[Hazel Thatcher: Say that again...?]

[Astrid Skogr: Soren and the rest of her party have encountered humans from Earth before. And they dealt with those that caused them problems.]

[Hazel Thatcher: And by dealt with, you mean...]

[Astrid Skogr: They killed them. Quite a few from what that warrior talked about.]

Hazel let Astrid’s message sink in as she realized the true gravity of her situation. So, not only was she right that she wasn’t the first human they encountered, but they killed the previous ones for God knows what reason.

The mage turned her attention toward Soren and the rest of her party as they conversed. Were they talking about how they planned to deal with Hazel or something else entirely? She wanted to know their intentions involving her, but she was too far away from the conversation to eavesdrop on them.

But after hearing from Astrid, there was one thing that Hazel was certain of regarding this group. They needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.

[Astrid Skogr: There’s one more thing.]

Seeing the message materialize in front of her, Hazel turned her gaze away from the group to send a response. She did so without making it look like she was staring at a panel since it would look like she was communicating with someone through a Chat Room.

[Hazel Thatcher: What is it?]

[Astrid Skogr: They know about Nycteris.]

Hazel nearly did a double take to stare at her screen before realizing that she could’ve been caught. Not letting that happen, the mage took a deep breath to try and calm down, but that didn’t stop her heart from pounding in her chest after reading the message.

[Hazel Thatcher: What the hell do you mean? Does that mean they know about me too?!]

If Soren and the rest of her group were aware of Nycteris, then they likely also knew that she was his master. And if that was the case, then she played right into their hands and she didn’t even know it until just now.

Sweat profusely beaded down her face as she waited for Astrid’s response, praying that she was mistaken. While in the back of her mind, Hazel was contemplating whether she should summon Nycteris to bail her out before the situation got too messy for her.

[Astrid Skogr: They only know about Nycteris. Not you. According to what the Ranger and other Warrior were talking about, Soren and the rest of them saw the Nightwing Bat flying above the city. Probably when we left the Tower Fort and came here.]

Hazel stifled a heavy sigh of relief, not wanting to catch Soren’s attention. Thankfully, her worst fears had not been realized yet. If they were, then the mage would have chosen to abandon ship and have Nycteris bail her out of this place. If Soren and the others knew about Hazel being Nycteris’s familiar, then there would be no point in hiding him from them.

Luckily, that wasn’t the case, which Hazel was beyond relieved over. But, that didn’t change the fact that they knew about Nycteris in general. Especially if there was more that Astrid had yet to explain to her.

[Astrid Skogr: Soren and her group seemed to be hunting Nycteris, believing that he’s a powerful monster that was well over level twenty.]

[Hazel Thatcher: My Nycteris?]

While Hazel was flattered that these people considered Nycteris to be a strong opponent, she couldn’t help but pity them over such a misunderstanding. Then again, they were murderers, according to Astrid, so feeling pity seemed too generous, even for them.

[Hazel Thatcher: So, they likely believe that Nycteris is another Fractured monster?]

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[Astrid Skogr: I would assume so, yes. They were probably unable to identify Nycteris due to him being so high up when we first arrived here. And he was flying too fast as well.]

[Hazel Thatcher: Which means we got lucky not getting caught yet.]

[Astrid Skogr: That seems to be the case, yes.]

Since Soren’s group only caught a glimpse of Nycteris, they likely didn’t spot Hazel or Astrid riding him as they flew through the city. But the player duo still had to deal with the problem of this group knowing about Nycteris. And the fact that they were hunting her familiar.

Just then, a small semblance of an idea began to materialize in Hazel’s mind. An idea that was only possible because of the circumstances laid out before her. A plan that Hazel was certain that they could pull off if done right.

Nycteris, what level are you at right now?

Level...7, master.

Hazel pondered over her familiar’s answer. He only needed three more levels to reach level ten. But there was a bit of doubt that he could reach that by simply slaughtering more low-level Fractured Humans.

However, what about four players that were well over level ten? That should certainly be enough.

[Hazel Thatcher: Astrid, I have a plan and I need you to trust me.]

[Astrid Skogr: If it involves dealing with these damn humans, then I’m all ears.]

Seeing the dark elf’s response, Hazel’s lips curled into a small grin as she told her partner of their plan. Just then, Soren and the rest of her group walked back over to Hazel, clearly finished with their conversation.

“Okay, so this tavern is safe for us to rest,” The blond warrior informed Hazel. “At least for the moment.”

“T-that’s good...” Hazel said, continuing her act. “What do you guys plan to do after you’ve rested?”

“Well, mostly what we’ve been doing, which is hunting monsters and leveling up. We also plan to investigate a certain part of the city that might contain a Sub-boss.”

“A-a sub-boss...?!”

As soon as she heard of a Sub-Boss, Soren and her group had Hazel’s complete attention. She didn’t expect to hear about one so soon or by these people. However, now that they told her about it, Hazel planned to extract as much information regarding the Sub-Boss as possible.

It would be the last time they became useful to her before she decided to deal with them once and for all. As long as they weren’t lying to her of course.

Soren noticed Hazel’s shocked expression as her face shifted into a grin. As if she gave the mage bait and she took it hook, line, and sinker.

“Yeah, while exploring this island, there was a certain section of the city that was teeming with Fractured monsters. The strange part was that instead of roaming around, they simply stood there doing nothing.”

“We believe that they were acting as guards for whatever is within that section of the city,” The ranger concluded. “If a Boss is hiding there, then we have a chance to find it and kill it.”

“And return home in the process,” Soren added as if enticing Hazel with the thought of going back to Earth. “If possible, we would like you to join us. The more players on our side, the easier it will be to return.”

And there it was, Soren’s offer to Hazel. Join their group and help defeat the Boss. And in exchange, they all get to go home. If Hazel was as gullible as they thought she was, she would’ve believed them and taken the offer without doubting them.

However, she knew better. She knew that these people were just using them to get what they wanted. And once they’re done with her, they will either make her their slave or just outright kill her.

This was why even though Hazel was going to join their group for the moment, it was only because like this party, she was simply using them to achieve her own goal. But they didn’t need to know any of that.

“Will you join us, Hazel?” Soren asked, giving Hazel an expectant look as if she knew that the mage would accept her off.

Hazel hesitated to answer, playing her part as a reluctant player who wasn’t certain of what to do. Then, she raised her head and gave Soren a firm nod, solidifying her decision.

“I’ll join you.”

Hearing this, Soren smiled once again. And while this grin looked genuine, Hazel knew that it wasn’t one of gratitude or generosity. It was a smile filled with malice and deception. A smile where Soren believed she managed to trick Hazel into joining them just to use her for their own benefit.

Little did she know, it was the other way around.

“Well, welcome to the Team,” Soren smiled once again as she patted Hazel’s shoulder. “Alright, everyone, we’ll rest here for a few moments before we move on to our next destination.”

As the rest of Soren’s team acknowledged her order, the blond warrior then walked away from Hazel with a satisfied expression. All the while, the mage stood there in silence after realizing something.

Despite supposedly being a part of Soren’s party...she was never given a panel that stated as such like with Astrid. Which meant Soren never intended to let Hazel join them in the first place. And she was simply a means to an end.

Thankfully for Hazel, the feeling on that was mutual.