Chapter 212 Battle in the Nest 1 (1/2)
Splat.
”That's the thirteenth one.”
Rhode kept his sword and glanced at the dead Parasite. Then, he eyed his mercenaries and studied the state of their bodies.
Hmm… around two thirds?
”Let's take a break.”
Rhode motioned them to sit down, and all the mercenaries immediately plopped onto the ground. He was pleased that they didn't return to their usual companions even though they were tired. All of them sat with each other and discussed the previous battle. Although their newfound cohesiveness was worthy of praise, Rhode chose not to say anything.
His stance towards his mercenaries was clear. He chose a rather harsh way of managing his mercenaries as he knew that humans would naturally perform better under heavy stress. In this case, he wanted them to strengthen their bonds, which they did in an incredibly short period of time. Rhode even planned not to let them rest if they couldn't raise their weapons, and only when they had mentally or physically broken down would he stop.
Under such pressure, the mercenaries had no time to consider minor problems between the different cliques. They took in deep breaths and slumped on the ground, grumbling to the other nearby mercenaries.
Rhode didn't want them to be too familiar with one another because it might cause him a headache one day if they decided to rise against him together. Basically, he wanted a balance between fear and respect, which was what he was looking at right now. This made him quite satisfied.
A mercenary group leader must not be overly amiable or understanding, and neither must they be unfriendly or rude. Rhode recalled a time where a lot of players left his guild because he was too cold. Since everyone was a player, he didn't have a reason to display his arrogance. However, Rhode was clear that a leader cannot lead with only kindness as a trait. When others begin to realize that you're not much different from themselves, significant problems will start occurring.
Kavos sat by the side, gazing at Rhode. The young, black-haired man sat quietly in the corner. Flames from campfire illuminated his slender frame. While he physically sat near the mercenaries, they felt like as though he was far away. As an ex-mercenary group leader, Kavos understood why Rhode did this because his brother Derick was the same. Initially, when Derick formed a mercenary group after the army ceased its operations, Kavos didn't feel that his reserved brother would be able to do a good job. He felt that Derick wasn't as skilled as him in soft skills and he wasn't as passionate as Obertan who could rely on his charm to control troublemakers. However, Derick still managed to succeed.
Although he wasn't well-liked amongst his members in the beginning, his stern attitude which he cultivated from the army eventually gained the recognition of the mercenaries. However, Kavos was clear that Rhode wasn't such a person. This experienced thief sensed the emotions that Rhode had been revealing time to time. It was arrogance, prideful and determined faith. One can forget about affecting his views on anything. That perpetually expressionless face kept all emotions within and would only reveal a smile in front of the little girl with the same face as him.
When Kavos met both Rhode and Christie, he was stunned. It was especially so when Rhode displayed a brilliant smile that easily rivaled the most beautiful flower in the continent, though he had to quickly change his thoughts because he remembered that this man hated anyone who treated him as the opposite gender.
Fortunately, Rhode did not appear in crowded areas with Christie… if not, who knew what would happen?
-
Almost there…
Rhode calculated the journey. They had spent five days in Blackrock Depths. Coincidentally, Rhode already predicted there would be certain situations, so he had given his men enough time to prepare for this. However, despite all the predictions and preparations, injuries were still unavoidable. Two mercenaries had already paid with their lives for their carelessness. The Parasite also infected five to six others. Luckily, Lize and Celia were there to rescue them. However, it would be hard to say if they wouldn't be traumatized by the method Celia used to dig out the worms from their bodies.
At this moment, most mercenaries had already recovered from their fatigue. They whispered curiously and looked to the direction of Rhode with worry in their eyes. Some quick-witted mercenaries had discovered that the amount of rest time equaled to the difficulty level of the upcoming monsters. If the monsters were strong, Rhode would let them rest longer, but if the monsters were weak, then they would be like the donkeys whipped by the merchants. These few days they were already used to Rhode's instructions, and now, they realized that their break had obviously been much longer than before.
Soon, more of them began to suspect something was wrong and seemed to discuss with themselves. No one dared to ask Rhode about it. Some of the mercenaries turned their heads towards the few maidens sitting with Rhode. They were the only ones allowed to sit in Rhode's vicinity. Therefore, no mercenaries dared to get closer to them. After all, these beautiful ladies had a unique charm of their own, like brightly lit lamps in the night. When they were fighting the monsters, the mercenaries realized that the maidens weren't anywhere safer than themselves. Anne's passionate and outgoing characteristic touched some of their hearts.
However, Marlene's sharp gaze was like a sword hanging near their necks. Her cold expression was enough to stop those mercenaries from getting close to her and made them consider if it was worth it. They didn't wish to get hurt by playing this stupid game…
The only one they could talk to was the gentle cleric who healed their wounds. Even if they feigned injuries, she wouldn't get mad. But Celia would intervene sometimes and stare at those mercenaries with her piercing gaze.
In other words, the four ladies were like a bunch of thorny roses. Beautifully dangerous. If you hug them, you'll get pricked. But even if you retreat, somehow, something would draw you back to them.
Perhaps some outsiders might even envy these mercenaries who had the chance to party with such beautiful women in a dark cave. But little did they know that this was nothing like those erotic fantasies in their heads. It could even be considered mental torture.
Frankly, when the mercenaries saw the four women together with Rhode, they didn't feel a speck of jealousy. Rather, they felt that it would only cause unnecessary trouble if they associated with them.
”All right, get up.”
Under all of their gazes, Rhode clapped his hands and stood up. The mercenaries quickly got up along with him. These few days, they had gotten used to this motion. Their leader was extremely cautious, before every battle, he would give out critical life-saving pointers. They had to admit, compared to a leader that gave vague reminders such as 'All of you be careful', 'beware your back', Rhode's pointers were much more helpful in staying alive.
”We'll get busy soon. I hope that everyone is ready. I've given you ample time to rest because the next battle will be incredibly tough. And how tough you say? All I can answer is that it will require you to utilize what you've learned so far.”