"Siapa itu?!"
Leo terkesiap oleh suara yang kasar itu yang tentu tidak manusiawi.
"Heh, akhirnya datang," kata Leo dengan gemetar.
Ia sudah merasakan mereka sejak lama, tapi menunggu mereka membuat gerakan pertama.
Ini adalah sekelompok 6 Orang Kereka Angin. Setiap orang berbadan besar antara 5’7" hingga 7’5", kulit mereka hitam-karbon menyerupai pasir basalt yang sudah retak. Garis-merah tipis bercahaya redup bertabrakan di skrnda di leher dan bahu, seolah-terakhta batu meleleh mengalir di bawah kulit mereka.
Iglos kelabu-nikmat mengeras menyempur dari tulang mereka, dan mata mereka berwarna kuning dengan sudut retak tetap mengabulkan sebagai menganalisis mereka. Setiap kaki berkerucut berujung pada cakar yang sempurna untuk memegang tanah yang tajam di Padang Pasir Abadi.
*pic*
Yang berteriak tadi adalah yang paling pendek, hanya berabadur 5’7". Tidak hanya dia, tapi dua Lizardmen yang lain juga berbadan tubuh serupa, hanya sedikit lebih tinggi.
Tiga yang paling belakang menggunakan langkah yang tenang dan Percaya Diri, badan mereka memancarkan aura pejuang berpengalaman. Di antara mereka, yang paling tinggi berabadur 7’5" memiliki aura orang bertingkat 3-bintang Menengah.
Mereka membawa tombak dengan kepala metalik dan mendekati secara berderap kelompok Leo.
Baik Naelith maupun Lyswenna segera meninggalkan pekerjaan mereka dan menarik busur mereka, berdiri di depan Leo. Shyra tetap tersembunyi di bayangan batu yang dekat, sementara Nyxa, yang telah dikurangi ukuran menjadi 3 meter, menjajaki depan dengan menggonggong rendah, siap menghadapi mereka.
"HAHAHAHA! Apa yang bagus!
ya serba bakal!"
Miau!!
Ia mengambil napas dalam seperti binatang liar, hidungnya menghadap ke wadang berwangi yang lagi panas.
" manusia! Kerja bagus membawa makanan enak ini ke kita. Now kembali, atau ... bahkan bayangan di belakangmu tidak akan menyelamatmu dari penyiksaan. HAHAHA!"
"Dan itu beranakan itu enak sekali. Sepertinya kita akan membahagia malam ini." Ia melencir ujung jantunya dengan lidah yang pendek.
Leo mencatat pernyataan tentang bayangan. Sepertinya mereka sudah tahu tentang professor dan asisten professor yang melindungi mereka, dan seperti yang dikatakan Lizardmen itu, mereka memang tidak akan ikut campur sampai penyiksaan menjadi menyakitkan ke jiwa.
Semua saat itu, Leo memantau mereka tanpa rasa mendesak. Kekakuan mereka tidak menyentuhnya atau grupnya.
Leo memerlukan keperasan senior untuk setidaknya merasakan Lyswenna lebih kuat dan bahwa mereka tidak mampu merasakan kekuatan Naelith, Nyxa, atau miliknya. Namun, sepertinya jarak mereka adalah penghalang. Ada masih lebih dari 100 meter memisahkan kedua kelompok.
Lyswenna menarik busurnya dan menembak.
Segera, himpunan tidak puasdatang dari Lizardmen muda.
"Taktik kelakuan! Tembak-tembak! Biar kita lihat, bahkan bisa melewati skrnda mereka, kahumu skinless manusia, eh tunggu! Itu perempuan itu seorang elf!" Mata pembelah kuningnya menglebar terkejut
"Hentikan! Diam di tempat kamu berdiri kecuali kau memiliki keinginan mati!" Lyswenna memanggil dengan suara tegas dan berperintah.
Tiga Lizardmen muda itu bergebat tertawa.
"Cuma perempuan kurus itu berani bicara ke kita? Tembak busur, biar kita lihat—"
Tiba-tiba, salah satu Lizardmen tua melompat ke depan dan menyelipkan tombaknya untuk menylokir panah air Lyswenna yang ditujukan ke bahu Lizardmen muda yang lain.
THUMP!
Dengan satu benturan, kepala tombak itu retak.
Namun momentum panah tetap ada. Pencampuran air telah memperajutannya, memungkinkannya untuk memecah senjata hampir tanpa usaha. Lizardmen yang ditahan tidak bersedih dan menggunakan bahu kulit tebalnya untuk menyerap tenaga yang tersisa, secara efektif menyelamatkan pejuang muda itu dari cedera berat.
Dua Lizardmen tua lainnya mata pembelah emasnya memotos serpih kering. Mereka menarik Lizardmen muda dengan venennya dan mengadopsi pose pertarungan. Yang mana memakai tombak yang rusak mengadopsi pose tangan bebas.
By itu saatnya, mereka berada dalam jarak 50 meter, dan yang tua paling tinggi, yang sepertinya juga adalah tokoh pemimpin mereka, sepertinya akhirnya merasakan kekuatan Lyswenna.
"Warrior Kragash! Apa itu kekuatan di belakang panah itu? Dan... dan aku tidak bisa menentukan kekuatan mereka dari jarak ini," salah satu Lizardmen tua yang memiliki kekuatan Low 3-star, mirip dengan yang lain,katakan.
"Vektar, elf berhair biru itu adalah orang bertingkat Peak 3-star. Dan seperti kau, aku juga tidak bisa menentukan kekuatan dua orang lain dan beranakan itu."
"Ini... mereka berhasil kuat, atau mereka lemah?" tanya Vektar.
Pada saat itu tepat, panah Naelith memancar api, dan ancaman darah mereka mendadak menarik.
"Kabur! Kita tidak bisa menghadapi mereka tanpa ada yang terluka!" Kragash berteriak.
Lizardmen muda yang memiliki kekuatan dari High 2-star hingga Peak 2-star, membingungkan.
"T-tapi Warrior Kragash, mereka terlihat lemah—"
"Kabur! Tidak ada pertanyaan!"
Chapter 507: Ransom - 1
"Who goes there?!"
Leo was distracted by a rough voice that naturally didn’t sound human.
"Heh, they finally came," Leo muttered.
He had sensed them long before, but was waiting for them to make the first move.
It was a group of 6 Lizardmen.
Each stood between 5’7" and 7’5" feet tall, their charcoal-black scales resembling cracked basalt. Thin crimson lines glowed faintly between the scales around their necks and shoulders, as though molten rock flowed beneath their hides.
Ash-grey horns curved backwards from their skulls, and their golden slit-pupiled eyes remained unblinking as they stared at Leo’s group, analysing them. Each clawed foot ended in hooked talons perfectly suited for gripping the jagged terrain of the Ashen Wilderness.
*pic*
The one who had shouted was particularly short, standing around 5’7". Not only him, but the other two younger Lizardmen were of similar height, only slightly taller.
The last three, walking behind them, carried themselves with calm confidence, their bodies radiating the aura of seasoned warriors. Among them, the tallest stood at 7’5" and possessed the aura of a mid-3-star being.
They carried spears with metallic heads and steadily approached Leo’s group.
Both Naelith and Lyswenna immediately abandoned their work and drew their bows, stepping in front of Leo. Shyra remained hidden in the shadow of a nearby boulder, while Nyxa, reduced to 3 meters in size, prowled forward with a low growl, ready to confront them.
"HAHAHAHA! What a haul!" the smaller Lizardman exclaimed.
SNIFFFF!!
He took a deep sniff like a wild beast, his snout naturally turning toward the steaming porridge.
"Humans! Good work bringing such tasty food to us. Now go back, or else even the shadows behind your backs won’t save you from torture. HAHAHA!"
"And that wolf looks delicious. Seems we’re having a feast tonight." He licked the edges of his snout with his long tongue.
Leo noted the mention of shadows. It seemed they were aware of the professors and assistant professors protecting them, and as the Lizardman had said, they indeed wouldn’t interfere until the torture became mind-shattering.
All the while, Leo watched them without any urgency. Their strength posed no threat to him or his team.
Leo expected the senior warriors to at least notice that Lyswenna was stronger than them and that they were incapable of sensing Naelith’s, Nyxa’s, or his own strength. However, it seemed the distance between them was an obstacle. There were still more than 100 meters separating the two groups.
Lyswenna drew her bow and aimed.
Immediately, dissatisfied grunts came from the younger Lizardmen.
"Cowardly tactics! Shoot your sticks! Let’s see if they can even pierce our scales, you scaleless humans, oh wait! That woman is an elf!" His slit eyes widened in surprise
"Halt! Stand where you are unless you have a death wish!" Lyswenna declared, her voice firm and commanding.
The three younger Lizardmen burst into laughter.
"A mere skinny woman dares talk to us? Shoot your stick, let’s see—"
Suddenly, one of the older Lizardmen lunged forward and thrust his spear to intercept Lyswenna’s water-infused arrow, which was headed for the younger one’s shoulder.
THUMP!
With a single impact, the spearhead shattered.
Yet the arrow’s momentum remained. The water infusion had sharpened it tremendously, allowing it to break through the weapon almost effortlessly. The intercepting Lizardman didn’t hesitate and used his thick shoulder scales to absorb the remaining force, effectively saving the younger warrior from a grievous injury.
The other two elder Lizardmen’s golden slit eyes narrowed sharply as they yanked the younger ones back and assumed fighting stances. The one whose spear had been destroyed adopted a bare-handed stance.
By now, they were within 50 meters, and the eldest, who also appeared to be the group’s leader, seemed to have finally sensed Lyswenna’s strength.
"Warrior Kragash! What was the strength behind that arrow? And... and I cannot tell their strength from here," one of the older Lizardmen said. He possessed Low 3-star strength, similar to the other elder.
"Vektar, that blue-haired elf is Peak 3-star. And just like you, I cannot determine the strength of the other 2 and that wolf beast."
"This... are they too strong for us, or are they weak?" Vektar asked.
At that exact moment, Naelith’s arrow ignited with flames, and the danger bells in their heads screamed.
"Retreat! We cannot confront them without getting some of us killed!" Kragash shouted.
The younger warriors, whose strength ranged from High 2-star to Peak 2-star, hesitated.
"B-but Warrior Kragash, they look so weak—"
"Retreat! No questions asked!"
At that moment, Leo spoke, his voice carrying clearly to their ears.
"You think you can come and go as you wish? Naelith, Lyswenna, capture them, and try not to kill them."
Having said that, Leo sat back on his makeshift seat, took a bowl and started eating the porridge that had been served to him.
"You three, run back to the tribe and call for help! Quick!"
"Y-ye—!"
Suddenly, they found their feet bound by vines. The same happened to the others.
Vektar and the other Low 3-star Lizardmen hacked at the vines with the spears to free themselves, while Kragash simply used his claws. However, he was shocked by the vines’ extreme hardness.
In the end, he had to heat his claws to sear through them.
The younger ones naturally couldn’t free themselves with the spears.
The stronger warriors didn’t even have time to reach them before arrows flew toward them, forcing them to dodge.
But the places they dodged to already had flame arrows heading toward them.
THUSSS!
Both Lizardmen were engulfed in flames as the arrows pierced directly through the softer skin on the ventral side of their chests.
"KRAAA!"
"Vektar! Vorrak!"
Kragash panicked upon hearing the pained cries of his squadmates and immediately rushed to their aid. On the way, he even tried to swat aside a water-infused arrow, but—
"AARHH!"
The arrow dug halfway through his palm.
The next moment, vines appeared once again. This time, they carried a reddish tint, making it clear they belonged to Naelith and were obviously stronger.
He was pinned down in no time.
"AAHHHH!"
Kragash’s stomach sank when he heard the cries of the younger warriors.
Unable to move because of the vines, they were caught in the aftermath of the flames engulfing Vektar and Vorrak. The heat seared the exposed areas around their chests and stomachs.
They quickly tried to curl themselves so the flames would strike the scales on their backs instead, but more vines erupted from the ground and locked them firmly in place.
Even when the vines burned, they regenerated almost immediately.
And just like that, before Leo could even take 5 spoonfuls of porridge, the battle was over with the crushing defeat of the Lizardmen.
Leo walked over to the younger Lizardman who had been shouting from the moment they appeared.
"You, stand up and run back to your tribe, settlement, or whatever you call it."
He looked directly into the terrified eyes of the Lizardman.
"Tell them their warriors have been captured, and their captors now demand a generous ransom for their release. And don’t try to be smart. If I see even the slightest hint that you’re attempting anything else, first, they will be killed without a second thought. Second, your tribe will be wiped out."
"And don’t think I’m bluffing. I have the power to do it."
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