Chương 28: Chapter 27: Preparation

After Annie and Jakob woke up, Thalion transformed into a shadowstalker and moved toward another marked cross on the map. He discovered one fortunate feature: his map updated daily, as if it were connected to a cloud-based network or similar technology. After an hour of navigating the jungle's undergrowth, he came to a small clearing filled with blooming midnight sunroses.

"This is just perfect," he thought. There were even four people, all from Veridara, with no slaves in sight. Thalion hid behind a clump of ivy with pink bioluminescent flowers, patiently watching for three hours as the workers harvested the midnight sunroses, occasionally grumbling about why a slave couldn't handle the task. When they finished and had collected all flowers of level 19 or higher in their spatial rings, they turned to leave but didn't get far as a giant beast attacked them.

Defeating the workers wasn't hard; his ambushes were so efficient that only one of them managed to wound him, but his injury was already healing. Thalion transformed into his human form and fed them to the sanguine thorn, which was clearly irritated since he hadn't fed it the day before, despite all the beasts he had slain on the grassland near the river. Next, he checked their spatial rings. First, he built a small hill from the flowers. Besides the flowers and their weapons, the storage was empty.

However, they had an identical map showing the position of multiple farming spots. It took him considerably longer to consume these flowers than the last set, their higher level likely made the difference. Satisfied, he placed the drained corpses in his spatial ring and returned to the grassland. Annie and Jakob had been battling creatures for hours, and their efforts had paid off as both reached level 23. They began by tackling bonespike boars, then moved on to cursed wolves.

The wolves got some kind of blood curse that rose from their skin, requiring caution not to breathe in their mist, but a wave of water reliably cleared the air of poison. Annie had gained a movement ability that allowed her to surf on a tidal wave—an exciting, if short-lived, skill with a high mana cost. Jakob's new skill was similar, making the earth under his feet moved in the direction he willed.

Jakob also acquired a skill to harden his fists and another that launched a rock spike from the ground, enabling him to target the soft underbellies of most beasts. They watched peacefully as the beasts grazed on the grass. One peculiar thing they noticed was that mudwallers seemed fearful of the water, entering only the shallow shores and never venturing deeper despite their strength. Annie suspected a powerful creature lurked in the river depths, but it didn't matter to them.

They wouldn't risk their lives anyway. Then they saw it: a massive ship moving up the river. The entire vessel was made of a mysterious blue metal and lacked sails. How was it moving so quickly against the current? On deck, she saw her former owner—a young woman with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. They had probably found the cuffs and were now heading upstream to search for clues. Annie gestured for Jakob to lie low as she spotted someone pointing toward the dead animals.

Her heart sank as the ship came to a halt, and several figures observed the grassland. Jakob used a spell to bury them just enough to ensure they wouldn't be seen. After a tense moment, the ship continued upstream. Jakob and Annie both exhaled, relieved. This could have ended badly. Good that they had always watched the river, just in case that the blue robes came for them. The slave cuffs must have traveled kilometers down with the strong current, so they really must have been desperate or very angry.

"Let's skip another round of hunting; they might come back," Jakob said, sounding worried.

"I agree. Let's head back to the tree," Annie replied. <-- Nerissa's fury was palpable—a storm of rage threatening to consume everything in its path. The day had been a series of humiliations and setbacks, each one fueling her wrath. First, a delay forced them to wait an entire day to travel upstream because of more escaped slaves. The mere thought of those miserable creatures escaping her grasp made her blood boil.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. She had taken every precaution, yet somehow, these pathetic humans had slipped away. Their audacity was infuriating. Even worse, they had thrown their slave cuffs into the river, cutting off her only means of tracking them. The current carried the cuffs far downstream, beyond her reach, along with any hope of reclaiming the slaves.

Nerissa stood on the riverbank, narrowing her eyes as she watched the lazy flow of the water. Sunlight glinted mockingly off the surface. She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms, imagining the slaves' terrified faces. They would pay for this, every last one. Weak, insignificant creatures—how dare they defy her? It was unforgivable. The hunt had provided some consolation.

The river teemed with beasts, and she took out her frustration by slaughtering several of the largest ones that dared to cross her path. Their blood stained the water a deep crimson, their bodies drifting downstream, feeding the jungle's life cycle. The kills were satisfying, and the experience points brought her closer to her next evolution, yet even this victory was hollow—she hadn't killed her runaway slaves but mere beasts.

Earlier, when she reached the grassland, she found the scattered carcasses of large creatures, their bodies shattered and torn apart. Initially puzzled, she quickly dismissed the idea that slaves were responsible. They were far too weak to fell such formidable beasts. Someone or something else hunted in these lands. But who? Or what? Nerissa's thoughts churned as she barked orders at her subordinates.

"We're turning back. Head to the city," she commanded with cold authority. Her soldiers and lesser mages snapped to attention, quickly relaying her orders. They knew better than provoking her in this mood. The journey back to the city would take most of the day. In three days, they would teleport to the next stage. Moving on should have filled Nerissa with anticipation, but instead, it grated on her. They couldn't take the slaves with them, which meant she'd have to dispose them first.

Killing all the slaves would be a logistical nightmare. There were too many; if they sensed their fate, they might resist or flee complicating matters even more. The thought of those useless humans causing her any further trouble was intolerable. She needed the disposal to be efficient, swift, and leave no loose ends. Nerissa's mind whirred, calculating her next steps. They'd need to gather the slaves in one place under the pretense of preparing for transport.

Her most trusted lieutenants would oversee the operation, ensuring the slaves were disarmed, isolated, and utterly hopeless before the killing began. Mercy was for the weak, and Nerissa was anything but weak. As they made their way back through the dense jungle, Nerissa's mood grew darker with each passing hour. The jungle was alive with distant roars, rustling leaves, and occasional cries of creatures meeting their end.

But beneath it all, a tension lingered, that something was watching, waiting for the right moment to strike. Nerissa dismissed it as paranoia. She had more pressing concerns. She focused on the task ahead, eliminating the slaves and preparing her forces for the next stage. Yet, no matter how much she pushed it aside, the feeling persisted, a shadow at the edge of her consciousness. Her thoughts were interrupted by her lieutenant, a tall, imposing man named Varik.

With a respectful bow, he approached, his face a professional mask with an undercurrent of unease.

"My lady," Varik began cautiously, "preparations for the slave disposal are underway, but there's been... a development." Nerissa's eyes narrowed, her patience already fraying.

"What kind of development?"

"Our scouts report that the escaped slaves may have received outside help. We found traces of powerful magic near their last position, magic beyond anything they could produce." Nerissa's anger flared anew, this time mixed with curiosity.

"Magic, you say. What kind?"

"Unknown," Varik replied, "but strong. It seems another force is at play, something or someone we haven't encountered." Nerissa's mind raced. Could this be the same force that slaughtered the grassland beasts? Whoever or whatever it was, they had power and were interfering with her plans. Unacceptable.

"Find out who or what is responsible," Nerissa ordered icily.

"And when you do, bring them to me. I want to know who dares meddle in my affairs." Varik bowed again; his expression grim.

"As you command, my lady." As he left to carry out her orders, Nerissa turned her gaze back to the jungle, her eyes hard with determination. Whoever was behind this would soon learn the price of crossing her. She would crush them, just as she would crush anyone who stood in her way. The days ahead promised blood and death, and Nerissa was more than ready to unleash her wrath upon those who had dared to defy her.