Day 3 part 2

"Aira!" I yell out in warning.

"I know!" she responds, already spinning to face the new threat. But just as she lifts her arm to shield herself, a cold, furious voice rings out, cutting through the chaos.

"Die."

I snap my head around to see Isabella, standing tall and poised with her hands high. The air crackles around her, heat and energy pulsing in visible waves as she launches a volley of fire arrows towards the monsters.

Six flaming projectiles streak through the air, hurtling towards their targets. The Islavore in front of Aira springs backwards, its lean body twisting acrobatically as it tries to dodge the incoming assault. Five of the arrows miss their mark, but the sixth one grazes the monster, leaving a nasty burn on its side.

I don't miss a beat. As Isabella launches her attack, I'm already sprinting towards her, my daggers at the ready. A barrage of tiny darts suddenly whiz past me, aimed at Isabella, and with a swift movement, I deflect them, my blade a blur.

"Hey, be careful," I tell Isabella, a note of caution in my voice. "You would've been poisoned if those grazed you."

She doesn't respond, just throws me a piercing stare before letting out a frustrated 'tsk'.

Meanwhile, Isadora is holding her ground against the muscle of the Islavores. Each time it tries to advance, she rebuffs it, her sword clashing against its hide, again and again. I know she can beat it given the chance, she's probably worried about the others.

As the battle continues, I glance over at Biana who seems to be lost in her own world. She's looking around, her eyes vacant. I can't help but smirk at her dazed expression. It would be weird if she didn't notice, after all despite being the laziest she has a talent.

"Have you noticed?" I ask, my voice laced with a hint of amusement. She blinks at me for a second before her face breaks out in a wry smile.

"I have now," she responds, her voice as lazy as ever.

Biana yawns, lazily covering her mouth with a hand, "There's one giving orders with sounds," she murmurs between yawns, pointing vaguely into the distance. "All the others are just following orders."

I sigh, shaking my head at her nonchalance. Only Biana could piece together the enemy's tactics while appearing completely disinterested. Did she manage to pinpoint its exact location? "That's right," I confirm, "that bastard is good at hiding, directing the others around."

Liam's laugh breaks through the tension of our battlefield communication. "Hahaha, so if we get rid of that one, the others will be easier to deal with, right?"

I'm about to respond when I hear Rai's voice cutting through the chaos, "You're finna here, bitch." There's a thunderous sound as he stabs his lightning-covered sword into the ground. A monstrous scream fills the air, and I spot Rai shaking his head. "Tsk, it was too shallow. Good job, Flora," he calls, throwing her a thumbs-up. Flora returns the gesture with a slight smile on her face.

Surprise flickers through me. I didn't expect Rai and Flora to sync up this well, especially not this early in the story. Shaking off my surprise, I turn back to Liam. "If we could kill it, things would certainly get easier, but the other bastards won't stray too far from it during a battle."

"So, we have no other choice, huh?" Liam's voice is casual, almost relaxed, as he summons a mana shield to block a dart attack. There's a faint smirk on his face, the excitement of the challenge lighting up his eyes. That's right, I remember mentioning in the story that Liam loves a good challenge.

I glance back towards Isadora, just in time to see her slash at her adversary, frustration etched on her face as she forcefully pushes the creature back. Damn, she's probably frustrated, if it wasn't for keeping an eye on the rest of us she would've fought it seriously. I don't know how long Isadora can keep this up, at the moment this is nothing to her but if this continues, she might tire out.

I see the quick Islavore launch itself at Aira once more. With her twin daggers at the ready, Aira skillfully deflects its barrage of attacks. Despite the speed and unpredictability of the creature, she holds her own, her eyes constantly darting to the dart-throwing Islavore. Its speedy strikes target her waist and neck persistently, but Aira parries each one.

Suddenly, Flora's voice rings out, "Aira, be careful!" She's spotted an Islavore burrowing out from the earth right beneath Aira, while the fast one uses the momentary distraction to launch another attack.

I see Liam smirk out of the corner of my eye. Of course, he'd find this amusing. Goddamit, can he think about dealing with his sister some other time!?

But Isabella steps in, raising a protective mana shield around Aira. It blocks the attacks from both monsters, just as another Islavore swoops in from above, heading straight for her.

Out of nowhere, I hear Biana mutter, "How do I use this?" She's holding a bow, her eyes squinting up at the flying monster. She notches an arrow, covering it in a layer of mana before letting it fly. It strikes the flying monster at a critical joint, altering its trajectory and crashing it into another monster.

"Damn, Biana, you truly are a prodigy," I can't help but marvel. If she stopped being such a lazy ass she could accomplish incredible feats.

She yawns, a lazy smile on her face, "It's easy math..." she drawls. "You just calculate the angle of launch... account for the world pressure... wind resistance, and the speed of the target. Come on V, this is easy~ Why do people say using a bow is hard~"

I sigh, shaking my head at her ingenious idiocy. Tsk, I swear to God, I'll make sure she can't sleep all day. As Aira jumps back, I notice her wincing, one hand clutching her arm. "Arin, check her out," I call out, "Her arm's hurt."

"I'm fine, it's only a scratch," Aira grits out, wincing slightly as she gingerly touches her wounded arm.

Arin steps closer to her, his eyes scanning her injury with professional concern. "Well, you're right, it's not that bad. Good thing it's not a deep injury. I can fix something like this, but if you guys get a hole through yourselves, I won't be able to heal you," he warns, casting a light healing spell on her arm.

Kiada then breaks in, guilt clear in her voice. "I'm sorry I can't do anything to help you guys. You are all fighting yet we are just here holding you back."

Flora quickly retorts, "Come on! You're not a fighter, it's not your fault you can't do anything."

"Sorry to break your heartwarming moment, but we're currently occupied," I interrupt, sending a swift jab with my dagger to deflect another of those irritating darts.

"At this rate, we'll be fighting all day, any ideas?" Liam chimes in, his eyes darting between the Islavores and us.

Aira, her arm now glowing faintly from the healing spell, adds on. "Yeah, we can't fight like this. If we try to approach them, they back off. They don't seem to want to fight us head-on out in the open."

This is my cue. "Isadora, Biana, and I will head that way," I declare, pointing deeper into the forest. "You guys head up the mountain we were originally going to." I need to head to the Ruins now, system what percentage is it at?

[The completion rate is at 67%]

Shit, why did it go up so high so fast? "No way, splitting up is a bad idea," Aira immediately protests. Flora nods vigorously in agreement, adding, "That's right! It's too dangerous."

"Hahaha, why are you suggesting such a bold move?" Liam questions, clearly amused.

"Look at Isadora," I reason, pointing at the woman who is still successfully holding back the strongest Islavore. "She's not even struggling. We need to get rid of these bastards. If we split up, these monsters will chase after the smaller group. Aira, you can't leave that group as you're the second-best front liner, and I doubt Liam or Flora can keep up with Isadora unless they constantly use magic. I find the best option would be for me to split up with her. Apart from the fact that I can at the very least keep up, I'm also the only one that can cook a proper meal. The reason I'm taking Biana is to craft more weapons if ours end up breaking. Any objections?" I finish, my eyes scanning the group, all the while swatting away incoming attacks. Honestly, I could never keep up with her but for some reason, she is willing to travel at my speed.

"...But still, we have other choices," Aira argues, her voice tense as she deflects a strike from the quick Islavore.

"Hahaha, and what great idea do you have, sis?" Liam laughs, enjoying this argument way too much.

Aira bites her lip, obviously thinking hard while simultaneously holding off her attacker. It's admirable, I have to admit. But we don't have time for this.

"Don't worry, guys," I interrupt, catching a dart from the corner of my eye and swatting it away. "I have an idea of how to deal with them. I only need Isadora. We need to split up for the safety of the others."

Aira sighs, finally falling silent. Liam grins at me, his eyes alight with challenge. "Hopefully you don't get in an accident, V," he calls out, his voice teasing. "I wouldn't want a potential employee dying."

"Come on, V, is there no other way?" Flora chimes in, looking genuinely worried. I guess my plan did sound a bit too reckless, but I know what I'm doing. At least, I think I do.

I sigh and counter, "I got Isadora, aren't I the safest one?" To prove my point, I toss the bag full of jerky to them. "You guys keep this."

"Thanks, and good luck," Oliver responds, his words sincere.

"Come on, why don't I go instead of you?" Rai protests, a disgruntled frown on his face.

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Can you cook? Can you control yourself? Can you keep Biana in check?" When he stays silent, I take it as a victory. "I thought so."

Turning to Isabella, I say, "Hey Isabella, could you give us a buff?" She gives me an annoyed stare, but I can tell she knows I'm right. She sighs, lifts her hand, and a soft glow envelops us.

With a nod of thanks, I look over to my impromptu team. Biana seems relaxed, yawning lazily and examining her nails. Isadora, on the other hand, is focused, her sword still clashing against the monstrous Islavore's hide. I can't help but be in awe of her determination.

"We have to get moving," I say, my voice heavy with annoyance. "Isadora please don't leave me behind"