SS1 8.4 - Smooth End

  Ariel’s prediction was spot on. It took us about 51 minutes to reach the last area in our exfil route. It’s just that I saw no orcs or gobbling tried to stop us in this area. Normally, the absence of orcs and goblins should make me happy, but I felt something was wrong. I didn’t heard bird chirps or saw presence of small animals.

  In the previous areas, even when orcs and goblin were present in huge numbers, I still saw movements from small animals in the ground or heard bird’s chirps from forest canopy. But now, I didn’t heard or saw such occurrence. It was too quiet. It was as if something had scared the birds and small animal to leave the whole area.

  I also could tell Ariel suddenly became very tense. She vigilantly scanned the area and readied her short sword. As for Kara, she looked rather calmly but she also readied her short sword.

  ‘Something is definitely wrong,’ I muttered and I was correct.

  I heard nothing from behind me, but my instinct made me to turn around. Then, my heart instantly stopped beating while my eyes widened. Without making a sound, a red wolf as big as stallion was jumping straight to me with wide opened muzzle and two fangs as big as short sword attached to it.

  I only managed to make a bit sidestep before my body got yanked off the ground and piercing pain hit me in the right shoulder. The pain intensified several folds as the huge red wolf galloping into grassland next to Kubran Valley’s outskirt, with me dangling between life and death under his jaw. When the bastard finally stopped, dropped me to the ground and left me to die, I immediately took a look on my wound.

  It scared the shit out of me when I found blood pulsating out from two big holes in my right shoulder. My head then became dizzy while my body felt so weak. I really wanted to take a short nap. Even so, I tried my best to stay awake. If I closed my eyes, I was sure it would be permanent.

  Then, while my blurry eyes were fixed on the huge blue sky, my left hand weakly tried to take Healing Potion from a pouch in my left waist. With lots of difficulty, I managed to drink three vials of Healing Potion.

  After that, my mind gradually became clearer. At the same time, the intense pain in my shoulder resurfaced. Fortunately, it was only for a few seconds before the pain subsided. Then, I started to feel my right arm again. It was still pretty weak, but I could feel the bleeding had stop and the two big holes gradually closing in.

  ‘That was too close.’

  Shiver ran down on my spine as I recalled my latest near death experience just a moment ago. No matter how many times I experienced it, I never got used to it.

  ‘Time to work,’ I muttered while did my best to strengthen my resolve.

  Based on information I read, it would take a few days for Healing Potion to fully repair the damaged tissue, nerve, and bone in my right shoulder. Until then, I couldn’t use it for heavy activity. Unfortunately, I didn’t have such luxury.

  Even though I couldn’t see it, I clearly heard Ariel and Kara were fighting the huge red wolf right now. The damnable red wolf was smart enough to bring the fight outside the last area before timed-tear gas in this area went off.

  Now, it could fight Ariel and Kara in its peak condition. I had to help them and increased their chance to win the fight. After taking two vials of stamina potion, I sat up and setting a tripod to hold my MPX. After switching the regular 30-round magazine with 100-round drum magazine, put the first round in firing chamber and shift selective-lever to 3-round burst, I put my right eyes behind the Acog.

  The fight was about 60 meters from my position. Ariel and Kara were trying to pinch the huge red wolf from its flank. Kara looked calm and her breath was stable. Unfortunately, Ariel was already out of breath. It seemed Kara was far stronger than my estimation. No wonder she was being sent to sneak cut Old Jack’s neck.

  After calming my breathing, I then waited for target opportunity and a few seconds later I saw one. After parrying Kara’s slash using his claw, the huge red wolf darted towards Ariel. Without delay, I gently squeezed the trigger.

  Ra-ta-tar!!!

  A 3-round burst perfectly hit the huge red wolf in the right hind leg. It made his pounce to Ariel slightly deviated. It also made him received a slash to his side from Ariel. It was shallow slash and his Regeneration healed it almost instantly, but it still made him angry.

  The red wolf instantly turned his huge head to me. Then, he tilted his head to the side while the anger in his eyes turned into curiosity. For some reason, I could tell he was surprised to see I was still alive and even managed to inflict a wound on him.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “I’m not dead yet bastard,” I said in whisper before squeezing the trigger one more time.

  Ra-ta-tar!!!

  Another 3-round burst hit the huge red wolf. This time it hit his side. However, the huge red wolf only took a glance on it before running straight to me.

  “Berg!” Ariel screamed with everything she got. “RUN!!!”

  At the same time, Kara chased the huge red wolf. As for me, I didn’t think I can outrun a Warg. Fighting it head on was the only option I have. Wasting no time, I took my eyes off the Acog and held the MPX in my right waist with both hands while switching the selective lever to full-auto.

  A moment later, the red huge wolf already arrived about 20 meters before me and made a high jump toward me, with wide open muzzle. The view gave me a chill in my nape. However, same trick won’t work on me twice. I immediately laid down my back to the ground and pressed the trigger.

  Raarrrrrrrrrrr!!!

  From the pink mist at behind his huge figure, I could tell I hit the red huge wolf. However, it didn’t stop his pounce. I waited until the last second before rolling up to the side, got up into knelling position, and ready to bath the red huge wolf with tungsten core one more time. However, I found that after his landing, the huge red wolf had a hard time to get up to his feet. At the same time, Kara already arrived before him and made a double-hands swing at his neck.

  Ka-chak!

  With one powerful chop Kara beheaded the huge red wolf. The light in his eyes then gradually dimmed down until finally it gone without a trace. After jerking off the blood in her short sword, Kara then walked over to me.

  “At least one bullet grazed the Red Warg’s in the brain and immobilized his legs,” Kara casually said.

  Big question mark instantly appeared in my forehead. “Red Warg?”

  “It’s a lone Warg that hunt in daytime.”

  “I see.”

  “And,” Kara expression suddenly turned serious. “As soon as you immobilize a mid-rank, you should destroy its brain and end the fight immediately.”

  “Got it.”

  I obediently replied even though earlier I canceled my intention to headshot the Red Warg because she was already half-step before beheading him for good. Then, Ariel arrived before us.

  “Berg,” Ariel gave me a worried look as she continued, “Are you okay?”

  After a smile I said, “I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I won’t be able to use my right arm for weight lifting for a while, but other than that I’m totally fine,” I calmly explained.

  “I see,” Ariel said before taking a deep breath full of relief. “We thought the Red Warg have finished you off before he went to fight us.”

  “Fortunately, he didn’t,” I happily said.

  I could see Ariel was genuinely worrying me, and it made me happy. I then took out the HMV from Inventory.

  “Get in,” I said as I started the HMV’s engine.

  “Yeah,” Ariel replied before hopping in to HMV’s rear section.

  Then, she kneeled facing the tree lines on Kubran Valley’s outskirt with half-knocked arrow in her hand. Next to her, Kara also kneeled with half-knocked arrow. Without delay, I then gently stepped down the gas. I waited until we were about 3 km away from Kubran Valley before opening a conversation.

  “That’s very intense.”

  “Yeah,” Ariel firmly replied before got up and sat on the HMV’s seat on the left.

  “That’s definitely very intense,” Kara said as she also got up and sat on the HMV’s seat across Ariel.

  I could tell Ariel truly had tense expression from the start until just now. As for Kana, after I carefully recalled it, I got impression she was very calm all the time. I even started to believe she enjoyed the trip. However, I didn’t think about it further and decided to talk about my next plan.

  I turned my gaze to Ariel and Kara in turn and asked them, “Any idea about good spot where we can take a rest?”

  Kara instantly creased her brows while looking at me straight in the eyes. “Why don’t we go back to Karmen right away?”

  “I want to carry a low-risk hunt tonight.”

  “Huh?” Big question mark appeared in Kara’s forehead while she looked at me as if I was an idiot. “Are you serious?”

  “I’m.”

  “You just survive Grim Reaper’s jaw by a hairline, but now you are already eager to present your life before him one more time.”

  “It’s just a low-risk hunt,” I calmly said.

  “Berg,” Kara said in a drop dead serious tone. “There are hundreds of low-risk hunt that kill an entire hunter team just because one idiot commits a basic mistake.”

  “I’m aware of such scenario.” After a light smile I added, “But, in tonight hunt, we will have aerial asset to assist our hunt.”

  “It won’t make any difference,” Kara firmly said. “Unless you spend a massive amount of tear gas to prepare your exit in advance, like the one you just did, your chance to survive monster siege is almost zero.”

  “No worry. I know what I do.”

  Kara instantly let out a sigh. “Can you tell me why you are so eager to have another hunt?”

  “Our exfil drain out lot of my money,” I openly admitted my motivation. “I want to get some back.”

  “So, it’s only to get some money.”

  “Sort of.”

  “It will kill you.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Stubborn fool,” Kara vexingly said.

  “Thank you for worrying me,” I sincerely said.

  “I’m not worrying you,” Kara protested. “I’m worrying Big Sis Ariel.”

  I didn’t remember since when Kara treated Ariel as her big sis, but it still made me genuinely happy.

  After a smile I said, “Thank you for worrying Ariel.”

  “Let’s just return to Karmen,” Kara firmly said.

  “Nope,” I casually said.

  “If shit happens, I will take Big Sis Ariel away and leave you behind.”

  “Please do that,” I said as I looked at Kara straight in the eyes. “Ariel’s safety is my highest concern.”

  “…”

  Kara said nothing and only letting out another sigh. I then turned my gaze to Ariel.

  “Where do we should go?”

  “Let’s go to that hill,” Ariel said while pointed her finger at a hill 2 km in our left. “It has nice and flat peak with good vantage point to all direction.”

  “Roger.”

  Wasting no time, I took the HMV to reach the hilltop. After that, I asked Ariel and Kara to be on lookout duty and they happily carried it out while enjoying a bag of melon seed.

  Previously, Ariel said nothing about my plan to have a hunt tonight, but I could tell she didn’t agree with it. Even so, I firmly stayed with my decision. Then, I went to assembly the ordnance to be paired with Orbiter 69.

  *****