelled a low screech before ascending to the sky, zipping over to the area where Hazel directed him. The player pair watched as he disappeared behind the buildings, eager to complete his mission given by his master.

“It’s really cute when he’s so eager,” Hazel smiled.

Astrid rolled her eyes in response. “You’re not going to start gushing again, are you?”

“Oh, come on,” She turned to the dark elf with a glare. “Don’t you have a pet or animal companion back in your village like a wolf or deer?”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Astrid shrugged in response. “I don’t, but there are others of my tribe that do have an animal companion.” She then narrowed her eyes at Hazel. “And they gave off the same gushy appearance you have when they’re near them.”

“My god, you are such a downer. You need a hobby or something, you know that?”

“I do have a hobby, thank you very much.”

“If you say that your hobby is either hunting or following missions, then I’m going to tell you now that neither of them are good hobbies. Well, the hunting one is fine, but it honestly depends on how you normally hunt.”

Astrid’s brow arched as she stared at the novice mage. “Meaning?”

“Well, do you hunt to pass the time or do you hunt when you are ordered to?”

At Hazel’s sudden question, Astrid was unable to respond. Seeing how silent she was, the novice mage made a sly smile, realizing she won the battle.

“Yeah, see? You only when it's required, not when you feel like it.”

“I-I’ve been hunting monsters while in this dungeon without being ordered...”

Hazel narrowed her gaze as she stared at the dark elf. “Yeah, to survive and get stronger, dumbass. Hobbies are supposed to be fun and relaxing. Not life-threatening and chaotic.”

The dark elf groaned, unable to refute Hazel’s statement. Meanwhile, the mage simply stood there triumphant, having won a conversation over her.

Just then, she got a mental call from her familiar...

Master...

Nycteris was able to call Hazel through telepathy due to their connection as Master and Familiar. It was very similar to the Chat Room that she and Astrid have after forming a party with one another.

Surprisingly enough, despite being part of the same group, Nycteris had no access to the Chat Room. Hazel and Astrid theorized that it could be because the Nightwing was a Familiar instead of a Player. That and he and Hazel are under a Master/Familiar Pact which overrides the Party System.

Of course, those were simply theories with no real evidence, so neither player knew the reason behind this. Not even Nycteris, but Hazel didn’t hold that against the familiar. How could she when he acted so cute and lovable toward her?

Hazel shifted gears, wearing a serious expression while responding to Nycteris.

What’s up, Nycteris?

I found...humans...

Hearing this, Hazel paused, taking a moment to make sure what she heard was correct.

...Come again?

Humans...I found some...nearby...

A-as in Fractured Humans?

No...humans like...you...

“H-humans...?” Hazel muttered out loud, catching Astrid’s attention.

“What’s going on?” She asked, looming closer to the mage with a curious expression.

“U-um...” Hazel faltered, struggling to form words. “N-Nycteris found some humans...living humans.”

The dark elf’s eyes widened after hearing this. “Are you serious? Where are they?!”

Surprisingly enough, Astrid seemed just as interested. Maybe it was because neither of them had encountered any living beings aside from each other. However, instead of looking eager, Hazel’s partner looked more concerned than anything.

“H-hold on, I’ll ask.”

Nycteris, where are these humans you found?

A couple...of blocks away...where you pointed before...

Have you been spotted by them?

No...

Good. Stay hidden for now, Nycteris.

“They’re a couple of blocks that way,” Hazel pointed at the location where Nycteris disappeared to. “Should we avoid them and move to the opposite side of the city?”

“No...” Astrid muttered. “It’s better for us to observe these humans before we decide that. Besides, in case their enemies, we need to know who we’re dealing with to avoid getting caught off guard.”

“Got it.”

Hazel could tell that Astrid felt nervous about the humans. Perhaps it was because they could be humans from her world. Thinking about it, she didn’t know much about the dark elf’s home world. Mainly because she initially never discussed it.

However, that was because Astrid wasn’t very social. Maybe now that they’ve been together for a little bit, and the fact that the dark elf already opened up to her once, Astrid could tell her about the humans from her world.

The player pair made their way over to Nycteris’s location. According to the familiar, he was on top of a roof nearby, so they looked for the building he was located on. They made sure to stealthily get to the building without alerting any Fractured humans, and more importantly, the Player humans that Nycteris found.

They quickly found the building and entered it. Thankfully, no Fractured creatures were nesting inside, allowing the pair to climb the stairs to the roof without any distractions. Making it to the top, the door to the roof was gently opened as they emerged outside.

Ahead of them, Hazel and Astrid saw the Familiar Nycteris, staring down at the street below. He was crouched down, his stomach and chest pressed against the floor while his head peeked over the edge like a nosy kid, snooping on his neighbor next door.

Hazel and Astrid followed along, crouching down while slowly approaching Nycteris. Once they stood next to him, the pair imitated the nightwing’s posture, laying on their stomachs while gazing below them.

Where do you see them, Nycteris?

To prevent them from getting caught, Hazel resorted to using telepathy with Nycteris. While they were on the roof, none of them could afford to take any chances with their current situation.

The Nightwing shifted his head to the right, his beady red eyes gesturing Hazel to look in that direction.

Over...there...

Hazel followed the Nightwing’s gaze, searching for the humans he spotted before. It didn’t take long before she caught a glimpse of the group. Located at least a block away to their right, Hazel saw four human-like figures strolling down a street of the city.

Although she could barely see them, Hazel knew instinctively that those figures were human. But that didn’t stop the mage from asking for a second opinion.

[Hazel Thatcher: Are they human, Astrid?]

Astrid took a moment to stare in the direction of the supposed humans. Her eyes narrowed as she intently studied them from a distance. A few moments of silence later, she gave her answer.

[Astrid Skogr: They’re humans, alright. All four of them.]

Hazel stared at the message panel for a few seconds, her mind slowly coming to terms with this realization presented before her.

Despite how hopeless it seemed at the beginning when Hazel first came here, she somehow managed to come across humans. And yet...a part of her felt anxious about their presence.

Even though Hazel wasn’t certain why, she knew that this wasn’t the time to celebrate just yet. Not when there was a major question regarding them hanging over the air.

Were these humans good...or a threat to the group?