21 20. Bleaker than Grey

Harvey walked alongside the Chaos Bird party, heading toward the Rashid Ice Forest. Upon closer inspection, it resembled less of a forest and more of a village.

Nevertheless, its beauty remained untouched. Enormous trees graced the landscape, resembling ice sculptures and the houses were crafted from the same frozen element. Residents strolled along the icy floors, harvesting fruit from the ice trees. "Ice apples?" Harvey wondered as he observed them plucking fruit.

"It's magic, don't worry about it," Zachary explained to the best of his abilities before proceeding deeper into the village for initial questioning.

Approaching a small ice home with two people outside, Zachary respectfully bowed his head in greeting before engaging with them. The others followed suit. "I'd like to ask some questions if possible."

"Guests! When was the last time anyone visited our little village?" The older woman of the two exclaimed, a beaming smile on her face. "Get them some chairs, Clarice, and tea. Don't be greedy with the sugar!"

Zachary chuckled softly, and within minutes, they were all seated outside the woman's house. Despite the chairs being made of ice, they neither melted nor provided an overly cold sensation. Even the ice tea cups held the hottest liquid they had encountered all day.

"This ice forest didn't exist a few decades ago. I don't exactly know how it was formed, but it's said a mythical creature, born from mana, expelled all its mana on the land, turning it into this," The older lady explained with a laugh. "Where are my manners? I'm Yil, and this is my daughter, Clarice," Yil introduced, and Clarice waved at them.

"So, what about the Grey Stalker? We have reports that it passed through here a couple of days ago. It should still be here," Zachary inquired.

"We chased the beast away," Clarice pointed toward a side of the forest where blood covered the broken ice trees. Torn pieces of fabric and broken spear tips graced the ground like it was some kind of battlefront. "We lost a lot of men that day."

"Tch," Zachary bit his finger, "Do you know where the beast had gone?"

"Not exactly, but it was chased toward the south."

"The mountain plains... The Fledplains," Zachary mentioned, and Harvey looked at Erra.

"Was the beast aggressive? Grey Stalkers don't tend to be aggressive creatures unless bothered. Calling the adventurers would have been the better plan instead of fighting it head-on." Erra inquired.

"It wasn't aggressive from the jump, and we didn't attack it either. As you said, we tried calling Verdant for backup, but before we could... a little kid," Clarice held her face, squeezing her eyes, "A little kid got too close to it."

"I see," Erra stopped her questioning, understanding what had transpired.

"Did you guys see or feel anything else when you chased it to plains? A significant presence of some sort?" Zachary asked, and Harvey shot him a glance.

Yil looked at Clarice, and she shook her head, "There weren't any reports of anything like that." She stated.

"Okay," Zachary said, standing up, "Thanks for the tea."

Harvey suspected Zachary might've wanted to go after the unknown beast Drake had warned them about. If that time came, he would intervene. As much as he didn't want to interfere with the team's affairs and dynamics, he wouldn't let them rush to their deaths.

They pressed on, stepping past the blood and grime coating the ice plants. Erra observed a small red tree sprouting from the blood of the fallen, a stark contrast against the icy landscape. Following Clarice's directions, they headed toward the Mountain Plains.

The Rashid Ice Forest remained largely untouched by most creatures due to its unconventional location atop a hill. Traveling southward led to a surplus of mountains, which surprisingly connected to the Outskirts in Falusha.

"Earth Magic: Stone Bridge," Kylian conjured an earth spell, enabling them to traverse from mountain to mountain. Upon reaching the Fledplains, an expanse beneath the mountains that once served as an old mine. Kylian adjusted the trajectory of the bridge, guiding it downward. Erra sighed as she disembarked the earth construct, and Kylian handed her a water bottle.

Zachary led the way, encountering two guards stationed at the entrance. Harvey and the rest of the team approached, finding them in an apparent disagreement. "The Fledplains are currently under lockdown. No one is permitted entry," One guard stated firmly.

"As I mentioned, we have authorization to be here. A Grey Stalker was driven in there, and we're in pursuit," Zachary asserted.

"I'm simply following orders, Sir," The second guard maintained.

Zachary approached them, gazing into the abyss. "What exactly is in there?" Harvey questioned and upon noticing the diamond tag around his neck, the guards adjusted their demeanor.

"Yes, Sir. It appears the Grey Stalker ravaged the small town in the Fledplains. We've been instructed by the Guild Master to keep it confidential until Scorpion Talon arrives."

"Those bastards wanna steal our shit." Worick spat on the ground. "Goddamn glory hogs."

"It's solely the Grey Stalker, correct?" Harvey sought confirmation, and the guard affirmed.

"My wife..." The second guard fell to his knees, pleading. While he was maintaining a front, seeing a diamond-ranked adventurer gave him hope. Hope that she could still be saved. "Please, save her from that monster. She's in the town... please."

"Zachary," Harvey prompted, and Zachary dashed ahead, the rest following closely behind.

"Diamond ranks certainly receive special treatment," Worick remarked, eyeing Harvey.

"Diamond is amazing though; we're still silver," Darwin said, displaying his silver tag to Harvey.

"Focus up!" Zachary instructed as they reached a destroyed house.

The town had been ravaged, corpses littered the streets, and every building lay in ruins, many already engulfed in flames. "Is it too late?" Kylian muttered.

They pressed on into the town, finding no signs of survivors, indicating that the guard's wife was most likely already dead. Harvey glanced at Zachary. This was the most serious he had seen the usually carefree group leader. He frowned at the devastation caused by the beast they were sent to kill.

"If only we were sent a few days earlier," Worick lamented as they came to a halt, convinced that no one had survived in the village.

Harvey cocked his head to the side, as did Erra. Something had moved very quickly, and when Zachary sensed it, he unsheathed his katana. The rest of the men followed suit, assuming their battle positions.

"Light Magic: Eternal Bloom," Kylian cast a spell, creating an orb of light that illuminated the darker areas of the town. Grey Stalkers were feared not just for their strength but also for their speed and cunning.

Grey Stalkers were large humanoid creatures with arms connected to their wings and reinforced legs with a hardened exoskeleton. Their skin tone camouflaged into whatever environment they found themselves in, making them a perfect apex predator.

Though not traditional hunters like other beasts, hence the name Stalker, they lay in wait akin to snakes in a bush, anticipating their prey to approach. Yet, when hunger struck, they became formidable hunters.

"Erra, stay close to me," Harvey instructed, and she complied.

She was prepared to handle most fights on her own, but just like the players in this game, when NPCs died, there was no coming back. Darwin scanned the surroundings, noticing the roof of a shattered building tremble. Immediately, he turned his head towards it, but the monster had already lunged at him, faster than he could react.

The monster swung its claw with lightning speed, and although Darwin tried to raise his hands to block the attack, he knew he wouldn't make it in time. "Boost."

Darwin was propelled into the air just as the monster's claw neared his face, thanks to Harvey's quick intervention. Harvey positioned himself at the front with Zachary and Worick behind him. "That was close. You saved him, right? Thanks," Zachary expressed his gratitude.

"No problem," Harvey responded, then swiftly turned his attention to the Grey Stalker, slashing at its head. However, even his unique daggers couldn't penetrate its armor.

Erra summoned the Marsh Dagger into her hand and rushed toward Harvey, hoping to lend assistance. Although Harvey wanted to tell her to stay back, he recognized her strength, equivalent to Worick and the others. "Aim for its body, where the armor is weaker!" He instructed, and she nodded in acknowledgment.

"Light magic: Strength Buff," Darwin cast an enhancement spell on the team, doubling their damage output.

Harvey spun his daggers around, their blades facing him, and in a flash, he was beside the beast. This was the first time he had been this serious in a long while, employing both Blitz mode and Double Impact simultaneously. He struck at the monster, but it deflected his attack with its armored wing.

"Form Seven: Rain Cutter." Harvey swiftly dodged aside as Zachary unleashed a charged attack, swinging his katana with such force that it sliced through the falling snow, creating a gust of wind, yet still inflicting no damage. "It's tough!"

"Form 2: Thunderweave," Erra leaped onto the monster, dragging its neck to the side and stabbing into its barely exposed flesh. A stun surged into its brain, leaving it incapacitated for a few seconds. In those moments, she continued slashing away at it, but something felt off.

Harvey dashed toward the beast, hoping to dismantle its armor with repeated attacks, but his heart raced, and his hands began to sweat. It felt like he was forgetting something he usually kept track of. He glanced at his surroundings, everything seemed to be proceeding according to plan. The beast was stunned, and he was poised to create a weak point in its armor.

"Wind Magic: Harrowing Slashes."

That's where he messed up, he didn't know why he did but Harvey assumed the beast couldn't use magic, he was wrong. Nearly invisible wind slashes surged toward everyone, and while he could tank through them, Erra was right on top of the monster.

He outstretched his hand, intending to nullify the attack's effect on her, but to his side was Worick, left unguarded as well. He couldn't save both people. Whom would he choose? Time slowed down as his eyes darted back and forth.

He erased the effect.