Chapter 181: A Dangerous Escape
The land still quaked from the blast. Residual shockwaves rolled outward in tired waves, and at the heart of it all yawned a new crater—deep, jagged, and steaming.
Not far from the rim, Elton and the others dragged themselves out of a ditch—battered, filthy, and bleeding. They shoved aside dirt and clumped dust, coughing as they struggled to stand.
"Is everyone alright?" Elton asked, wincing.
"Yes. I'm fine, gege," Christy said, checking her ribs and shoulders before dabbing at a shallow gash.
"I am also fine, Brother Elly," Shayleaf added with a tired smile. "And it looks like my familiars are alive and kicking."
Her three familiars rolled, groaned, and finally stood—sore but intact. Corvin and Cromlan immediately fussed over Shayleaf with overeager devotion.
"I too am alright, Master Elton," Tongsheng said, her voice even despite the pain on her face.
"Graah… graah… raar," Elchris croaked, lifting its head. The falcon's metal-plated wings were carved with new scars; it puffed its chest as if to prove it was still functional.
"Well, that's good." Elton exhaled. "Ugh. It's not over yet, though."
"Tch. Those serpents are still breathing after all that? They can't all be alive." Christy glared across the wreckage.
Sharp, ragged roars shredded the air as four winged serpents rose from the mangled field, their bodies slashed and ragged. One looked ready to crumple with a stiff breeze, barely able to coil its serpentine frame.
The ground trembled with their fury as sheets of purplish, burning wind spilled from their bodies, scouring the area. Christy's gaze sharpened.
"Persistent pests despite being torn up… Ah—there it is. The other monster's coming."
Far off, the Mortal Lord essence beast tore through the sky—swift, enormous, and still radiating a brutal presence. As it closed in, the most wounded serpent flashed with a defiant, purplish light. It launched itself like a bolt of spite, crashing straight into the six-winged beast. Four great claws skewered it mid-air, and the beast's jaws clamped onto its neck.
The remaining three serpents screamed in ragged unison—rage, grief, refusal—then shot toward the heavens at full speed.
"Run!" Christy snapped.
Elton grabbed Elchris by the neck and heaved, flooding his arms with ki. The falcon surged up from the depression and the group vaulted onto its back. Elchris' wings flared with light and it ripped into the sky with another sonic boom.
Behind them, the dying serpent detonated in a blinding flare.
The explosion slammed outward. Shayleaf threw up a fresh barrier at the last instant, and even so, the shockwave clipped Elchris and sent it wobbling hard before it found its balance. Roars boiled out from the epicenter—the battle resumed at once, savage and colossal.
Elton's group put distance behind them as fast as Elchris could fly, weaving around swaths of fleeing creatures or skimming above packs too crazed to notice anyone but their immediate enemies.
"I'm glad we managed to escape that mess in the end," Elton muttered, letting out the breath he'd been holding.
"Hahaha! This is what it means to walk the line between life and death!" Shayleaf giggled, swinging her legs before settling into a deeper breath.
"You… Ugh. I have nothing to say," Christy replied, pinching the bridge of her nose as her eyes kept sweeping the horizon.
"We'll need to find a place to rest soon," Elton said, sobering. "We need to patch our wounds recover ki and magic properly."
Everyone nodded with grim agreement.
They eventually found a cave in a small mountain and cleared out the creatures inside. After patching injuries, eating, and soaking in a few moments of stillness, the tension finally loosened a notch—until Christy suddenly stood, swore under her breath, and pointed.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Far away, the Mortal Lord essence beast flew on a sweeping line—not fast, but purposeful. Christy narrowed her eyes. "It's tracking us. It hasn't pinned us yet, but it's tracing our general path."
"Really?" Elton groaned. "Then we're leaving now."
They packed in moments and took off again. Not long after, the beast arrived where they had been, unleashed a beam, and erased the cave from existence. The surrounding creatures fled in all directions in wild panic. The beast sniffed, its nostrils flaring, and then its massive head angled toward a new vector—Elton's group's direction.
They doubled back, zigzagged through canyons, fled along river paths, even looped through the wake of other beasts to muddy the trail. Each time they bought distance, the monster found the thread again.
"We might have to go all out and put it down," Elton said, jaw tight.
"It's dangerous to go all out here and bleed ourselves dry," Christy agreed, face grim. "But by the look of things, we might not have a choice."
"What is letting it track us so easily…" Shayleaf murmured, thinking aloud.
Prawna tilted her head, then suddenly stepped toward the group. Without explanation, she began sniffing each of them.
"P-Prawna! What the hell are you doing?!" Cromlan yelped, scandalized.
"Have you gone mad?" Corvin scowled, turning red with embarrassment.
She ignored them, moving from Christy to Shayleaf, then Tongsheng, then even her fellow familiars. Finally, she stopped in front of Elton. Unlike before, she didn't just give him a quick sniff—she leaned in close, pressing herself against him and inhaling deeply, almost possessively. She lingered there far longer than with the others, her nose brushing against his chest and shoulder.
Elton froze, awkwardly patting her arm. "Uhh… Prawna?"
Christy's brow twitched as she opened her mouth to scold, but before she could speak, Prawna pulled back with her usual deadpan expression—though her cheeks betrayed the faintest flush.
"I think I found the problem," she said calmly. "Because my senses are almost always locked onto Milord Elton…" she paused for a moment, her tone flat but her eyes faintly shimmering with something more, "…I noticed it most clearly from him. The Mortal Lord beast left its ki residue perhaps from that attack clinging to his body. That same residue is also on all of us."
Everyone froze.
"!!! What?!" Christy's eyes widened. "But—we've washed in rivers since then!"
"Not thoroughly," Prawna said, tilting her head. "That beast's ki is stubborn. A casual rinse won't break it down."
"Prawna's correct," Shayleaf said, eyes brightening. "I can cleanse us, but we need a decent water source. Preferably wide and still."
"Then we go," Elton said. "Christy, you lead. You'll spot it first."
"As you wish, gege," she replied, a faint smile on her lips.
They flew again. Before long, Christy guided them down to a suitable stretch of water. After clearing the area—again—they returned to the bank and shook out their aches.
"Alright!" Shayleaf clapped once, smiling. "I'll grow purification trees into the riverbed. Elchris, you first. You probably reek the most."
"Ehh. 'Reek' is a little harsh," Elton muttered, scratching his head.
"Grrrr…" Elchris hung its head, then braced itself proudly.
Shayleaf pressed her palm to the soil. Roots unfurled through stone and earth, and a miniature forest rose—green-gold trunks twined with crimson veins. Filaments slipped into the river, and a clean, resinous fragrance swept over them.
"Okay, Elchris—dive in!" Shayleaf sang.
The falcon leapt and submerged, feathers and plating swallowed by the groves. Faint glyphs lit the surface as purifying currents pulsed.
"It's almost like a sacred cleansing," Tongsheng murmured, intrigued.
"Hehe, because it is," Shayleaf chimed. "Second pool—this one's for Corvin and Cromlan."
A smaller bower blossomed beside the first.
"Remove most garments for full effect, boys," Shayleaf added with a sunny smile.
"A-as you command, Mistress!" Corvin declared, blushing furiously.
"Yes, Mistress! I will—do it well!" Cromlan insisted, equally red.
"Ehh, ah yes" Shayleaf tilted her head a bit before nodding.
They stripped down to their drawls with tragic levels of valor and dove in, sneaking hopeless little glances at Shayleaf as they went.
"…"
"…"
"They are… certainly characters," Elton said, pinching back a laugh.
"I only have the strength for one more pool," Shayleaf said. "Elchris takes a large portion of concentration due to his size, And I'd rather separate those two for everyone's peace of mind." She shaped the final grove. "Alright everyone—let's get in!"
Tongsheng and Prawna nodded and slipped into the bower, shedding most layers on the way.
Elton and Christy stayed frozen.
"Hm? What's wrong? Come quickly!" Shayleaf's smile was far too innocent as she unfastened her outer layer.
"Now wait," Elton sputtered. "What do you mean 'let's go'? What about me?"
"R-right?! What about gege?" Christy blurted, cheeks flushing.
"He's coming with us, of course," Shayleaf said, tilting her head as if confused by the question.
"N-no! I should go with Corvin and Cromlan, right?" Elton felt an oncoming headache, already rubbing his temple.
"Huh? Why? Are you saying you don't want to purify with me?" Her ears drooped. Her voice dropped. The world dimmed.
"I didn't say that," Elton protested, already losing the battle. "It's just—b-bathing with all women is—"
"I don't see a problem when two of us are your future wives, and the other two… feel very positively about you," Shayleaf said, barely above a whisper. "So you don't want to be with me…"
Christy's face went scarlet. "G-gege!! Shay has a point! We already promised to be together, so why worry about this? It's just—purification!"
Elton looked from Christy's flustered resolve to Shayleaf's tragic elf-puppy demeanor and sighed, utterly defeated. He knew full well what they were doing. He also knew full well he wasn't going to reject them.
"Fine," he said, mustering a brave smile. "We'll go together."
Shayleaf instantly brightened, seized his arm with sparkling eyes, and led him straight to the bower. "I knew Brother Elly wouldn't abandon me!"
"Ugh…"
And with that, they slipped into the purifying grove Shayleaf crafted just for them, while the river carried away every trace of a relentless hunter.