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Chapter 84: The Spawner
🕑 Added 2024-08-09 15:07:33 +0000 UTC"Watch out! Salamanders!" Archer shouted as we rode our horses away from the monster group. I quickly grabbed one with my shadow tentacles and cast an illusion spell on it. When another salamander spewed its venom, I used another tentacle to shield the group. It was just our luck that the monster group started moving right as we entered the forest.
"Head to the side! The monsters should prioritize going to the city," Hellhound shouted, steering his horse away from the approaching creatures. We all followed him, urging our horses to race faster.
I feared the worst, but fortunately, it didn't come true. The stampede didn't follow us; they moved toward the city as predicted. Although this was my suggestion, planning and actually executing it are two different things. I felt a bit guilty watching the stampede head toward Sami.
"Alright, we've finally lost them. Let's get to the spawner. Archer, do you know the way?" Hellhound asked.
"I marked it on the map, but the stampede might have changed the terrain, so I'm not entirely sure," Archer replied.
"Don't worry. We'll know when we get there. The spawner will always be guarded. I think I saw a dragon there," I added.
"A dragon!?" the group shrieked. "When did you see it?"
"Um… Last night?"
"Bullshit. There's no way you could travel through monsters at night without waking them!" Hellhound sighed, clearly not believing me.
Well, if he didn't believe me, that's fine. He will see it firsthand later. I had already bought some explosives at the store earlier. All he needed to do was plant the explosive on the dragon. Mana explosives weren't rare; you just needed to enchant the mana tools and fill them with feystones. It was even taught in Althemer Royal Academy. The price here was a ripoff, though.
Hellhound had to work extra hard today. Due to the stampede, many stragglers came our way. In just two hours, he had killed his tenth salamander. The team dynamic was odd but compelling in its own way. It was clear that the team relied heavily on Hellhound's abilities, but they didn't take advantage of his skill. They all did their best to complement him by scouting, tanking, and even kiting. Hellhound didn't brag about his skill, either. This made the team dynamics more like a family than a mercenary group. It was endearing.
"See? A dragon, II didn't lie!" I puffed my chest as the silver scales of the creature came into view. The landscape had changed a lot, and now that it was noon, we had a full view of the dragon. Its blue eyes glared at us menacingly.
"We—we're gonna be rich!!" The team shouted in joy. "Dragon scales are at least a gold for a piece!"
"But that's a monster, you know. It won't drop loot, just a feystone," I informed them. The group collectively slumped in despair. I smirked in amusement.
"Damn it! You didn't have to pour cold water on us, girl! It's a boss, it should be different!"
"Is there even such a thing as a boss monster?" I asked. I want to believe it, too, but such a concept doesn't exist in this world. If it does, Shadowstep County would be rich with its monthly stampede. Monsters made from mana crystallized into feystones; there's no such thing as boss monsters dropping dragon fangs or scales that can be molded into armor or swords. However, besides monsters, there are also animals. The body of an animal doesn't disappear, so if someone really wanted dragon scales, they could get them from a dragon that's not a monster.
"No, there isn't. Ugh… I just wanted to dream a little."
"If we beat it, we could call ourselves dragonslayers! Isn't that enough?" Hell Biter said.
"Alright, let's go. Watch out—dragons can use magic," Hellhound warned as we dismounted. The dragon merely stared at us like it didn't care. As expected of a monster created by a spawner, its job was to protect the spawner, and it wouldn't attack us until we were within range.
I thought we would get an easy kill because Hellhound could teleport onto its back and plant my explosives there. But when he tried, he missed by a good 5 meters. After scrambling with all his might for five seconds under the dragon's onslaught, he teleported back to our location.
"Damn it! I can't get close—it blocked my skill." He was running out of breath as he returned to us.
"Let's run!" Archer wanted us to retreat but the dragon flapped its wings. now that it has been disturbed, it views us as a threat and will chase us.
"The dragon is chasing us! We can't outrun it even with our horses. Let the horses go; we have to engage it from here!" I didn't mount my horses and fired off a dark bullet, but its scales seemed to block any skills and magic. The dragon soared into the air, and in the spot where it had taken off, I saw a silver glimmer. It was the spawner. The dragon was guarding it like an egg.
As the dragon chased the team who left me with their horses, I ran toward the spawner. The mercs didn't hear me and continued fleeing with their horses. Sensing that I was approaching the spawner, the dragon turned to me at once, abandoning its chase. When the dragon got close, I summoned all of my tentacles, each carrying a dagger. The resulting spell made me look like a phalanx formation readying itself against a cavalry charge.
It might have been effective against horses, but this dragon was immune to magic. My tentacles vanished before they even made contact with the dragon, and the daggers lost their momentum against its thick scales. I used my tentacle to throw myself out of its path as it landed.
Using my enhanced strength and agility, I darted forward like a speeding bullet. I charged toward the dragon and stabbed my dagger into its thick skin. It worked! My blade embedded itself deep into its flank. As the dragon roared and swiped its tail, I made a mistake. Out of muscle memory, I tried to grab the dragon with my tentacle, attempting to vault myself over it, only for the tentacle to disappear upon contact with the beast. Sensing the imminent danger, I jumped backward and crossed my arms in defense.
The huge tail slammed into me like a truck, sending my body flying like a ragdoll in a video game. I skipped across the ground multiple times, like a stone thrown on a lake. I groaned in pain—it was intense—but I had no time to worry about it. The dragon was charging at me full speed. I grabbed the pistol inside my shirt and shot it.
It seemed I had some talent for shooting someone in the eye because my shot landed right on its fragile right eye. The dragon reared back at once, howling like a cornered beast. I immediately used my tentacles to scurry away like a cockroach. My hands throbbed, and my body screamed in pain as I moved my body using dark tentacles.
"Die!" Hellhound warped forward, flying to the dragon's other eye and slashing it with his scimitar. I scanned the surroundings and noticed that the team had returned while I was engaging the dragon. I thought they were more of a "every man for himself" type, but they actually came back.
Now that the group had regrouped, Hell Knight took charge in front while Hell Archer used rope darts to restrict the dragon's movement. The dragon was blind now, which made it more unpredictable but also made the battle easier. Unlike other dragons, this one didn't use breath attacks or magic, and Knight's shield and armor could withstand its physical assaults. Was this dragon invested all its points into its skill and magic nullifying scales?
"Die!" Hellhound ran and climbed to the dragon's back, strapping the explosives I had given him to its neck before teleporting away. The resulting explosion blew its neck apart. The death throes of the dragon resounded through our ears. As the dragon dissipated like other monsters, it left behind a colossal feystone, about the size of a soccer ball.
"Yeah! We're Dragon Slayers now!" Hellhound danced gleefully, holding the feystone above his head. His teammates joined in the ridiculous dance while I propped myself up. I groaned as feeling returned to my hands and back. None of my bones seemed to be broken. Slowly, I walked to the spawner and picked it up. The spawner was perfectly round, unlike the feystone, which was shaped like an uncut diamond. Moreover, it glowed with a white light. It was uncanny.
"So, this is a spawner, huh...? It does seem important," Hellhound and the group commented behind me. They had done their ridiculous dance and remembered why we came here in the first place. I yelped in surprise and dropped the ball. Thankfully, unlike the dragon, the spawner didn't resist my magic, and my dark tentacle managed to catch it.
"Don't scare me like that! I almost dropped a 1000-gold treasure!" I yelled at the punk and his muscle-brained team.
"1000? I thought it was 300?"
"I mean, it's very precious! We have to treat it with care. A single arrow or impact could crack this thing and render it worthless!" I remembered when I shot a dark arrow at the spawner in Shadowstep territory to distract the monsters and divert the attention of the three musketeers. The spawner cracked, which is why Elderan could only produce low-level monsters.
"Sorry! Well, here's a bag with padding to keep it safe. Now, where to, girl?"
"To Elderan's capital, of course—to the Monster Tamer Guild," I replied.
"Before that, do you think we could check on Sami? I'm tempted by the extra money, but I'm not willing to sacrifice thousands of people there for a noble's plaything. We have to destroy the spawner if the wall is breached." Hellhound looked at me sternly. "I hope you understand that."
When I looked at his face, I realized he wouldn't budge. I merely nodded. If worse came to worst, I might have to kill this team and steal the spawner.
Wait...
It's not guaranteed that handing over the spawner will make them give up Gustav. I might even have a better chance of doing all this discreetly, sneaking in at night and using necromancy on the researchers there. I don't want to betray this group that helped me against the dragon.
Conflicting thoughts roused within me as the group called for our horses. One part of me said I shouldn't be cruel; human life is more important. But my goal—to find out who Gustav is and who killed my mother—was equally pressing.
"Here! Some salve. You were thrown pretty badly back there. It might not compare to light or water magic healing, but this is the best we've got." Archer handed me a bottle of yellowish, mysterious substance. As he poured it onto my hand and I rubbed it in, a refreshing, cool mint sensation washed over my aching arms. He handed me the bottle.
"So, want me to rub your back? You were hurt there too, right?" Hellhound smirked, but he quickly backed off when I shot him a death glare full of intimidation.
"So, we've got a lolicon here. I never thought you were that kind of person, Hound," I teased him with a smirk.
"Hey! That's a false accusation! You were wounded! It's only fair I helped you. I've rubbed that salve on all my teammates, and they've rubbed it on me too! It's a friendly gesture!" Hound spat out his defense, but his teammates didn't believe him. "Besides, you said you're fifteen. You're legal!"
"Your argument is sound, but not with that smirk and face, boss," Hell Knight and Hell Biter sighed, and we all laughed.
I exhaled in relief. I'd made my decision. I'd give them the spawner if they wanted to save Sami. There was no way I would kill them and hand it over to an organization that's essentially my nemesis, sacrificing thousands of people in the process.
...It turned out Sami was fine. The wall was a little scratched, with pieces of debris here and there, but the city stood strong against the stampede.
Give me back my sentiments! It was all useless worry!
