Chapter 19: Squad

  ‘That kid won’t get eaten would he?’

  Of all the thoughts she could have, Ruby had thought that one.

  As Adeide tried and failed to stand up, a pair of footsteps started to get louder and louder, before two individuals popped out from out of the woods.

  ‘Two more dies, I’ve got some luck!’

  ‘A cute field medic, and, ugh, Evelyn?’ Adeide thought with distaste.

  A soft voice, like a gentle breeze striking wind chimes filled the air, “What happened? Oh! Are you alright?”

  Seeing Adeide, Evelyn said with a nasty expression, and obvious disdain, “Tch. He’s probably fine.”

  “You haven’t even checked my condition!” Was what Adeide wanted to say.

  But instead he groaned in pain, “I— I can’t feel my legs! You’re a medic, right? Can you save me!?”

  “Oh gods! Let me see!”

  ‘Hehe…’

  “He’s acting! Look! He’s fine!” Evelyn shouted.

  Laelin rushed forward, whilst Evelyn approached slowly, unwillingly, even.

  The gentle medic went down on one knee to check his legs, whilst Adeide tried to make conversation.

  “What’s your name?”

  “How long have you been a medic?”

  “What? No way! Luther’s my favorite boss too!”

  “Do you like men with brown hair?”

  He said that st question in his mind however, judging that Laelin was more into the subtle type…

  Arms crossed, Evelyn stood above the both of them with an unconcealed gre. Of course, that gre was only directed at one person, and it was mixed with both distaste and revulsion.

  “For someone who can’t feel his legs you’re awfully chatty.” She said with disapproval.

  Adeide didn’t respond with words, but accidentally let slip a sleazy smile.

  He tried quickly to cover it up, but it was too te. Evelyn paused— speechless— before erupting, “You bastard, I’ll make sure you never walk again!”

  “He— Help! Medic!”

  “Ev, stop!”

  “I know six girls you’ve made cry, and I personally know four of them!”

  “Th— That’s not the full story!” Adeide tried to defend his image.

  “Calling you a two-timer would be an understatement! Maybe three or even four!”

  “Those are rumors! Rumors and gossip!”

  “You don’t believe in rumors, right? Uhh…” Adeide had already forgotten her name, and so did he forget the st three women he was with.

  “Laelin?” He said in a casual tone as if he never forgot.

  Looking at her however, the two realized that the gentle girl had a solemn and saddened look on her face, causing them to tone down their squabbling.

  “Lin? What’s wrong?”

  “You’re…a mana user, right?” Laelin suddenly asked.

  “Yes…why?”

  Evelyn had a surprised look on her face, never knowing the boy she had grown up with was hiding such a secret.

  “I— I haven’t studied a lot about their effects, but I know a thing…or two…” She said with a downcast tone and obvious sorrow.

  “It’s— it’s…” She hesitated.

  The more she spoke, the more Laelin created a grave and foreboding atmosphere. Gone was the brightness in her voice, repced with gloomy and dark clouds.

  Laelin said solemnly, “You— You really…might…not be able to walk again…”

  Both Adeide and Evelyn reacted with extreme shock. Even Ruby gnced behind her, not expecting such a severe diagnosis.

  ‘Was his condition so serious?’

  Adeide almost colpsed, just barely supporting himself with two shaky hands, ‘I won’t be able to walk again?’

  ‘I know the words I said, but I— I didn’t really mean it.’ Evelyn thought to herself.

  Suddenly however, “...Just kidding!” A bright and cheery voice shouted.

  Laelin was expecting ughter, but instead, two stunned expressions stared at her in disbelief.

  She said, “O— Oh, sorry.”

  “A new friend I made said I should make jokes once in a while, it’ll help in making other friends…”

  Ruby discreetly cleared her throat before quickly turning away. Luckily all the stares were on the gentle medic, and no one noticed her odd reaction.

  “Was it too much?”

  “...N— Not at all.” Adeide lied.

  ‘Woman, I almost had a heart attack!’

  “Hah. You should’ve seen your face.”

  “You should’ve seen your face! I know you still care about me!”

  “In your dreams.”

  “What’s my actual state, doc?” He asked casually.

  “I'm just a medic not a doctor…”

  “My bad.” He scratched his head awkwardly.

  “You’ll need a little mindful rest…but you’ll be fine. It’d be even better if you ate something nutritious, or a medicine with mana restorative effects.”

  “So I can walk right? Eventually?”

  “Mmhmm.” Laelin nodded

  “Whew.” Adeide breathed out a deep sigh of relief.

  “Congrats.” Evelyn said ftly.

  “So, what happened here anyway?”

  “You get attacked by a bear or something?”

  Evelyn secretly gnced at the noble dy opposite of them.

  “Needed a girl to come save you? Hah! Thought you always prided yourself on…” Her words trailed off.

  After making sure Adeide was fit to return to being a scourge for all women, Evelyn and Laelin finally had the chance to thoroughly examine the nearby surroundings.

  It was hard to see under the sparse moonlight, but waving her torch around, the scenes of destruction before her were finally id bare.

  “What the hell? Did a hurricane hit here or something?”

  Within the area and expanse of a tunnel, all but the tallest trees had been uprooted, and the ground bore marks and scars from some massive and long body.

  As Adeide opened his mouth to recount the previous events, looks of shock and disbelief pstered the two girl’s faces. Laelin was quick to believe, while Evelyn couldn’t deny the obvious tracks made by the serpent’s gargantuan body. Even if someone dragged a massive log along the ground, there was no way to replicate the deep, twisting and turning burrows, nor was there really a reason to.

  However…mixing truth with a few minor lies, Adeide embellished the story, making him seem more heroic and courageous. He narrated how he had saved a damsel in distress by fearlessly striking at the snake’s eye, all while directly skipping the part where he was urinating in the woods, and accidentally pissed on his leg when two gigantic heads peered above him.

  Finally, he detailed that at his st stand of fighting off the demonic beast— rapier shattered and out of mana and breath— an angel had come to his aid, and fearing her existence, the serpent fled.

  Ruby stayed silent the whole time, still looking south, as if pondering something deeply. Of course, she heard how she was being depicted, but chose to keep up a calm and composed image.

  ‘Who doesn't wanna look cool and aloof!’

  At that moment, two pairs of eyes nded on her seemingly unconcerned figure.

  Laelin could only like her even more. She was gd, and pleasantly surprised that her newfound friend was not at all like the rumors made her out to be.

  Evelyn however, huffed and looked somewhere else, crossing her arms.

  As soon as Adeide finished the story, a voice suddenly spoke, “We should regroup with the others, there’s no telling what might happen to them.”

  Laelin, and a wobbling Adeide trying to stand were just about to follow, when someone stomped over in front of them.

  Evelyn was just about to say, “Who made you squad leader?”

  When a blood curdling scream echoed throughout the forest.

  “Really? Another?” Ruby thought.

  “Could…that giant snake have found someone else!?”

  Adeide had the same thoughts, but his legs were mush, and he almost fell trying to take a step.

  The other two began to move, but before they could, an impact shook the ground, before Ruby once again bsted forwards.

  “Does she always have to do that!?” Evelyn roared as she shook a chunk of dirt from her hair, and more began to fall from the sky.

  The two soldiers urgently ran in her direction, shortly arriving only a minute or two ter to the scene.

  As Laelin and Evelyn approached, they heard the hurried and audibly distressed speech of a woman.

  “Calm down.” Ruby said for about the fourth time.

  “I— I’m trying! It’s— just—”

  “It’s okay, just breathe in deep, in, then out.”

  All their heads turned to the medic, who then walked up and kneeled down beside the jittery and frantic woman.

  Laelin gently grasped her hand and held it tight and firm in both of her’s. With that, the jittery woman could not help but listen to her instructions. Along with the safe anchor that was Laelin’s hand, she began to ease up with every deep breath.

  …That was, until another pair of hands grasped her other, free hand.

  “Yes, miss, we’re here for you.” Adeide said.

  “...” Everyone looked at him.

  Apart from the unknown woman, everyone’s first thought was, ‘When did you even get here?’

  When Adeide staggeringly arrived, he first wanted to shout, “You guys left without me! What if I had gotten attacked!?”

  But when he saw the beautiful individual of the other sex, who was obviously distressed, he discreetly slithered to her side unnoticed.

  “So, what happened?” Ruby asked once again, noticing the unknown soldier was in a much better mental state.

  The woman breathed in deep, “I heard a lot of noise coming from this direction, so I wanted to check it out.”

  “B— But then…”

  “I don’t know— th– the shadows— they just jumped at me.” Her speech started to become anxious and rushed once again, she almost didn’t believe the words coming out of her own mouth.

  “The…shadows?” Evelyn asked in doubt and audible disbelief.

  “Maybe you were just seeing things?”

  Adeide and Laelin looked at her, one gently troubled, and another as if looking at an uncultured boor.

  “What?” She asked, not knowing what she did to garner their gazes.

  “No, NO!” The woman suddenly shouted frightfully.

  “My sword— it collided with those things, and the impact— I saw it produce sparks!”

  “They lunged at me— there were only three or four at first— but they kept leaping out of the shadows!”

  “And then, then— I felt my back hit a tree— I had my torch lit, so I waved it at them, and they backed off— but just for a second.”

  “Gods it was like—they just kept coming out of the darkness— waves and waves of them like an ocean—”

  “I was sure they were going to lunge at me again— I thought I was dead, but that was when I— I saw something— i— in the distance.”

  “And the shadows— they moved as if they were turning around to look at it too.”

  “I swear it was like a massive moving hill, vague and…unknown…and then I…”

  “I felt this…” Her voice rose like a nervous tide.

  “This— This wave of extreme, primal fear, and I couldn’t help but scream.”

  “I closed my eyes because I was so afraid— and then I—”

  “I don’t know how long I sat here whether it was seconds or– or– or— minutes, but…”

  “When I opened my eyes…everything was back to normal.”

  “Like it…never even…happened…”

  “But I swear it did!”

  “...Maybe the shadows got spooked by your scream? Haha.” Evelyn said, to the disapproving looks of both her friend, and long-time acquaintance.

  After a few moments of pondering silence, Adeide turned to Ruby, “...What’re your thoughts, miss?”

  Unconsciously, Adeide was already deferring to her.

  She replied calmly, yet confidently and assertively, “…Regardless, we have to regroup with the others.”

  “If we ran into things like this, there’s a chance they could have too.”

  “Let’s go.”