Rescuing

Barok was indeed quite cunning. At the very moment the Rampaging Frost Bear unleashed its magic, he abruptly steered the Frost Giant Wolf to dodge to the side. Lady Celine and the Milo family saw it clearly. The magic attack headed straight towards Yuri and his guards. Facing a level seven beast's magical attack, low-level Dou Qi warriors stood little chance.

Human nature's darker side showed vividly at this moment. The Rampaging Frost Bear's Ice Burst Arrow spell was too swift for Baron Yuri to avoid in time. Terrified, he instinctively pushed his son, Kael, forward. Poor Kael only managed a scream before being shredded into pieces by the ice arrows, along with a nearby red pine tree. The splinters mixed with flying blood and flesh, covering Yuri and his guards in a gruesome mess.

"Ahhh!" Yuri screamed, his eyes red with rage. "Damn orc, filthy orc, kill him! Kill him!" He roared at his guards, giving the order as he charged at Barok himself. His instinctive push of his son aside moments ago was now overshadowed by the grief-fueled madness over Kael's death, which he blamed entirely on the vile, cunning orc.

Barok paid no heed to the deranged Yuri. His coordination with the Frost Giant Wolf was becoming increasingly seamless, riding it as if it were an extension of himself. With just a gentle pat, the wolf understood his directions, moving as if they shared a single mind. This peculiar bond was part of the shamanic path's mystical soul power, marking the initial step toward true spiritual communication with the beast.

He wasn't sure how this bond had developed. The arrival of the Rampaging Frost Bear had triggered something, but he wished he could stand under the totem pole to clearly and accurately find this mysterious soul communication. Only then could he truly step onto the path of the shaman and secure his future growth and enhancement.

The immediate situation wasn't his main concern anymore; he wanted to leave quickly and return to the totem pole in Red River Valley Town. Fortunately, Yuri and his guards had attracted the Rampaging Frost Bear's attention, giving Barok a chance to escape smoothly.

It wasn't that the bear was a bully; Barok could swear by his soul that he didn't expect the bear to give up its chase so easily. But reality was such that the giant bear found the human more manageable than the troublesome duo of the wolf and the orc, shifting its focus to the easier prey. From the bear's perspective, they were all intruders who had disturbed its slumber and thus deserved to become its food!

A strange scenario unfolded: Yuri was madly chasing Barok, his guards scattered in an attempt to evade the bear's attacks, with two already severely injured. Barok, on the other hand, was leisurely circling around on the Frost Giant Wolf, ready to leave the Tramm Forest and head back to Red River Valley Town.

Yuri's sword was a fine weapon, seemingly crafted by dwarven artisans, containing a bit of mithril to conduct his intermediate Dou Qi effectively. A sharp burst of Dou Qi shot from the sword towards Barok on the wolf's back. The Frost Giant Wolf saw this as a challenge, instantly activating its ice ring to counter the Dou Qi. Both forces canceled each other out, while Barok hurled his spear and picked up a longsword from a fallen guard. It was much better than his spear! With a whistle, he and the wolf bolted away, quickly disappearing beyond the red pine forest.

Yuri scrambled to dodge Barok's spear, shouting commands for his guards to block the Rampaging Frost Bear. The guards, however, deemed their lives more valuable than their paychecks and scattered, ignoring their master's orders and fleeing for their lives.

Left with no choice, Yuri found himself relentlessly pursued by the bear. His intermediate Dou Qi defense barely held against the bear's level seven magic and powerful claws. Running like a headless chicken, he suddenly spotted Lady Celine, Milo, and Sara in the distance. Gritting his teeth, he made the same decision as the damned orc—luring the bear towards them!

"Ah, Yuri, you bastard!" Milo exclaimed in terror, picking up his daughter and fleeing, regretting ever staying to watch. Lady Celine glared coldly at Yuri, pretending not to see his actions. She ripped open a Fire Wall scroll, creating a barrier between them and the bear, then fled with Milo and Sara.

Though a level seven beast, the Rampaging Frost Bear lacked intelligence, even less than a level one Green Arrow Squirrel, let alone the cunning and fierce Frost Giant Wolf. It was chasing a human when another attacked it with magic. This was an intolerable provocation in its mind, prompting it to shift its attention to Lady Celine and Milo, letting Yuri off the hook.

The bear's fur had been singed by the fire wall, driving it into a fury. It rampaged forward, crushing trees like a bulldozer. Lady Celine, while fleeing, threw her remaining two scrolls. Such scrolls were complex to make and expensive, even for a noble from the capital. In her haste, she couldn't cast spells properly, making her vulnerable and causing her to scream in fear.

Milo sighed, set down his daughter, and urged her to run without looking back. He then turned to shield Lady Celine, drawing his sword and channeling high-level Dou Qi. He swung his sword, sending out a sharp energy wave. The Rampaging Frost Bear had just launched another Ice Burst Arrow, and the two attacks collided, neutralizing most of each other. However, stray shards still struck Milo. His armor absorbed most of the impact, but his leg was pierced, causing him to stagger. Unable to dodge the bear's massive claws, he was swatted away, crashing into a tree and collapsing, his fate uncertain.

"Father!" Sara screamed in terror and despair, her face turning ashen. She struggled to rush to him, but Lady Celine held her back, dragging her away. "Don't go! You can't save him; it's just throwing your life away. The Rampaging Frost Bear is too strong. Only two high-level Dou Qi warriors could stand a chance against it…"

"No… Father… I can't leave him… Save him, Lady Celine, please save him…" Sara cried, begging as she struggled against Lady Celine's grip.

The Rampaging Frost Bear advanced towards the unconscious Milo, its tusks menacing. Lady Celine sighed; her magic scrolls were exhausted, and there was no time to cast a spell.

Just as Lady Celine covered Sara's eyes, unwilling to witness the gruesome scene, a shout and a wolf's howl echoed. Barok, having returned unexpectedly, charged on the Frost Giant Wolf, wielding a thick, five-meter-long tree trunk. At that moment, Sara, nearly delirious with relief, saw Barok as an angel, yearning to rush over and kiss him.

The combined force of their charge and the tree trunk's weight slammed into the Rampaging Frost Bear's belly, sending it rolling and roaring in pain. Barok seized the opportunity, pulling Milo onto the wolf's back and tossing him to the Red River Valley soldiers, who had been cowering nearby. "Catch your master and take the lady away quickly!"

Motivated by fear of punishment, the soldiers rushed forward, carrying the unconscious Milo and supporting each other as they fled. Lady Celine cast a deep, contemplative glance at Barok before pulling Sara to follow the soldiers quickly. "Sara, let's go. That interesting orc boy will be fine. It seems he has quite a story; could he really just be a slave from your territory?"

Barok mentally berated himself. He had fled, but hearing Sara's distant, terrified scream made him stop almost instinctively. After a moment's hesitation, he turned back.

It wasn't Sara's beauty or any great kindness that compelled him. Since his tribe's massacre, he had become ruthless, feeling no remorse even when he slaughtered a dozen drunks and grave robbers in a Black Crow Town tavern. He had felt a dark thrill instead.

"I need to stay in the human world. Saving a few nobles could be very beneficial," he rationalized, though he barely believed himself. There was no time to ponder his true motives. The wounded Rampaging Frost Bear was now utterly enraged. Blood dripped from its mouth, and its innards seemed damaged from the earlier collision. It let out a ferocious roar, ice shards swirling around it, and charged at Barok and the Frost Giant Wolf.

Barok turned and fled, heading in the opposite direction from Sara. The bear's roars and the icy magic attacks followed him closely. He shouted at the Frost Giant Wolf, which seemed to understand, sniffing the air and heading towards where Yuri and his guards had fled.

Yet using the same tactic repeatedly didn't work. The bear, though not intelligent, had learned enough to ignore the other humans, fixating solely on Barok, determined to kill the one who had hurt it.

Barok had no choice but to keep fleeing on the Frost Giant Wolf. They ran for an indeterminate distance until they saw another mountain. Finally, Barok had an idea.

He hoped there were beasts on this mountain. Leading the Rampaging Frost Bear there might stir up trouble for whatever lived there. Regardless, Barok had no love for uninvited guests and was willing to take the chance.