Chapter 476: Not because of blood [5]
Rumble-!
The ground trembled fiercely, and the trees shattered.
"Ueeeekkk!"
A cry pierced through the forest as four pairs of eyes, no ordinary eyes, but orbs that filled anyone who looked at them with dread, flickered to life in the depths of darkness.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
Like two beacons of light, they pierced through the blackness, their ominous gaze fixed upon the five figures that scrambled through the forest in panic.
"Haaa... Haaa... How much longer do we have to run?"
"We're almost there."
Jacob responded, briefly recalling the details of the surroundings.
"Haa... I... I'm starting to get tired."
"Just grit your teeth and continue running. Sophia and Jessica are both doing better than you so there's no reason why you can't keep up with them."
"Haa... But I'm carrying Linus!"
"Just stop compl-"
Rumble-!
The towering trees behind them splintered into fragments as a colossal pillar violently impaled the ground, launching chunks of earth high into the air.
"Akh!"
"Run faster!"
If not for the fact that he had to stay back to shield the attacks, Jacob would've already arrived at the designated location that Linus had marked beforehand on the map of their surroundings.
However, according to the commands, they all had to keep the same pace for at least a couple of kilometers before the designated location, hence why he was still next to them.
In case anything happened, he could quickly aid them with his skills.
'I can't believe I'm even doing this...'
Where did it all go wrong?
All it took was a simple fist to his face and a few cold words from Linus and before he knew it, everyone was following his orders.
The current Linus was different.
He... had a similar vibe to Julien.
No, for a moment, their figures overlapped and that was what pressured them into doing this. "Ah, fuck...!"
Jacob clenched his teeth in annoyance.
"Jessica, help bring Sophia forward."
A calm voice echoed in the air.
"Once you get Sophia, run at full speed toward the marked point. I'll tell you what to do after that."
"Okay."
Jessica didn't question the command at all. She turned to look at Sophia, who looked back at her.
"Grab my hand."
In order to go to the destined location faster, Jessica had no choice but to bring Sophia with her, who wasn't very fast due to her being a mage.
This was different for Jessica who specialized in speed.
"I've got her, what... haa... else?"
"Besides the two of you, everyone keep up at the same pace."
Linus glances in Jacob's direction.
"Use your scent of bloom, the aggro skill you used a few times before to get the monster's attention. Use it now so that Sophia and Jessica can move forward without any interference."
"Hold on tightly Sophia."
With Sophia clinging to her body, Jessica no longer needed to hold back. Tightening her calves, she surged forward with an impressive burst of speed.
WOOOM-!
Her body shot like an arrow, gracefully maneuvering through the dense forest, effortlessly avoiding each tree in her path.
It wasn't long before the two of them arrived on a narrow land that was completely flat and devoid of any trees.
Jessica quickly took out her communication device.
"We're here, what do we do?"
-Have Sophia cast a simple frost spell on the ground. Leave a small trail that connects to the center.
"Ah, frost spell? Leave a small trail that connects to the center?"
Despite not comprehending the instruction, Jessica instinctively nudged Sophia, who responded by raising her staff.
In an instant, a cold, luminescent light emanated from the wand, giving birth to a small blue magic circle hovering beside it. From within the circle, a beam of blue light surged forth, colliding with the ground and leaving a trail of frost in its wake.
The air around the two immediately grew cold and Sophia's face paled considerably. Given how precisely she needed to control her skill and how she was still tired from the nonstop fighting from before, it was only natural for her to feel weak after casting a spell.
"Is this enough?"
Jessica anxiously asked, staring at Sophia nervously while showing Linus the image through
the communication device. It didn't seem Sophia could hold on for very long.
—No. More. It's too thin. Have her build a small ramp at the center. About half a meter tall.
"What...?"
-Make it as dense as possible. Enough to withstand a powerful impact.
"I... Okay."
Jessica bit her lips and once again nudged at Sophia who nodded and pointed her staff toward
the middle.
'She might pass out at this rate.'
Jessica was already starting to grow concerned over Sophia's situation, but seeing her still obediently following the instructions, Jessica swallowed her words.
Even she didn't understand why they were following Linus's commands, but his cold and indifferent voice made it hard for them to disobey.
Following the instructions precisely, a ramp began to take shape, rising gradually before them. However, as they neared the end of the construction, Sophia's magic circle faltered,
causing the magic to wane in strength.
Jessica immediately grew anxious.
"Sophia, you can st-"
-Don't stop. Continue.
Linus' words carried an icy coldness that seemed ever colder than the ice in front of her. It seemed as though he held no regard for Sophia's condition, showing a complete indifference
towards her.
Yet, at the same time. For some reason, Jessica felt a certain reassurance from the voice that made it hard for her to speak back.
Thankfully, Sophia was able to persevere and the ramp fully formed.
"What ne-"
Booom-!
"Oh, no."
rang in everyone's ears.
-Jessica. Now's your chance. Aim for the joints of its leg.
"On it."
She didn't need to be told what she needed to do. The moment she saw Jacob slide the leg
down the ramp, she understood everything, and her body rushed toward the leg.
Cr...Crack!
With each one of her steps the ice beneath her cracked and she reached the leg in no time.
Bang-!
Jessica propelled her body forward, her daggers finding their mark as they plunged into the 'Mother's' leg. In a swift, fluid motion, she deftly severed a section of the leg, separating it
from the monster.
"Hiaaaaak!"
In response to the searing pain, the 'Mother' emitted a frenzied cry, its instincts taking over
as it trashed around.
In a desperate attempt to regain stability, it instinctively reached for its severed leg, hoping
to use it as support. However, the severed limb only served to disrupt its balance further,
causing it to slip and slide uncontrollably on the icy surface.
-I found the smiley face.
Linus's voice echoed inside of everyone's communications.
-It's on the sac. Right toward the bottom.
-Okay. You two sneak toward it. When I say so, attack it. Jacob, are you still there?
-Ugh... barely.
-Position yourself.
-What?! Psycho! Are you...Cough... going to make me take another hit? Because if you are, you can
dream on! I can't take any more of those... Cough.
-Do you have enough energy to throw your shield?
-That? I... I think I do. -Okay. Get ready.
-Throw where? -Jessica. Next leg. Same side. Attack it now.
-Oy...! You haven't answered me!
"On it."
Jessica had already been at it before he even had to say anything to her. It wasn't for nothing
that she was selected in Haven. Her skillset was nothing to scoff at.
Propelling her body forward, Jessica dashed forward, her aim sealed on the 'Mother's' leg.
Bang-!
She had just left the ground when a calm voice suddenly echoed in her ears.
-Jacob throw your shield at Jessica. Rick, attack.
Uh?
The command left Jessica stunned. Not just her, but everyone else, but she didn't have time to
dwell over it as the 'Mother's' body suddenly hunched. And that's when Jessica suddenly felt
dread
The spinneret was aimed directly at her, and she could see a silvery white streak head in her direction at rapid speeds.
Oh, shit!
It all happened so fast that she had no time to properly process what was going on, but she
understood one thing. If that hit her... she was going to die. To make matters worse, she couldn't stop herself as she was in mid-air.
A streak of something ominous tore through the air, hurtling directly towards her. Glinting
ominously under the moonlight, it maintained its trajectory, inching closer with each passing
moment.
Never before did Jessica feel death so close, and just as she was about to meet the streak, something crashed against the side of her body.
Bang-!
"Ugkh!"
Jessica groaned as she felt her body twist in the air.
Boom-!
Her body crashed against one of the trees, and she felt several bones break upon impact. Even
so, she kept her gaze ahead and that was when she saw a thin and long silky line. It pierced
through everything in its path.
She nervously gulped when she stared at the line. Had it hit her, she would've died without a
doubt.
"Uaaaakh!"
Her attention was quickly taken away by a certain scream and when she turned her head, her
eyes opened wide as she witnessed Rick, who had been quiet the entire time, stab directly at the 'Mother's' abdomen.
A green liquid quickly spurted out from the body of the 'Mother' as it trashed around, sending
Rick flying away.
That's when Jessica finally realized what had happened and she smiled bitterly.
'So... I was the bait.'
Right, it made sense. She was the one whom the 'Mother' was most wary of after what she had
done to its leg.
It was only natural she would be targeted.
Rumble-! Rumble-!
The Mother's rampage continued, leaving nothing in its wake unscathed.
Trees were uprooted, the ground was torn apart, and rocks shattered into fragments.
However, the chaos was abruptly halted by a resounding 'thump', plunging the surroundings
into an eerie silence.
Surrounded by an unsettling stillness, Jessica's senses heightened, and she could feel her
mouth growing dry.
Slowly, her lips parted, her heart unable to calm itself down.
"Did... we do it?"