Chapter 20 The Buffalo Man

 Ruby purposely refrained from using the Common Tongue, which Klaus guessed was an ancient language reserved for the Succubus, so that Klaus would not overhear their conversation.

 When Ruby's conversation with Yuna ended, she put the blue crystal back in her belt and told Klaus, with a smile on her face, that Elder Yuna was more than willing to help them.

 Klaus noticed a hint of cunning in Ruby's eyes, and he was not quite sure if what the Succubus was saying was true. The moment the portal was opened, Klaus saw several strong Succubus emerge from it.

 They were each armed with carrying tools and shovels, and, under Ruby's direction, they formed a line and waited for the next command.

 "Can we go in now?" Ruby asked.

 "Follow me." Klaus said, leading the way towards the cave entrance.

 With no white maggots in the way, their entry into the cave went smoothly, except that the Succubus were not accustomed to the smell of rotting corpses in the cave at first, and a few of them complained in low voices, which was met with Ruby whipping them with the whip at her waist

 No one dared to complain any longer, but quietly followed Klaus's footsteps to the spot where the magic crystal lay.

 As Klaus was about to climb into the hole leading to the Magic Crystal, he heard the sound of a fierce fight coming from the other end of the hole. He felt uneasy immediately. Could it be that the male gray spider was back?

 Klaus crawled hastily into the cave. When, however, he at last reached the spot where he had been fighting with the Gray Spider, he saw on the ground, besides the dead body of the female Gray Spider, the bodies of four other Buffalo.

 There was also a Buffalo, beaten and bloodied, who fell on his knees and begged for mercy.

 "Please, don't kill me."

 "Rand, what happened?" Klaus asked.

 Rand stopped the blow he was about to deliver to the Buffalo. He turned to Klaus and said, "These Buffalo men tried to sneak up on me, but they overestimated their strength."

 "Where did they come from?"

 Rand looked up at the darkening sky above, "That's where."

 "Looks like there are quite a few bandits hiding in this place."

 Klaus walked over to the kneeling Buffalo. He questioned the Buffalo man, "How many of you are there?"

 "There are only five of us in total." The crooked-mouthed Buffalo stammered, the blood obscuring his face, and one of the horns on his head was broken.

 "Why did you guys come down from up there?" Klaus asked.

 "We've been hiding up there."

 "So as soon as someone kills that Gray Spider, you guys can take advantage of the situation, right?" Klaus looked up at the dark sky, and he thought to himself that since the Buffalo could come down from up there, did that mean that there were other exits?

 "Don't bullshit him, let me finish him off." Rand put his hand around the Buffalo's neck, and his eyes showed murderous ferocity.

 "Don't." Klaus dissuaded Rand, "Leave him, maybe he can lead us to another exit."

 "I can lead you to another exit." When the Buffalo learned that he might have a chance of surviving, he rushed to curry favor with the troll in front of him.

 "I know there are other exits up there."

 "Very well, if you take us out." Klaus said to the Buffalo man, "We'll consider letting you live."

 Rand reluctantly let go of the Buffalo's neck, and as he did so, he suppressed the murderous desire in him for a moment.

 Then the wounded Buffalo man reluctantly stood up and pulled out a wire rope with a hook wrapped around his waist. He threw the hook into the air in front of Rand and Klaus, and in the next second, they both heard the clanging sound of the hook catching on something.

 That's what the Buffalo men did.

 Rand and Klaus found the same hooks on the bodies of the two dead Buffalo men, and they followed the Buffalo man's example by first wrapping the wire rope around their waists, then tossing the hooks upwards, and finally pressing the button on the device on their waists, which pulled their bodies upwards.

 They came to the clearing above, and Klaus, drawing out a glow-stone for illumination, saw that the ground was rigged with a number of devices that could be hooked onto hooks. The Buffalo man must have had the equipment installed beforehand.

 The Buffalo told them that if they followed this passage, they would reach the entrance in no time and that they would not encounter white maggots or other marvellous beasts.

 Klaus realized that the passage of the cave would accommodate three men, and he asked the Buffalo to lead him out first. The Buffalo was right, and it was not long before he reached the entrance of the cave.

 Klaus returned and broke the news to Rand. They ordered the Buffalo man to act as their porter, and he and the Succubus were in charge of carrying the Magic Crystal.

 When the conveyance was nearly completed, Klaus retrieved his spear and put it in its holster behind him. As he scanned the bodies of the Buffalo men, a question suddenly came to his mind.

 Why was it that Rand was able to kill four Buffalo men in such a short time, and that Rand had not a single wound on his body? It meant that the Buffalo men were now utterly outmatched in their struggle with Rand.

 Although inferior to the troll in height and strength, the Buffalo's attack was swift and savage. Even against four Buffalo men, it is impossible for a troll not to get hurt a little.

 "Could it be that the Water of Life not only extended Rand's life but also boosted his strength?" Klaus could not help saying.

 At that moment, Rand's urgent voice came from above, and he was instantly brought back to reality from his reverie. A complex emotion clogged Klaus's chest like a stone, making him dull and uneasy.

 As they moved all the magic crystals to the entrance of the cave, Klaus wanted to make good on his promise to let the wounded Buffalo go. But he did not expect the Buffalo to pull out a small horn and blow it.

 The thick, loud sound of the horn filled their ears, and then they heard the sound of many footsteps coming from the cave. Klaus distinctly saw the Buffalo running toward them. They must have been lying in wait for this moment.

 "Everyone, protect the Magic Crystal!" Ruby gave orders to the Succubus group.

 Suddenly, all the Succubus surrounded the Magic Crystal. The Succubus would attack the Buffalo whenever they approached the Magic Crystal.

 And the Succubus's job was only to protect the Magic Crystal. When the Buffalo men attacked Rand or Klaus, they surprisingly chose to ignore it.

 "Kill all the Buffalo men!" Klaus shouted to Rand.