Surviving As A Cannon Fodder

Chapter 159

At times a simple truth can speak a thousand words than a carefully crafted lie.

"What? Never seen hair dye before?" Angelica went off on her way after leaving the entire camp astonished.

Unlike the stunned mercenaries, there were unspoken words of affirmation among the Frost Knights disguised with the merchants.

The corpses of the dead ogres on the other hand were all over the camp surrounded by the destruction they had caused.

I kneeled down and examined one of the fallen ogres. Its rough skin was covered in scars and scratches from previous battles. The wounds it held from arrows and spears made it clear that this was not the ogre's first encounter with travelers. Based on the semi-healed injuries, it must have been some time within the past couple of days.

Ogres live in large packs. If there is one, there will be three more on the way. Like most predators, they are also territorial and stay within their territories unless there is a shortage of resources. Based on the distinct differences in the fur and weapons the ogres held, these must have not been from the same pack. It was very uncommon for ogres of different packs to band together and attack the same prey.

Also, the campsite was chosen in this particular region because it was nowhere near the territory of ogres. So why did we just get attacked by a pack of ogres that were supposed to be on the other side of the forest?

'Fairies' 

I realized the reason almost immediately. And from the look on her face, Angelica who had her wide eyes fixed on the ogre corpses in front of her, seemed to have reached the same conclusion.

The ogres must have found the campsite, most likely attracted to the scent of fairies. However, Angelica was not the only one in the fairy forest. The two of us were in the fairy forest for a prolonged period of time which meant that we were also the source of the scent the ogres were tracking.

"I can drive them away!" Angelica's declaration was muffled by the noise of the approaching enemies.

"They're gonna keep coming"

Just as two more ogres emerged from the forest, Angelica sprinted into the forest unnoticed in the midst of the commotion caused by the monsters. By instinct, I went after Angelica while the rest engaged in a battle.

Even without her explaining it, I knew Angelica's plan was to lure the approaching ogres from the camp by moving farther away using her scent.

As predicted, Angelica ran through the woods at a rapid pace attracting the attention of the ogres headed toward the camp back into the forest.

I followed her trail in close pursuit only to notice multiple sets of tracks, each one bigger than the ogres that attacked the camp. In an estimate, there must have been at least ten to twelve ogres headed in this direction.

Although I know Angelica could hold off a few, the enemy had the advantage in number. And with Eldom being a hub for wild predators, there might be other animals lying in wait for an opportunity.

Suddenly, I felt the need to slaughter every single one of the ogres that dared to hurt Angelica. 

'If anything were to happen to her I will burn this place to the ground...' My thoughts were cut short by the sudden change in the air.

The rumbling quake of the ground had ended leaving behind an ominous silence.

I reached for my sword, as the clouds extinguished the last of the moonlight. I could sense the movement behind me among the minute rustle of leaves from the wind.