Another Worldly Summons

Chapter 63: Forgotten World (3)

A group of people are discerningly running in the middle of this frozen hell. Panting and desperate, they tried to shake off the danger looming on their heels.

"Keep moving! The giant is coming!" Bellow by a lightly armored knight leading them, who was bleeding badly as he took the brunt of the stone throws by the man-eater but miraculously survived despite taking the fragments of the attacks, however, mostly those peppering his skin, thus resulting in his now profuse bleeding.

They were the people sent to gather more supplies but got ambushed by the monster, which reduced them from originally 70 men to a mere dozen as they lacked the abilities to pierce the tough hide and fur of the monster, which were even acknowledged by Muish and Milishial as being's capable of resisting pistol fire and to an extent, barely protect itself from a larger rifle caliber fire.

"Sir Ramil! At this rate, we will be wiped out! My men shall buy some time against that monster! I hope that would be enough to make your way to Esperanto!"

"Stop it! That's unnecessary! we're nearing at the dragon valley!." However, the knight, Ramil, who was leading them, refused, but it was too late. The contingent for buying some time has already departed, and Ramil only sees it with regret and conflicting feelings. Too little, too late. If he turned back, their attempt would be in vain, as he knew that they would be slaughtered in no time, as they couldn't harm the monster; the sword would be snapped by its sheer abnormal toughness, the arrows would be shrugged off by its steel-like hide and fur, and magic is almost ineffective. There's no option left but to sacrifice someone to buy some time so the survivors can make their way to Esperanto, the last bastion of humanity.

He cursed his weakness, his inability, and his uselessness and moved forward without looking at the brave men that fell to the monsters' savage attacks one after another.

They finally entered the entrance to the very narrow path of Dragon Valley, which is well-known as a very dangerous place due to the frequency of avalanches that have claimed the lives of unfortunate people of Esperanto who incidentally passed here.

However, the sacrifice didn't stop there. "Leave me alone, I'm beyond help... I'll cause an avalanche to take down that monster together with me, please continue your return without me." One of the rangers on this mission was heavily wounded and almost incapacitated, and is currently only being dragged by the other struggling survivors muttered.

"Saffine! You mustn't! We..."

"Sir Ramil, we will be wiped out at this rate." With a sharp gaze, Saffine interrupted him. They are in such a perilous situation that sacrifices are essential for the successful return of the remainder of the team. Ramil understands that, but being the leader of an original 70-man group down to a mere dozen is pretty hard for him. "I'm fairly experienced when using magic, I'll cause enough disturbance in the peak to cause an avalanche... No here is enough, after all, I'm at my limits."

Saffine looks at her wound, it's not deep, but the blood lost is already at breaking point, and the healing magic and fabrics tied to it have barely extended her life up until now. Furthermore, she already concluded that another sacrifice is needed to ensure the survival of the group, and she is the ideal one considering her current state.

Ramil doesn't know what to say. He turns his back to Saffine. "Everyone! Let's continue! Don't turn back!." The survivors left Saffine in the narrow path and didn't turn their backs as they moved further, to the point they could no longer be seen in the horizon.

In the light downpour of snow, the cold breeze of winter, and the weather that will claim her life if she stays here longer than necessary. She stood firm with the resolve of trapping the monster in this frozen terrain to guarantee its demise with her.