Chapter 106 The Raid

[Through The Forest | Emilio]

As he followed the Verma elites, he kept his staff close to his body, wary of even the slightest sounds that disturbed the foliage around him.

I hope Vandread is doing alright…Maybe he already escaped? Yeah, that’s right. That’s entirely possible as well, he thought.

“You look awfully gloomy,” Bruman said, slapping him on the back.

He jumped a bit, looking up as he placed a smile on his lips, “Well, I’m just worried about my friend. The Outriders sound pretty scary, you know?”

The spear-wielding, demi-human youth smiled brightly, “They’re tough, but we’re tougher! Plus, your magic will make easy work of them–don’t worry!”

“I guess,” he nodded.

“You know, Alekkai didn’t want to bring you along at first,” Bruman told him.

The energetic, young warrior said this quietly as the two hung at the back of the group, walking through the dense forest amidst the rainy night.

“Really? He seemed pretty quick to bring me along,” he said.

Bruman smiled, “We all talked about what to do with you while you were knocked out cold. After seeing you attacked by the Outriders, I guess Alekkai said “enough is enough!” just like that, and decided to take the fight to them. We could tell you were a mage by your gear, but Alekkai was still hesitant–well, it’s obvious why.”

“Why?” He pressed.

The spiky-haired youth seemed hesitant to answer as he nervously scratched his cheek with a wriggly smile, walking beside the blonde-haired boy.

“…Well, ya know…Alekkai lost a son around your age–”

“Enough talking. Move your feet faster!”

Calling out from up front, a bristly man among the group of twelve–tall and built like stone, sternly called out to the two youths at the back.

“Right!” Bruman called back with a smile before turning back to the boy, “Raegun is a bit strict, but he’s reliable.”

“I can tell,” he replied.

There wasn’t any doubt to be had about the capabilities of the group brought together by the red-haired champion of the Verma. Most of them were quiet, except for Bruman and Yula, who occasionally teased him and had him try sour berries they found along their path.

“C’mon! Give it a try!” Yula held the bumpy, pink berry near his cheek.

There wasn’t much resisting the teasing from the tall, muscular, but quite beautiful woman, so he obliged, taking the berry from her fingers and trying it.

His lips quickly pursed as he swallowed it, “Blegh…”

“Ha-ha! That face always gets me!” Bruman laughed.

“Right?!” Yula laughed as well.

Yelling to the three in the back, the strict, seasoned warrior called out, “Quiet! We’re approaching enemy territory soon!”

“Right…” Yula and Bruman slumped their shoulders in unison.

Though it was obviously a bit of a handful to be around the two, he didn’t mind it at all–in fact, he appreciated it.

I was a bit tense about all of this, but they helped me calm down, he thought.

It seemed to him that his capabilities with magic, though unseen by the tribe, were highly regarded. He couldn’t recognize any mages within the village, but he did recall the peculiar warcry that Alekkai used before when they first met.

Was that magic? I doubt it. Maybe it’s something unique to the Verma–or maybe just Alekkai? Either way, it seems like they have a lot of hope for my magic, so I can’t disappoint, he thought.

“Hissss.”

The hissing sound caught his ears as he froze, looking around for the source of the serpentine noise.

As he looked to the right, just as the others in the group did, he felt his skin crawl as his eyes found the sight of a giant, yellow-scaled serpent that was the size of one of the forest trees.

“A snake…!?” He let out, gripping his staff.

“Ha-ha! Guessing you don’t see ones like that where you’re from, do you?” Bruman laughed.

To him, this was anything but a joking matter as he watched Yula step forward, cracking her knuckles with a smile.

“I’ll handle this one!” Yula said.

It seemed ridiculous to him to let the weaponless woman fight the massive serpent by herself, but as he looked around worriedly, he found the elite Verma watching without any doubt.

“…Will she be fine?” He asked.

Bruman watched beside him with a carefree smile, “Ha-ha, don’t worry—Yula is as tough as they come. She’s got more raw strength than even the Champion.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yeah,” Bruman nodded, “That’s why she uses only her fists. Whenever she tries using weapons, she breaks them!”

It sounded like nothing short of a fable, but in this world, he knew better than to doubt what sounded like fantasy.

He decided to just spectate as well, witnessing the gold-skinned snake hissing as its navy-blue tongue rattled, extending from between its lips.

The giant serpent swayed its head as the confident, demi-human woman approached, hissing out with a sharp warning.

“C’mon and try me!” Yula taunted it.

It seemed to oblige as it lunged towards her, parting its jaws to reveal massive, venom-slick fangs.

“–!” He watched anxiously.

To his surprise, the serpent was caught midway through its attempt to bite the woman as she caught it in a chokehold, wrapping her muscular arms around its neck and squeezing.

“–And done you go!” Yula laughed out.

The warrior’s arms flexed, bulging as strength was summoned from the woman’s powerful body before the tight hold resulted in the serpent’s neck being squashed completely.

“Woah…” He said.

Yula turned back with a smile, “That was nothing!”

“…Yeah, it seems like it,” he said quietly.

Moving forward again, he found a new confidence in the elite warriors after seeing the showcase of physical strength from Yula.

Partway through, it was time to eat. It was surprising to him that the Verma decided to have mealtime amidst what felt like a covert ops mission, but apparently the Verma required a high-caloric intake to operate at peak conditions.

They all gathered in a circle, with Raegun and another opting to stay on watch while the others sat down on the forest floor.

“Hmm…” He looked down at what “meal” was prepared for him.

A large leaf was used as a plate, and on it were an assortment of edible berries and felled insects that were also deemed “edible”, though he was doubtful.

Of course, he was tucked in between the two playful ones–Bruman and Yula. There wasn’t such thing as “personal space” around them, not with Yula, slapping his shoulder and laughing as she egged him on to try the less-than-savory looking meal.

“C’mon! Give it a shot, kid!” Yula laughed.

“…Uergh…” He hesitated.

“It’s not that bad–see?” Bruman said.

As the young, spiky-haired man said this, he popped one of the slimy larvae straight into his mouth, eating it as it crunched.

…That didn’t help at all, he thought.

For better or worse, he somehow managed to put down most of his serving of berries-and-bugs, though he didn’t feel splendid afterward.

–

“We’re here–this marking represents the territory just outside of the Outrider’s.”

It was a circular marking carved into the hide of a tree, tucked behind foliage so that it’d only be known by the one who left the mark.

This was pointed out by one of the Verma warriors who seemed to be in his early twenties with a prominent, triple set of scars running across his face. It seemed he was one of the scouts sent to track down the Outriders and find their current abode.

“I see,” Alekkai nodded, looking back at the rest of the group, “From here on out, we move silently.”

Not a word spilled from the lips of anybody there as each nodded in agreement, beginning to move silently and steadily now.

He gulped as he tightened his fingers around his staff, clutching it close to his chest as he followed behind the bulk of the group.

As they approached closer along the path that seemed to be nothing more than more foliage, but a trail to the eyes of the Verma, the sight of two, large demi-humans posted in front of trees could be seen.

“That’s them. Those are ‘Outriders’,” Bruman whispered to him.

“Really…?”

Huh…? They look different from the Verma. They’re huge! Those ears…that built; are they part bear?! He thought.

Him and the group were hidden among the dense shrubs and tall grass, but a pair of Verma slowly crept forward, taking it upon themselves to handle the Outrider guards.

It was Alekkai and the warrior with three scars; they crept through the grass, circling around the Outrider guards before swooping in and slitting their throats in one fell swoop.

“–!” He watched in surprise.

Though he knew this was a brutal mission ahead of him, somehow the violent nature of it took him by surprise as he witnessed the two Outriders fall with their split necks, seeping crimson onto the mud amidst the rainfall.

“Come,” Alekkai looked back at the rest of the group, “Emilio, stay hidden, but close–Bruman, stay with him and protect him as he weaves his magic.”

It was time for “that.”