Chapter 119 Reunion with Alistar Part 1

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Alistar set up camp near the riverbank with his group, unlike Rhander, who always left them behind. Niece, in particular, proved to be extremely helpful in carrying their camp tools, and with her item box, they could set up a base anywhere they wanted.

As they progressed along the riverbank, Alistar noticed that the once-small stream had widened and the current had slowed. The water had turned muddy, but it didn't bother him as he had already restocked their food and water supplies earlier. He was grateful to have a blessed mage like Niece with him.

As they moved forward, they encountered new monsters, such as spiders and bees. Alith and Sana, who were childhood friends, worked together seamlessly to dispatch them. Despite a slip-up by Sana, Niece quickly provided an antidote from her item box. The speed-type warrior tailfolk like Alith and Sana became popular among students and the government due to their agility and lower resource consumption.

Alistar tried to mimic their speed, but he was concerned about Niece's safety as she was only guarded by Sig. With his superhuman strength, he didn't need to remove his armor, making him both fast and durable. However, he was unaware of the mundane blessing he possessed, as the spiders and bees could not penetrate his armor, and he effortlessly defeated them with his swings.

"Let's make camp here," Alith and Sana pointed to a spot by the riverbank. Unlike Edelweiss, their group still adhered to the common sense of setting up bases near rivers. While Alith and Sana took care of water duty, Sig and Alistar discussed their next course of action.

Having been born in an elven society, Alith and Sana were aware of social status and knew they were considered lower in status in this group. Sig was a foreign king, Alistar was an elven lord, and Niece was the king's sister. Thus, Alith and Sana willingly took on the mundane tasks of the group, such as water duty, scouting, and night watch. They were tired, but they understood that the strongest members of the group needed to be utilized at the right moment, as dictated by elven military strategy unless they all perished together.

However, danger struck while they were on water duty. Alistar was engrossed in the discussion about their next move and didn't notice a floating strip of wood in the river. Without any appraisal to warn them, the group was caught off guard when an alligator suddenly attacked Sana, who appeared to be weaker than Alith.

"!!" Sana was pulled underwater before she could even scream. She was lighter and not wearing heavy armor like the dwarves. Just like Rhander's group before, Sana was dragged into the depths by the alligator.

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"SANA!!!" Alith reacted faster than the dwarves did. Their bond was strong, and without hesitation, he leaped into action. He grabbed onto the alligator, trying to pull Sana out, but he too, was dragged underwater. Undeterred, he clung onto the alligator with one hand while unsheathing his sword with the other, striking at the alligator.

Alistar immediately sprang into action, running like a tiger and jumping into the river unfazed as groups of alligators swam nearer to the feast of three people's worth of meat. Sig was a moment too late, looking at his sister and unable to act. It was a cold and heartless decision, but if he jumped in like Alistar did, his sister would be left defenseless. He called out to his sister and watched from the riverbank, asking her to provide cover fire as Alistar chased Alith with all he had.

In the water, the alligator was hindered by the incessant trouble that was Alith. The sword didn't harm it much due to the water resistance dampening the blow, but the alligator feared Alith might strike its eye. Moreover, Alith clinging to it hindered its swimming, and Alistar was hot on their tail. The reptile felt the danger from the elf who chased it.

However, being inside the river gave the alligator a tremendous advantage. People with legs found it hard to move underwater, while the reptile could comfortably swim around them.

Alistar didn't care about such things. It was his duty. He had seen too many deaths in Fort Soleil. Alith was a brave kid who refused his patronage in lieu of Lily. He couldn't let a kid with such dreams die here. He earnestly chased them and finally reached the alligator, thanks in no small part to Alith, who grabbed it and disturbed it as much as he could.

When Alistar arrived, Alith let out a soundless cheer. First, Alistar grabbed the alligator's tail, then quickly pulled it and reached its back where Alith was. He raced up to its mouth and, with his superhuman strength, pried it open, freeing Sana, who let out a huge bubble of air as relief flashed over her face. She then swam back over to Alith, and they both kissed, sharing oxygen to prolong her life just a bit more.

Meanwhile, Alistar was dealing with the crocodile. Alistar could not get a good grip on his sword in the water, so Alistar chose to brawl instead. He flexed his muscles and opened the alligator's jaw as wide as possible. It was helpless against him, not expecting him to match its jaw strength. Soon, Alistar ripped its jaw, and the monster poofed out of existence, leaving a feystone behind.

The other alligators were coming. One bit Alistar on the shoulder and the other at his leg. However, Alistar was invulnerable. His armor protected him from the mere reptile's teeth, and he used his hand to crawl at the one on his shoulder, ripping another jaw in two. He then grabbed the other alligator and unsheathed his sword. Holding its body tight, he stabbed it. The blade slowly penetrated its thick hide, and once it reached its spine, the life was snuffed out of it, turning it into another feystone.

They were out of breath and had no time to celebrate. The other alligator knew they were losing and fled, not wanting to be the next victim of the gorilla that was Alistar. The trio then swam as fast as possible to the surface, having spent a long time underwater.

With a sigh of relief, they reached the surface only to be distraught at the scene a little further down the river. The alligators had brought them some distance away, but when Alistar turned, he saw Helmet's group fighting for their lives on the other side of the river.