Trevor and his two acolytes were shocked, but very aware of their predicament."Trevor, do we retreat?"
"There"s no point. The person in front of us is strong… If we give up our position, we"ll be tracked down like dogs, since that thing can fly… Plus, the terrain we"re currently in isn"t bad"
They were currently in a small, clear part of the forest where the vegetation wasn"t too dense, allowing them to move unhindered.
Alma and Derrick jumped down from Io"s back and arrived face to face with the opposing group.
"I see you"ve been tracking my friend for a while…"
Derrick"s aura started seeping out, chilling the surrounding air. Alma, who was next to him, s.h.i.+vered and a sense of dread invaded every cell of her body. The only description she managed to a.s.sociate with it was imminent death.
The three men also felt the chilling wave and Trevor, unfazed, advanced in it. The distance between the two groups was 50 meters and when he had closed half of it, he stopped while still facing Derrick.
"You"re the party we"ve been tracking down. We want you to come with us, on the orders of the Official"
Derrick"s heart shattered. This was the most dreadful scenario of all… However, he couldn"t let them see that, so his face remained neutral, to Trevor"s dismay. People usually quivered when the mere mention of an Official was thrown in their direction.
"I see… It"s too bad I don"t take orders…"
Derrick"s answer stunned the man.
"Are you saying you will not comply with a direct order from an Official of the Krakow Empire?!"
Trevor"s tone had suddenly grown fiery and dominating. Failing this mission meant death. Even if he had to drag the other party half-dead, he wouldn"t hesitate. With that in mind, he exploded with a dark and nasty aura, who was instantly answered by Derrick"s.
The clash of both forces created violent gusts, and the two other spies joined Trevor"s, with Alma doing the same.
"System, Appraisal"
[Trevor, 27 years old]
[Cla.s.s : None]
[Strength : 15]
[Agility : 24]
[Endurance : 12]
[Vitality : 8]
[Magic Power : 8]
[Note : a.s.sa.s.sin/Spy. Excels with speed and unseen attacks]
Derrick didn"t bother using Appraisal on the two other men, leaving them to Alma who seemed confident she could stall them long enough for Derrick to finish his fight.
However, he had to say that his opponent"s stats were frightening. It appeared that the Official wanted to meet him badly to send him people of this caliber. It didn"t help that an agility focused person was the bane of a necromancer due to the cla.s.s"s lack of mobility.
Derrick released all his aura to intimidate the spy, but when it reached him, something unexpected occurred. Trevor only… smiled. A smile soon followed by a hearty laugh that even stopped the confrontation between his two subordinates and Alma, who were in a staring contest, waiting for someone to make the first move.
"Your strength is nowhere near the Official. I suggest you come with us before you regret it"
Derrick was surprised to be belittled. Why would someone bring this up right now?
"Perhaps not, but it"s not like you"ll be able to tell him mine… Drako, Cernunnos, come on out"
The gigantic beasts came out of his shadow, chilling the atmosphere further. Their size was so impressive that everyone was tongue-tied, and it took Trevor a few seconds before being able to speak.
"You… You"re a Necromancer!"
Trevor still couldn"t believe his eyes, but it finally all made sense. Why would someone live in this forest with such talent? A necromancer was perceived as sc.u.m of society, and anything they did was evil. It also explained the eerie aura of the creature they had arrived on.
"Human, did you really bring us out for this small fry?"
"Yeah, what"s up with this? We won"t even be able to stretch out"
Drako and Cernunnos began mocking Trevor, who only heard grunts. After all, only Derrick or those with a close bond with him could hear the creatures. Meanwhile, the spy was a.n.a.lyzing the shadowy beasts in front of him, trying to find their weaknesses.
In a single moment, he had been put against the wall, so holding back was not an option anymore.
"You"re better than what I gave you credit for, but… You"re still too weak to go up against him. Do you really plan on opposing us?"
Trevor tried a last ditch effort, hoping to scare Derrick into backing away and complying.
"I didn"t think you were a coward. Enough talking. It"s time for you to go to the other side"
The necromancer"s reb.u.t.tal was so brutal that Trevor wanted to explode in anger, but he had to maintain a cool head. One wrong movement and he would die.
"I guess you"ve made your choice…"
Right when he ended, Trevor shot forward and went between the two beasts, who were caught unprepared and couldn"t react in time. Even Derrick didn"t expect such speed, and he barely managed to get in position to parry the incoming strike.
Trevor"s punch landed unto Derrick"s arms, blasting him backwards until he crashed into the nearby trees. Alma and the two others were astonished by the sudden opening of hostilities, making them enter the fray as well.
"I knew you were fast, but this is on another level…"
Derrick got up, dusted himself off, and walked forward while giving death stares to Drakos and Cernunnos, who lowered their heads in shame. They boasted about their strength only to get immediately humiliated.
Thankfully for them, Derrick was a Necromancer that could honestly be compared to a warrior, so this much damage really was negligible.
The fact that he had mostly come out unscathed also surprised Trevor, forcing him to take out a dagger from his waist. It was time to get serious.
"Don"t fail me again you two. Let"s go!���
Derrick grabbed the sword from his back and leaped forward, followed by the gigantic dragon-like lizard and the half-deer half-bear being. Their charge caused the ground to tremble, as well as Trevor"s soul. This much firepower was definitely impressive.
The first one to strike was Derrick, who swung his sword at Trevor"s throat, intending on severing it in one clean strike. The latter parried with his dagger and darted backwards, readying himself for the next incoming opponent.
"Human, you"re too weak! He"s mine"
Drakos was now excited by the fight, reckoning that an opponent able to blow past him was worthy of his time. With his lacerated teeth and poisonous tongue, he dove forward and tried to bite his foe, but failed once his target simply dashed sideways, far away from his reach. Drako slid on the ground, carried by his momentum before cras.h.i.+ng into the thick and dense vegetation.
"Hahaha you fat lizard! Leave him to me"
The Les.h.i.+ couldn"t help but mock Drako"s attempt after all his shameless boasting. Drako"s response was simply a load roar, humiliated that he had been dodged this easily.
Cernunnos, however, had learned from what he had just seen. It appeared that underestimating their opponent was a bad idea in this instance. It was time to use its trait and one of his trump cards : Deer Charge.
The Les.h.i.+ lowered its head and started "charging", which alarmed Trevor. His gut told him that if that beast came at him with that, he would be in grave danger.
With that a.s.sumption, he leaped forward and charged at Cernunnos.
The distance separating them was closed in a mere second, and the man was already cutting through its tendons and ligaments, making the beast fall to the ground in a howl of agony.
Derrick couldn"t believe what was happening. Was this the strength of agility users?