Cerila asked as we moved through the forest.
Mmm…
From what I could see with Soul Sight, none of them was anything special. But that was just based on the strength of their souls; it had very little to do with their skills. And if these people could go into the forest and co back out alive, then they must be good at what they do, or they would be stuck on border patrol duty.
Cerila signed with worry.
I shrugged and signed back,
she signed.
"What would you like Cerila and I to do?" I asked Durak.
He turned around as he rubbed his beard. "Stay by , would you? I sent Geoffrey with Santer and Ingra this ti. I'll need so protection just in case things go bad," he said.
As everyone got closer to the river, they began to slow down as they crept to the edge of the treeline. As the foliage withdrew, we could see the bank of the crystal clear river. It was a picturesque scene, the forest with its orange leaves, and white bark stood tall as the river snaked away.
Well, it would not have been for eight massive wolf turtle hybrid monstrosities. What the hell are these things? Did a god get bored and slap a turtle and a wolf together just to see what would happen?
Deguzman's book I received from Grandpa years ago was expansive but not all-encompassing. New monsters showed up yearly from dungeons with all kinds of appearances and quirks, so I had never heard or seen a Turtleback Wolf.
They were far bigger than an average wolf. Their fur was the color of mud, and from their backs, a turtle shell seed to sprout, as if they were wearing a backpack. Truly an odd creature.
Durak signaled for everyone to ready themselves as he grabbed at his neck. He pulled a necklace that looked to be a miniature toy crossbow on a chain. But it stopped being a toy as it seemingly unshrunk from its palm-sized figure and grew into a full-fledged weapon.
It was already pre-loaded, and with a pull of the trigger, there was a loud snap as the bolt raced off at an abnormal speed. The larger Turtleback Wolf at the center raised its head only for its skull to explode into a mist of bone and blood. And before the other wolves could react, two more suffered similar fates.
Another was struck by Santer and Elowen's bows, the first tagged it in the neck, while the other struck above its leg. The creature let out a howl before perishing, and another joined it as Thrak's sling crushed another's foreleg, sending the wolf to the ground.
Unfortunately, Ingra and Geoffrey both failed to do much. Her arrow barely scratched a wolf, while Geoffrey's sling ricocheted harmlessly off the creature's thick shell. And now that the wolves knew they were being attacked, the six uninjured ones imdiately began sprinting toward us as the one with the broken leg let out a long howl into the air.
Durak already had his crossbow loaded; he was moving with practiced ease and a mana-enhanced body. He only needed a mont to aim at a wolf that seemingly saw it coming and tried to dodge, but it was already too late. Durak aid well, and his bolt pierced straight through the creature's chest, dropping it.
Santer, Thrak, Elowen, and Ingra began targeting their own wolves as Geoffrey readied his sword and shield. Before the group could close in, they had managed to kill another and severely wound the sixth.
I was slightly surprised to see Elowen holding her magic back, but I shook my head at the thought. I had to rember I was surrounded by monsters when it ca to mages, and even I was abnormal. Even if she was a well-trained interdiate mage, she didn't have the mana to continuously sling spells all day in a forest this dangerous, and the more she used, the longer it would take her to recover, which would only slow the group down. It made sense for her to hold onto her mana when she could afford it.
But I was more curious to see how they would react now that the wolves were too close. And my question was answered swiftly. Like a well-oiled machine, the two groups converged on each other as Geoffrey took the helm, Ingra with her spear spaced to his side, along with Thrak.
Elowen and Santer never stopped losing arrows, but the wolves were moving far more comfortably, using speed and agility that beguiled their large stature. Whatever shock had hit them was gone as the last two leaped forward with bloodshot eyes and snarl of sharp teeth.
Geoffrey was dwarfed by the monster, and I anticipated him to try to take it head on, but he dodged to the side, behind the tree, as the wolf overshot. Geoffrey was the one who punched instead, but I understood what Durak had ant. His sword thrust was left much to be desired as the wolf managed to dodge it.
The monster's return attack was far more fierce, and I nearly jolted forward to help as the wolf reared up and tried to tower over Geoffrey, its forelegs gripping onto the shield to drag him down. But Geoffrey stood firm, not even budging as the muscles in his arms and legs pulsed with power.
He freed his shield and, with a swing, bashed it against the wolf, who dodged to the side. But that would be its last move as Durak's crossbow sank into the creature's belly as Geoffery slamd his sword into its head, killing it.
As for the other wolf, Ingra made short work of it. Her spear kept it at bay, and when she managed to run it through with help from Sander and Elowen, it was Thrak's cudgel that smashed the creature's head to paste.
I looked to Cerila and grinned as she smiled wryly. I signed.
She was about to sign to when she started sniffing into the air, as did Santer. The injured wolf with the crushed leg was still howling proudly as Elowen finally silenced it with an arrow. Everyone went quiet as we waited, but it was clear why they only slt it now.
Elowen and I both locked onto the sa spot of the river as a large group of wolves began to crawl out onto the bank. There were about fifteen of them now, most of them even bigger than the previous eight. But at the back was one that made the rest seem like children.
Its fur was a warm brown, and its shell was a bright green. And it was clearly a lot smarter, and it howled once, and the rest of the pack rushed toward us with malice and hate in their snarls. Santer, Elowen, and Durak let loose their shots, striking what they could. But the situation had changed into a bad one rather quickly.
"Fall back to the trees! Regroup and close up!" Durak ordered.
"Durak, let us handle this group," I said.
"Aye, we'll need it. Do what you can," he said as he reloaded his crossbow.
I started to move forward as Cerila put a hand on my arm.
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