"I've seen Victor in the news a lot, but I never expected him to be this hot in person!" Jea murmured to Aubrey as they walked down the forest.
"So you found a new prey, huh?" Aubrey asked, chuckling lightly for how easy Jea could fall for someone she just saw.
"I'm gonna be honest, he smells like drugs, and I would smell him all day long."
As the girls chatted, their group eventually reached the location of the Gate. Surprisingly, there were no demons in the vicinity.
"We found it!" Lester alarmed the first years. "Let's force-close the Gate and search for remaining demons so we could wrap things up."
"It's huge…" the monkey mumbled in awe.
It was their first time seeing a Gate. The first years were taken aback, not just by its size of two giraffes stacked together, but by the intricate patterns of its golden frame. However, what truly made their eyes widen was the black void within that magnificent frame—the abyssal darkness of the portal connecting Earth to the demon realm.
"Just standing near it gives me chills," Jea shivered.
"Let's begin the preparation to close the Gate, so no demons could come out," Lester commanded.
Gates automatically close over time, but there is a way to forcefully close one: by sacrificing a human. As sadistic as that sounds, it's the only known method. Fortunately, the Demon Hunters in ancient times discovered a way to hack the system. By imbuing a puppet filled with cotton, they can trick the Gate into thinking it's a human, effectively closing it. However, this trick required the puppet to be imbued with blessing.
The imbuing process usually took about 5 minutes to finish, and it requires a lot of mana, resulting in draining one's magic which could be fatal if not moderated.
As they took out the puppet from the bag to begin the imbuing process, an unfamiliar, crooked voice resounded from the bushes.
"Seems like someone beat us to the chase," a man around the age of 35 hollered, walking menacingly towards the group.
The man wore a muddy headband and was accompanied by four other bandits, all clad in rugged leather tunics and armed with knives gripped tightly in their hands. Their appearance was reminiscent of convicts, with rough features and a grim look that spoke of their unlawful nature.
In just a glance, it clicked onto Lester who they were.
"Demon poachers," he mumbled, a note of unease in his voice.
"Well, well, well, looks like we've hit the jackpot!" the man celebrated, diabolical snickering rippled through his throat. "Human organs fetch a fortune in the black market—we're going to be swimming in gold!"
~~~~~~~~~~
There are two Gates in the forest located in different directions. From the cabin, if you head south, you'll find a Gate where Victor and his group went. On the other hand, towards the western direction was the other Gate Hayden and his group was designated to.
Clearing the demons was like a walk in the park for Klyne. They were weak, and he incinerated them without mercy, leaving nothing but ashes in his wake. His rage was unstoppable, reducing every demon that crossed his path to cinders.
The healer—Grace, and the other two members of the group were too terrified to join Klyne in his frenzy. They feared being caught in the blaze of his attacks, knowing that a single misstep could lead to their own fiery demise.
In the end, Klyne single-handedly completed the mission, closing the Gate by himself and inadvertently setting the forest ablaze. Fortunately, the senior student accompanying them had a water blessing, which allowed him to swiftly extinguish the spreading fire.
Afterward, Hayden graded the students in his typically arbitrary and biased manner. Despite Klyne doing 99% of the work, he got the lowest score on Hayden's grading sheet.
Grace received the highest marks, followed by the other two members. Since their expedition ended earlier than expected, they headed back to the cabin. Throughout the mission, the lazy black cat remained perched on Hayden's shoulder, contributing nothing.
Upon their return, a person awaited them outside the helicopter.
It's not the man residing in the cabin as he was oddly out somewhere.
Instead, they spotted a teenage man with his naked upper body tainted with minor injuries.
They rushed over him, and upon closer look, Grace recognized her classmate despite his poor state.
"Marco, are you alright?" Grace worried, pressing her palm on his numbing, purpled shoulder.
Marco was bawling, guilt washing over him.
He was the broken-hearted guy from Aubrey's group.
Feeling his pain, Grace used her blessing—the grass beneath her withered, simultaneously making Marco's bruises fade away and fully replenishing his energy.
"They need help… please!" Marco implored, his voice trembling.
Hayden watched with a face devoid of emotion, keeping a cool head, but his core burning. Klyne, on the other hand, seemed entirely uninterested, as if he weren't even listening.
The other members, however, were visibly concerned. They were on edge, hoping the situation wasn't life-threatening.
"What happened to Aubrey and the others?" Grace asked, trying her best to calm him down.
"I ran away… and they…" he stammered.
The cat suddenly whirled around Hayden's shoulders, climbing up to his head and making his hair a mess.
"What the hell," Hayden groaned as the cat unintentionally sank its claws into his scalp. "What's wrong with y—"
The cat leaped from his head, landing on the ground with a loud thud.
A loud thud?
Before its feet touched the ground, the cat puffed up, transforming into a person.
"Let's race, Hayden," Pou flashed a smile at him. "I'm not letting my students die on my watch. I'm their guardian angel, after all."
~~~~~~~~~~
An hour ago.
Lester scanned the area, searching for Victor but finding no sign of him. In the face of danger, he was forced to make a decision. Though he had experience in Gate expeditions, he'd never been in a man-to-man combat before. To make matters worse, there were four demon poachers, all veteran hunters.
Demon poachers are individuals who illegally hunt demons and farm the Gate like Minecraft spawners. Even more troubling, they are accustomed to killing people.
"I'll hold them off," Lester said, steeling himself for what was to come. "You need to get out of here while you can."
"You're telling us to yield?" Aubrey smirked, unafraid of the criminals before them. "I'm not fleeing from someone weaker than me."
"That's right. We're not abandoning you, Lester," the monkey said, having the same confidence as Aubrey.
The poacher with the headband, which seemed to be their leader, burst out cackling. "This is the exact kind of friendship I enjoy watching get crumbled!" he exclaimed. "The four of us are C-ranks, do you think little kids could handle that?"
Without warning, Aubrey launched her scythe skyward, then pulled the chain, hurling down the scythe towards the leader.
He shielded the plunging scythe with his knife, withholding the downward pressure. "Attacking without a say, that's shameful-" the blade of his knife snapped. "Huh?... How?"
As the knife broke, her scythe proceeded to slam the ground, its blade sinking into the dirt as the purple mana glows. Aubrey pulled her scythe back, then Lester proceeded with the assault unannounced.
With a swift gesture of his hand, he summoned a violent wave of wind directed at the ground, stirring up a tempest of dust and dirt that momentarily engulfed them, disrupting their vision.
The monkey seized this opportunity and dashed in, his dagger slashing one of the poachers.
*Cling*
The poacher deflected the dagger with his knife, the clash of metal ringing out. However, the agile monkey swiftly changed its attack angle, slicing through the poacher's limbs with precision.
As the relentless tornado showed no signs of abating, the poachers huddled together, one of them conjuring a powerful shield of water to shelter their group.
Lester canceled his spell as it was draining his mana.
"Heh! This barrier is a high-tier water spell that you have no chance of breaking," the poacher that casted the barrier said. "We'll just have to wait here until backup arrives. They should be here any minute now."
Marco, the broken-hearted guy, charged forward with his arms morphed into jagged stone. He thrust the sharpened tip of his arm against the barrier, but it stubbornly refused to penetrate.
"As I say, it's no use."
Jea then utilized the first thing they learned from Hayden—Magic Repulsion. She summoned the only spell in her arsenal, launching it to the barrier.
No matter how potent the spell is, if they're both the same blessing, it will consume each other. Jea's nail hit the water barrier, poking a hole.
Aubrey's scythe followed suit, slipping through the gap and delivering a forceful blow that sent the caster sprawling, causing the barrier to shatter.
"How-" their leader stuttered in disbelief. "How are they this strong? You're just students!"
Then, realization dawned on one of the poachers. "I know that girl!" he pointed at Aubrey with a mixture of fear and recognition. "That's Esperanza's daughter. We're screwed!"
Aubrey smirked. "Even if I don't have my dad's blood, I'll still be stronger than any of you."
"Arrogant little girl," a different voice came from the trees.
Suddenly, awls with thin needles came striking towards her, injecting into each of her legs.
Her lower limbs began to wobble, as though her legs were transfiguring into jelly. The awls that pierced her legs were laced with poison, swiftly paralyzing her lower body.
With her legs now unresponsive, Aubrey fell on her bum.
Simultaneously, the sharp awls zoomed toward all of them, rendering Jea, Lester, and the monkey incapacitated, just like Aubrey. They collapsed to the ground, except for Marco, who miraculously transformed his entire body into rock just in the nick of time. His transformation also caused his shirt to rip apart.
"They're here," the man with the headband exclaimed in relief.
Their reinforcements had finally arrived, and as they approached, Aubrey and the group immediately recognized the familiar face—the former ranger from the cabin. He was accompanied by another strong man, who exuded an ebullient energy as he stood next to the ranger.
"You're a poacher too?!" Lester fumed.
"What are you gonna do about it, huh?" the old ranger mocked.
Jea tried ramming her fist onto her legs, "Move, dammit!"
"Oh, look!" exclaimed the energetic man next to the ranger. "Someone's still standing," he remarked, fixing his gaze on Marco.
"Run, Marco!" Lester yelled. "You can get help from the other group in the landing spot."
Holding himself together, Marco turned his back to his classmates that he thought of as friends, planning to make his escape.
But before he could take a single step, the energetic man blitzed in front of Marco. His feet crackled with lightning bolts, primed for a sweeping strike.
His feet swung, aimed at Marco's rock-solid head.
Suddenly, Victor finally revealed himself, appearing in front of Marco and catching the raging feet on his palm. The lightning sparked brighter, amplifying the power of the man's feet.
Victor stood firm, effortlessly holding the feet back. However, while his attention was focused on that side, his opponent swiftly shifted his weight, striking Victor's vulnerable flank. With the feet still in his grip, the man revealed an awl in his right hand, stabbing Victor in the shoulder.
After the successful attack, he burst out cackling, making a weird psychopathic face, "Gotcha!!!" He then leaped away, keeping distance as the poison did its job.
Victor pulled out the awl on his shoulder, his calm countenance not changing whatsoever.
"Allow me to take it from here," Victor said. "Go back to the choppers and inform the other group about the situation."
"How about the other?" Marco worried about leaving his group.
Victor then raised his stabbed arm, casting multiple spells simultaneously. His light magic envelopes Aubrey and the others into a glowing shelter. At the same time, luminous circles materialized around each of the six poachers, then fastening instantly, catching the four weak poachers.
The circled wrapped tightly on their feet and torso with their arms tucked, restraining them without harm. The ranger and the energetic man weren't caught, however. The ranger sliced the circle using his awl, whereas the other kicked it with his lightning feet, tearing it apart.
"Poison and Lightning blessing. They're A-ranks, so leave now." Victor commanded.
With no more concerns, Marco left, sprinting down the forest.
"Poison immunity?" the poacher with the lightning blessing asked, but then he answered his own question. "No, the poison is probably devouring you from within right now—you're just putting on a facade, and I can smell it," he said with a chilling confidence. Creepiness rippled across his maniacal face.
"I had a hunch that this would happen," Victor glanced at the ranger before adding. "Discharged A-rank DH from the White Hawks guild, Ethan Sullivan."
"So you knew?" the ranger sighed. "Well, I suppose it won't matter if you're dying here anyway."
Victor summoned a light on his hands, taking the form of a sword, glowing like a molten metal.
"You sure don't wanna include me in the fun," the lightning poacher sulked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Fine, I'll leave then."
In a blurry movement, he dashed over to the barrier that sheltered Aubrey. Sparks flew from his feet as he kicked the barrier with a force that sent cracks spider-webbing across its surface. In an instant, the barrier shattered, pieces scattering like glass. Without missing a beat, he scooped Aubrey up and slung her over his shoulder, carrying her like a sack of rice.
Aubrey tried retorting, slamming her fist on the man's back, but it was to no avail. The poison had weakened her, and she was unable to withdraw her scythe.
"I'll take this babe before I go," he said, grinning. "See ya around!"
Not allowing that to happen, Victor moved in a blink, charging forward to free Aubrey.
However, as his blade of light surged forth, it was intercepted by Ethan with his awl.
"C'mon now, I'm your opponent," Ethan muttered.
"Holding her a hostage will be futile," Victor said, his tone remaining cool despite the heating moment.
"Wrong," Ethan replied. "We're kidnapping her. We could fetch more money by ransoming her than by poaching ten Gates."
Harboring the power of lightning within his legs, the man bolted down the forest with Aubrey in tow, taking her away.
In just minutes, they made it into the depths of the forest, leaving Victor clashing with Ethan. Aubrey was still pounding her fist, and it was starting to tick the man off.
"Put me down!" she demanded.
"Shut up, will ya!"
With no other hope in sight, Aubrey resorted to her final chance at survival. She clutched her necklace tightly, crushing the pendant until it shattered in her palm.
In that instant, a hard, see-through glass of bubble swallowed her entire body, caging her in an impenetrable circular ball.
The weight of her cage was drawn by the gravity, pulling it down to slightly sink on the dirt.
"What the hell is this? another barrier?!" the man muttered.
He then used his fist, fueled by lightning bolts as he rammed the bubble. After multiple hits, it showed no cracks despite his explosive punches. Since breaking it was impossible, he resorted to rolling the circular cage on the ground. However, it's as sturdy as a mountain. The cage was impenetrable and immovable. He tried experimenting on how to break through for 25 minutes straight, but his effort was to no avail.
Half an hour later, he found himself arguing with Aubrey.
Aubrey was saying something from inside the cage, her face was irked and her mouth was moving widely. However, the barrier was soundproof as well, making the guy wonder what Aubrey was blabbering about.
In an attempt to decipher her words, he focused on her lips, interpreting her words to be insults, which is accurate as Aubrey was indeed bad-mouthing him.
Out of frustration, he slammed his open palm onto the cage, and pressed his cheek into the translucent barrier, creating a weird, mocking face.
"I'll get to you eventually, you crazy chick!" he yelled. "Let's see how long this barrier can hold up—its duration is probably on its last straw! HAHAHAHA!!"
*Rustle*
*Rustle*
"Huh?"
A myriad of cats waltzed out of the bushes, surrounding the man. Perplexed, he stepped away from Aubrey's cage and scanned the area, his eyes settling on the seemingly innocent cats with different fur colors.
"What in the hell is going on?!"
*Hiss!*
The cats hissed, showing signs of hostility before charging from all angles. Reacting defensively, he lashed out with kicks and punches, each blow crushing a swarm of cats. However, the cat's numbers weren't decreasing, and they just kept coming with relentless assault.
Eventually, the cats managed to leave scratches along his skin, triggering his fury. In a fit of rage, he summoned a dark cloud overhead, igniting thunderbolts to rain down upon the cats, swiftly eliminating them with several strikes.
"Laying a hand on my students is basically a death sentence," a voice declared, Pou revealing himself as he stepped into view. "I wish I had my camera to film your death," he continued. "Witnessing you die again and again would've been entertaining to watch."
"Another dimwit, great!" He then gathered his mana along the clouds above. "You insects sure are getting pesky… Die!"
With every ounce of his mana gathered into a single spell, a colossal bolt of lightning crashed down, searing into Pou with electrifying intensity.
As the lightning struck with unparalleled force, Pou stood firm and was struck head-on. With determination in his eyes, Pou walked steadily toward the caster, his steps resolute and unwavering despite the crackling aftermath of electricity still lingering in the air.
"What are you…?" his spine quivered.
Knowing that he's outmatched, he attempted to flee, but failed to do so. A group of cats tied his feet on the ground, rendering him unable to move.
"Cover your eyes, my student," Pou said to Aubrey before plunging his index finger into the man's eyes.
He then fell lifeless on the ground, and soon, a swarm of cats came feasting on his remains.
Hayden was there as well, and he slowly went towards Aubrey. His grip latched onto the barrier, effortlessly ripping it apart like a fabric. "Are you good?" Hayden asked, offering his hand to help Aubrey stand up.
She looked at him, finding no concern on Hayden's face. "My legs are disabled, can't you see?"
"It's fine, I'll carry you. Everyone is safe now, so you don't have to worry."
Unexpectedly, Pou let out a voice. His once vibrant tone, now wavered weakly, its echoes fading like whispers on the wind.
"Hayden... I feel... so sleepy," Pou murmured, his words barely audible.
Hayden turned, and saw Pou from the back. His shoulders slumped and head bowed.
"What's wrong?"
"You know… swapping places from school to here with my cat sure took a lot of my mana," Pou said, his voice growing fainter with each syllable.
A sudden fit of coughing seized Pou, catching blood on his palm.
Looking at Hayden one last time, Pou mustered a feeble smile, the corner of his lips stained red. "Good night, Hayden... I'll return to you, but perhaps… as a kitten," he whispered before collapsing.