“He went out to capture a Fire Essence Monster and hasn’t returned yet!” Jill looked timidly at Margaret, fearing she would blame Rody.
“This guy is so infuriating, how could he do this! How could he leave you alone here without care?” The beautiful instructor was indeed very angry, but it seemed more out of concern. She asked again, “When will he be back?”
“He’ll be back soon, he said he would return before dusk!” Jill replied softly, lowering her head.
“There’s not enough time…” The beautiful instructor looked at the sky, then closed her eyes to sense the surroundings, shaking her head, “There’s no one within five kilometers now. Jill, let’s go, I’ll come back for him later. Not just the Great Frey Nation, but also one of the four great empires, Norn and Camaron, have powerful people entering the Evil Lands to hunt us. David and Buck won’t be able to hold them off for long, we must leave immediately.”
“But, student Rody hasn’t come back yet!” Jill became anxious, pleading, “Auntie, let’s wait a little longer, just a little while.”
“Listen, Jill, Rody knows better how to hide and deal with enemies. And with the Life Gem on you, the enemies can track us down.” Instructor Margaret said gravely, “Jill, we must go back now, the longer we delay, the more dangerous it is for everyone.”
“Just a bit longer, student Rody will be back soon!” Jill insisted, hoping for Rody to miraculously appear.
At that moment, a golden light shot from the distant sky.
In an instant, it arrived in front of them.
Jill was startled to see it was the always drunken Tactics Instructor Drunk Cat, covered in blood as if he had been pulled from a pool of blood. He was delighted to see the beautiful instructor holding Jill, but then shouted urgently, “Go! What are you waiting for now, we have to go back?”
“Rody hasn’t been found, he’s not within my sensing range,” Instructor Margaret tried sensing multiple times but to no avail.
“I’ll go find him!” Drunk Cat Instructor descended quickly, and Jill saw at least thirty fresh wounds on him – his back, chest, arms, and knees were covered in dense injuries, and two bent broken arrows were stuck in his shoulder. Understanding these wounds were from protecting her, tears instantly welled up in her eyes. But Drunk Cat didn’t care, as if these wounds were on someone else’s body, pointing in the direction he came from, “Buck is luring the enemy west, but it won’t be long before they see through his illusion magic. You must leave now, not a second to delay!”
“You’re covered in blood, the enemy will immediately notice if they catch up,” Instructor Margaret shook her head, “Lure them once more, don’t go looking for Rody, go in the opposite direction, that way he’ll be safer. Jill, close your eyes, we’re leaving.”
“Auntie…” Jill cried bitterly, but she couldn’t resist. If she insisted any longer, everyone might be caught by the enemy because of her.
“He’ll be fine,” said Margaret, as a blue glow shone around her, forming a rapidly spinning halo. A beam of light rose from the tip of her staff, lifting her and Jill gently towards the sky. Jill reached out towards the ground, desperately hoping to see Rody’s figure. Her tears scattered in the air, but until the moment they teleported away, she still hadn’t seen Rody.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Jill was teleported away by Instructor Margaret, her tears turning into fine pearls as they fell.
She wished so much to see his figure before leaving, but he didn’t return in time, no miracle occurred before her eyes. She was willing to wait for him, to keep waiting here, forever, if it wasn’t for everyone fighting bloodily to protect her. Seeing the blood everyone shed to protect her, the injuries they sustained, she felt she couldn't do that.
Although heartbroken, she still chose to teleport back with her aunt, abandoning the promise to wait for his return...
“If Rody comes back, tell him to run as far as he can in the direction of the Demon Race's territory and not to look back. Margaret will find him later,” Drunk Cat shouted to the Bullhorn Tribe Chief, “If the enemy catches up, tell them the direction I left in, okay? This can help us lure the enemy and also clear your tribe of any suspicion!”
“But doing so…” the Bullhorn Tribe Chief hesitated, “will put you in more danger.”
“I can handle the enemy and escape,” Drunk Cat laughed, his body bursting with golden fighting spirit. He shot into the sky like lightning, drawing a long golden rainbow and disappeared into the eastern sky.
The dwarves were dumbfounded, having never seen a human strong enough to fly.
Among human strongmen, one must at least be at the seventh level of Sky Warrior to fly freely.
Golden fighting spirit is the symbol of an eighth-level Sword Emperor.
Who could be pursuing a Sword Emperor, covered in wounds, to make him flee from battle? What kind of strongman could force a Sword Emperor to escape?
The Bullhorn Tribe Chief reacted the fastest, quickly ordering his tribe back inside, pretending to know nothing.
Red Hat looked at the sky nearing dusk, the setting sun slowly sinking. His face grew more terrified and anxious, cold sweat beading on his forehead. If the enemy arrived when Rody returned, not only would Rody’s life be in danger, but their dwarf tribe would also be implicated. The Bullhorn Tribe Chief thought of this too, but he didn’t regret meeting the kind humans, especially those guided by the wise Treant Tokar. Even if it meant sacrificing their tribe, he was determined to protect them.
“Don’t say anything later, I’ll do the talking,” the dwarf guard suddenly approached Red Hat.
“Why? I’m the best speaker in our tribe!” Red Hat protested.
“But I’m the gatekeeper of our tribe. Anyone who wants to talk to our tribe must get my permission!” the dwarf guard huffed, “Red Hat, if you dare to compete with me, I’ll banish you. Don’t forget, you’re already an outcast in our tribe!”
“Alright, alright, the hero is you. I won’t compete,” Red Hat lowered his head and walked back dejectedly.
‘Thud…’ Red Hat suddenly struck, hitting the dwarf guard on the back of his head with a stick. The guard turned in shock, unable to utter a word before collapsing unconscious.
Red Hat dragged the guard back inside, then returned with his short spear, standing at the doorway.
The Bullhorn Tribe Chief watched silently, not intervening.
At that moment, another streak of fire, even redder than the western sky's twilight, shot across the sky. It circled in the air before descending rapidly, landing in front of the dwarf territory. This was a middle-aged man, his face smeared with mud and his clothes spotted with blood, yet he still wore a gentle smile. Approaching Red Hat, he asked, “Red Hat Dwarf, have you seen a man covered in blood? He's my companion. If you tell me where he went, I'll give you a gold coin.”
“A gold coin? Really a gold coin?” Red Hat's eyes lit up with greed, almost drooling.
“Of course, it’s a gold coin.” The middle-aged man chuckled, handing over a gold coin, “If you answer well, I’ll give you another one!”
“He went east, not long ago!” Red Hat, looking at the gold coin in his palm, beamed with joy while playing with it and said casually, “There was also a woman, very beautiful, wearing a mage's robe... Ah, right, I also heard the woman calling that man ‘Drunk Cat.’ Is that him?”
“Yes, yes, that's him.” The middle-aged man gave Red Hat another gold coin and nodded, “Thank you very much, little dwarf, you're a loyal friend to us humans! Did you see anyone else? Like a very young girl, about fifteen or sixteen, very pretty. She should have been with a young companion, also about the same age, a boy. Did you see them?”
“No, but if I see them, I’ll definitely send them your way! Where do you live?” Red Hat's hand reached out and then drew back, hesitating as if he wanted to ask for more money but didn't dare.
“I live far away, but don’t worry, I'll send someone to stay here later. This is for your food and lodging expenses.” The middle-aged man pulled out a purse, rustling with what seemed like a dozen gold coins, nearly driving Red Hat mad with joy. The Bullhorn Tribe Chief quickly ran over and snatched the purse, shouting, “I'm the tribe chief! You gatekeeper, are you trying to embezzle the tribe’s treasure?”
“Treat my friends well, and I promise you’ll be well rewarded!” The middle-aged man ascended into the sky, circling once, and then flew eastward.
“We'll treat your friends with the best hospitality, have a safe journey…” Red Hat and the Bullhorn Tribe Chief watched the man fly away, waving for a long time until he completely disappeared. They then exchanged glances, each wiping a cold sweat in secret.
“My friend’s name is ‘David.’ Has he been here?” Red Hat and the Bullhorn Tribe Chief jumped in fright as they saw another middle-aged man standing in front of them, looking exactly like the one who had left half a minute ago. Even the bloodstains on his face and his blood-spotted clothes were the same, only reversed.