The group immediately took their position and pulled their weapons out, ready for whatever creature that made that scream to come out. This has become something akin to second nature to the group.
Whenever they hear a weird noise, their first instinct is to grab their weapons and be ready for battle. It didn't matter if the noise was far or close, they had to be always ready for battle no matter the situation.
"What was that?" Emmy asked as she looked around her and saw nothing. The place was still as tranquil as ever. There was no movement or disturbance except for this sudden screech.
*BOOOOM*
Then, the group suddenly heard a loud explosion that shook the ground beneath them followed by a louder screech of total agony and pain.
"What the hell is going on?!" Herculia grumbled.
"Don't put your guard down!" Danny clenched his teeth.
"Can you feel that... Isla?" Arthur asked coldly, his eyes looked in one particular direction.
"I can feel it..." Isla looked in the same direction and nodded.
"It's giving me goosebumps." The boy clenched his sword when he realized what he was feeling at that moment. Whatever was the cause of that scream, it wasn't a weak monster by any means. After all the powerups he went through, for a monster to give him goosebumps means that it was extremely strong.
"Should we go that way?" Isla asked him.
The direction led them around the foot of the mountain to the other side where this monster was.
"We should check and see but try to stay hidden. Something is telling me there is more than one thing right there." He said as he started moving forward.
"Are we sure, Isla?" Emmy asked.
"..." The latter thought for a moment before she sighed. "We should check, just in case. This thing might get in our path either way."
Arthur walked around the foot of the mountain until he reached a point where the noise was at its loudest. As he got closer, he started recognizing other noises that were drowned by the screeches of the monsters.
'Wait, could it be?' Feeling a deep suspicion welling in his heart. Then, he slid behind a rock and peeked at the sight of the battle. Right there, he witnessed it.
A giant creature standing on both feet was running wildly around like a crazed ape. Its body was covered in white fur from head to toe, leaving only its hideous face visible. Its large body and overwhelming aura made it very intimidating to look at. Even Arthur felt a chill down his spine when he saw it. However, to the ones standing right in front of it, it didn't seem to be a problem at all.
'Is that a fucking Yeti?! No, this thing has six eyes and four arms. It looks terrifying!' Arthur frowned. While it did have some similarities with the mythical creature called 'Yeti' this monster was arguably far more hideous than that one.
'... The ones fighting this thing are far more terrifying, though.'
"Isla?"
"That attire... I have heard about it back in the village. Look at their chests." She said.
The group instinctively peeked again at the three men. That was when they noticed what she meant. Etched into their armor was a large crest made out of gold. It's corners were drawn as pillars while a single silhouette stood in the middle, shining with pure divine light.
"What's that?" Arthur asked.
"I... When I was going around the village doing quests, I learned a lot about the Last Empire. That crest, if I'm not wrong, belongs to the Royal Mercenaries."
"Royal Mercenaries?" Emmy asked. "Who are they?"
"They're a group of people that work under the royal family. They are notorious for being one of the strongest forces the Empire has simply because they're ready to do all the dirty work for the royal family in exchange for money and status." She explained.
"Shit, that doesn't sound pleasing to the ear at all," Herculia muttered. "Look at those large weapons, for god's sake, that's insane."
"That's why we need to leave quietly and take another turn. I don't want to fight them." Danny frowned. He felt the overwhelming aura those three had. Continue reading at mvl
As the group was discussing their next move, one of them didn't notice a small pebble close by and tried to step back, only for that pebble to roll away and hit another rock, making a small noise.
Everybody froze in place at that very moment.
"Hm? Who's there?"
'Goddamit!' Arthur clenched his teeth when he heard the man.
"Did you hear that?"
"I did. Something is hiding behind that rock. Go check."
'Perfect! They didn't even take a moment to think about it!' Arthur sucked a breath before he looked at Isla.
"I'm going out, you lot stay here."
"What? Are you insane? What if they attack you?"
"Better than getting cornered like this. If I get attacked, you can come out." Arthur replied. "Or better yet, ambush them when they least expect it. I will take their attention."
A//N: Don't forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3