Saving People

Eric ran frantically, having long since forgotten what it felt like to be tired. His mind held only one thought: reach Darnassus as quickly as possible and summon reinforcements to save his boss.

The site of the caravan ambush was not far from Darnassus, and after running for a while, Eric could already see the city gates. He had always heard people talk about "using every ounce of strength," and today he finally understood what that felt like. The usual terms like "exhausted" could no longer describe his state; in truth, he had no feeling left at all. First came the extreme tension of the ambush, followed by the desperate, high-speed sprint that had drained his stamina completely. That he could still move forward was entirely due to the single belief driving him.

I see the gates, I see the gates! Eric cheered himself on internally. Almost there, hold on! The boss and the others are still in danger!

"Andy, we've had quite a haul today!" Hilar walked alongside Andy. Regarding the incident with Larsen a while back, Hilar had already explained things to Andy. Though he didn't know why he felt the need to explain it, he simply felt it was necessary. Andy had only smiled faintly upon hearing it; as for Larsen, that man who thought himself a genius, Andy couldn't be bothered to lower himself to his level. He would get his comeuppance eventually.

"Indeed, the harvest is good today. It seems my combat techniques have improved once again," Andy said with a smile.

"It looks like we have no choice but to head back to the city first; we won't be able to carry any more if we continue," Hilar added, also smiling. "I think I'll have to beg our teacher for a magic bag when I get the chance."

Andy chuckled and took the lead, heading out of the dense forest.

Eric's entire body was numb. He wanted to shout while running to attract attention, but he could no longer hear his own voice; his ears were filled with a constant buzzing. Perhaps the sounds he was making were nothing more than faint groans. Eric continued to struggle forward, his vision blurring more and more. He suddenly felt that the Darnassus city gates, which should have been within reach, were now impossibly far away.

"Is anyone there!" Eric let out a barely audible sound, then his foot slipped, and his entire body collapsed onto the ground like a discarded sack, kicking up a cloud of dust.

In Eric's eyes, two figures were drawing closer, but he could no longer hear a thing. A hazy beam of light shone over his body for a few seconds before dissipating.

"Wake up!" Andy slapped Eric's face and shouted loudly.

"Andy, let me try again!" Hilar said, casting another beam of light. A hazy green mist of light enveloped Eric for a few seconds, and Andy tried once more to rouse the man who was losing consciousness.

"It's no use. My restoration spell isn't as good as the senior brother's. I don't know if he'll wake up!" Hilar's expression grew anxious.

Suddenly, Eric, whose head was being held up by Andy, opened his eyes slightly and muttered in an extremely weak voice: "Boss... the boss and the others... are in danger..."

Andy pressed his ear close to Eric's mouth, straining to hear the message, and cried out in alarm: "Where are they?"

But Eric went still, as if he had exhausted his very last shred of strength. "Hilar, take him back to the city first. He came from this road, so I'll head down it to check the situation!" Andy stood up and said.

"Alright, be careful," Hilar nodded. "If it's too much, don't force it—wait for me to come back!"

Andy agreed, placed Eric onto Hilar, who had transformed into his panther form, slung his bow over his shoulder, and sprinted down the path Eric had come from.

"Spirit, lock onto a position!" Andy commanded the Monster Spirit in his mind.

"I protest! You can't keep treating me like some piece of electronic equipment! First an alarm clock, and now a GPS!" the Monster Spirit grumbled in Andy's head.

"Protest my foot!" Andy cursed. "Saving lives is more important!"

Though the Monster Spirit liked to complain, it did its job well: "They are just ahead, but I suggest you think carefully before you strike!"

Andy didn't ask what the situation was, as he could already see the scene of the incident. Several cargo wagons were scattered along the roadside, and people were sprawled on the ground in disarray, their fates unknown. A circle of monsters with bear heads, wielding stone weapons, were smashing violently at the center of the group, and from time to time, someone would let out a pained cry.

Hawkins' heart had sunk to the bottom. Looking at the situation, he feared he wouldn't be able to wait for Eric to bring reinforcements. Several of his brothers were already lying at his feet, and every minute, another would cry out and fall. These men were his loyal veterans, and each of them was currently using their life to protect him.

Hawkins was filled with questions. These bear-men had never attacked elves before; they relied on the elves for their survival. Although they lacked their own language and culture, they had developed into tribal groups and had always lived in the dense forest. What had caused them to become like this today, attacking his group with such feral, relentless intensity?

These questions turned into a surge of angry strength when the middle-aged driver let out a pained roar and collapsed before Hawkins. His longsword instantly pierced the chest of a bear-man. The creature, its chest run through, let out a howl, dropped its weapon, and grabbed Hawkins, lifting him high above its head, intending to throw him into the deep ditch by the road.

"Roar!" With a short, sharp cry, Hawkins, who had already closed his eyes, felt as if he had been dropped back onto the ground. He hurriedly opened his eyes. A streak of light, shimmering with deep green energy, instantly pierced the throat of another bear-man. The creature clawed at the arrow stuck in its neck, struggling to pull it out, but its movements ended right there!

Hawkins thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but when he saw a second and third arrow, he realized that those of them remaining had been saved—reinforcements had arrived!

Andy did not rush in blindly. He first placed a trap five meters in front of a large tree at the edge of the forest, then used the method Nathas had taught him to imbue the trap with magical power—a task that required the assistance of the Monster Spirit. He hid behind the large tree, drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and took aim!

The bear-men fell three or four at a time, momentarily stunned. There were only about thirty of them in total, and having already lost a dozen to these elves, the survivors were blinded by bloodlust. In the blink of an eye, several more fell. One of the bear-men waved its claws and roared toward where Andy was hiding, and a few of them immediately broke off, howling as they charged toward him.

Andy used the distance to shoot down three more, but the bear-men were already upon him. One of them was very unlucky, stepping into Andy's trap and instantly turning into a large block of ice. The remaining bear-men shouted, their stone weapons raining down toward Andy's head.

Andy let out a shout, rolled on the ground to dodge the attack, scrambled to his feet, and ran out of the forest to quickly put distance between himself and the bear-men. He ran in the direction of the group still attacking Hawkins, firing arrows as he went, though he couldn't guarantee his accuracy. The leader of the bear-men was stunned; seeing an elf break through the blockade and run toward him, he grew furious. "Little ones, charge!"

Hawkins' spirits, which had just lifted, sank instantly. Why was there only one person? Where were the reinforcements he was promised? Where was the main force? Hawkins felt like he was going to faint again. Could it be that even the Moon Goddess was no longer watching over them?

Andy kicked a bear-man that had rushed to his side, used it as a stepping stone to leap high into the air, and his pitch-black, gleaming bow seemed to emit a faint light. An arrow whistled through the air, accompanied by a spray of blood, and accurately pierced the throat of the bear-man leader.

The leader likely never understood, even in death, how this seemingly thin elf could jump so high or shoot him so accurately while in mid-air. This scene shocked not only the remaining bear-men but also the victim, Hawkins. Who was this person, and how was he so powerful?

Seeing their leader dead, the remaining bear-men let out a cry, dropped their weapons, and scattered in all directions.

Andy gave the retreating bear-men the middle finger and cursed: "A bunch of bastards, let's see if you dare come out again!"