Sometime later the group who donned their armors and weapons passed at the entrance of the camp, they left following the trail towards the mountain.

The perimeter of campgrounds was free from attacks from any monsters due to the other mercenaries that went ahead of them and soldiers who did some clean up after they arrived, that's why they did not met any until they moved a little far from it.

However there was no need for them to draw their weapons due the eager ones that would attack anything they see which coincidentally cleared the way for them.

The group then left the trail before they arrive at the start of the mountain path, with Irushka leading them and Ezekiel up in the trees on a look out for possible monster attack, they circled around the mountain.

The western forest had much denser trees with leaves that had colors of old starting to show, it was hard for the light to seep through the gaps because of that the place was a little dim and full of gloom.

Suddenly their scouts halted, it made the group alert even though they are strong enough to kill any monster living here they still practice their caution.

Ezekiel jumped down from the tree he was on before reporting his findings, “Captain there are monsters coming straight to us from the west.”

Lance glanced where he was pointing before he turned his head towards Irushka who now held a spear made of a tree branch.

“Is it a Bullhound?”

“No, I feel them jumping from tree to tree…” she paused then her long ears flapped cutely when it stopped she continued, “They are starting to slow down and spread out, they probably have an intention of encircling us.”

“Damian make a dome.” Lance calmly ordered just just she finished with her words.

He did not question him and stomped his foot to the ground, it rumbled for a moment before the soil started to rise.

Splat!

The dirt then slowly rose to cover them however before it close them up they briefly saw green slimy things being thrown at their newly built earthen dome.

Inside, the darkness had enveloped them it was not until Old Man, Lance, and Ezekiel casted a spell creating a light ball did the place was freed from it.

Old Man then let the orb of light on his hand flew on the ceiling, it clearly showed everyone the slowly corroding dirt.

“If you could build something like this why are we still building a tent?” Ezekiel curiously asked as he knocked on the solid wall.

“Its not time to talk about that, the monsters outside was still attacking and I could only hold them off until my mana dwindle.” Damian criticized him before he looked at Lance.

“What are your plans?”

Instead of answering him he glanced at the side and asked Old Man instead, “What was the monsters that attacked us?”

He brushed his gray beard as he thought about it, “It moved from branches to another…and they used an acid like projectile…so its most likely Snake Monkeys.”

“They should be on the other side.”

Lance was already debrief about the monsters territories when he was given the map.

From what the informer told them, Snake Monkeys lives at the eastern part of the forest that surrounds the Mt. Clement meanwhile the group currently are at the western side, its not impossible for one or two snake monkeys to be here but from the looks of this they are being surrounded by more than ten.

He shrugged his shoulders, “You can't trust what the map says, that was probably what they used in the past expedition when the monsters numbers are controlled.

“These monkeys must've migrated here due to lack of food on the other side or a strong monster was hunting them forcing them to escape here.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Lance nodded but he does have not have much knowledge about this monster just as he about to ask for more details about it the second most quiet person in the group, Tron spoke.

“Attack them all before they call help.”

“The Snake Monkeys are cunning and hunts with a group, they will corner their prey without going near them using their acid that they secretes and if they saw that their prey was much stronger than them they will call for more back up, so we must kill them all swiftly.” Old Man explained easing their confusion.

Tron nodded indicating that he was correct, Lance then asked more details and other characteristics of the monster.

Old man listed out for them:

Able to see through the body heat of any creature that produced if it was not too far away from them.

Can secret an acid out of their mouth.

They have webbed hands that are capable of coating their acid to make it shape like a ball.

Long and flexible arms that could easily throw something in fast speed from afar.

Their body are covered in smooth scale like a snake except for the their nape that was covered in fur.

Meanwhile their head was combination of an ape and a serpent with mouths that could open as wide as one.

And finally they will persistently pursue their prey unless they are eradicated.

After that hearing that Lance looked towards Irushka.

“Can you sense them?”

“Just those that are closer.”

“Then can you use your magic and attack them from here?”

She glared at Damian first before she replied, “His mana blocks my connection outside, so only once this dome was destroyed I could do so.”

Lance nodded before looking towards the hood covered witch.

“Does your corpses—”

“Servants.”

“Does your servants still has their body heat?”

Her hood moved side by side as she shook her head inside.

“Can you control all of them?”

“Six.”

“Alright.”

After he finished his business with her, he turned his head back to Old Man.

“Can you cast a fire spell hot enough that they could blind themselves just for a moment?”

“That will be easy.”

“Then...”

Amidst the continuous bordbardment outside, Lance took all of his time to talk about his plan.

After he finished speaking, a black fog spread from where Ellena is standing when it disappeared there are already six servants kneeling in front of her.

They then stood up and walked towards the hole in the ground which Damian created, it led them outside the dome a few meters away from it.

When they rose up the surface they immidiately went on all fours before splitting up and carefully went towards where the acids were being thrown are.

Inside the dome all attention was on Ellena who had her eyes closed as she meticulously control her servants while also gaining information from their limpid eyes, when she opened hers' the servants already spotted all of the Snake Monkeys.

“There are thirteen. Two north, three east….”

She then informed them each of their exact location.

“Have your servants on standby.”Lance said before he looked at Damian and gave him a nod.

“Are you ready Old Man?”

“Yes.”

He gave an amiable smile as a red magic circle was floating atop of his wooden staff.

“Alright,1...2...3. Go!”

Damian pressed his hands on the ground it made the dome he created exploded outwards into countless of pieces, some blocked the balls of green while others razed the nearby trees, there are some acid that passed through but it was blocked by Heretic's barrier.

Simultaneously when Damian ended his count Old Man raised his staff towards the sky as the floating red magic circle suddenly enlarge at the size of bigger than dome, it then produced a fireball as big as a small hill but because the explosion of rocks only the monsters were greatly affected.

And before all of that just when the dome busted the wind that was outside gathered around Ezekiel who was crouching with one of his leg behind the other and his hands held the daggers in a backhanded grip.

His golden hair was being ruffled by the forming tornado that enveloped him but his face and eyes where unflinching, and then when the blinding light and heat appeared he suddenly bolted out of his position running towards his targets. Just before his first target noticed the stirring of the winds he had his head liberated from his neck, when it landed Ezekiel was on his way to his fifth.

If this was in an open space Ezekiel would have already circled once after the third head fell but his speed was limited due to the trees being hindrance still his agility would make anyone who see him now feel shivers of fright, going into his current speed in a place with too many obstacles was something not as easy at it sounds.

When he reaped thr sixth one of its life, the monsters reigned their surprised and looked away from the mini sun in the distance, but before they could move away from their locations the trees they are standing use their branches or vines to entangle them making them unable to move.

Then slowly most of them got strangled with by it, Irushka whose spear's tip pierced the ground raised her head and looked at Ellena.

“Three escaped, one northwest and two in the south.”

She nodded before closing her eyes as the servants that was on-the-wait started chasing after them, when they had clear view of them jumping from one tree to another the servants who spotted them opened their mouths where the black fog aura on their body transformed into a black-gray magic circle, then Ellena's voice came out of their open mouths passing through the circle.

“Slow.”

The monsters' action immediately slowed down, it made them unable to jump good enough or did not held the branch for the last minute, so they fell from the ground face first.

The servants then went closer and finished them off, Ellena opened her eyes to looked at everyone before she muttered softly.

“Done.”