Chapter 181 181 - Howling Sand

Chapter 181 181 - Howling Sand

"Howling sands!" Roy shouted, as he moved into attack position. The whole group exchanged glances and then they began to position themselves for the monsters' attacks.

Howling sands are dog-shaped, humanoid creatures, this type of monster resembles a completely naked wolf that can both stand up and run faster on four legs. This type of monster usually camouflages itself in the sand and attacks by roaring. Their behavior is bestial but they have the same level of intelligence as goblins. When they are in bipedal form, they may or may not use weapons.

"Two of them are advancing" Roy said, he was using the detect skill. Ryan closed both eyes as he concentrated on the creature's presence. With a long sigh, he removed all the air from his lungs, then breathed again.

This quick meditation was enough to clear his mind of the noises around him. And opening his eyes, he launched himself forward with superhuman speed. Ryan ran for a few meters in seconds, then drove both hands into the ground.

With one swift movement he pulled those two dogs out of the ground, and moving his fingers he snapped the creatures' necks. The monsters began to struggle and howl, giving the loud cry they are known for.

The creatures continued to scream, unable to move they just begged for help. Ryan then held out the two monsters, raising his hands as he advanced into the city.

"That'll make the howlers appear and stay away, the moment I kill these two, they'll come out in hordes to attack us" said Ryan, "Quick! take the time to loot the houses".

Roy and Ruri rushed off, the two of them entering separate houses and starting to look for anything valuable. Meanwhile, Nivia and Kodiak entered the taller buildings looking for any interesting items. There weren't many interesting magical objectives, although the amount of gold coins and ores was interesting.

Each of them filled a traveler's bag, and after five minutes they left the place and prepared to fight the Howling sands.

"Everyone ready?" Ryan said, looking at them.

The group nodded. "I can't stand that noise any longer," said Roy, who was covering both ears. Ryan looked at everyone and then nodded.

His two hands began to catch fire, the black flames consuming the two creatures who were crying and agonizing in pain, unable to move. Then, only two mana crystals remained, which Ryan kept in his pocket.

creatures were roaring and bubbling at the mouth. Ryan nimbly launched himself in front of the group, attacking each of the creatures that surrounded the team. The "Now the attack will begin," he said, as he activated his Demon form.

At the same moment, more than ten monsters jumped out of the ground, the creatures were roaring and bubbling at the mouth. Ryan nimbly launched himself in front of the group, attacking each of the creatures that surrounded the team. The speed of this confrontation was so great that Ruri couldn't understand what was happening, but everyone knew that Ryan was winning.

With a kick, he threw one of the monsters away. Taking advantage of the momentum, he flew towards another which he killed by decapitating it with his hand, then he cut through five howling sands with one strike of his hands. Within seconds he had killed nine of those monsters, leaving only one immobilized and crying.

Walking towards the last one, he lifted his boot and placed it on top of the monster's head.

"Let's wait for him to cry for a while, then they'll gather another horde"

The creature began to scream, Ryan waited for fifteen seconds. Then he stomped on the creature's head, exploding the monster's brain. Blood began to drip onto the dirt that made up the road they were on.

As soon as the creature died, a horde of howling sands appeared. There were now more than twenty enraged monsters, and once again Ryan annihilated them all. One by one he beheaded and burned, immobilized and eliminated. After a few hours, there were no Howling Sand left in the area. With the portal cleared, the group began to search the loots while Ryan collected the crystals from the monsters he had eliminated.

Inside one of the houses, two companions were collecting spoils.

"I don't know if I agree with the means Ryan used," said Roy, who seemed a little upset by the excess of blood. "Watching him blow their heads off made me want to vomit," said the redhead.

"Listen, kid," said Kodiak, as he put his hand on the boy's shoulder, "when I became a druid, I chose to follow a path of peace with animals and monsters. But these creatures are dangerous. Sometimes accepting your own life means following a path you don't think is right."

This phrase had a greater impact when you consider that Kodiak was a druid. The Druids' way of thinking followed a path of non-violence, yet he had agreed to follow this more functional view of the world. This weight made the druid's words even more perplexing for Roy, after all, they revealed a little of what was changing in Kodiak's heart.

Roy's face looked guilty, "But, I didn't become a traveler to fight like that," he said in a disappointed voice.

The druid then sighed, "There's no such thing as an honorable fight in this life. Not even the guild is a perfect place, facing that reality makes you stronger. And I can see that Ryan has already faced the reality of this service"

The two then looked through the door, and what they found was Ryan cleaning crystals. His clothes were a little dirty with blood, but his hands were completely clean. He was charring the creatures' bodies, turning them into small pieces of charcoal and removing the glowing crystals that were inside the monsters' cores.

One after the other, he stepped on the burnt bodies to reveal that brilliant blue crystal.

"Sometimes I wonder if I was made for this," said Roy, who was a little disgusted by the sight he was seeing, the excess of bodies making him feel a tightness in his chest.

"There are people who aren't cut out for this, and those who adapt to this life," added Kodiak, "Come on, let's finish cleaning up and move on to the next fight."