Incoming Danger

The details about her group were very important just as the state of the survivors were.

The information about what had been found out from the captured bandits that were still alive had been something she was equally interested in and saw as important but something else was bothering her with each passing moment.

Mallory knit her brows and frowned. 'The auras have not changed..'

The auras of many around her had been found to be in a state where they would face danger in the future and could possibly die unless she found a way to prevent it or protect them from it.

Mallory had expected those auras to disperse once the bandits had been subdued but it seemed like everything was still far from over.

With each passing second, the auras of death were slowly circling the bodies of everyone around them as if to show that their time was running out.

She saw that everyone around here was enveloped by death so she reached into her bag taking out many protective talismans before handing them to Franco. "Distribute these to everyone and prepare to take everyone to a location that can be better defended."

Franco knit his brows since he was still a little sceptical about her ability to predict things but once he saw the seriousness on her face, he had no choice but to take them and carry out what he had been told to do.

If it had been Swaine then he would have done it without doubting a word but Franco still needed to see more to be able to determine if Mallory truly had something special about her.

It did not matter whether they were supposed to hide inside a cave or somewhere else but like Mallory had said, it needed to be somewhere that could be used to keep everyone safe.

After thinking about it a little as he was walking away, Franco turned back to look towards Mallory who was staring off into the distance holding her spear tightly in her hands. 'Is something really coming?'

He shook his head and then went to find a decent location as he had been instructed before handing out the talismans and leading the survivors and the others in the group towards a nearby cave entrance which was very dark inside.

It had been cleared out by the bandits so there was no danger inside and more people were able to fit inside with there being only one way to enter and exit.

Mallory stood alone while all of that was happening as she continued to observe the auras of each person trying to determine how much closer the looming threat and danger was.

She checked over her equipment and supplies briefly before leaping up high in a tree as her emerald green eyes gazed below awaiting what was to come next. 'What is it exactly? Another group? A strong monster? Maybe a monster wave?'

She could not quite figure out what was coming since she did not have enough information,

All she could do was to make any preparations no matter how small and then wait for it to arrive.

Having so many auras of death lingering around everyone meant that if the current crisis was not overcome then it would result in a mass slaughter of everyone including herself.

Mallory had some confidence in her capabilities after being trained more by Oars and old Smith but those abilities would be no good if she was left to handle things the way she had before.

It was much too tiring to keep defending others even if it was rewarding for her to gain more Excelia.

It highly limited her ability to fight to her full strengths and advantages that came from her leopard tribe traits and her growth in level and stats.

If others were able to make full use of her talismans and formed a better protective position for themselves then she would have less worries about their safety too.

Her spotted leopard ears had perked up and twitched a little at times as she was listening intently to her surroundings.

Occasionally she would sniff around to check if there were any new scents mixed in with the air.

Her emerald green eyes looked below as they scanned the ground below and anything else within her view from her position up the tree.

Her ear twitched as she heard something that sounded like light footsteps some distance away. 'Here they come.'

Her emerald green eyes narrowed and looked extremely predatory almost like she was a beast who was hunting its prey. 'I cannot hesitate here no matter what.'

Valis was gripped tighter in her hands as she recalled those that had already died at her hands.

The first was her own father who wished to be put out of his misery and pain.

Since then there had been more lives that she had to take in order to protect others or herself from harm but most of them had been done using talismans from further away.

It was mainly Swaine and Nia who had got more blood on their hands during the previous battle but Mallory had yet to really kill someone face to face.

Her breathing was becoming slow and steady as her heartbeat had sped up awaiting what was to come.

She knew that if she hesitated then others around her would be the ones to suffer and all of her efforts to save everyone from the bandits would have gone to waste.

The footsteps got closer and several figures appeared below her view as they cautiously entered and assessed their surroundings.

Their cooperation seemed to be very good and they quickly assessed that a battle had taken place so they were even more on guard and prepared to kill anyone that had interfered in the plans against Visa City.

The leader of the group was carefully protected within the group of around twenty people who were a mix of different races.

Among them were a couple of dog people, humans and cat people who were dressed in dark light armor that was suited to an adventurer or mercenary group.

He himself had dog ears and a tail with a strong build, he seemed to be sniffing the air to catch the surrounding scents. 'Damn it.. the bosses said that we invested quite a lot to get those bandits to move here and stir up trouble. What a waste!'

He had seen such a group as nothing but peons that were only involved due to them being useful and their willingness to accept any task for enough Valis.

They were easy to use and did not ask for the details involving why they were sent to do the job so it made it easier to push the work off onto them without having to worry about there being any leaks about their end goals and plans.

They much preferred to hide in the shadows and stir up chaos but they had been given a special mission to carry out.

They would not have revealed themselves so easily if it was not for the mission.

The higher ups had requested it since it involved certain elements that needed to be dealt with if they wanted their plans to proceed further without problems.

Mallory had been marked for death and anyone else that had come to be even a little aware of what was happening around Visa City would be too.

It was not just a single assassination that was being carried out by all of them but instead they had prepared for a slaughter.

The leader sniffed the air again then his eyes sharpened as he pointed towards the distance.

He whispered. "There are scents coming from that direction."

A breeze came shortly after with made his nose twitch and he moved his hand towards another direction to point towards the general direction where Mallory was hiding. "Another one."

Mallory saw his movements from above and almost clicked her tongue in annoyance. 'So much for getting an advantage by hiding myself and launching a sneak attack.'