Chapter 10: Escape Artists

Leading in the forefront was Renan while trailing slightly behind him was Ars; and right now, they were both crazily running away from the beast that was madly pursuing them.

"Haa… Haa… It's a good thing that you had those swift potions with you, Miss Ars. Otherwise, I wouldn't even know if we would still be alive right now." Renan remarked in a light-hearted manner, trying to ease the tension between them.

"It's, haa… No problem at all… If you want, I still have more in my inventory, haa… So please, tell me if you're running out, huu…"

Ars was having some difficulties replying to him due to shortness of breath. And who could blame her when they've been practically running all this time without pause, striving to not get caught and then get eaten alive by this monster tailing them. That was just not a pleasant way to go out no matter how you look at it.

"Yeah… I think I'll have that potion now 'cause I only have fifteen seconds left in my counter."

"Haa… Okay…"

She promptly produced a green-colored swift potion in her hand before handing it over to him. Quickly taking it, he then looked at her for a moment and couldn't help but notice her pale and cold complexion.

"Miss Ars, are you alright? You don't look too good."

"I'm, haa… fine… Please don't worry about me."

Obviously, he didn't believe her words one bit and was even more worried. I mean, she looked like she was on the verge of passing out any moment now. He knew that he needed to do something about this situation or it will only end badly for them. Besides, the fact was that they couldn't keep this up forever because her swift potions would be used up eventually.

'Think Renan, think…! How do I get us out of this?!'

And just as he was racking his brain searching for a way out, he belatedly saw the trio from earlier racing in front of them. Somehow, they were getting closer and closer to them with each passing second.

'…It's them!' Renan's eyes gleamed, and he smirked dangerously to himself. 'Alright, our chance is here. Let's do this…!'

Even though she was getting tired and her eyes were unfocused all this time, Ars still noticed those three individuals that were the root cause of this disaster befalling them.

Anger sprouted in her chest and she let out a frustrated curse, "It's those bastards from earlier! I can't believe they used us as bait to get away from this monster!"

"Honestly, I would've done the same thing if I were in their situation…" Renan spoke frankly about his thoughts to her. "But, that doesn't mean that we can just let this grudge go unpaid. Ars, I'm going to charge behind one of them and attack, and I need you to support me with one of your spells. Make sure to target the person I'm hitting."

"Mhm. I got it." She nodded her head resolutely.

"Okay, I'm going in for the blow."

After he said that, Renan uncorked the swift potion with his teeth and chugged down the contents in one go before throwing it away. In an instant, he sensed his feet turning lighter and his steps getting quicker; and with the help of this boost in speed, he pounced forth like a wolf towards the back of the mustached-man. Becoming increasingly aware of the encroaching presence behind him brimming with killing intent, the mustached-man turned his head to look and saw Renan brandishing his claws at him.

"Hmph! Don't think I'm so easy to deal with kiddo!" Rebel yelled and sent out a chop flying across with his sword.

'Fury Swipes!'

Renan rained down a torrential wave of blows on him, putting his everything into speed rather than strength. And yet, because Rebel was a much higher-leveled player, he handled three of his strikes by parrying using basic sword movements. But after that, Renan finally managed to create an opening for himself by deflecting his sword at just the right angle.

"Shit…!"

Rebel widened his eyes in disbelief before receiving a rapid succession of claw attacks. As a result, he was pushed back slightly and lose his footing. Not letting this opportunity slip by him, Renan quickly ducked down and performed a sweeping kick across the ground.

"Aargh!" He screamed then fell to the dirt with an audible thud.

"Miss Ars, now!" Renan ordered before jumping off to the side.

Showing a great deal of skill, Ars flawlessly managed to time her spell with Renan's movement and finished her chant at just the right moment.

"Firebolt!"

She unleashed a flaming conflagration that resembled a zooming bolt of lightning that shot towards the mustached-man in all its fury. Consequently, his whole body was mercilessly engulfed by the raging fire as his miserable screams echoed out through the forest as clear as day.

"FUUUUU—CCCKKK MEEE!!!"

"Rebel…!"

Shuu and his other companion looked back at the scene aghast, and promptly they stopped what they were doing and stood rooted on the spot. Without wasting any more time, Shuu took off the sack hanging on his back and gave it to his remaining teammate.

He said to him: "Here, take this! You need to leave here right now! I'll go and help Rebel to buy you some time to escape—NOW GO!"

The guy hesitated for a brief moment, not sure of what would be the right thing to do in this sort of dilemma. But then, he met his friend Shuu's clear and determined eyes and ultimately agreed with a nod of his head, proceeding to flee once more. Shuu watched him for a moment, before turning his body around and then dashing to the battle.

In the meantime, while Ars was preoccupied aiming at her target and successfully hitting him, the beast swiped its gigantic paws towards her in a swift motion. And like a person being rammed by a fast-moving truck, Ars was blown away without any bit of resistance whatsoever.

"Miss Ars!"

Her small and pitiful figure smashed violently into a tree, before sliding down to the bottom and just lying there like a puppet with its strings cut-off.

"…Damn it to hell!" Renan cursed under his breath and rushed to her side.

On the other hand, after the effects of the Firebolt died down Rebel stood back up to his feet, only to hear the sounds of dangerously loud footsteps closing in on him.

"ROOOAR!"

The beast hurled both its arms downwards, intending to clobber the living shit out of this human that had the balls to steal from its lair earlier, and who perpetrated this entire thing in the first place. Rebel hurried to raise his sword above him, preparing to receive the full brunt of this earthshattering blow head-on. The second the beast's arms made contact with his weapon, a clear ear-piercing ring resounded in the whole area around them.

"Rebel, I came to help!" Shuu shouted to him while running over from some distance away.

Upon hearing that, Rebel's eyes turned bloodshot and he gritted his teeth so hard that blood started to ooze out from the gap of his molars. "Arrgh…! Don't you worry about me! I need you to go deal with that couple first—I want them dead, you hear me!?"

"But–"

"NOW SHUU!" He turned his eyes tinged with madness to look at him and bellowed out furiously, "I don't give a shit if I die right here and now, as long as those two pieces of shit get the same treatment as me!"

Clenching his fists tightly out of sheer frustration at his friend's stubborn retaliation against them, Shuu gave one last exasperated yell, "Fine then, I'll have it your way you dumbass!" before finally leaving him there with the beast.

Shuu changed direction just as he instructed him to do and went to deal with the couple instead, albeit rather unwillingly.

"Hell yeah! Make sure to give them a proper ass-whopping for me, alright?!" And just as those vulgar words came out of his mouth, he heard a faint cracking noise coming from the sword he was wielding. "Goddammit man, I can't catch a break can I!?"

Thus is the end of Rebel the mustached swordsman: being flattened to the ground and grinded into a meat paste by the very own calamity he instigated.

Meanwhile, over at Renan and Ars' side: Renan was currently feeding Ars his fourth health potion this day, except it wasn't through mouth-to-mouth like last time. Holding her delicate body in his arms as gently as he could, he poured in the contents of the bottle inside her mouth slowly so that she wouldn't choke on it. Instantly, her health recovered to about twenty percent of the original and she could finally move her limbs.

"Hmm? Miss Ars, I think we've got company."

Renan heard the strides of someone approaching them. They both looked at the said person's direction, and he, in turn, glared back at them with eyes full of hostility. Seeing that, Renan promptly got up while shouldering Ars to make her stand alongside him.

"It's time for us to leave. Miss Ars, if you could please erect those pointy rocks again it would be much appreciated."

"Mhm." She nodded her head and began chanting, "O gracious and kind mother Earth, that supports us with her frim and sturdy foundation; please bless thee with thine earthly powers—Stone Stalagmite!"

A moment later, a tall rock formation protruded out suddenly and obstructed the pathway the man was taking to get to where they are. And on the other side, they could hear some random swearing coming from that person, though they were somewhat muffled because of the thick meter wall separating them.

"Heh. Enjoy playing alone with that beast for us, chap." Renan smirked as he said that, before turning around to leave this god-awful place together with Ars.