Chapter 303 (1/2)

Drake looked at Iznock. Even though his head was a flaming skull, the expression of annoyance was clear on his face.

“We were misled,” Vandal said, sighing. After turning away, the young boy rummaged in his pockets and removed several small pieces of meat and tossed them into his mouth. Instantly, his expression turned blissful.

Drake’s hackles raised, but he hid it well. Vandal harvested the flesh of those he defeated, monsters or men, and used it to cook varying dishes. When consuming those foods, his body would be transformed, taking on some of the strength of whatever he was eating. There was even a rumor that he was experimenting with combining different monsters, finding more and more power.

It was an intimidating thought, the way he could increase his power, and after seeing Vandal defeated, Drake had a lot less patience for the boy. Even as Drake watched, Vandal’s body shifted slightly, his arms growing longer, the hair around his face going wild.

Luckily it didn’t appear to be the type of creature that would have emotional instability, but considering Vandal’s temperament… It was very frustrating dealing with such unreliable pieces around him. Following orders became that much harder. And all of the responsibility lay on Drake’s shoulders to keep the men in line.

Coppernicus looked around at the plains in front of them, tapping his jaw. It was clear that at one point, there had been some sort of grand tent set up here. The tracks of hundreds of monsters was in the area, and piles of manure, several days old. The hangers on of the Wild Rider following their master’s free spirited wanderings.

Finally, Coppernicus spoke. “If it isn’t here… where is the Wild Rider?”

Iznock just grunted, raising his hand. A giant axe, made of black, rippling energy formed. Then, with a series of sharp blows, Iznock began to scar the landscape, tearing wide swaths of the ground up, destroying all of the remnants.

“And people say I have anger problems,” Vandal said, giving Drake a look.

Drake ignored it. In this case, he agreed with Iznock’s sentiment, even if it was inefficient. Others would be looking for the Wild Hunter, if it truly had moved. To send the message that the move had been done out of fear… most would naturally make the connection to the servants of the Skeleton Knight.

Sewing fear, confusion, and panic among those out here, fawning after the Wild Rider, was for the best. It would get the civilians scared enough to stop throwing themselves in danger's way.

Both of his hands moving through several strange positions, runes forming in the air, then falling to the ground around him in a circle. Vandal continued to give Drake sharp looks, but the two of them stayed silent while Iznock destroyed, and Coppernicus cast his spell.

The runes on the ground flared brightly, and Coppernicus turned to look.

“Southwest…” He said softly, but he was frowning. “But there is something else there… something… dangerous.”

Iznock straightened, the huge axe dissipating. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go kill it.”

****

Randidly moved quickly, delighting in his now healed Empower, and Physical Fitness, which he had struggled all day to get it down to a single piece of Aether embedded in it. It wasn’t ideal, but the pain was manageable. Thea remained behind with Simon, but would be ready to rush forward if they finally found the enemy. It was annoying, but while they were under the effects of the bonuses, none of them were able to contact others through the System.

They were on their own. Which wasn’t exactly true, because they had come across human tracks, a group that appeared to be between 4 and 10 people, patrolling, likely from the Refuge.

Then they had found the blood.

Due to the danger of victims, Randidly ran ahead, his eyes blazing. Perhaps there was a bit of guilt to this, but Randidly felt profoundly motivated to hunt down and kill this Raid Boss, especially as he was absent while the other one assaulted Donnyton and the surrounding area.