Chapter 335: Black Baron

It felt like watching an action-packed movie as Ned heard a battalion of horses came pounding beside the hill—late.

It only took three minutes for Newter to make the Guulvorg turn into a pulp of meat, but her transformation has yet to wear off. And it has been exactly five hours after the ship, going to the Wrath Island, sailed off.

"The Association will take the wyvern." Napond struck the tip of the ax to the ground and marched, like a trained shoulder he was, to Ned. He then offered his hand to Ned.

And as though Newter could understand Napond, she snarled, showing razor teeth without hesitation to the Hunter.

Hearing the Hunter, Ned smirked. "No one's taking anyone." This made Newter's feline-face loosened and show delight. Ned brushed her head and turned to face Napond. He then reached his hand and stood.

Napond smiled. "Then," he said, "how about showing me who's underneath the mask?"

"Not in your Maker's tongue it would ever happen," Ned said, voice grumbling under the mask.

"Then how about a name? I must report what had happened here?"

"Just Baron would be fine," Ned said calmly, as though embracing the name they have given him. He adjusted his mask and gestured for Newter and Gogmurch.

Gogmurch shook his head in disagreement as he was now being told by a human he once despises but now follows. For magical beasts, they only have one rule they needed to follow: whoever's the strongest will lead.

Gogmurch stared at the back of Ned, but no matter how he tried to find an opening, he just could not. It was as though Ned was impervious to attack. Gogmurch gave up the thought of challenging Ned, instead, he looked over, and below his shoulder, growling to the human Hunter.

"Boring," Napond replied, running his palm over his baldness. "Barons are for Ghostbloods!" he shouted, looking at the ascending back of Ned and the two beasts. "How about Black Baron!"

Ned raised a hand and waved as though saying 'Do whatever you want to do'.

Napond smiled and threw himself on the ground as the hooves of horses came approaching, now at the crest of the hill.

-

Descending from the crest of the hill, Ned, Newter, and Gogmurch (all three limping) now reached the other side of the hill where, in the horizon, the cap of the Du'kki mountain was visible. Shrouded with black smoke it spews from time to time which was clearly visible under the high noon sun.

"Black Baron." Gogmurch started after a long walk. His voice hissing in between. "In our language, Black means nothingness, darkness and—"

"Death." Ned continued.

They now entered a thicket full of greenery with widened leaves, and smelling wild herbs. Newter ran to one of these herbs and threw herself before it, smelling the tips of it. She then dashed towards the thick grass and rolled happily over it. It was at this moment, that the two noticed how she shrank slowly. At first, it wasn't visible, but as she spools over the grasses as though she was being scratched under her chin, she shrank. Shank, until she was the same size as Gogmurch.

"Yes." Gogmurch corrected Ned. "But not to you... But to the living around you, Ned the human. Perhaps I should start calling you Black Baron. Doesn't sound so merciful."

Ned was forcing his body to at least walk. Walking was the thing he could possibly do for now. His body, as always after the fight, was aching. But he should not stop, not that he has Gogmurch, and a beast unexpectedly caught his attention.

Ned withdraws the mask and the Butterfly back to his Ring and continued their journey.

Moments passed, he and Gogmurch stopped to rest over a root of a tree. They all needed rest for the moment.

Seeing that the two rested, baby Newter went to happily jiggle over the grasses. Sooner, her neck straightened and her cat-like ears wiggle as though curious with something. She then ran over the roots, and beside the two to circle a tree and went over past it.

Feeling that they had enough rest, the two went to follow Newter.

Passing shrubs, and trees, and mysteriously twisted plants, the two reached a stream of river abandoned of civilization. They were far from both the Du'kki mountain and the eastern port.

Although untouched by humans, the outer edges of the region, mostly in the Bogmoor city, no magical beasts roam around. Even beasts were not stupid enough to stay in a place overrun by their enemies (humans).

After refreshing, the three had to trek forests, and plains to avoid Hunters, and humans alike. They have to reach the shore back to the Du'kki mountain all the while evading humans.

Ned had to accompany them. Now that it was evident that his strength was on par with Gold Rank Hunters, Ned of House Sskat, now the Black Baron, was their best guard right now.

Although exhausted, Ned could feel a rush of thrill racing his veins.

[Ned.]

Ned nearly jumped from ICE's voice. Ned had noticed recently that ICE wasn't assisting Ned that much whenever he was battling, as though she let him choose his own course of action, which made Ned smile.

I had to become stronger on my own, Ned thought. And expecting that ICE would invade his thoughts. Yet, she does not.

What is it?

[Someone is following.]

Perhaps exhaustion had hit him hard, or his joy becoming stronger a step at a time, that he forgot to focus. Ned stopped and produced the Butterfly as he hovered his hand over his face, masking himself of the Kurashinpi.

Just like he used to do, he breathes in and exhaled through his nose along with an invisible field visible only to him.

There, he thought.

Like a beacon signaling, a lifeform he detected almost 20 meters behind them. Judging from the landscape, he or she was elevated above the ground.

Ned spun but stopped midway after seeing Gogmurch grinning.

"You knew," Ned mumbled under his mask.

"Yes, Black Baron." Gogmurch walked closer, then before Ned trying to assess where the enemy was. "It's good. I can't exactly tell where it is."

Gogmurch looked above the trees that overshadowed them, along with vines, and other wild ferns so big it could hide a person.

Sensing the changes in the mood, Newter straightened her body and crawled beside Ned. She hissed above the trees but it seemed that even her wvyernian instinct was not able to detect their trailer.

Ned frowned. Their pursuer was exactly 20 meters from them, hiding behind a massive fern, interlocking himself beside a tree. The only concern Ned has was that the person following them was not making any movements.

"Might be a trap," Ned said feeling the person behind the fern. He then pointed a finger to where exactly the person was, gaining a smirk from Gogmurch.

"Perhaps it was too afraid to show itself," Gogmurch said, relieving himself of incompetence as he could not find the person as to where it was exactly.

"Of course, it won't show himself, that's why he is hiding."

"So what now, Black Baron?"

But even before Ned could think of a plan to capture their pursuer, the ground beneath him cracked from the force of Gogmurch's leap. Leaves rattled away from the spot where the Goblin had been standing.

Branches, or trunk, even the smallest of the stick, wasn't spared as Gogmurch leaped from trees to trees until he reached the spot where Ned had been pointing.

A dark figure appeared out of nowhere as Gogmurch tossed the person above.

"Shit!" Ned grinned and hastily conjured Zephyr chains, latching them to the ankles of the falling figure. Ned heard a grunt after he successfully pulled the figure down across him. Ned put a slight force to momentarily stun the newcomer.

Gogmurch landed beside Newter with one hand he used to support his body from landing.

"You trying to kill him?"

"What else could there be, Black Baron?"

Ned hissed, but inwardly let out a sigh of relief as Gogmurch wasn't using his real name before the figure.

Ned had to brush Newter's head and ordered to retreat back to the grasses, which the baby wyvern happily did. This again, gain a growl from Gogmurch.

"I'm not snagging Newter away from you," Ned said before the beast could say a word.

"What now... Black Baron? What will you do with IT?" Gogmurch narrowed his eyes staring at the kneeling figure clad in black and mask he wore to hide his face. "Like you needed it." Gogmurch threw a jab, throwing the mask the figure wore.

Blood sprayed all over the ground.

"It is a female human." Gogmurch snarled at the women before them.

She wore her copper hair messily. A purple ring under her left eye from Gogmurch's punch.

The women knelt in silence. She was maintaining calmness but the quivering of her eyes she couldn't hide.

Seeing that Gogmurch was about to throw another punch, Ned raised a hand to stop him.

"Why are you following us?" Ned said gently. "Don't worry. Just tell us what is needed and you're free to live."

"You're with us," the Ghostblood lady eventually said. She was the Healer from before.

"I am not one of you. Perhaps because of the mask," Ned explained. Out of nothing, like a magician showing tricks, he produced a card, Thirteen has given him as a mark. "But here, it's yours." He then flicked a wrist throwing the card with the Ghostblood symbol, before her.

"This is—"

An arm came jabbing and all Ned could see was the remnant of the lady Ghostblood. White matter spraying the ground along with her hair, soaked with blood, and reddish meat. Her body fell headless.

And the Black Baron did was nothing but stare.