At the foot of the mountain, an open space
Four pairs of eyes met.
Then, in the next instant, the figure that had just darted out from the woods ran back into the woods in a panic.
"No, this..."
Black Whiskers stared at that spot, somewhat bewildered.
It initially thought that some guy had come from there on business, or that a new Black Rat had joined the patrol and, unfamiliar with the area, had wandered over here.
But, the result...
Not one of their clan's Calamity Beast? And there are two of them...?
Before it could think any further, an angry voice came from the side.
"Damn it, I knew these guys wouldn't behave!" Broken Tooth stood up from the ground, his lips twitching slightly.
Having said that, it went straight to the point:
"You stay here and watch over them, I'll go take care of them and come right back!"
"Wait, what are you doing?" Black Whiskers shouted instinctively.
"Hmm?" Broken Tooth frowned and looked over. "Of course, we're going to catch these guys who are trying to escape. What? Is there a problem?"
Black Whiskers opened his mouth, then hesitated for a moment, speechless.
It just shouted out subconsciously; it hadn't thought of a reason.
Fortunately, the reason wasn't hard to come up with.
It spoke, "Our mission is only to guard the temple; nothing else is included!"
"Of course I know that, but are we just going to stand by and watch them get away from us?" Broken Tooth said, his anger blazing.
"... Alright, let's send someone back to inform Lord Black Spine and the others!" Black Whiskers said after a moment's thought.
"By the time Lord Black Spine and the others receive the message and send their people over, these guys will have already vanished! Catching them then will only be harder!" Broken Tooth frowned at Black Whiskers, his tone somber. "If we don't want that, then we'll have to let Lord Black Spine and the others chase after them themselves. With their Fifth Tier status, even if those guys have been running for a long time, catching them shouldn't be too difficult, but..."
The conversation ended there, and no further words were spoken.
Black Whiskers stood there silently.
It didn't say anything more, but it understood.
If that's the case, then they will most likely be punished by Lord Black Whiskers!
It has nothing to do with anything else, it's just that they made a big deal out of something that was originally a very small matter that they could have handled themselves!
but...
"So, as I said, you all stay here, and I'll go over myself! That way, we can continue to guard the temple and prevent these guys from escaping! We might even get praised by Lord Black Spine and the others for this!" Broken Tooth said, seizing the opportunity when he saw Black Whiskers hesitate.
After hesitating for a moment, Black Whiskers nodded and said...
"Alright, you take ten tribesmen and go after them. That way it'll be safer!"
Broken Tooth grinned, nonchalantly saying, "No, no need. There are only two of them. I can handle it all by myself!"
"You only see two, that doesn't mean there are really only two!" Black Whiskers said.
"Heh, you're overthinking it. We're keeping such a tight watch on them now. Let alone more, even just those two... to be honest, I'm a little curious how they managed to escape!"
There was no response; Black Whiskers remained silent.
To be honest, it also didn't quite understand how those two guys managed to escape from their grasp, but now was not the time to dwell on that.
"Have you forgotten what happened last time?" Black Whiskers said in a deep voice.
Upon hearing this, Broken Tooth finally paused.
"... If I take it with me, what will happen here?"
"Don't worry, just like you said, with us keeping an eye on them now, it's impossible for so many of them to get out!" Black Whiskers said.
"Besides, their primary goal when they come out is probably to escape, not to do anything else."
"If we're trying to escape, even if we all leave, there shouldn't be any major problems."
Broken Tooth nodded in deep agreement, then grinned broadly.
"Okay, I'm off then!"
Having said that, it turned to the other Black Rat that had been watching them and said...
"Quick, this way, this way, and this way! Follow me, let's go after those two runaway guys!"
"Chirp--!"
Cheers erupted.
The Black Rat that were chosen were overjoyed, while those that weren't chosen looked utterly dejected.
This was a really tough game segment!
However, Black Whiskers clearly didn't seem to care.
It watched the figure, blade after blade, disappear into the distance, lost in thought.
As time went by, its brows furrowed more and more tightly.
finally.
It turned its head to look at a Tier 3 Black Rat, raised its hand and beckoned...
" Single Fang, come here!"
"Lord Black Whiskers, is there something you need?" Black Rat, whose name had been called, quickly trotted over.
"You, go back now and tell Lord Black Spine what happened here, and tell them how we did it!" Black Whiskers said quickly.
"Hmm? Why?" the Black Rat asked, puzzled.
The other Black Rat around him also looked at Black Whiskers with some confusion.
"This is none of your business, get to it now!" Black Whiskers said with a stern face.
Seeing this, the Black Rat shrank back, quickly responded, and then ran towards the direction of its territory.
Black Whiskers frowned as he stared in that direction.
Seeing this, a Black Rat cautiously approached.
" Black Whiskers, what happened just now?!"
The other Black Rat, who had been watching this area closely, strained their ears and listened intently.
Black Whiskers his gaze toward the approaching Black Rat.
He paused, opened his mouth, but did not reply; instead, he said...
"You're coming too..."
In the dense forest where a sliver of light had already appeared.
The ' Rock-Backed Beast ' silently gazed into the distance.
There, several Black Rat, one after another, moved in different directions.
"Damn it, is this the worst-case scenario?"
The Two-Horned Lizard's mouth twitched slightly.
It should have been happy about this, since it meant their workload would be lighter.
The problem is, they and those few humans are now practically bound by fate!
The fact that several Calamity Beast were sent out here means that the original plan to ambush them halfway through the journey has failed.
Now, it really is a race against time with those guys!
"Lord Two-Horned Lizard!"
A low growl could be heard from the side.
The Two-Horned Lizard glanced at the eight Calamity Beast beside it, then turned its gaze back to the dozen or so Black Rat that remained in the distance.
Among them, there was also a Fourth Tier one.
It took a deep breath and said,
"Let's go. Whether this works or not depends on this. Remember, don't get too close, but don't stray too far either, understand?!"
"Yes!"
"Yes..."
A series of low gasps responded.
The Two-Horned Lizard turned its head and looked at the Black Rat guarding the cave in the distance, saying:
"Alright, let's begin!"
Whether we survive or not depends on our fate...
Black Whiskers, who had been frowning and gazing in the direction of the clan's territory in front of the cave, suddenly paused, his gaze seemingly drawn to something, looking in a certain direction.
Then, his expression calmed down.
Some of the surrounding Black Rat noticed its situation, while others, noticing it on their own, looked over.
Then, there were reactions of excitement, surprise, anger, or solemnity...
In their field of vision, one after another, Calamity Beast cautiously approached their location...