-Callia-

  Silently I moved back around the cave so I couldn’t be spotted by those who were hiding within the cave. With how easy it had been to navigate around the sentries, I found a comfortable position in a tree above the cave and behind them. I pull out my bow but stop partway. Larry had mentioned how sensitive fish were to smell, especially blood. If these fishmen shared that trait, any bloodshed would likely alert the whole group. With that in mind I realized that the “sentries” were severely lacking in skill. They were decent at hiding but completely lacked any spotting skills. Which meant they were either novices who were still learning or bait meant to present an easy target to alert the others via death.

  I sling the bow onto my back and carefully move to the lower branches. I had identified five guards, with three on the forest side and two on the side of the river. Starting with the smaller group, I jumped down from the tree, landing on the first with careful precision. My hand clamped on its throat and twisted before any resistance or sound escaped. I carefully lowered the body to the ground, giving a careful sniff to check if there was any change. Immediately I regretted sniffing it; it was overwhelmingly fishy, and even as someone who grew up in a port, it was way too strong up close. At the very least I couldn’t smell any blood.

  Moving through the brush, it didn’t take long for me to approach the second. Since I wasn’t coming down from above, it was immediately apparent how much taller the fishpeople were. I couldn’t even reach his neck from a standing position, so I jumped out with a spinning kick and hit him straight in the gut. I was careful to hold back my strength just enough to avoid sending the fishman flying. The fishman hit the ground gasping for breath, but I didn’t give him any time to recover as I jumped on and finished him off. With one side clear, I made my way over to the other side.

  One fishman was isolated, and I dealt with him, but the other two were inconveniently close to each other. The sound of one fighting would definitely alert the other. Attacking outright wasn’t an option, but with some careful work I rigged a tripwire behind them and hooked up a generous supply of explosives to ensure they wouldn’t make trouble. However, that was just another timer for my need to act. Eventually the sentries would get replaced by another or accidentally walk backward, and once that happened, their role as an early warning system would be fulfilled.

  I moved quickly away from the explosive trap and back over to the cave entrance. Peering inside, I saw Callen was now covered in an excessive number of various herbs, but the slow cooking from the fire had only started to turn Callen’s skin red. A first-degree burn should be easy for him to fix after he wakes up, but there was no more time to set more traps. I did, however, take the time to evaluate the potential threats.

  The eelman at the center was hard for my eyes to track, which was incredibly disconcerting. Likely a very advanced hiding skill or a high skill level, but he wasn’t the only threat I saw. In the back of the crowd, a shark-headed fishman gave an impression of strength that was reminiscent of one of the older berserkers in Makar. Luckily it wasn’t as bad as the elder that had pummeled Callen, but they definitely couldn’t be ignored. The only other problem I found looking over the group was the intense focus the fish people had staring at Callen. If I got caught up fighting the others, it seemed all too likely that one of them might take the chance to sate their hunger.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  The biggest threat was definitely the stealth specialist. He wasn’t even trying, and I struggled to follow him. If he could catch Callen off guard, then I would almost certainly lose track of him in whatever chaos followed the ambush. Ideally I can take out both the Eel and Shark in the opening, but it would be risky to divert the attack between two targets. Killing the stealth specialist was nonnegotiable, but I didn’t necessarily need to kill the others. I only needed a decent distraction to grab Callen and run.

  Looking through our void storage, I tried to find something that could distract the crowd without hurting Callen, and that meant all our explosives were off limits. Smoke wouldn’t be nearly enough and might even encourage some to rush for a bite. Just as I was about to give up and settle for a hard fight, I looked over towards Gramit. While every bone in my body said not to do it, I couldn’t deny that the “immortal” Gramit would be a wonderful distraction. I stifle a groan as I make my choice. Saving Callen was more important to me than keeping Gramit sealed in our space. Ideally once Callen recovers, we can hunt Gramit down and lock him away again.

  Moving to the entrance of the cave just far enough to let the shadows hide me from any of the inhabitants, I readied my bow. Drawing the arrow back, I strengthened the bow to its limit and fed mana into the arrow, imbuing it with growth affinity. In the next moment the whistle of my arrow flew with speed and precision as it zipped through the cave and blasted straight into Eelman's head. I didn’t wait for my arrow as I dove into the center of the room. Branches burst out of the head of the eelman, spreading randomly and blocking the crowd just long enough for me to pull Gramit out of the void.

  I didn’t wait for a response as I grabbed the pole Callen was tied to and ran for the exit. Behind me the screams of Gramit echoed out, but a quick check confirmed that despite the obstacles and distractions, some of the fishmen weren’t ready to give up. Most concerning was that the sharkman led the pursuit team. Still none of them could keep up with me, and I started building distance when, off to my side, a powerful explosion rang out. The explosion sent me rolling to the side as the unwieldy object known as Callen threw off my balance. Seems I was a bit too generous in using explosives for the sentry trap.

  It only took me a moment to get back to my feet, but Sharkman managed to keep running despite the blast wave. I rolled to the side as he jumped at me like some kind of living missile but with his jaws wide, trying to take a bite. I managed to move clear, but Callen was left on the ground, and the other fishmen weren’t far. Sharkman landed in a roll before rapidly readjusting his aim and preparing to launch himself at me again. With a blast the ground below him shook, and he came at me again, even faster this time.

  Despite that, he still wasn’t nearly fast enough. I ducked under his body and swung a knife upward, cleaving the man from jaw to groin. The shower of blood and internal organs didn’t upset my sense of triumph as the faint glow of aura encompassed the dagger.

  Captured

  Ruruk followed the human boat all through the day, slowly becoming more frustrated as the new boat operator quickly mastered how to drive the barge. Ruruk eventually left the ship, gathering his allies for a night ambush. With his tribe gathered, he had to accept that he wouldn’t be able to monopolize the meal for himself, but it would be worth it if he could have even a bite. With the tribe in tow, they almost couldn’t find the ship until they spotted the wreckage on the stony shores. Ruruk was furious that had he waited just a bit longer, he could’ve ambushed the prey and had it all to himself!

  The tribe trackers soon identified that the humans had fled into the tree branches, and Ruruk took over. Climbing the trees, he began struggling from tree to tree trying to find the humans. It was an accident when he bumped his head on a hollow wooden structure that made him recognize that wonderful aroma was incredibly near. The appetizing human peeked his head around the corner to look for the source of the sound that Ruruk had made bumping his head. Which gave Ruruk the perfect opportunity. With a flash of light, Ruruk discharged the energy he stored in his body. The human tried to escape, but the shock had left him helpless. Ruruk bashed the boy into the tree, and he stopped resisting. With the delicious human in hand, Ruruk ran to the tribe. His mouth was already salivating at the thought of slow roasting the human.