Chapter 169: A Brawl Fought in Blood

Early Morning - Late Spring : Central Sirathan Mountains

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*CRRUNCH* I felt my ribs finally give way and fracture as I got slammed into the mountain by what I came to call Lurkers.

They were fish that looked like longer versions of goliath grouper, but they were incredibly smart and hunted in groups numbering in the hundreds.

But on top of their sheer numbers, they ranged anywhere from 20 to 65 meters long each and were extremely fast.

At first I questioned why such a strong fish hunted in a group, but the time for questions like that didn't last long. 

*CRUMBLE* The side of the mountain crumbled around me as I was pummeled by a smaller group of them.

"Ackkk-" *shik* Sinking my hind claws into two of them, I blew them apart with cubane. *BANG* 

But even though those two had been turned to mince meat, the third continued attacking my head.

*CRUMMBLE* My face was repeatedly smashed into the stone shelf until it finally tried to run off and regroup. 

As if waiting for that moment though, I darted out of the hole I was drilled into and dug my claws into the lurkers side.

*RUMBLE* A deep and violent rumble echoed through the water as I blew off the lurker's tail with a thruster.

As it flopped around wildly without a tail, I dashed over and smashed open its skull, being sure to rip out and eat its mana core.

Quickly absorbing all the mana I could from it, I shifted my attention back to my surroundings and prepared for the next group. 

Paying extremely close attention to the currents, it only took a moment for me to find the next aggressor. -A quick one this time, huh?!-

Moving just enough to dodge its colossal body, it slammed into the stone mountainside. *CRUNCH-crumble*

Without giving it time to recover or run away, I dug my claws into it and bit a chunk out of its head.

*CrUnCh* Its skull crunched like ice under the immense strength of my jaw, but it took just enough effort to pull my attention away for a moment.

In that short instant my attention was pulled away, my instincts yelled at me. -SH*T!- Mustering as much of the strength in my legs and wings as I could, I lunged back. *Fwoosh* 

The instant I backed away, three more huge Lurkers slammed into the opposite side of the corpse and crushed it against the ground. *CRUNCHH* Before I could catch my breath though, they realized I had moved and charged at me in unison. *fwooOOOOSHHH*

As I prepared magic to make quick work of the charging lurkers though, I felt the currents shift again. -SERIOUSLY?!- "Uggh-RAH!" Swiftly dodging an attack from my blindspot, I smashed my paw through the bottom of its mouth and got a good grip on its tongue. -GOT YA THIS TIME!-

Using its own momentum as a weapon, I immediately darted towards the charging lurkers and slammed its head into the middle one.

*CRRRRUUNNCHHH* The two lurkers exploded as they slammed into each other, but the other two kept charging.

In a flash of movement, I darted between them and set the tips of my wings on their heads. *CR-RACK*

The area around where my wings touched them instantly vanished as two huge pre-prepared steel darts were launched through their brains.

Continuing the motion, I flapped my wings and launched myself above the field of blood and corpses to check for more lurkers but none were visible. 

I still felt the current traveling in a circle so I knew there were at least a few more, but then, out of nowhere, it came to a screeching halt.

A deep sense of anxiety instantly filled my body as I darted back to the bottom and squatted in a crater. -Its not a predator is it?-

Out of caution, I was trying to lay low in the thickly chummed water where I could hide easier, but my body was shaking so much from exhaustion that it likely didn't matter.

I had been in a constant brawl with the school of lurkers for nearly a week and my body had already passed its physical limit. Every muscle in my body screamed at me when I moved and my reserve only had 10% capacity left even after all the cores I ate.

Although the situation wasn't currently life threatening, if something strong enough to hunt a school of lurkers showed up, I'd be in deep sh*t.

-To think Id be pushed so far by some f*cking fish..- My pride was barely keeping itself intact as I tried my best to feel for even the slightest changes in current.

But there was simply nothing. The water was simply dead and concerningly still for several minutes.

After about 30 minutes though, I finally felt the current return just slightly. -There it is..- Something big had been trying to sense my movement with currents like I was for it.

Feeling the current suddenly change direction, I looked up and braced myself.

*fwooooOoOoOOSHHH* Charging at me out of the darkness was a lurker nearly 90 meters long.

A slightly crazed smile came to my face seeing it charge straight at me. -I got a present for you!- Bracing my legs as much as I could, I threw my paw out and slammed it into the lurker's forehead.

The impact sent a shockwave through my body that ripped apart muscles and fractured bone, but in return I heavily amplified the shockwave going into the lurker.

*Crumbl-CRUNCHH* As my feet were driven into the ground, the amplified shockwave blew apart and shredded everything behind the lurker's face, leaving nothing but blood and shredded organs floating in the water.

"AAHH.." Unable to continue to keep my calm, I fell to the bottom and used mana to repair the bones in my arm as best as I could. -Will I really need to run?! FROM F*CKING FISH?!- Before I could do anything rash though, I felt a familiar current return to the area.

For the first time in a week, I felt the cold water from the depths wash over my body.

It was a sensation that nearly brought tears to my eyes. -Its.. over?-

Still not quite believing my senses, I stayed on edge for another hour before finally easing my body.

"Ugh.." As I finally sat down, I looked around through the blood filled water and took a good look at the hundreds of lurker corpses littering the ground of what used to be a reef. -Just what kind of predator feeds on them to require such huge schools..-

It sent a chill down my spine just thinking about it, but my body was too exhausted to shiver.

"Ugh.." Driven by my need for rest, I forced myself back up.

With a casual look around, it quickly became clear that this wasn't a good place to sleep, so I made my way over to the mountainside, pushing aside the lurker corpses in my way.

Setting my paw on the rocky mountain slope, I used a considerable amount of mana to carve out a small cave.

Once it was mostly finished, I crawled into it and sealed a majority of the entrance, leaving only a small area open to let some fresh water flow in and out.

-Haah.. done..- Feeling at least moderately satisfied with my hole in the wall, I finally laid my head down and immediately fell into a much needed deep sleep. -I hope.. Ilios is.. doing.. well..-

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- Liv Sigmond ~

"Captain Sigmond. The Head Commander has called for you." A young man gave a slight bow as he delivered the message.

-Is it that time already?- "Alright, I will be there right away." As I stood up and made my way towards the Command Hall, I straightened up my uniform and tried to calm the fuzzy feeling in my mind.

*Click*

Walking into his office, I held my head high with confidence.

"Please have a seat Captain Sigmond." Motioning me to my seat was the Chief Commander, Njal Dolph, an incredibly tall and beautiful elven man.

He was the second highest ranking military official in Spiall, and was the brains of Spiall's militia, a real man with both strength and political power. Most people would be intimidated by such a figure, but he was just a man who wore a tough mask.

Behind the mask, he was a weak willed and greedy man who would do anything to please his selfish desires.

Whenever the lower squadrons would recruit new members for example, he would personally comb through them, looking for the children of nobles or those blessed with attractive faces in order to groom and exploit them.

Although I never personally saw him do things as bad as some of the rumors, if it was him, they were quite plausible. -What a disgusting man..- 

The only reason I was even serving under him at the time was because of an assignment given to me in the capital. I was told to join Spiall's militia and climb to the Squadron Captain position within 5 years but even though it was technically completed when the Great Lord killed the previous captain, my position was still being processed.

-I really can't wait to leave and never see this clowns face again..-

As I sat down, my head never bowed and my eyes never lowered. "So what have I been called for, sir?"

Clearly not liking my lack of elder's formality, he snickered slightly. "Captain Sigmond, you are aware of the moral code in this city's chain of command, correct?"

-What? Where did this question come from..- "Of course, I was taught well within the capital."

"Then you would know that lying in a report is a criminal offense, correct?"

Instantly connecting the dots, it felt like a nerve was pinched. -Which bastard leaked it..- Anger quickly welled within me but I tried my best to stay calm and act normal. "Of course."

Seemingly noticing my slight change in demeanor, his smile turned sly. "I like to think you're a smart woman, so I'll give you a chance."

I immediately ran through the options of how to get out of the situation but it all became useless when he pushed a report across the table in front of me.

"The report I received from the second squadron leader directly seems to be quite different from yours and the one you 'turned in for her'. Do you care to explain yourself?"

Looking down at the report, I quickly read the title. 'Expedition 31: Report'

It was the report of what happened from the perspective of each squadron leader.

-That bi*ch gave me the fake..-

As I stared at the report, desperately trying to think of a way out of the current situation, a slightly crazed smile crept onto the commander's face. "What I read in that report was quite interesting, not only did you not make note of the adventurer killing the captain, you simply listed the casualties as 'killed by unforeseen hazards'." His smile only got creepier. "To think there's a 'wandering adventurer' strong enough to casually kill the captain and make the 'all-mighty Cleric Liv Sigmond' stay quiet about it. Now I'm really curious."

I was caught red handed and could only sit there in silence, not because I didn't want to say anything but instead because the fuzziness in my head had increased in strength several fold.

Although it was just my instincts telling me, I felt as if I would die if I made so much as a peep. 

-..Sh*t...-