Chương 93: Chapter 98: Ultimatum

"Careful! More are coming from the back!" shouted someone in the middle of the group. Melissa's barriers snapped into existence in front of a crafter who cowered behind them; the construct cracked, but held. A few yards further back, Frederick used his own body to shield his son. Three lybi shattered against his bare back while he grunted; those would leave nasty bruises if we didn't have plenty of healing potion available.

As predicted, passing through lybi territory wasn't exactly a stroll in the park for the group. We were managing, but there had been wounded, one of them seriously so. The doctor got hit in the leg, and while the monster hadn't ripped the limb off completely, it still tore away most of his thigh muscle. Mary's skills and a potion stabilized him, but he was still unconscious from blood loss, so we had to load him onto a cart. Fortunately, we had finally managed to find a formation of sorts that covered all angles.

The little stony birds weren't stupid; they quickly noticed our defenses were mostly directed toward the cliff face, so they circled around and started peppering us from every side. In retrospect it was a mistake, but it was something that hadn't happened when it was only me and Rhea yesterday. Another clear sign that difficulty escalated when moving in a group.

"Hold on a little longer! We're almost out!" I shouted. We were moving fast, just not as fast as I would have liked. It was already midday, and our speed had slowed to a crawl once we entered the birds' territory. Still, this was the final stretch before exiting the damn forest. I really hoped the town had water, or we would be in serious trouble. Food, at least, wasn't hard to come by.

For some reason venison roamed freely, and with Marcus among us we would never starve, even if the lack of variety and spices was getting old. Another wave of birds dove from the trees. Some crashed directly onto us from above, while others skimmed low and slammed into our defenses from the sides. I manifested my aura in a semicircle around me, Rhea, and Alya. The birds shattered against it without so much as a ripple, even while I held my mace.

With no real challenge and no chance of gaining achievements during this march, I decided to train my curse resistance and try to push my trait further. One day of effort would not make a huge difference, but it was a start. I could feel how difficult it would be to advance now. The trait felt deeply rooted, almost stubborn, as if it resisted further change. It needed something stronger than the basic curses I had been taking back onto myself.

The one in the mace, though, when it compounded with the grimoire curse and the others, that was still too much. Even with my resistance, I could not endure it for long. So I practiced in cycles. I held the mace and endured the curses. I even smashed a few lybi in melee just to test myself. Then, once the effects became unbearable, I hung the weapon back at my belt and redistributed the curses into the figurines. It was miserable work, but it was paying off.

My control over the curses was improving, along with my resistance. I kept careful track of time, and after half a day I could endure the full set for roughly an extra minute. Progress. Beside me, Marco raised his shield and two birds shattered against it, but the impact still sent him sprawling to the ground. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Motherfuckers, stupid fucking BIRDS! I swear if it wasn't for the experience I'd ditch this shit and go on my own! A bunch of fucking pussies who can't protect themselves, and we're doing all the work while they stroll around like nothing's wrong! This is fucking ridiculous…" I turned toward him as he scrambled up.

"Marco, drop it."

"What? Did I say something wrong? Are you fine with all this? I honestly don't get you. You've got the power to be treated like a king. Instead you coddle everyone and talk and talk and talk. Why don't you just take charge like you should? Keep the useful people and stop acting like some do-gooder. Is it morals? Or trying to look good for the girls? You don't need to go the long way around for that, you know? IT'S THE LAW OF THE JUNGLE HERE!" He finished, panting. The entire group stared at him in stunned silence.

Beside me, I felt Alya's aura flaring violently. I could feel the fury rolling off her. I raised an arm to block her path. She looked at me in disbelief.

"Let me deal with it," I murmured. I stepped forward and opened the floodgates of my own aura. It spilled from my feet, racing across the ground, circling the entire group before rising upward and sealing us inside a grey dome. The world outside it looked monochrome now, it strained me to maintain it, but I held. The attacking lybis shattered uselessly against the barrier. People looked around in awe. I took another step forward, infusing my eyes with a thin sliver of aura, and fixed Marco with my gaze.

"You're absolutely right," I said. He flinched.

"But only about a couple of things… it is the law of the jungle here, and I do have the power to make everyone obey. So that's exactly what I will do." I empowered my eyes a tad bit more.

"From now on, I don't want to hear any more complaints from you, especially anything that could turn us against each other. If you want to leave, you're free to do so. Honestly, I encourage it. But if you do so, you leave now and you leave my shield behind." He grimaced as I intensified the aura in my eyes even more.

"As for the non-combatants, they have proven more useful than you. They helped us secure millions of points' worth of potion. They fought. They bled. Skipping rotation today was my decision, so deal with it." I stepped closer, now pouring as much aura as I could into my gaze. He collapsed to the ground, staring at me like death itself stood before him.

"One last thing. If you or anyone else," I briefly glanced toward Mark, the other man Rhea had warned me about, "ever try to molest anyone, I swear I will curse you so deeply that even after I kill you, you will rise again as a revenant, and I will repeat the process until your very soul finds no peace." You know what? I'm tired of this shit. Marionette of Regret. Something flickered inside Marco's shadow. His expression twisted from terror into defiance.

"Well then, fuck you, Elias! You may be stronger now, but that won't always be true! Staying with this bunch of weaklings was a mistake, it just slowed me down. I'm better off alone. See you in town, fucktards! And keep your stupid shield, I don't need it." He hurled it at my feet. Then, trembling, he staggered to the edge of the barrier and pushed against it, uselessly.

"One last thing, Marco. If you ever act against us, I promise you won't even get the chance to regret it." He glared at me. I held his stare until he was forced to look away. Then I opened a narrow passage. The moment he stepped through, he broke into a run, disappearing into the trees while trying to avoid the lybi. I turned back to the group.

"Anyone have something to say?" Some looked relieved while others just anxious. Alya stepped forward.

"Good riddance. That's all I have to say about him." I waited, but no one else spoke.

"Good. Back into position. I'm dropping the shield in ten seconds. Move out. We're close to the town." We advanced again. Morale as a whole had taken a hit, but the women looked excited instead, whispering among themselves. I had not realized the tension had run so deep. It did not matter. I had kept my promise to Rhea. And I had rid myself of Marco fucking Turetta. Now all that remained was reaching the town. The final stretch felt endless, but eventually we crossed out of lybi territory.

A few hours later, the forest thinned, giving way to a field of cut stumps. At last, the town appeared in the distance. Let's see what we're dealing with.