The Hidden Valley [4]

Rei was the apprentice of the [Sage] - Neimi. Together with the wizened [Sage], they lived in the depth of Hidden Lork Cave, just around the Flatter Mountain of the Alvian Mountain Range. The [Sage] lived in seclusion and sometimes called [Hermit Hag] by the kingdom populace. But nonetheless, she was a true [Sage] who has reached the Sixth Circle.

The [Sage] took Rei under her care and passed her magic knowledge. It was ten years since then, and Rei was already 14 now.

Aside from learning magic from Neimi, Rei had to do some odd chores for her. Every morning, Rei must make a trip to the Treerock Valley, a valley that enclosed by two rocky cliffs on Flatter Mountain. Checking the condition of the traps and barriers that preventing the beast within to come out.

It was a peaceful, new, and fresh morning in the Summer. Today was also like any other day. With steady footsteps, Rei walked down to the Treerock Valley clad in hooded cloak wielding wooden staves.

The magic traps were placed by Neimi, the [Sage] installed it to prevent the monster inside the valley to come out and feast on the innocent citizens. It was not an act of kindness, she just thought it'd be troublesome if the marketplace for resupply was destroyed. For training, Rei also placed some of her elementary level magic trap on the valley entrance.

"Huh ..."

Rei arrived at the place and noticed something was off from this place. The magic trap was ..., inactive, the Magic Stone that powered it were cut off from the traps.

Rei with creased brows inspecting other traps. And all of them were inactive. It was not the work of a monster, this was intentional from an intelligent being.

In resignation, Rei mumbled, "Ehhh ... who the hell it is that dismantled my traps!?"

The beady eyes as if it was about to cry a lot. Rei checked around to see whether if there was a surviving trap that still left intact. And the only one was those located up in the cliff, a trap designated for flying monster.

Rei saw something blackish flew above, it was a human child but with black wing and greenish hue on it.

'What in the ...,'

Rei thought something was wrong with her vision, she rubbed her eyes in the midst of confusion. But even after that, Rei saw the same sight. A human child was flying with a black wing on his back.

Gruduk ..., grudduk ...

She then noticed some disturbing noise coming from inside the valley. There were numerous boulders rolled from the cliff. But no, it was not a rock, it looks like a rock, but actually, it was a monster.

"Eckkk!! The dillos are ..., the dillos!!!"

This rock-like creature was a monster called Rock-a-dillo. A monster native of the rocky mountain. Their relatives are the Swamp-e-dillo in the marshland and Sand-i-dillo in the desert.

Boasting immense defense on its rock-back, this creature was a terror for both miner and hiker alike. Though, some people were really creative. Making those back as a crafting material, and made armor or shield from its rock-back. Some quest was commissioned to the Adventurer Guild to secure this hard-to-get material.

It was a monster that terrorizes hiker and miner, but that doesn't mean a [Mage] could face them head-on. Even the most experienced Adventurer party needs careful preparation before hunting this monster. And thus, the only choice left for Rei was to run away quickly.

"Steinlanze"

Some brittle and thin stone spears appeared from the ground. It was the stone [Elemental] magic [Stone Lance]. Though it was too low-leveled and brittle that it crushed right away by the advancing dillos. With her being this panic and rushed, the image on her mind didn't materialize as she thought it should be. Thus, weaken the spell.

'Impossible, impossible, impossible! I have to tell granny right away!' But it's impossible! The dillos are ..., they are coming closer.'

Gasping for breath, Rei ran away while sending some spell to the dillos time after time. This was probably the most perilous situation in her life. The only thing that filled her thought was to run and only run away from those monsters.

"Tsk ..."

She heard tongue clicking from somewhere, but then it passes off from her mind because she didn't have the capacity to think other things at this time.

Grududukkk ...,

The rock wheel getting closer and closer. The little [Mage] with her tiny feet were no match for their flexible rolling maneuvers. If only she would trip over a stone and fall down, she'd probably be crushed by those dillos.

That ..., actually happens.

"Owwwghh..."

Rei tripped on a stone and lost her balance before eventually fell down flat on her face. The impact of the falling made her head dizzy and she was unable to stand up back.

She couldn't stand up yet, but at least she has tried. However, the dillos roll was already headbutting her tiny and feeble body. It caused her to lost consciousness right here and then.

The dillos movement began to change. It rotated around Rei, surrounding her who already fainted. When she stopped moving, the dillos stopped and uncurled their body back into a rat(armadillo)-like form.

Grrrlll ...

The biggest and has the darkest rock-skin hue of the dillos growled lowly, it was their pact leader. Walked on its four feet, this dillos then raised the claw and sending a slash onto the little [Mage]'s body.

Jebbb! Crackk ...

A clear sound of a sharp pointed tip piercing some hard surface.

There was a spear-shaped dark light crackling with bluish thunder pierced on the pack leader's head. Fresh blood gushed out from it like a fountain. The other dillos were astonished by their black eyes widened completely.

It took sometime before the pact leader completely fallen, lifeless. It then turned into a clamor for the dillos.

GURUAAHHH!!! RAHHH!! GRAHHH!!!

They shouted as if their lung were split open, and their black eyes turned red with their face turned savage and menacing.

"Cih ..., that's why I hate dealing with you, dillos." muttered Marth in the air.

He was the one who cast that magic. It was yet another combination of [Elemental] and [Dark] magic. With [Dark] magic, he cast a [Dark Javelin], it was a spear made out of dark energy. And to enhance its speed, he added an [Thundercharge] on the spear.

It wasn't an easy feat, combining two different systems of magic is difficult.

The first thing he needs to do was to imagine the [Thundercharge] inside the [Dark] spell incantation. In other words, he has to convert his mental image of the spell [Thundercharge] into [Dark] magic spell. It's like adding a line of .jscript code into an HTML page. It was basically something like that.

Why the combination of [Dark Javelin] and [Thundercharge]? Because at the moment he needs some fast and sure-kill magic so that he could save the poor little girl's life. That's why.

To avoid making any mistake in casting it, he compiled it into the easiest encryption. Though, with that, he wasted a lot of his Magic Power.

Marth glided on the air with his [Dark Wing] and took the fainted green hooded girl.

"I'll be taking her ..."

Grabbing the little girl who was about his current age, he positioned her on a princess carry. There was no awkward fluffy moment with the girl because she was injured and lost consciousness.

He heard some worrying sounds from the depth of the valley, and he thinks he couldn't fight these dillos. They were massive in number, and he has consumed his magic power too much this morning. He could do with killing one, but it was impossible if there were twenty or more of these monsters.

Marth hastily left the scene in fear that dillos' reinforcement would catch up.

◊ ◊ ◊

Lin Yue rode the horse through the pine woodlands of the steep mountain. Her expression tells that something didn't seem right. Her long arched brows creased, furrowing deeply.

This morning was supposed to be Marth 'training' on reflex and dodging. To do that, she brought him to this mountain filled with traps she arranged for the past three days. It was a pre-planned outing and it should be a good experience for her disciple.

Yet, what was this? What exactly did he do?

Since the downhill run started, he only almost got caught by two of her traps. It was the swinging log trap and deep spike-less pitfall. But aside from that, he avoided all of the trap that filled the whole area.

"Is it magic, detection magic yaka?" she thought seriously about it.

This training was too heightened his five senses and also his reaction time. In Lin Yue's tribe, this was basic training for the boys and girls at Marth's age. And back when she was still a child, she suffered greatly in this training.

However, her disciple didn't suffer as she has imagined on her mind. He could avoid all of those traps as if knowing about where it placed beforehand. Even if it was the most hidden and well-concealed traps, he avoided them all.

Somehow, this frustrated her greatly. After all, she felt glee whenever seeing her one and only disciple suffers. His begrudging eyes that pierced through her thin-slitted eyes was a new experience.

Lin Yue was an expert swordswoman who was feared by many plainsmen. She has seen too many faces and emotions in human eyes, be it admiration, gratitude, grudge, and hatred.

However, this was the first time for her to receive hatred that was different. The ill-intent that Marth's exuded was different from the other she has encountered before. It was a desire to revenge but smell very sweet, she felt curious about what kind of thought her disciple having.

'Still, where is he, yaka? I left my eyes on him for a moment, and he's gone just like that.'

She looked around to search for Marth's whereabout, she feared(looking forward to) him getting caught in one of her pitfall traps.

Grudduk ..., gruddukk ...

"Ackkk!! help!!!"

She heard some loud noise from the rocky valley west from where she was. It was a growl of monsters and a scream of a person, presumably from a girl.

"Haa!" she kicked the horse and lashed the horse rein to make it leap to the valley opening.

The horse ran as fast as the wind with her holding rein. Soon, she arrived at the valley opening, it was a hollow part sandwiched by two rocky cliffs. This should be the source of the voice that asked for salvation.

Lin Yue jumped down from the horse and walked into the narrow valley entrance with her hand on the sword hilt. She looked around and found some kind of dismantled magic trap on the cliff walls.

It was then when she heard of somebody shouting.

"Master Lin! Run!!! Run quickly!"

"Boya?" she widened her eyes that it made her beautiful brown iris could be seen.

Her disciple, Marth was flying with a black wing on his back while carrying a girl with a bleeding head with him, fleeing from the horde of Rock-a-dillo.

'Hehh? What happens, ehhh ...? Hehhh ...?' she was surprised by everything in front she saw.

The first was his mastery over magic, flying magic was basically a high-ranked spell of Fourth Circle. Since when did Marth attain that level of magic?

The second was about the horde of beasts, those Rock-a-dillo. She knew about these creatures since she lived the quarter of her life as an [Adventurer]. Her knowledge and experience regarding monsterology have been accumulated to a certain level. And she knew that these monsters were bad news.

As for the third surprise, it was the girl with a bleeding head. Is she alright? It doesn't seem like she's still breathing though, is she still alive?

"What are you doing Master Lin!? Hurry up and run!!!" Marth shouted once again as he flew past her.

"Righto ..." 

Lin jumped back to her horse and then kicked her horse before heading back to the mansion direction. Marth was following at the same speed as the horse. The curled dillos were chasing after them from the back. Their speed was faster and it'd seem like they were able to catch them up.

"What a troublesome trenggiling..." muttered Marth who looked back to check the dillos. 

Still flying with the [Dark Wing]. He approached her and then handed the injured girl over to Lin Yue.

"Master Lin, here ..., take care of her." before doing U-turn to the Rock-a-dillos.

"What are ya doing? Boya, where do you think you're going?" Lin Yue received the little girl and then shouted.

"I'll lure them to Master Lin's trap, so please go back to the mansion and immediately tend her wound," said Marth.

"Marth-boya, don't, it's dangerous!" there was a sense of distress on Lin Yue's eyes that gazed at the oddly flying little boy.

"Don't worry, Master Lin ..., Rock-a-dillo can't fly. And if no one done this, you'd end up in precarious situation." smiling cheekily, he left Lin Yue and the fainted girl.

He was confidence that those dillos couldn't hurt him in the slightest, as long as he still flying above the ground. His only insurance for him was that Rock-a-dillo couldn't reach him when he was flying on the air like this. With their heavy body, it even hard for them to jump high.

Marth did all of this because he wanted to gain some time for Lin Yue and the injured girl to run back to the mansion. Even if he became some sort of decoy. And with Lin Yue's traps littered the woodlands, it adds more for dillos obstacle. Meaning more time for Lin Yue to escape.

He led the dillos horde by their nose. Because of the numbers of the dillos, it was like every second there'd be one or two traps triggered. Some of them were caught on Lin Yue's traps, some run back to where it came, and some still chasing after him.

The black outline that filled his vision gone completely. Immediately he flew high up to the sky, as to avoid any traps that still haven't yet activated. But before he could fly into the sky. There was a skynet shot out to him, and because of its suddenness, he couldn't avoid it.

Human plans, however, Heaven decides. This idiom perfectly fit for his current situation. Even if his plan was perfect, there would be something that went against his will when it already on the operational stage.

This was what happened to him. 

The 30 minutes duration for his [Trap Detect] spell was already run out. And before he could get out from the trap filled woodland, he was shot down by this skynet that launched from behind one of the pine branches.

He could easily escape from this rope though by casting magic. But it already disrupted his pace. His [Dark Wing] was also cancelled, as he ued too much of his Magic Power.

Casting a small [Fire Blade] to get out from this trapnet, he began thinking what he has been through. 

'Saving a damsel in distress ..., it's my first time. But meh, she's fainted anyway. She probably didn't notice my heroic appearance. Still, this is not my style at all. Sacrifice for someone else.'

It wasn't like him at all. Saving another person by sacrificing himself was not his style of doing.

He was someone who careless about what shit other people went through, a complete jackass who irked everyone angst.

Perhaps he was raised to be that way, or maybe that's the way a human is. They could be a person who was filled with kindness just like an angel or filled with evilness like a demon. It's only a matter of choice and decision.

He just one of the many examples of this creature called humans. And he wasn't the best of mankind, yet couldn't be called as the worst either.

He just ..., an ordinary human with personal weakness and strength. His strength and weakness come from his low-self pride, he could lower his head until it burrowed to the ground if he thinks it would help him with his goal. Even if he was scolded, mocked, humiliated, he would rather choose to endure it and keep moving forward. This was his essence as a human.

His parents died in an accident when he was a fourth grade of Elementary School. There were disputes on the insurance and will. A child such as him wouldn't be able to handle that much money. Thus, his parents' wills would be taken care of by his relatives. Until he became grown-up enough to legally receive his parents' will, he would live with another guardian family.

But none of those relatives of his were willing to take care of him. These so-called relatives only care about his father's will, and never give the slightest damn about him. They would take care of the will money, but if some 'emergency' happens, they could use it right? Something along those lines.

In the end, his new guardian was his father's friend. They took him as an adoptive son.

Adoptive son, that was his status written on the paper, but his real situation wasn't that great. He was the punchbag of that family. Literally. They provide him with food, shelter, and education. In exchange, they would abuse him from time to time. Not physical, but verbal and mental abuse.

Living in that kind of environment for at least ten years, he learned how to hide his fangs and bore grudge deep down inside his heart. He became more rueful and unbecoming, said one thing when he actually thinks about other things. Hid his feeling to prepare for the perfect revenge. Though he never has that kind of opportunity and he also feared to live the rest of his life in an iron bar.

When he reincarnated and found out that he was a person of high status in this world, with servants and slaves that will obediently serve him. He becomes intoxicated with this rare feeling of superiority, the luxury that he couldn't enjoy on his past life.

That's why he became crooked and conceited. Lustful and greedy because he already freed from those shackles that tied him on his past life. Albeit he didn't show it on the surface, he was glad reincarnated into this world.

Soon, he finished releasing himself from the net. He stood up and shook his head because suddenly reminiscence about some unpleasant past of his.

'What's with this heroic sacrifice thing? I definitely won't do this again in the future ..., but meh, It's not that I'm not planning die here and now. I haven't fucked my sister yet, after all ...'

Yes, there was soo many things that he hasn't done in this life and the past life. He didn't plan on dying just yet.

The [Dark Wing] was actually consuming too much of his MP. It was about 1 MP per 2.5 seconds. And it was already a three-quarter of a minute since he used it. Drinking down a [Magic Potion] he recovered some of his MP.

Grrlll ...,

The dillos were baring their fangs to him. Ferocious face with red berserk-like eyes.

"Now ...," Marth cracked his neck to both of his sides and then looked at them, "Let me see what you got, shall we?"