F Rank Hunter (3)

"Look who decided to show up." Thorin, the grumpy dwarf sneered, huffing in annoyance. 

"I told you he'd come!" Leo smiled, punching the air in excitement, "Welcome Arthur, do you have all your things? We were just about to make a move on."

"Good morning everyone. Yes, I have my equipment on." Arthur smiled back, spudding Leo and smiling at the duo elven sisters. 

'What equipment? I woke up late. I only had time to bring my katana and even that cost me an hour!' Arthur thought, sighing. Unlike his party members he only wore a basic black jacket and matching cargos. His katana was sheathed by his side, ready to be deployed at any moment. 

"You better not get in my way, twerp, and I don't care if you're on death's door. I'm not saving your ass. Kapeesh!" Thorin snarled at Arthur once more, before he started walking into the woods. 

Leo chuckled at his friend's antics, also walking behind him, "You'll get used to him."

The two elven girls also followed. Arthur took a deep breath in, focusing his sense on the task at hand. Despite the uplifting atmosphere the young party showed, they were still tasked with a mission. 

Arthur knew the dangers lurking within this forest. Although the Danger rating was <F > the beasts within the forest itself ranged. 

The group moved in unison, their footsteps creating a rhythmic cadence as they ventured into the heart of the forest. The towering trees cast dappled shadows on the forest floor, and the air was filled with the sounds of rustling leaves and distant bird calls.

Thorin led the way, his gruff demeanor contrasting sharply with Leo's infectious enthusiasm. The elven sisters, their graceful movements accentuating their ethereal beauty, followed closely behind. Arthur kept pace with them, his hand resting on the hilt of the katana at his side, ready to kill at a moment's notice.

The camaraderie among the group members was evident, despite Thorin's initial grumbling. Leo's friendly banter and the elven sisters' quiet laughter created a bond that seemed to transcend the diverse backgrounds of the party. Arthur appreciated the warmth of their welcome, though he couldn't shake the weight of his own thoughts.

As they delved deeper into the forest, the atmosphere subtly shifted. The sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, creating a mystical ambiance. Arthur's senses were on high alert, attuned to the slightest disturbance in the natural surroundings. He couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation and caution, knowing that their mission involved navigating a place filled with unknown dangers.

Then the moment had come, Thorin halted, withdrawing his battle axe. 

"The alligators are there, I'm charging in!" Thorin roared a battle cry causing 3 gigantic alligators to turn their way. The colossal alligators, basking lazily near a murky swamp, suddenly snapped their attention towards the sound. Their massive bodies shifted, and their yellow eyes fixated on the approaching party.

Without hesitation, Thorin charged forward with the thundering force of a dwarf fueled by righteous fury. His battle axe gleamed in the dappled sunlight as he swung it overhead, ready to strike at the massive reptilian adversaries.

Leo, not one to be outdone, started calling out a spell, a gleeful smile on his face. With a swift movement, he pointed his palm, letting a boulder sized water ball materialise in his palms. 

"Take this you overgrown crocodiles! I mean alligators!" Eager to join the fray, Leo shot the waterball at the large reptiles, causing them to be stunned momentarily. 

The elven sisters gracefully notched arrows onto their bows, their eyes narrowing in concentration as they aimed at the rest of the approaching alligators. Although their arrows lacked penetrating power, the arrows served as a distraction and deterrence as they aimed at the eyes of the alligators.

Arthur, caught in the midst of the unfolding chaos, tightened his grip on the katana by his side; he focused on how his party members moved, and acted to ensure no alligators attacked the two elven archers. He circled around sheathing his sword and fending off an alligator by himself. 

Click! Click! Click!

Arthur's sword flashed, sheathing and unsheathing in quick succession, chopping up one of the alligators into large chunks of meat. 

Thorin and the others were momentarily shocked by the display in skill, whilst their attacks weren't bad, they knew from experience how tough the scales of these reptiles were. The short dwarf grunted in annoyance leaping up and smashing his battle axe down on the skull of his adversary; his axe penetrated down to the beast's brain killing it instantly. 

"Behind you!" Aria shouted, shooting a few arrows past Thorin's head. However, the arrows only seemed to distract the large reptile as the arrows bounced off its tough scales. Thorin cried out another battle cry charging towards his foe, but he was swatted away by the alligator's large tail.

Leo faced both his palms out once more, his face starting to go pale, from the constant expenditure of his mana. As water mana coagulated at his palm, Arthur blitzed towards the alligator distracting it. 

In total they had killed 5 alligators already due to having the element of surprise, but this had worn off now. The remaining 7 alligators had now taken heed of the party's presence swimming through the murky waters towards them. 

'We're wasting too much stamina and mana, at this rate things will get ugly.' Arthur thought, feeling his muscles fatiguing. Although his sword art was strong, Arthur had used his full strength in the slashes earlier, causing his muscles to fatigue a little. Those scales were tough!

"Aria, Lauren go further back, to the trees. Leo continue chanting and Thorin-" 

"Shut your trap twerp! I will take them all on myself, who appointed you as leader?!" Thorin shouted angrily at Arthur, causing the blue eyed boy to grimace. 

Thorin activated one of his skills, causing a bright yellow aura to burst forth from him. His muscles bulged and his speed increased as he leapt up and smashed down at the ground, causing a shockwave to disorientate the large reptiles. 

He roared, swinging his battle axe like a maniac. He slew 3 more alligators himself, allowing Leo enough time to unleash his waterball. The waterball detonated, blowing up the head of another reptile. 

Whilst the dwarf and blonde boy had smiles plastered on their faces, Arthur's instincts were misfiring, warning him of something. 

Click! Click! Click!

Arthur's blade flickered, as he sliced up the remaining alligators, his body felt an intense strain from the usage of his full power. 

With that, their quota had been met.

Aria hugged her sister in rejoice, when she saw the final dead bodies of their targets. Leo fell to his knees in exhaustion from expending all the mana he could muster and Thorin was also seated, huffing and puffing. 

The moment of relief and rest was all they were gifted as the murky waters of the swamp began to stir ominously.