Chapter 80 - We are all prey here

"General Esdea, we are fully rested and ready to set out any time you want!" Announced Balto outside the ice shed in a high voice after knocking on the door. After wasting no time to replenish his used Magic Power, Balto didn't want to waste time and let Marc be in the same room as Esdea alone. Behind him stood Dixie and Gypsy, ready too.

Abruptly, the door opened in Balto's face and someone came out while sleepily saying "You are knocking on the wrong door! I didn't order a vacation. Piss off!!" Before closing the door again.

Dixie and Gypsy were speechless at how clueless and reckless Marc could be. They couldn't take their eyes off the red mark on Balto's head though.

Adjusting her cowboy hat and curious, Dixie stepped forward and knocked on the door too "Marc you owe us money! Open up or you will regret it." She couldn't help it as Marc was a pretty unusual guy.

"Geh! The Yakuza? I thought I managed to cheat them out of my debt last time." They heard Marc say through a few cracks in the door Balto's head made— before he suddenly changed his voice to an old man "Marc who? He moved away last month! Go away or I will call the police!"

They wondered what the Yakuza were, but it wasn't important as Gypsy took her turn to knock on the door. She found the situation funny so she knocked on the door with a big grin "Marc you bastard, you made me pregnant. Take responsibility!". Her grin didn't last long though as the door slowly opened and revealed Esdea that wasn't looking happy.

A squeal couldn't be helped being released from Gypsy as she was frightened like a little kitten when she saw Esdea murderous expression that looked ready to capture, torture, and then murder her.

From behind the maddened Esdea, came Marc and rubbed his still sleepy eyes while saying "A salesman, Yakuza, and now a prostitute that wants to scam me again. Is it my unlucky day or something?"

*Pfft*

Dixie quickly stopped herself from laughing with her hand, but it was remarkably difficult. The angry Esdea's lips also couldn't help go a little upward, but she still kept looking at the pouting Gypsy— although she was a loose woman, she didn't enjoy being called a prostitute. To completely make her general calm down, she hurriedly told her "It was just a joke." while she had the chance.

"It better be," said Esdea threateningly, before she made an ice shard and slid it stealthily in Marc pants that he drowsily had worn before coming out as a little revenge for yesterday. Having come to terms with things that already happened and more determined to keep a tight leash on Marc's dick, she still held a little grudge.

"Let's not fool around anymore and enter The Cold Region already." Remarked Esdea before Marc began dancing as the cold feeling of having ice in his ass surprised him.

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.

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"Wow! It really feels like my Magic Power is being frozen. Is there really no way to stop it?" Exclaimed Marc after they had entered The Cold Region and felt the passive sense of some of his Magic Power being unable to be used already.

"There's at least no known method I know of." Replied Esdea while carrying the small dead Magic Beasts she had killed earlier. The others carried their own too.

They didn't walk long into The Cold Region before Esdea told them to stop and put down all the prey they were carrying.

"Why aren't we going further in? We have only just entered this place." Questioned Marc.

"Because if we aren't careful, then we might very well be surrounded by Magic Beasts before knowing it. We will start from here and hunt out way further in. Drop the prey here and climb into a tree." Told Esdea before she quickly began slicing the throats of the prey to let the blood drain out on the snowy ground.

After having done her job, Esdea quickly moved to the tree Marc was already in and climbed up. The group split up and was in each tree— all were looking around alertly.

While in the tree, Marc was using his spell [Panthera Disaster] to repel his brainwaves and speed them up, making his reaction and danger sense faster. He couldn't help using it and didn't bother being cheap and overly save his Magic Power— that's why he's always broke. Sitting on a branch in a crouched position, he was already being seen as prey for a very dangerous Magic Beast. The tree with dark-blue frosty leaves on one side, while the other was dark purple and glimmered a little— was already home to a predator. Slowly a dark shadow moved just the right places where the light didn't shine brightly and was covered by shades. It took its time and moved silently towards Marc until it wasn't far from his ankles. Seeing the uninvited guest hadn't discovered it, the Magic Beast opened its mouth and a shadow of two long fangs could be seen before it dashed forward Marc's ankle— ready to kill and feet on him.

Bells of danger sounded in Marc's head and he was just about to use his hand to slap it away, but someone was faster than him.

A rapier plunged completely through and more in the Magic Beasts head and continued into the tree. Finally able to fully see the sneaking hunter that was a purple snake with black markings on it. Having Esdea's rapier through its mouth, it was still alive and kicking. It was hissing and trying to get free, but couldn't as it was skewered by Esdea.

With a tip of her rapier, Esdea cut its head over and killed it. "You shouldn't touch it. This snake is highly poisonous," she warned before she continued observing the prey she laid down on the ground. With a shrug to her warning— only if she knew that trying to poison him might be the stupidest thing to do if they wanted to kill him. As he can just remove it like he does when removing alcohol from his system to cheat in drinking contests.

They didn't have to wait long before someone was attracted to the dead light-blue insectivores. The sound of heavy footsteps sounded— almost like a giant was coming. Small tremors could be felt and snow fell off the leaves. When the sound of footsteps was at its highest, suddenly two trees were forcefully broken apart when a Magic Beast similar to a T-rex burst through them and roared loudly.

"It's just a Thunder Winged Tyra…" Mumbled Esdea a little disappointed. She had already slain a few of them, and they were no challenge for her. Marc completely ignored her and completely focused on the dinosaur in front of him.

What made it different from a T-rex was its bright light-grey fur on its back and down to the tail. Its head is a vibrant orange color. Dark grey stripes cover large portions of the body, extending from the head all the way to its tail. But what really made it stand out was its two butterfly-like grey wings on its back and the purple gem-like stone on its nose.

(A/N: Reference is a Fulgur Anjanath from Monster Hunter World: Iceborn.)

Excitement flowed through Marc's veins as one of his dreams had been fulfilled— seeing a real dinosaur. What boy doesn't like them?

Thunder Winged Tyra is this giant Magic Beast that easily crosses five meters in height.

"I'm going to fight it!" Exclaimed Marc eagerly in a low voice. With a hand on his shoulder, Esdea stopped him and whispered. "Don't. Let Gypsy take care of it and save your Magic Power for later to when stronger Magic Beasts gather. The Cold Region is filled with stronger Magic Beasts than this stupid Thunder Winged Tyra that announces its presence so loudly."

"That's not the problem. I want to fight a dinosaur."

"Dinosaur? This is what many would call either a Lesser Dragon or Lesser Phoenix depending on its form— something that's said real Dragons and Phoenixes alike hate being affiliated with. It's said some gods started calling them that and later taught it to humans. Hundreds of years later every human categorizes them as Lesser Dragons now, although they really aren't." Esdea explained after giving a sign to the tree where Gypsy was hiding in. Hearing Dinosaurs being called Lesser Dragons left a bad taste for a Dinosaur-lover like Marc.

"Fucking waste of a god. Dinosaurs, Dragons, and Phoenix are all different types of beings. It would be the same if I called all gods in this world ugly goblins if they have a humanoid form." Thought Marc very irritated and spew nonsense that doesn't make sense in his head.

…

In the other tree where Gypsy was hiding and watching the Thunder Winged Tyra begin devouring the bait, they had placed. She had already seen the sign Esdea gave her and got the meaning behind it: "You, kill."

Waiting a bit to come up with a battle plan, Gypsy was sure she could take it down if she just got enough time— but she knew that a drawn-out battle in The Cold Region is just plain stupid.

Having planned enough, Gypsy jumped over to the next tree after having carefully looked out for any lurking predators like the snake Esdea dealt with. Unknown to the whole group, another Magic Beast had also targeted the Thunder Winged Tyra and lurked under the snow on the ground, getting ready for the right moment to attack.

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(A/N: This chapter is heavily inspired by the game - **Monster Hunter World: Iceborn** where the player loses stamina in some cold areas.)

(Words: 1643)