Chapter Four, Grand Escape!

Alderon furrowed his slick brows, which had long ago faded away with time's ebb, as the blue boxes appeared from thin air. These blue panels were akin to the mirages a thirsty traveller would see in the desert, similar to the reflections of oases where flowing water flowed across wide stretches of green. It was truly unfortunate though because the skeleton knew they were real, unlike a fake mirage, and that if he didn't make them go away – that they would become a hindrance to his fight with the beastman. To elaborate more clearly, the boxes clouded his view of the mouseman, enabling him to see nothing. And needless to say, the lack of vision in a fight was the opposite of an advantage. Also, he didn't dare to guess if another bright, golden-like light would appear as last time – in the forge. Therefore, he shouted out in an impatient voice, hoping for them to go away.

And thankfully, they did, turning into nothing at his command.

The view was once again cleared. Alderon could still make out the screaming mouseman, whose furry back was carved with red. He took a deep breath and was just about to take another step forward as mouseman Piri shrieked abruptly.

"Bastard! You killed doggy!"

Mouseman Piri's face turned in anger, its whiskers furiously twitching as the furry creature slowly crawled up from the ground. Blood spewed out from its back like an open dam, only calming down once the ground was dyed akin to the bedsheets of a woman's first time.  

"I'll kill you!" It screamed. "I'll fucking kill you!"

"Come!" said Alderon and raised his sword. 

There was no need for hesitation although the little skeleton's skills were newly acquired. His strike worked earlier, albeit used in a quite, what some people would call a dodgy move.

However, what was the use in morals and ethics?

What did being an honest and upright person help when a sword was pointed at your throat?

Life and death were the only fair laws in this world, at least from what Alderon had seen and learned. Even in the underworld, no one was detested for using moves that were, so called cheap.

In fact, there are no cheap moves.

There is only strength – and all the factors and moves and traits and abilities that increased it.

Mouseman Piri laughed crazily as it heard Alderon's clear taunt. It charged with a stance that was fundamentally different from before, whereas its claws had been set up at its chin. Now its arms were stretched out like the wings of a hawk, and its claws were gripping the air as if the air was able to be pulled. 

From what Alderon could see, and deduct, the puny mouseman was really firm upon not giving in an inch, throwing itself toward its opponent without fear of death.

"Die!" screamed Mouseman Piri.

Alderon took a step forward to meet the mouseman and used a diagonal slash, the skill he was most confident in. 

"... is what you thought I'd say! Dumbass!" laughed the mouseman and changed direction, retreating as fast as possible instead, relying on its muscular and explosive legs to widen the distance by several meters.

"You think I'm dumb? Hah! Who the hell cares about a dog? Risk my life for it? Hah!" 

"I don't know how you understand and speak our language, but don't for one second think I won't take advantage of it! And you fell for my plan!" Mouseman Piri continued. "Smelly, retard, stupid, dumbass skeleton! Just wait until the reinforcements get here. They will have you returned from here you come from before you know it!"

Alderon was shocked from the course of events. He certainly did not expect this from a creature whom h regarded as but a primitive being. Perhaps he had underestimated them. Or at least this fellow.

"You coward! Come back! Piri! How dare you abandon your comrades!" roared the tigerman, its other arm now also completely mangled, as it saw the mouseman's retreat.

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"Shut up! You think I'd risk my life for you, idiot?" returned mouseman Piri. "I know you've all thought lesser of me because I'm a mouseman! Why should I risk my life to save yours! Would you even do the same for me?!"

"You bastard! We should never have taken you along!" growled the tigerman as it saw the mouseman turn tail and run away. The tigerman turned to the owlman. "I will block them. You escape. Don't let that bastard Piri go unpunished!"

"No, let me do it instead. I'm at death's door either way, as old as I am." said the owlman. "Go, take revenge for me in the future!"

"Old slug..."

"Go!"

"Thank you," it said softly – unlike its previous roaring -- finally nodding.

The Owlman laughed, its head quickly turning a hundred eighty degrees, barely able to notice Vampire Ezra's sneak attack at the cost of one of its wings, now a bloody mangled piece of flesh. There was no doubt the owlman would never be able to fly again, not to mention how it wouldn't be able to get away from Ezra and Alderon. "Now leave before its top late!"

Upon hearing its comrade, the tigerman turned around and tried its best to quickly escape.

"Owlblood," said Ezra, his eyes now completely crimson, just like his sharp nails; gleaming in the bright, red colour that had painted them. "not my favourite, but should work for today."

"Alderon," said Ezra to the skeleton who stood idly. 

Alderon nodded in understanding and shot after the tigerman, leaving Vampire Ezra to deal with the owlman.

Since the tigerman was bleeding proudly from both arms, its speed had dropped quite a bit, not to mention how its armour was heavy compared to Alderon's self-made chestplate, causing it to expand more strength to move forward than him. And as the cherry on top, Alderon didn't have to worry about stamina while the tigerman did.

After a long chase, the tigerman finally dropped down, stumbling in the sand. Its two arms sucked the sand closely to them like sponges when they made contact with the fine, golden grains.

Alderon hunched down, put the sword by the tigerman's throat.

"Any last words?" he asked.

"You know how to speak our language? it said, baffled. "How?

"are those your last words?" he asked again.

"Hah! Just do it," the tigerman said. "I no longer have the strength to move or I would already have killed myself honourably! Now I have to die by your hand, the hand of a pesky skeleton. Tsk. I'm a shame to my ancestors."

Alderon shrugged and raised his sword, preparing to swing down.

"Wait!" a voice said.

Alderon turned his head and noticed Ezra walking toward him.

"You killed it?" the skeleton asked, letting his sword fall to his side.

"More or less. He took his own life."

The tigerman couldn't understand their discussion but was able to guess what had transpired now that the vampire was here. Its eyes became moist. The owlman had been like an uncle to the tigerman.

Alderon pointed and the badly mangled Tigerman and said. "What about this one??" 

"Just one second, I need to check something. "said vampire Ezra and walked to them, squatting down. 

Ezra grabbed the tigerman by its throat and pressed his cheek to the ground, revealing a ripe, furry neck that was less muscley as Alderon would have expected. The vampire growled. Two sharp fangs extended from his mouth and shot down toward the tigerman's throat, piercing through the skin and flesh as easily as a wasp's needle.

The tigerman released a groan, and its limbs, that were tight and stiff, fell to the ground and became limp. Ezra's eyes slowly turned into a darker colour of crimson. When the vampire was finished, he rose from the ground and wiped the leftover bloodstain from his lips with his coat. 

"Well, well, just as I expected," said Ezra. "a female."

"Really?" said Alderon, not really caring a lot about wether she was male or female. "I never noticed."

"Me neither. At first," returned the vampire. "but I could smell the faint scent of female when I drew blood."

Alderon nodded. "What now? We can bring her to the camp and make her tell us where their camp is."

 "We could -- but we won't."

"Why?"

"Because we might die if we do," Ezra said and then gave him a thoughtful gaze. "We are currently in enemy territory and the top priority is to get to the camp as quickly as possible. Now that we've alerted the enemy, taking prisoners will slow down our speed enough for us to be chased down, especially with their wounds. It would be a lot better for us to leave them here and make the chasers pick them up."

Alderon nodded. "I'm still a bit ignorant so please continue to advise me."

"Of course."

The two creatures of the underworld smiled. Ezra would not spare Alderon the teachings and experiences he had accumulated in Necromancer Ferguson's service, and Alderon would listen carefully to whatever Ezra told him in the future.

They quickly left the bleeding tigerman, or tigerwoman to be precise, and headed back to the owlman who barely clung onto his life. Ezra kicked him in the gut and broke both of his legs, an action that would force the reinforcements to carry him themselves, which once again would slow down their already slowed down speed.

After doing all this, they once again hit the road, now in a more hurried fashion than during the previous time. And when they heard the beastmen's prairie wolves' howl, declaring the hunt that was going to take place in the desert this night, they picked up the speed additionally.