After a short night dreaming about people on fire using me as a matchstick, i was full of energy to... sleep again.

No i mean, the sun is just rising, at least, the first sun is ! It must be 4-5 o'clock in the morning !

They're all already packing things, my tent included, below which i was still lying down in my sleep bag. Nooo, the light, it huuuurts, i'm not a morning guy, have pity !

I understand all these poors vampires who dont want to get up with the sun. Damn, i will need to adapt if we go on like this for ten days.

After an improved breakfast with the local blue coffee - Yeah, i needed time to adapt to this color the first days on the academy -, and a uselessly energetic Carl, we prepare to get out of the safe space. The merchants already leaved for 15 minutes before warrior-in-chief gave us the green light to resume our travel.

And another day on the wagon.

Today, i will save us time : i'll sleep right away.

....

So, two hours after, i'm awake now, and i'm ashamed. I've sleeped when the others were dutyfully standing watch while travelling. Even if i'm the one escorted doesn't mean i can do crap like some shitty VIP starlet. I fucking hate that, and i just did it. Damn it !

" - Hum, Carl, is there anything i can do to help ? Do you want me to watch in place of someone ?"

" - Hmmm ? No Kyle, donT waRy, we'Re doinG Fine For now, you can eVen go BacK to sleeP if you wanT."

Ok, now i'm treated like a useless decoration. I reap that i sow, next time, i will have to at least stay awake to do a conversation with Carl for example. Now, he's looking at one of Book girl's book and seem like they are in a great debate about something. 'Was already selfish enough, i cant cut him in his conversation now...

Well, let's resume looking at the surrounding...

Still on the highway, we're crossing a not too dense forest, we can see fairly far inside.

No animals except some birds and little squirrels with strange brights colors frolicking around.

Our escort are still in the same formation as before, beastcat is still ahead of us with the doggie.

Elf's boobs are still bouncing.

Yep yep, nothing changed.

Well, this way, i have time to mentally prepare myself to face a half-god fire entity. The only problem is knowing what the flying fuck i must prepare myself for ! For now i've mostly dealed with humans and a little with humanoids people you can categorize "similar" to humans, but how the heck can you start a conversation with something who's perhaps a living mini-supernova ? And in this case, where do i need to look to find the face to begin with ?

While i was mumbling crazy scenariis to myself, the wagon came to a sudden halt. I quickly look everywhere to whatever was the reason for this stop, since the last pee break was just one hour ago ?

Our escort seem vigilant about something, coming and goind around the wagon still on their horses, Book girl is gripping tightly her stick and her book, while Carl and J-healer are looking everywhere. Also, i cant see Beastcat.

Enemy attack ? I initially want to look too, but with a small calculation, i came to the rapid conclusion :

ME + VISIBLE HEAD + RANDOM ATTACK + STURDINESS OF A COOKIE = (RED PULP EVERYWHERE)²

So i quickly bent down. Wise choice. I stay still and silent, meanwhile the only sound i am able to pick up was the horse hoofs clapping on the ground. Damn it, it's exasperating to not know what will come ! Do i need to be prepared to run ?

After ten more minutes, j-warrior in chief say something and we slowly resume our march.

Still crounched on my seat, i ask Carl.

" - Carl, please tell me, what happened ? Something strange ? Enemies ? "

He answer in a low voice.

" - It Seems Mike PicKed up sounDs of a Fighting cominG From a Few kilometeRs away. Joe Said it's unwise to sTumble into a laRge scale sKirmish like that, and Since there is a BiFurcation Before, we Dont need to Face unnecessary Danger. So we will deviaTe a liTtle but it will be Safer this way."

Mike and Joe ? Haa, Beastcat and the lead warrior with a J.

So people are attacked ? We cant help them ?

" - You dont think of helping the people who are attacked ? You're powerfull magicians, no ?"

" - We aRe not whoRe maGe. Dont oveRestimate magicians ; my fiRst masteR always said thiS  : even if you aRe a giant Killer, even if you saved Kingdoms and empiRes, a lucky arRow from a novice solDier in the head mean death foR you Too."

Ho. I was thinking mage were more... Resilients ? I would really need to make him explain how magic work to me tought.

" - And we Dont know eitheR who is fighTing and their numbeRs. It could Perfectly be Bandits against Bandits or against a Powerful monsteR. In both case, our numbeR wouldn't matter and it would be too late to esCape. So we are evadinG this Fight."

Sound perfectly logical. Not like i can say anything since i cant do shit. Beside the fact i'm not even the real client, but more of the "fragile item" to convey, saying to them to perhaps go die for no good reason would be totally awful. I just hope this was not poor people being decimated by a bizarre monster...

We advance at a slower pace than usual until we find a fork with a less large road. Once taken, everyone's horses suddenly broke to a gallop, to put as much distance as possible from the main road with the potential threat. We continue like this for at least 30 minutes until we slow down to a more normal speed.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

In the meantime, since i was still bending down, i cant say i've really seen anything about what happened. I slowly get up to look at the new area we're passing through.

It was still the same forest, but much more thicker. The woods were now tangled with plants from all size.

From the look of it, it was still a non-tropical forest but with overgrown vegetation everywhere, a little like a mid-west america forest but with trees at least fifty meters talls. The only difference is because of the trees who have purple leaves and brownish to reddish trunks. It's like looking at a forest with a camera filter for color-blind people.

But the sight is nevertheless magnificient. I dont think you can see a so grand forest like this in earth anymore. Colorful butterflies and birds were flying near the crown of the trees in a beautiful danc-

Mmmmh, these butterflies, didn't i just see one killing a bird just now ? And they're almost a meter long.

I quietly crouch again, and put my backpack on my head. I must look silly, but it's better being ridiculous than sorry. And with a hole in the head.

...

Evening came, and with that, my arms and head were badly aching from having the backpack on top of me all of the time. I forgot this fucking heavy money purse !

In the afternoon, the tense atmosphere from earlier gradually vanished and we went back to a more tranquil pace, but i didn't relaxed myself ; too many strange animals everywhere. And above all, insects the size of my hand buzzing everywhere. I wonder how insects can be this big... A ladybug is cute when she's the size of your pinky, not when its a damn friggin' flying bowling ball !

I can almost swear i've seen a squirrel-like creature having a larva going out from his mouth. Or he was eating it but in the wrong way. Holy crap, i hate insects. I'm sure with my luck, they will stung me to lay egg and turn me into a living nest for larvae before the end of the trip. Haaaa...

This time, there was no fortified place to sleep quietly ; we are in the wilderness, so we will camp in the open.

When we finallyy stop near a clear area, Beastcat has already gathered some pieces of wood and put it into a pile to start a fire. The horse are tied to nearby trees and the wagon was parked on the forest side. After that, our tents are neatly put around the fire to make a circle. And i was not put aside this time ! I was asked to simply stay in the wagon for the night. snifff.

Carl explained to me it was to protect myself and what i was forbidden to move out of the vehicle for the time being. Well, if it's easier for them to defend the wagon, i perfectly understand, and it's not like i didn't sleep here before... And fortunately i am a man, in the case i need to pee.

After that, another soup is served from the magic bag of Book girl. Really, how many pots of soups have been shoved in this crazy bag. This time, it's a thick bean soup with large slice of bacon-like meat. mmmmh... ?

I'm planning to ask some details to Carl about the giant firecracker we are about to see when beastcat and Boobs elf get up suddenly and take their weapons. Hooo, shit, what's happening now.

A moment later, everyone is armed, except for me, and ready to attack whatever come to light. I am looking too with half the face protected by the wagon wall. I want to know what's happening too ! And i saw it a moment after. Glowing eyes appearing from the night, increasing in numbers while their distances from the fire decrease.

Wolves ! Dires wolves even, a lot of them, one meter tall with grey fur and white fangs, who approach silently from the other side of the wood. Good job picking up the sound of them coming, because they're absolutely silent even now when i can see them. Fiven ten, fifteen... twenty wolfies the size of Beastcat doggy. It will be hard... What can i do...

" - Kyle, DonT Moo fRom the CaRriage !"

Kyle shout at me with a rougher voice than usual. So, what can i do ? The pom-pom boy ? The commentator ? Play some music who fit with the action ?

Ok. Since i cant do anything, i will finish my soup. I will die if they die anyways. I can enjoy my last meal. Shit.

One of the horses who was peacefully grazing finally picked up one of the wolf approaching and whinnied loudly.

At this signal, the wolves start to leap on us ! Well, on the escort who was at the front of us, mainly.

J-warrior in chief start blocking two wolves with his shield while keeping another at bay with his sword. J-warrior damage dealer is slashing and already empaled one of the wolf, who was wailing at his feet, loosing a sword in the process. Doggie is growling at two of the wolves while Beastcat is engaging two as well with a one-handed axe. Boobs elf is slighty behind, casting some spell, and Carl is apparently reciting a spell too. Book girl and J-healer are behind, to probably oversee the situation and react if the circumstances need it.

The wolves are pounding madly at the feets of the warriors to make them fall. You can perfectly imagine how it would be really hard to get up again if you were to trip up, you would certainly be swiftly dragged in the forest and finished off quickly.

J-warrior-in-chief-tank is mainly stalling time with a skillfull use of his tower shield, in exchange he didn't deal any real damage yet. But his ability to attract and block most of the wolves from advancing make him a splendid tank. Eight wolves are now facing him growling and foaming, while slowly trying to surround him since they are not able to get past him easily.

J-Damage dealer was splendidly killing a third wolf while evading a fourth, and Beastcat is on his second wolf. The worst one is doggie, who killed a wolf but was cruelly bitten by the other one, blood flowing madly.

Meanwhile, Boobs elf finish incanting and a brown glow rise from her feet and with a slow rumble, wood spikes and roots start to appear from the ground, binding the wolves in front of J-tank warrior and skewering others ! It's what they call druidic magic right ? And- Ho, Carl launched an ice bolt, freezing three wolves who were coming from the side of the wood. They drop dead on the spot. I did not see them coming at all.

The fight started to heavily bend on our favor and some wolfs already started yapping while fleeing ! damage J-damage dealer and J-tank finally go side by side, J-damage dealer cleaving the last still-rooted wolves in two with his massive claymore while J-tank blocked each attack coming at him. J-healer was already near the doggie to heal him while Beastcat finished the two last wolves on his side.

That was amazing ! Seriously, it was like i was seeing a next-gen 3-D movie with a giant screen. The action was intense and the fight lasted no more than ten minutes. It was a spectacular to watch.

... If i say that out loud, i would perfectly understand being the next one to be cut into piece or squeezed like a lemon by some tree branch.

After finishing the last injured wolf remaining, they start to clean up the battlefield, retrieve their weapons and quicly dugged a hole with the magic of boobs elf to put the corpse in it. Better not have a blood scent in this forest !

Me ? I am still eating my soup. I was ordered not to move...

The area is almost cleaned of the last remnant of the battle when beastman suddenly jump and run on the direction of the horses, while boobs elf scream something to the others. Another monster ? Wait, i have almost finished eating. They all quickly stop everything and came back near the fire where Book girl is incanting something. Beastcat rapidly come back with the horses and make them lay down near us.

A glowing, yellow bubble appear around us in the form of a dome. Look like a shield ! Is the next monster something better not to fight this time ?

I suddenly hear a sharp whirring just behind me. Like an automat, i slowly, mechanicaly, turn myself.

Two meters from my position on the wagon, on the other side of the bubble, something is trying to enter.

" - HAAAA WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIIIIIT !!"

I spit the mouthful of soup i was swallowing and almost stun myself when i scream and fall from where i was seated.

A three-meters long, black, mosquito-like monster with dark red multifaceted eyes, and black hair all other the body is trying to perce the bubble. His dart-like nose is of the same lenght than J-damage dealer's claymore.

It's not too late to come back to the main road, right ?