Chapter 101: Ibar
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 101: Ibar
I'd appreciate it if you read this slowly!
*
Obviously, I didn't bring Lee Wanyong. I was worried the man, currently detained in Storm Shadow's village, would somehow ruin things if I brought him along. Besides, we weren't ready to attack Somorah yet, so I didn't want to make any unnecessary moves.
If the information Lee Wanyong gave us was false, we could just go back.
That was my conclusion.
The Blood Dagger Clan left Storm Shadow's village and began to move with great stealth. We were so careful with our steps that we could have been called an assassin clan; if only our elites were on the move, we could travel leaving almost no trace behind. It was a level of stealth that not only novices but even intermediate archers would have trouble detecting.
I had thought it was quite a long way, but we had more than enough time to make it. We even spotted humans on our journey but chose not to engage them. Having received good intelligence, we were being as careful as possible.
Two days passed like that.
"I think we're almost there, Captain."
Even before Mev spoke, I could feel that we had reached our destination. The swamp gave way to a rocky mountain, a landscape where it wouldn't have been the least bit strange to find a tunnel.
"We're almost there!"
"Brown! It's a rocky mountain!"
The Goblin Three Sisters and the other Green Skins looked on with anticipation. At that point, I halted the troops. This mission required secrecy, so I decided to send Mev and the archers ahead first.
I quietly raised my hand, and Mev shot forward without a word.
The rest of the clan fell silent. Experience had taught them to be quiet at times like these. While we waited for Mev to return, we found a suitable spot to set up a temporary camp and rest our slightly weary bodies.
A little more time passed, and as night fell, Mev and the archers returned. We now had the exact location.
"I found it, Captain."
"I couldn't read it, maybe because of some magic, but it perfectly matched the location the human told us. I didn't see any humans yet... I couldn't get too close, I was afraid I'd be spotted."
"Good work, Mev."
"Yeah!"
With the location confirmed, all that was left was to wait for them. I looked at my clan members and began to speak.
"Mev and Half Blade will wait at the entrance of the rocky mountain starting now. If you sense anyone or see humans, return immediately and move to the designated point."
"For Blood Dagger!"
"Understood."
They were the reconnaissance team, tasked with spotting the humans and alerting the main force. As always, Gark called out my name with the clan flag strapped to his back, and Mev nodded.
"Ragia, Jung Hayeon, and the three sisters will wait at a suitable distance from the point, remaining on high alert."
"As you command."
"For Blood Dagger! Kkireuk!"
"Finally, we fly!"
This was the main force, the ones who would deliver the actual blow to the humans.
"Lastly, Hakajin and Mirror Blade will move with me."
I was the center, the link between them all. The plan was for Gark and Mev to act independently, for me to wait with the assassins, and for Ragia to wait with the archers and warriors.
And so, we began to wait. There was one day left until they were expected to pass through this place. We needed to rest our bodies for the coming battle, but we couldn't let our guard down, which was quite taxing. Night passed, and morning came again. The sun beat down, heating the brown rock beneath our feet, and a sense of irritation began to creep in. Abar felt it too, panting with her tongue hanging out. This place must have felt incredibly hot to her.
Hakajin was waiting for a signal from Mev's direction, and Hark was constantly scanning our surroundings. It was then that I felt a faint warmth nearby. It was a different feeling from the heat of the sun. Mev's fire spirit had come for me.
"Chieftain..."
"Wait here."
Hakajin's voice was urgent. After speaking to him, I immediately mounted Abar and began to race across the top of the rocky mountain. A fire spirit meant trouble; a wind spirit meant all was clear. This was a sort of promise we had made after Mev evolved into a Spirit Archer.
The fact that a fire spirit had come all the way to me meant there was definitely a problem.
I had no choice but to move quickly.
The evolved Abar was even faster than before, and the scenery blurred past in an instant. I couldn't see Gark, but I saw Mev rushing frantically toward me.
"Captain!"
"Where's Gark?"
"He's still watching the humans. But... something's... something's strange..."
Just as Mev was about to speak, I saw the humans for myself.
Damn it.
In truth, there was no problem. The humans hadn't noticed us. The number of people I could see also matched what Lee Wanyong had told us. I couldn't confirm the number of slaves trapped inside the black carriage, but the number of guards outside was definitely consistent with his report.
The problem was...
They were rushing toward us at a much faster speed than expected. It seemed their goal was to break through this rocky mountain as quickly as possible, and they were driving the carriage at an incredible pace.
It was as if they'd cast Haste magic on the horses pulling the carriage; they were moving far faster than any horse I had ever seen. I swallowed nervously as I watched them get closer and closer.
Only then did I understand how these bastards had managed to run their slave trade for so long without getting caught. They used Silence to muffle the noise and cast Haste on the horses. The backlash would surely kill the animals once the job was done, but considering the money they'd make from selling slaves, it was obviously a profitable business. I had thought the path through this rocky mountain was surprisingly well-maintained, but I'd never imagined this was the reason.
They would probably pass through here in an instant. I figured it wouldn't even take a few minutes.
Son of a bitch.
I didn't know if he'd forgotten, thought it was unimportant, or simply didn't know, but that bastard Lee Wanyong had failed to mention the most crucial detail.
I quickly turned to Mev and spoke.
"Get on."
"Okay! Okay!"
Mev immediately started to climb onto Abar. Abar looked a little annoyed, but she quieted down as soon as I stroked her back once. All the while, the enemy carriage continued to charge toward the tunnel. I slapped Abar's back, and she shot forward.
Our job was to buy time. Jung Hayeon could block the tunnel entrance with her roots, but there was no way their high-level mages would just sit back and watch. I wasn't sure exactly what to do, but for now, Abar, Mev, and I had to obstruct their path as much as possible.
Meanwhile, the carriage continued to speed toward us. It had already passed Gark's position.
"Mev, send the spirits. Send them to Hakajin and Ragia's main force."
"Okay, Captain!"
The spirits were fast enough that they could just barely reach the main force before the enemy did. If we could buy a little time, they would definitely get there first. I would leave the preparations to Ragia and Hakajin.
Mev held onto my waist tightly. Just as they were about to pass us, Abar and I leaped down toward them.
"Hold on tight. We're going down."
At the same time, the sound of a horn echoed.
They had spotted us. It was impossible not to, since we had jumped right out in the open. It was probably a signal that their plan had gone awry. But that signal would surely reach our clan members as well.
"It's a Giant Wolf and a demon! A monster has appeared!"
"Ignore it and keep running! Don't pay it any mind!"
I had hoped they would be a little shaken, but it seemed they chose to just break through. They paid us no mind and continued to charge forward as fast as they could.
Normally, I should have heard a deafening roar, but the sound of the horses' hooves hitting the ground was strangely quiet. The wind stinging my face, however, was real.
The carriage began to pull ahead, overtaking us, as if they were pouring even more Haste magic into it. Stones kicked up by the rear wheels grazed my cheek and body. Blood trickled down my cheek where the skin had been scraped.
"Krrrrreung."
Annoyed that horses were running ahead of her, Abar shook her head once and began to pick up speed.
"So fast!" Mev shouted, clinging to my waist. It was my first time experiencing Abar's true speed as well. It felt even faster than I had imagined.
It was then.
"Die!"
The humans on top of the carriage began to fire arrows and magic. Abar sensed the danger too and immediately shifted her body to the side, climbing back up the rocky mountain. Her speed climbing the mountain was impressive, but it was naturally no match for the horses running on flat ground.
We dodged the arrows and magic, but the distance between us only grew. There was no way to catch a carriage pulled by more than six horses.
"Can you catch them?"
"Krrreuk."
She answered as if responding to my question. Abar began to accelerate even more. I leaned forward, too. My horns made it awkward, but I tried to reduce the wind resistance as much as possible.
And then...
Slowly, Abar began to pull ahead. Unlike riding a horse, my body was being violently thrown up and down, but she was undeniably fast. I glanced to the side and saw the surrounding scenery changing as if I were in a speeding car. So much was flying by in an instant. Mev's lower body was half-lifted into the air, as if she were about to be flung off.
"Aaaaaah!"
Her arms were wrapped around me, but she looked like she could fly off at any moment, so I had no choice but to grab her arm tightly.
The carriage and Abar soon passed the point where Hakajin and Hark had been waiting. Seeing that they were gone, I felt a little relieved, assuming they were running toward the main force.
But we needed to stall for more time. And as if answering my expectations, Abar slowly began to overtake them. It felt like we had been trailing far behind, but now we were almost level with them. In fact, we were inching forward, bit by bit. Arrows flew up at us, but I ignored them. They wouldn't hit us anyway.
The carriage was currently running on flat ground, but Abar was running on rough terrain. It was amazing that she was overtaking them despite that. I patted Abar's side again, and as if she understood my intent, she let out another loud cry.
"Krrrrreung."
And then...
The moment Abar leaped from the rocky mountain toward them once more.
"Mev!"
"Yeah!"
As we descended, Mev began to nock an arrow. I didn't know if she could hit them or not, but she let it fly. Worried she might fall, I wrapped my legs tightly around Abar's torso and held Mev's waist with one arm.
I was worried she'd get shy like usual, but thankfully, that wasn't the case.
This fairy wasn't looking at me.
Her eyes were fixed precisely on the horses charging ahead.
Just as I felt we were hanging in the air for a little too long, Mev's arrow flew as if in slow motion, and Abar landed perfectly on top of the carriage.
"Krrrrreung."
"Nice."
I gave a slight smile to the men who were staring at us with dumbfounded expressions.