Chapter 200: Shield of Valor

"Say," Hunter Ja said, he rarely talks. But when he does, all ears were on him, even the Porter. "We should leave this encampment. It was looted and overwhelmed by those hunters."

The group stayed closer to the fourth settlement, obscured by trees and diminishing grasses. As usual, they formed a circle and talk in a whisper tone.

Hunter Ja looked at Ned, they were employed after all. For Ned, this was a shortcut. The settlement was razed. Its former glorious, ramshackle of bits of woods, hays, and wall of mud was flattened to the ground. Hunters ran amok as if they have dug a treasure chest. Some of them looted the dead beasts, while others cut monster parts. There was a handful of them, but beyond that, there were more. Behind the hill of corpses laid together with broken woods were other hunters. Who appeared to be in a raiding quest the same as them.

They were hunters, yes, but during a quest, especially far from the eyes of the Association, hunters turned butchers, not entirely, but possible. Especially if one was an overload of gleaming armor in a Wood rank status.

"We should leave this place to them," Ned said, voice deepened.

Swift glared at him, eyes were even under the holes of her mask.

"Then so be it," the team leader said.

The group rounded the settlement. The fourth settlement was the size of a small town, build only for resting. Ned wondered why do they (beasts) need settlement if all they do was to attack the hunters invading their territory. All they needed was to push forward. If beasts of Du'kki rounded together, they could take the Association, far south of the map, with ease. Why do magical beasts take the hunters like they were for granted? Did they appear in the world to balance things out? Or simply tools for humans to become stronger, like a game of cat and mouse, humans being the cat. But what would exactly happen if magical beasts for an alliance and defeat their common enemy? Will the mouse became the car? Worse, a lion.

Behind the group were the light slowly turning into a speck of dark silhouette against the grasses.

The satchel on Molly's waist stilled as she pulled the Sphere out of it. By controlling the mana that flows inside the Sphere, the light it emits was made to dim. Enough for them to see what they were walking into.

They were meters away from the settlement when a crackling roar exploded from the settlement. It was about twenty or thirty meters but broken woods and limbs came rushing from the sky accompanied by dust and some rocks, and a spray of blood. Ned caught one on his face, smudging his fair skin.

"By the Maker," Ulysses exclaimed, his voice could barely be heard from the aftermath of the explosion.

The team rushed back to the settlement.

There, they watched the event unfolded. Hunters fighting with each other. Swords sparked, and bellowing ignited. The group of men who were discussing behind the pile of corpses vanished over what seemed to be a crater. Flames dancing over the edges. Tendrils of innards scattered over the settlement. The heap of beast's corpses was nowhere to be found. Unless they didn't land yet from the explosion. Across the crater was a woman, a gold necklace glinted from the flames surrounding from where she stood. She wore a soft robe, with hair cut short over her shoulder. She seemed relax under the gaze of the translucent moon. A cast of shadow danced under a hunter who seemed to be crawling toward the fire mage.

The crawling man reached the fire mage and grabbed her robe. The man yanked it hard that the robe ripped from her waist down to knee, revealing a pompous thigh. Reflection of orange and crimson carried over her soft leg.

The man yelled, asking for help. His voice reverberated over the crowd of surprised hunters. Attacking hunters fought with blank faces, and the ones defending were horrified.

"What's happening here?" Holly asked hand clasped over Molly's shoulder. Her breath staggering.

Swift yanked Ned's arm, pulling him closer to her. The scene of her being groped by goblins must have interfered the moment she saw the horrifying scene across her. Ned nodded over his shoulder and said in a soft and controlled voice, "You'll be fine." And hoped this was enough to control her emotions.

The fire mage remained standing, uncaring of the battle unfolding around her. In one hand, she held a staff, while streamers of flame curled around her free hand. The man, beside her foot, stared with a confused face. His mouth distorted, trying to say something. He pulled the mage's robe harder and—

He was burned to a crisp as the fire mage lit him with an incredulous blue flame. He couldn't let out a scream as his face melted, along with his hunter's cloth, then skin, then the dagger he wore around his belt. The fire mage only stopped after the man turned, well, melted to a heap of charred meat. His bones crumbled, forming a tiny slope of bone with skull as the summit.

Blue flames then swirled around the fire mage, forming hundreds of small balls circumventing around her in a soft and blurry motion. Then she tossed them upward, hovering in the still gloomy sky. The flaming orbs slowly began to grow in size as the mage, that appeared to be wreathed in flame, continued to channel her spell.

As the orbs of flame reached a certain size, they dropped from the sky like tiny shooting stars.

The conscious hunters that noticed this dove for cover to avoid the torrent of flames. Where the orb struck, they splashed against the flesh of both hunters, and controlled hunters alike, and disintegrated bones at an alarming rate. Six of the uncontrolled hunters were too slow to dodge the orbs and were engulfed instantly.

Eight orbs shot toward the Hallowguard team. They were shocked, yes, but experience told them to act and avoid the incoming orbs. But avoiding was slow. Ulysses, the knight who was focused on ladies with short brown hairs, soft skins, and red lips, raised his tower shield. He grunted before letting out his spell—his high tiered defensive spell perhaps.

"Shield of Valor!"

Yellow hot-light the size of a small house covered the team like a mask, protecting them from the orbs.

Ulysses, the defender; the knight, grunted as he raised his tower shield at a steady angle. He could barely hold as he almost knelt in one leg.

"Kas!" Yield Sujiro.

Ulysses waved a hand, stopping Sujiro who was about to jump over him to support. The knight smiled, more like a grin. "I'll be fine," he said. "Make sure to avenge our fellow hunters, Kas." He then bellowed, forcing more of his mana into his shield, and into his defensive spell.

The orbs burst into a blue flame that flowed like lava around the edges of the conjured knightly skill. The escaping flames bore holes around the edges to where the team stood.

After a moment of Ulysses's grunting, the torrent of flaming orb stopped. Silence followed.

Sujiro caught Ulysses just in time before he collapses on the ground. Holly tugged a blue vial—mana in a liquid state—out of her bag as she knelt beside Ulysses, worriedly. She then poured the content into Ulysses's mouth, making him smile wittily.

"Sorry Twins," he said. "But I won't be of your service for a moment." He winked to Holly, the latter shrugged. "Kas here will be my dummy for a while. Take care of him, will you."

Holly flicked a finger over the knight's forehead. She then stood throwing the empty vial over the side.

Sujiro looked at Ned who stood idly by the side.

Ned knew what Sujiro want, and Ned knew that this was what he wants. Smoke and fumes subsided. With the midnight moon and flames scattered all over. The parasites throbbing behind the hunter's back were nakedly visible. The fire mage's once delicate back was leeched by a bigger version of the parasite. Color spectrum flowing endlessly from the parasite's scaly exterior.

"Kid," Hunter Jo said over his shoulder. His fingers wiggled in a memorized gesture. The ground beneath him moved as if full of life, it then crept up. Forming a pointy hill slowly emerging to reach for its master's fingers. After the massive blade formed in his hand. Hunter Jo continued, "Is that what this all about? That worm controlling them?"

Ned nodded and Hunter Jo dashed. The tip of the massive blade created a deep fissure over the ground like a snake trailing its prey. Along the way, Hunter Jo raised his free hand, gestured of what seemed to be a signal only the team of Hallowguard could understand.

Ulysses laid with his back on the soft muddy ground. "Go," he said. Sujiro hopped without leaving a sound, Hunter Ja gleamed with light as his spear connected in his hand and dashed following his brother. Holly and Molly faced each other, raised both their hands, and together, they snapped them midair. Holly grinned after her hand formed an open palm while facing a fist of Molly's hand, her lips pouted in disappointment.

A rock, paper, scissors? Ned thought and formed a tiny grin.

Molly stayed with the remaining group, and Holly ran toward the settlement. While Ulysses burst into laughter.

"Those two," he said and bellowed in pain as his right shoulder was pierced by a shadow coming out the ground.

The shadow was like a sword, it was purple in color, with a surface like that of tentacle but made of steel.

The tentacle retracted from the knight's shoulder while he let out a cry in the process. Blood leaked from his mouth as he rolled in pain.

Swift, Baso, Molly, and Ned spun around to face the rattle of leaves and stick snapping. Ned could feel the chilly intent approaching. Behind a tree, a beast in humanoid form revealed himself. Tentacles wiggling under his chin. An oversized bald head reflected the shining blast of the moon. His milky white eyes boring Ned.

"Khiccaal," Ned muttered with his hand reaching for the saber slung behind his back. His eyes glaring at the Shoon and went down the beast's limbs—or limb, as one of his arms was cut.

Khiccaal, the magical beast, raised his remaining hand, showing black nails, and pointed at Ned and said with his voice muffled by the tentacles, "Ko've bleen intay."