Blood-sucking Mosquito Bats

"What do we do now?" Brat took the initiative to ask. Since it concerned the Weave, he subconsciously assumed the knowledgeable mage would have better insight.

"Your idea is sound. Most Underdark Creatures dislike light, so we'll hide on Dust Eagle Mountain tonight, but we cannot stay in Baldur's Gate for long.

The Underdark is barren and cruel; once the Gray Dwarves come up, they certainly won't be willing to leave easily. The Sentinels won't leave the Upper City, and the Flame Fist aren't necessarily reliable. We must escape this place; waiting passively could lead to a worse fate.

Tomorrow, we'll head to the Flying Dragon Bridge. There is a Flame Fist Fortress there, and once we cross the Chongsa River, we'll be safe," Anse pondered.

"I'll listen to you." Brat nodded slightly; leaving was indeed the safer bet.

The Flying Dragon Bridge was to the southeast of Dust Eagle Mountain. If the Underdark Creatures wanted to reach it, they would have to circle most of the mountain from the north and pass through several Outer City districts; it was impossible for them to get there so quickly.

"However," Anse shifted his tone, his expression complex, "before that, I must save my parents. They are in the Pig's Trotter District. You don't have to come with me; we'll go our separate ways tomorrow morning."

He didn't have much affection for the original owner's parents. His memories were like a slideshow, incomplete and difficult to reconcile with the original owner's emotions.

But if there was a chance, he still wanted to try to save them. If he ignored them entirely, there would always be a knot in his heart.

However, if he encountered danger, he would certainly prioritize his own survival.

"I'll go with you." Brat didn't hesitate. "The Pig's Trotter District isn't far from the Flying Dragon Bridge; they should be fine."

"I hope so. How are you recovering?" A sense of urgency stirred in Anse's heart; the darker the night, the more disadvantageous it was for them.

"No problem. I can fight and I can run. Don't underestimate a Warrior's recovery ability." Brat tied his hair back with a strip of rag, looking sharp and capable.

"Let's go." Anse stood up, grabbed his staff, and walked outside.

Brat consciously shouldered the pack, tightened the straps, and strode past Anse, sword in hand, to take the lead.

Night had fallen, and the cold moonlight spilled down, making the Chongsa River shimmer. Unfortunately, the surrounding ruins and corpses scattered everywhere made the place look like hell.

"Don't go through Cliff Gate. Follow the Chongsa River into the Rollover Zone," Anse whispered after a few dozen paces.

Brat understood and immediately turned south.

Gray Dwarves were intelligent creatures; they would likely occupy key intersections to wait for humans to deliver themselves.

These fleeing crowds usually carried valuables and food, saving the invaders the time of searching and packing.

After moving forward for several hundred meters, the buildings became sparse and lacked cover, with a half-collapsed city wall looming ahead.

Reaching the largest gap, Brat suddenly stopped. His nose twitched, his eyes swept over the sticky soil on the stones, and his gaze was filled with vigilance.

Anse also sensed something amiss. "Let's find another way."

Brat nodded slightly, retreated slowly with his sword drawn, and continued south along the wall after moving a dozen meters away.

A few Curses drifted from the darkness, and both men quickened their pace. Escaping was the priority now; they couldn't afford to get entangled with them.

Where there is a Natural Disaster, there is bound to be a Man-made Disaster. And what could be worse than people themselves?

After this experience, Brat specifically sought out a section of the wall that was half-collapsed. The ground was covered in rubble and uneven, making it difficult to walk, but it was safer.

Brat was truly a Warrior; his physical ability was far superior to Anse's. He scouted the path while carrying a large pack, climbing and jumping, and occasionally stopping to keep watch while waiting for Anse.

Anse smiled bitterly to himself, admitting he had been fooled by Brat's disheveled appearance earlier.

In games, one could become a professional even with poor stats, but reality was different. Without talent, one wouldn't make it; Nobles and major organizations wouldn't waste precious resources on a deadbeat.

Unless you were lucky enough!

"Watch out!" Brat's voice was sharp.

Anse instinctively dove and rolled.

The next moment, a black shadow streaked over his head, moving too fast to see clearly, and a faint scent of blood filled the air.

<strong>[You were attacked by a Bat-Mosquito, missed...]</strong> The combat log flashed by.

Anse was startled; Bat-Mosquitoes were pack creatures.

He gripped his staff and scanned the area, but found no swarm, hearing only the faint sound of flapping wings overhead.

"What the hell is that?" Brat had also been attacked, but his perception and reflexes were faster.

He dropped his pack, jumped to Anse's side in a few strides, and stood back-to-back with him, keeping watch.

"Bat-Mosquitoes. Blood-sucking pack creatures." Anse pulled a wooden rod enchanted with a Light Spell from his robe, but didn't uncover the black cloth.

Brat looked up for a moment, finding no other threats. "Seems like there are only two."

"They might have gotten separated, or perhaps they're gorged," Anse speculated.

Bat-Mosquitoes lived on the blood of living creatures and lacked intelligence. It wasn't surprising that they were acting wildly after reaching the surface and finding humans so easy to bully.

"They haven't left."

"We move. You seize the opportunity."

"Right."

The two moved forward slowly, Brat following behind Anse with the pack, waiting for the "opportunity" to arrive.

Anse remained calm. Bat-Mosquitoes were weak, their attacks weren't fatal, and he had a Shield Spell; he could trigger the force field the moment he was struck.

As they were about to enter the Dust Eagle Mountain area, the two Bat-Mosquitoes could no longer restrain themselves, lunging from the air almost simultaneously.

Brat's footsteps faltered: "Here they come—"

Before the words had even left his lips, Anse yanked away the black cloth, the sudden radiance instantly dispelling the darkness to reveal two strange creatures that looked like a cross between giant bats and mosquitoes.

The mosquito-bats feared the light; startled by the sudden brightness, they forcibly altered their flight paths, desperate to escape.

"Swish—"

A flash of sword light streaked by, and one mosquito-bat was cleaved in two, a trail of blood spraying through the air.

"Freezing Ray!"

A beam of white light shot from Anse's palm, instantly striking the other mosquito-bat.

The creature stiffened, white mist swirling over its body, before it plummeted to the ground with a thud. Its bat-like wings twitched twice, then fell still.

[You cast Freezing Ray on the mosquito-bat; the enemy is in a startled state. The mosquito-bat was hit, taking 4 points of cold damage. Critical hit, target killed. Gained 25 Combat Experience...]

Brat, still uneasy, stepped forward and pinned it to the ground with his sword.

"So ugly." Only then did he get a clear look at the creature.

It resembled a bat but possessed a needle-like beak, a scarlet body covered in black downy fur on its head and back, multiple claws, and a long tail.

Anse wrapped the Glowing Stick back up tightly and tucked it into his robes.

"Let's go, quickly." As he spoke, he hoisted his staff and started walking.

Light was an advantage in combat, but it could also attract danger.

"Sigh," Brat glanced at the mosquito-bat carcass on the ground, sighed, and picked up his pack to follow.

"Based on my experience as an Adventurer, mosquito-bats are definitely top-tier Magic Materials. It's a waste to leave them behind."

"Let's focus on staying alive first." Anse felt a strange sense of bewilderment; he hadn't expected the seemingly cautious Brat to be so greedy. Was this a common ailment among Adventurers?

"You don't understand. Without money, you can't take a single step." The thought of his entire life's savings vanishing into thin air made Brat's heart ache with every beat.

"We'll figure something out tomorrow."

"This... I just hope we don't run into the Flaming Fist. They never listen to anyone's explanations..."

Crossing the collapsed city wall led to Dust Eagle Mountain, and at the foot of the mountain lay the Outer City—the Rollover Zone. As the two walked, they found no lights and no people.

A day after the disaster, those who could run had already fled.

Anse didn't venture deep into the city, instead following the Chongsa River eastward until he finally spotted a group of refugees at the Cliffside Cemetery.

The two did not linger, continuing their trek into Dust Eagle Mountain. They crossed a ridge and finally stopped after finding a hidden hollow high up in the terrain.

There was a small patch of woodland here, and with the mountain itself acting as a screen, it was enough to block the line of sight of other creatures.

Anse used his staff like a walking stick to ensure no venomous snakes were hiding in the grass, then dropped his pack and plopped onto the ground, exhaling a heavy breath.

"We should be safe now."

Brat placed his pack beside him and used his Longsword to clear the area, simultaneously hacking off branches to set up some simple alarm devices.

Anse possessed Survival Skill and knew a thing or two about wilderness survival, but he didn't move.

Right now, he felt only hunger and exhaustion. His mind was drained; casting a Cantrip was not without its price.