Keith waved at the black smoke hovering in front of his face. He coughed a few tis and glanced to the side, making sure all his companions were following him. Although they hadnt lived at the farm for that long, Keith had done so exploringmore than the rest of the rcenariesand knew about a burrow. There werent any trees or plants by the burrow, so the chance of burning to death would theoretically be lower, but Keith wasnt a scientist, so he wasnt sure. However, he might not be a scientist, but he knew fire was hot, and trees burned when set on fire so.
How much further!?
Keith coughed a few tis and fanned away so black smoke. Luckily, he had a good sense of direction. In fact, that was probably why he was still a valued mber of the Dragon Slayers despite his annoying mouth. When it ca to rembering an area and creating a ntal map, it ca as second nature to him. A little more, Keith said. Two minutes of sprinting.
The rcenaries followed behind Keith like a stream. Behind them, flying in the air, obscured by the smoke, there was a black dragon. It didnt breathe down any flas. It simply watched as the humans ran from the initial fire it had started, its vision unclouded by the ashes floating upwards.
Where is it? Danielle asked.
Shut up and follow , Keith said. What are you going to do when I tell you the burrows location? Run ahead of us and get lost? Be practical!
Danielles expression darkened. Was this what it felt like to be told to shut up? I wasnt talking about the burrow, she said. I was talking about the dragon. Does anyone have eyes on it? I can hear its wings beating, but I cant see shit with all this smoke.
Talk less, Joseph said. Save your breath. Try not to make any sounds in case you draw its attention. He increased his pace to run alongside Keith. Do you have a thod to lose these people following behind us? Theres no way the burrow can fit all of us, right?
Boss man, Keith said, his voice muffled by the collar of his shirt that he was holding up to his mouth. Even if we sacrifice them all, were still screwed in the end. If we leave the region of the farm, well lose our souls. Once everything burns down, well have no way to feed ourselves. Lets just do our best to be good people until the end, alright?
Joseph furrowed his brow before letting out a sigh. Although they might gain more ti by leaving stray rcenaries around for the dragon to hunt, they couldnt overco the curse. Keith, surprisingly, was right; after all, wasnt it better to die together than to die alone? His eyes narrowed. It was a sha the cause of this whole ss wasnt being punished for her actions. Where do you think Mary is?
Why are you bringing Mary up at a ti like this? Keith asked. Arent you supposed to think about the people you care about before you die? Keiths eyes widened, but they squinted shut right away due to the smoke. Dont tell you fell for her, boss man. Shes pretty, but arent you afraid of her breaking your bones with a simple touch?
Joseph glanced at the robed woman who was running not too far behind him. For a mont, he was tempted to tell her to silence Keith. However, after thinking about it, it wasnt a good idea to silence the person leading the way. A dark expression appeared on Josephs face. Where exactly had Mary gone? In Josephs ideal world, she would collide with Grimmoldesser right now, and the two would engage in combat that led to their mutual demises, freeing the rcenaries from both their curse and their coercive client. Joseph muttered, I know I havent been very religious, but if theres soone out there who can hear , please, help us survive.
***
Mary sighed. She was standing at the top of a mountain. She had fled from the holy dragon that had erged from Grimmoldessers lair. It wasnt because she was scared; it was a strategic retreat. If she wasted her energy fighting a holy dragon, wouldnt Grimmoldesser easily swoop in at the end to defeat her? Besides, it wasnt as if she had wanted to hunt just any dragon; she wanted to slay Grimmoldesser. Holy dragons were regarded as sacred creatures; it wouldnt be right to harm one. Right, there were plenty of reasons why she had escaped upon seeing the holy dragon; it wasnt because she was afraid.
That being said, Mary wasnt quite sure where she was. She had fled across the ocean, and ended up sowhere. She had walked for quite a while, but she hadnt encountered any humans or creatures that could speak. There were a few rabbits and wolves and deer, but they couldnt communicate with her. All they could do was fill her belly.
After getting a good look at her surroundings, which were other mountain peaks covered by trees and other greenery, Mary shook her head. There werent any landmarks. Her usual thod of getting aroundwalking up to the highest vantage point and finding an interesting place to go tofailed her this ti. In fact, it had failed the last seven tis she had tried, but that wasnt going to stop her from trying again. The ground blurred underneath her feet as she took a step. Eventually, one day, shed find her way back to civilization, and once she found her way there, it wouldnt be long before she found her way back ho. With how big Vur and Tafels territory was, any old town she found would probably have a skeleton in it to point her in the right direction.
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