Flaming Arrows

In the eerie depths of Death Valley, there were five individuals desperately fighting to preserve their lives against the onslaught of a horde of wolf-like monsters.

These five people were part of Princess Sravati's entourage, compelled to traverse Death Valley in order to reach their kingdom, Huntara.

It had been nearly a week since they entered this cursed territory, and that week felt like a living nightmare for them.

Every moment, whether day or night, the monsters relentlessly hunted them. Stress and fatigue continued to accumulate, extinguishing any hope of escape.

Only four guards accompanied Sravati into the Death Valley. Their numbers were deliberately kept small to avoid drawing attention from the inhabitants of the accursed forest if a large group were to pass through.

However, even though they were few in number and cautious, Sravati and the other four (her two personal guards and two subordinates of Commander Kataleya) could be said to be on the brink of death.

The horde of wolf monsters, numbering in the thirties, had trapped them. Encircling them with menacing growls that weighed heavily on the surrounding atmosphere.

Sravati knew well that the power emanating from these wolves ranged from Rank 3 to Rank 5.

Among them were three wolves exuding a Rank 5 aura, with one of them being noticeably larger than the others. It was highly likely that this larger wolf was the leader of the horde.

Facing such formidable strength, the strongest individual in Sravati's group was only a Rank 4, Mid-Class warrior named Jamie, an officer under Commander Kataleya.

Seeing the situation, whether it was Sravati or the other four, they knew very well that the time of death was approaching them.

Jamie exerted all his strength to hold back several wolves that were approaching, as did the other three. Two personal guards of Sravati named Opey and Ian had been severely injured in their arms and legs.

Meanwhile, the last person, a short-haired woman who continuously thrust her spear, was Lieutenant Legia.

She was Kataleya's subordinate entrusted with safely bringing Princess Sravati to Huntara.

However, it seemed that she couldn't accomplish it. Legia struggled to block every attack aimed at Sravati while launching counterattacks.

Behind her, the princess herself did not remain idle. As a magic student, she had mastered some spells that could help their group. Although in just a few more minutes, the princess was certain that her mana would soon be depleted.

Sravati bit her lower lip out of frustration.

'Is it going to end here? Did I make the wrong decision? Should I have just followed my mother's order to stay silent in Westya?'

Amidst defending herself, Sravati's thoughts began to wander. Regret started to surface, causing her concentration to falter slightly.

"Princess!"

"!"

Two wolves lunged towards the distracted Sravati. Legia tried to intercept and successfully stopped one wolf by thrusting her spear into the monster's heart, ending its life.

The other wolf managed to escape Legia's clutches; the claw and jaw of the wolf was just two meters away from the princess's face. Ian warned her, jolting the princess out of her reverie, but it was too late.

Fortunately, before the monster's claws could touch the princess's face, Opey, another personal guard of the princess, threw himself at the monster, causing both of them to fall.

Opey tried to get up and swung his sword at the wolf's head, but the monster's claws tore into Opey's right hand first.

"Argh!"

"Kyaaaaaa!"

Opey, now without his sword and his severed hand, stood defenseless. The wolf monster regained its balance and lunged at Opey's neck, biting it until it snapped.

One person from the group had fallen.

Sravati screamed hysterically, further fueling the wolves' appetite to devour her.

The group's balance was shaken by the loss of Opey, and gradually, the remaining individuals began to feel the pressure.

The thought of giving up grew stronger in each of their minds. Princess Sravati tried to conjure ice thorns with her magic, but her mana was depleted. She could only grit her teeth as tears continued to stream down her delicate white cheeks.

It was at this moment, as one of the Rank 5 wolves started charging forward, that a sudden burst of fire attack emerged. A flaming arrow piercing through the wolf's body and several other wolves beside it.

It carried about seven wolves far away and burned their bodies to ashes.

"..."

"..."

Both sides, whether it was Princess Sravati or the wolf monsters, stared at each other. Neither of them could utter a word, as they did not expect an unexpected attack to occur.

Both groups turned their heads towards the origin of the flaming arrow. There, they saw no one, but moments later another arrow shot forth, this time without the blazing fire surrounding it.

The arrow swiftly struck the head of the wolf, and then relentlessly penetrated the body of another wolf beside it. Two monsters died instantly.

Witnessing nine wolves from their pack perish in such a short span of time made the wolf leader grow cautious. He howled and growled, glaring sharply at the direction from which the arrows came.

Shoot!

Another arrow arrived.

Thud!

Directly hitting another wolf's head.

The wolf leader instructed another Rank 5 besides himself to advance and find the person shooting those arrows. However, as soon as the wolf stepped forward, another arrow, engulfed in flames that formed the silhouette of a bird, flew once more.

The firebird pierced the Rank 5 wolf, carrying its scorched body and sweeping several other nearby wolves. At least six wolves now lay dead instantly.

Observing the worsening situation, the wolf leader howled again, ordering his pack to retreat and flee. The wolf leader remained standing alone, still keeping a watchful eye on the direction from which the arrows came.

Shoot!

This time, an ordinary arrow shot towards the leader's head, but was easily deflected by the wolf's leg. The wolf leader looked into the distance and carefully made out the silhouette of a human far away.

"Grrrr!"

The wolf growled loudly, but then turned around and started running away after all the wolves in its pack had gone. Silence fell upon the fiercely fought battleground.

Princess Sravati's group remained speechless, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

The incident occurred so quickly, in less than three minutes, yet several arrow shots managed to drive away the ferocious wolf pack and save their lives.

"W-who?"

Sravati muttered, turning her gaze towards the spot where the arrow had been shot.

The darkness of the forest made it impossible to see the figure who had shot the arrow. However, albeit faintly, she and the other three could hear the sound of footsteps approaching, stepping on dry leaves.

Gulp.

Sravati swallowed nervously, unsure whether the helper was truly someone coming to their aid or just another hunter.

She raised her magic staff, while the other three, Ian, Legia, and Jamie, also lifted their respective weapons and stood in front of Sravati.

Seconds passed, and the tension in all four of them grew as an indistinct silhouette began to draw nearer.

The silhouette drew closer, and after a ray of sunlight that passed through the shady leaves fell on the silhouette's body, they were finally able to see the image of a middle-aged man with long white hair, carrying a coffin on his back.

The man walked slowly, holding a bow and arrow in his hand.

When the distance between the Sravati group and the man was only ten meters, he stopped. One hand of the man who was not holding the bow was put on his waist, and his expression revealed annoyance at the sight of the princess's entourage.

"Why is a royalty like you playing around in Death Valley? Are you courting death?"