Chapter 28 : An assassin(1)

"Aisha, same as usual.", said Elena as she closed her eyes to sleep. Aisha nodded as she looked around.

Her eyes scanned the surroundings, taking in the towering ancient trees that formed a verdant canopy. The leaves above whispered in the breeze, creating a soothing melody. She felt the crunch of fallen leaves beneath her shoes, grounding her in the place she was in.

She looked towards the West. There was a massive cliff overlooking the wilderness, whereas in the East, beyond the foliage, the distant skyline of the now ruined city emerged, contrasting the present with the past.

*sigh*

She sighed, looking at such a sight, thinking how all their life has turned upside down in a matter of seconds. Strangely, she has done it every time she saw such a sight while on the way.

She then laid on the ground beside the little campfire that they had created together as she gazed at the sky that looked like the only thing that was unaffected by all this turmoil on earth. The stars shined just as they had and the moon was just as beautiful....

"No, its looks even more captivating.", She whispered, mesmerized by its beauty that somehow looked even more breathtaking than it used to be .

She was a bit relaxed because she was confident in her ability to deal with any danger that may come across her, all thanks to her skill; fire manipulation. She now understood why her miss was so excited when she mentioned she got this skill. Just like that, two hours passed when a serious expression appeared on her face.

*HOUL*

*Houl* *Houl* *Houl* *Houl* *Houl* *Houl*

A series of howls resounded in the forest from a distance.

"Seven, ", suddenly, Aisha heard a voice coming from beside her.

"Yes, miss.", not being startled, she replied calmly as she continued, "Its coming from that direction.", pointing her finger towards the west.

'It is close to where grandpa built that place.', Elena thought seriously as she looked straight at the top of the cliff. But then, without warning and hesitation, she kicked off towards the source of the sound as her expression changed, as slight fear could be seen on her beautiful face.

'But this intensity of the howl, could it be..... a similar incident to that one?'. Anxiousness could clearly be seen in her eyes.

'But, there is still some time before that incident, then why?', unable to come up with an answer, her worries built up rapidly as she increased her speed once again. Not satisfied, she whispered, "Put one stat into agility."

[You have used an undistributed stat. Agility: E -> D]

Aisha didn't say anything and just followed after her young miss. She didn't question her abrupt departure at all, though she could easily follow her because her agility was already at D.

After what felt like an eternity, Elena could finally hear the sound of gunshots and the angry howls of wolves. Even more anxious now that she could hear the sound of battle, Elena pushed herself to her limit as she repeated her thought, ' Please be safe.... Please be safe.... Please be safe.... Please be safe... Please be safe... '

As they approached the source of the commotion, Elena's heart raced with each echoing gunshot and a fierce wolf howl. Her mind was consumed with worry for her father's safety, hoping against hope that he was unharmed amidst the chaos.

Aisha matched Elena's pace, her senses sharp and focused, ready to react to any threat that may arise. Despite the tension in the air, she remained composed, a steady presence by her young miss's side.

Finally, they reached the edge of the clearing, where the battle unfolded before them. The scene was chaotic, illuminated by flashes of gunfire and punctuated by the snarls of enraged wolves. Elena's breath caught in her throat as she glimpsed her father in the midst of the skirmish, fighting valiantly against the onslaught of creatures.

His hair was dishevelled with blood and dust all around his body. His clothes, too, weren't in good condition. Suddenly, a wolf jumped at him with a bite aimed at his neck. Her father, caught in a battle against another wolf, wasn't able to see the sneak attack. The wolf was about to bite his neck off when one of his comrade alerted him. With a swift motion, he immediately tried to move to safety, but he was still too late to act as the wolf bit his left shoulder. Before it could tear his flesh, he thrust a knife in its eye, killing it.

Elena, when saw this, her fear surged anew, driving her forward with determination as she clenched her fists, her resolve solidifying with each passing moment. She had to reach him, had to ensure his safety in the midst of this madness.

Aisha's composed face crumbled as she was shocked by what she saw. She turned to her miss and said in worry, "Why are they here? Why is he here?" She continued with anxiousness and panic," Miss, it's your father. What should we do?"

"Aisha, Don't worry. We can save him. But, this time I will need your help.", Elena said with a grim expression as she came to a sudden halt. She didn't rush forward in anger even when she was extremely furious because she felt a terrifying creature in her perception at this moment and she wasn't the only one that felt it.

The creature also smelled these two unfamiliar smells that entered the area. The wolf turned its head to look at the two newcomers.

Elena also turned to her right as she gazed ahead, following that Aisha also looked in the direction her young miss looked at, curious and concerned about what stopped and attracted her attention.

The wolf's eyes gleamed with an untamed hunger, reflecting the moonlight as it prowls through the dense forest towards the two. Its powerful muscles ripple beneath a coat of midnight fur, every movement exuding a primal grace. With jaws capable of tearing through flesh and bone, it embodied the apex predator, instilling fear in all who dare to cross its path. Its razor-sharp fangs glisten with saliva, ready to rend and tear with deadly precision. With a relentless hunger burning in its eyes, it walked towards its prey with calculated patience, a true embodiment of nature's raw power and ferocity.

The look in both Elena and Aisha, eyes took a turn for the worse when they saw the patience and cunning tactics used by this wolf earlier but, it's calm walk towards then pressured them even more.

"Aisha, give it your all.", Elena said with warning in her eyes.

"Yes, miss.", Aisha, not taking the warning for granted, also took a defensive stance.

'It's a mutated Lv. 3 wolf..... And from its behavior, it seems to have gained some intelligence.', Elena thought as she analyzed this enemy.

'But how come I have never heard of this wolf before? What happened?' Elena thought, still skeptical about this situation, though she couldn't continue her thoughts because the wolf was racing towards them.

.....

A few minutes earlier, hiding behind a large tree, was a man. He was currently looking at Elena and Aisha who were running towards the group of people fighting against the wolves when suddenly, he felt a being in his ability." Who?" He said with seriousness.

He raised his head and looked in that direction when he caught sight of the wolf. He immediately inspected the wolf.

[Mutated Wolf Lv. 3

Strength-> E

Agility-> E

Stamina-> E

Constitution-> E

Perception-> F

Spirit-> G]

"It's quite powerful and dangerous.", said the man, but before he could continue, a notification flashed before his eyes.

[An Emergency quest has been detected. Would you like to accept the quest?]

'What? An emergency quest?', he thought in confusion, but before he could think further, another notification flashed before him.

[You have five seconds to consider. Please choose wisely.]

The man was a bit taken aback by this time limit as he immediately said, "Yes!" Why would he reject a quest?

"I didn't expect to get an emergency quest following these two beautiful women.", the man thought as he remembered how he was there to kill the alligator as per the quest, but these two arrived a bit earlier than he had. He would have come out and asked them to join him, but then he saw how powerful they themselves were while they were dealing with that alligator. They weren't less powerful than him, or maybe they were even more powerful, so he didn't appear and just stayed hidden.

[Emergency quest : Kill the mutated wolf

Reward : An undistributed stat, 10 coins.

Difficulty : Medium

Penalty : one rare treasure will be broken. ]

"What's this? The penalty is actually quite low? Why?", the young man said, a bit surprised by the low penalty.

"..."

"... Intresting.", he whispered as he looked at the wolf that was now about to attack the two women.

At the same time, Elena, unaware that someone was eyeing them both, moreover, from the time they fought with the alligator, with a calm but serious gaze, looked at the wolf and chanted, "....."