Rendalin who was tightly locked in the middle of a fight with the tier two Iron maw felt a sharp sting in his chest. He wasn't all that much of a fighter not to mention the Iron maw had tough skin further dragging out the fight.
He had just delivered a deadly blow to the creature with his daggers which were laced with poison. At first, he couldn't penetrate the hard skin of the creature but after a while, he noticed a weakness it possessed.
It seemed suicidal what he was about to attempt but he was out of options thus he had to give it a shot.
As the creature lept up to attack aiming for his head, he shifted his body to the left but the Iron maw seemed to have expected this and stretched out its paws out.
A hit from that would severely destabilize a fighter and wound other creatures thus he made a platform with his mana and jumped into the air before pushing himself downwards towards the Iron maw. The creature not anticipating this was left charging towards a tree and caught off guard…
*Stab*
He was able to make a pierce at the creature's right eye pushing it deeper till it came out of its mouth. The jelly like parts of the creature weren't coated with the iron such as the eyes along with other orifices such as the ears, nose and the mouth.
The creature let out a sharp cry of pain, roaring furiously as Rendalin retreated a couple of steps back. He knew the poison would affect the creature, it was only a matter of time but least to his expectations, a blade like substance pierced through his heart.
Looking back, he saw Hilda with a cold smile on her face as numerous Iron maws lay around her along with three other tier experts. The Iron maw took this chance and lunged at Rendalin who was in stupor.
The two fell to the ground as Rendalin tried to push the creature off him but its weight proved too heavy for him. It was equivalent to that of a fully grown cow due to its size not to mention the iron coating made it even heavier.
Eventually he was mauled to death by the creature with his skull shattered to bits and his brains splattering all over.
The Iron Maw however didn't take that much reverie in it as it felt the poison coursing through its body.
It was clear that it would drop in a matter of minutes. Hilda on the other hand grabbed Rendalin's dagger before her silhouette disappeared into the forest. Hunting the other member wasn't that hard as there was a commotion drawing attention.
She waited till the other member party tired herself before swooping in for the kill. "Why would you do this?" A faint voice rang out before a body dropped to the ground.
At first, she thought that killing would be a jarring thing that would scar her for life but after claiming Rendalin's life, it wasn't dread that consumed her but rather an agonizing pang of guilt. She had never killed before and seeing it through her own eyes, it was terrifying.
Despite the smile that she upholdered, inside she was deeply troubled but she tried to numb this feeling by searching for some herbal plants. It didn't take long before she made her way back to the camp with the necessary items and discarding the dagger.
She was quizzed as to what had happened to which she played it off as an attack from some Iron Maws. Seeing the horror on her face, the interrogation was dropped and later on, the other parties made their arrival back at the camp.
It wasn't just Rendalin's party that lost some members as Cormic's did as well losing two in the process. Lysander's group was the last to come back which weirdly still had a full number of five making the scene ironic.
The medicinal herbs that she had brought along with some of the potions that she had in her inventory was able to heal most of those who were ridden with injuries. Orsen observed the entire scene unfold before night soon fell.
"We can't stay on this mountain!" A voice came from the Lysander's tent. "We will have to keep on going with our journey regardless of the troubles we face." Juskar said the realization hit them all.
Staying at the range was basically waiting for their deaths. They had to keep on going with their travel regardless of their state and it had to be tomorrow. Should there be a tier three Cromwoods, then the damages inflicted to the caravan would be devastating.
The very next day, they set off out of the range and went deeper into the range.
"You have a guilty conscience." Orsen said as he was on the coachman seat along with Hilda who seemed distraught. Her pace of meditation had slowed significantly which raised concern from Orsen.
"Focusing on your past won't help you advance with your path. You should know that there are still more deaths to be done but if you are not up for the job then I understand." Orsen said calmly as he observed ahead.
"I understand. It's just that their faces as they died makes me question my morality." Orsen let out a small laughter as he heard that. "There is your problem. It's your standards society had imparted onto you that killing is wrong. Treat it as a weakness because if you don't then it will be your demise."
"Here." He motioned as he gave her a small vial. "It should help with the guilt." Hilda perked up as she saw the vial. At first, she had thought that killing was easy but now, the guilt was burning deep within her.
She contemplated at her choices that she had made ever since she embarked on this journey.
[{She is going to betray you.}]
Hedon rang through his mind. Even he could feel that she was second guessing her options before she left her seat and went into the carriage.
[{Let's see what decision she will make}]
Orsen rang back at Hedon. As his system took over his body, he once again tried to give the Oddity Complex a chance.
[{#*%#$&$*^&^(&(*(+&*!@#$%#&%$^%}]
'Another failure.' He had been trying to decipher the Oddity Complex numerous times but it remained resolute to his methods. From brute force of his skills to intelligence, both paths had resulted in one word, failure.
He sighed as he observed the gaping maw of the void in his castle. Making his way deep inside the castle, a grand hall appeared and three chairs had manifested themselves. Hedon was casually seated in his as a lump of flesh floated in front of him.
Looking closer, it was Orsen's heart. "What did you need my heart for anyway?" He quizzed as he drew closer to Hedon who had his eyes closed. He was adorned in red garments that gave off an enigmatic feeling to them with his face drowned in darkness however he could perceive through that darkness.
A dashing visage came into light, sharp red eyes with a playful and carefree smile etched on his face. Beyond that, his hair was magenta black with a red dye infused into it and a well-built physique. Orsen knew beyond that godlike appearance, a devil lay underneath.
His charms could ensnare any lady that would cast so much as a glance in his direction. Hedon pulled down his robes exposing this figure. In comparison to Hedon, Orsen seemed painstakingly average with his hazelnut hair, brown eyes and flat tummy with barely any packs visible.
As for the heart, Hedon dissected it into a million pieces before regenerating it forming a new body that seemed to resemble his own.
"Might as well join in the fun." He said jokingly. "When?" Orsen asked as they made their way out of the castle and an infinite black void of a horizon came into sight. "Soon." Hedon said as his robes fell to the ground and the body gained life.
"Just don't do anything out of hand." Orsen said as he looked at the void. A calming feeling washed over him as he felt being watched by it which came off as bizarre to him. "I can't make any promises, Andrew or should I say Orsen."
Orsen ignored that remark as they continued to watch the void. "What about Hilda?" Hedon raised another question. "Handling that won't be a problem. Besides, the choice lies with her." Orsen concluded before he left.
…
From then on, a couple of days elapsed as they went deeper and deeper into the forest. Their luck seemed to be turning around for the better before they ran into another problem. Unfortunately for them, they ran into a pack of Ironmaws and Cromwoods however their situation was beneficial for them.
A clash had ensued between the two creatures. Ironmaws were extremely territorial creatures thus with the immigration of the Cromwoods into their territory sparked a rivalry which descended into war between the two sides.
This made the overall situation to be even more chaotic as the sounds of these creatures could be heard throughout the forest which would cause a disturbance resulting with even more creatures becoming more active.
This was a two edged sword for the caravan. At times they would encounter a fleet or pack or Cromwoods or Ironmaws which were severely wounded and they would take the profits or they would engage a fleet themselves and another side would intervene sandwiching them in the middle.
To offer more help to the caravan, Hilda ended exposing her actual rank as a tier three on the second array which caused discourse as a powerful expert was lying in their midst and earlier on, they did nothing but watch the events unfold.
But on the other hand this meant that they would have a higher chance of surviving. They thought that Orsen was a hidden expert however they ended up disappointed when he was just a tier two expert.
Orsen's reaction to this was brushed off. He could understand Hilda's choices and never bothered on changing her beliefs. She had made her decision and he wasn't going to change it in the slightest. The number of the Caravaneers dropped once more but it wasn't as severe from 60 to 52.
Those who had passed away were either regular mortals or injured lacking the hunter's instinct to survive perilous situations. 'She's using her good deeds as a form of justification. Trying to hide what she had done.'
Orsen had concluded as he observed Hilda's actions. Her guilt was eating her alive and this was the only way she saw that she could pay for her wrong doings. He had overestimated her moral compass on being so strong but what he was mostly interested in was her choice.
She had made it even though she herself was unaware the test she had been subjected to by Orsen. 'So she didn't take the vial.' He had concluded long ago but all of that was in the past and he didn't like tunnel visioning himself on what had happened but focused on what was to come.
Their hellish torture seemed to come to an end as during their travels, they came across a hamlet. A small community with about two hundred people present. Luckily for them, they were friendly and allowed them to stay.
They took this chance to resupply on their resources and rest for a while. During their travels, most of their goods that they had been shipping had been damaged thus a lot of people experienced a lot of losses.
It was dark out and the stars were shining as Orsen sat at the campfire as he reveled in the silence. Calming and relaxing as it has always proven to him before it was intruded by Hilda.
For the past couple of days, the two hadn't been communicating as Hilda was dumped the work of a Caravan Vice leader not to mention other matters affecting the caravan as well. Orsen didn't mind the isolation while Hilda felt that she was finally paying off her price.
From the people present, they had been given directions to the closest kingdom which so happened to be their destination.
"Do you feel like you have finally paid off your debt?" Orsen asked as he stared into the fire. He didn't cast a single glance at Hilda. She could feel the banality in his words.
They lacked interest or motive, the same way he would address others was the same way she was now been addressed. "I have come to a realization of my own. I would like my own freedom, no longer taking orders from you."
"Very well."
*Snap*
Orsen said as he snapped his fingers before getting up and heading in his carriage for some shuteye.