Sometimes, the situation could change faster than the blink of an eye. The mercenary's fate was sealed, but the outcome was not what was expected.
Without a second thought, Ethan jumped aside, hiding behind the Crooked Growon's corpse. He didn't even peek out, afraid that the next arrow would fly straight at him.
He exchanged glances with Menir, who slowly shook her head, indicating that it wasn't worth showing himself yet.
Step. Step. Step.
Footsteps sounded from the side, two pairs before the figures stopped.
"Come out and we won't shoot!" A stern voice rang out.
"Yeah, kid, maybe you'll escape the fate of your opponent."
All Ethan could tell was that there was a man and a woman behind him, but the same could not be said for Menir, who could see everything.
Ethan decided to act only when he received an approving nod from her.
With his hands raised, he slowly moved forward from behind the corpse.
"Fine, just don't shoot. I don't really want to see my guts spill out, you know?" Ethan frowned.
In front of him stood a man and a woman in leather armor, tall and muscular, their muscles trembling in the sunlight. If they were in the army, they would be instructors with such well-developed bodies.
"I'm Koros and Diatra," the man nodded toward the woman, while his massive bow was aimed at Ethan. "What about you and your secret ally..."
A chill ran down Ethan's spine. He wasn't worried about his safety while Menir was around, but if they were both targeted, they would become hostages.
"What do you want? You saw that I'm not with these guys. I have no reason to fight you."
Koros sighed.
"Sure, but our conflict is inevitable." He pointed at the Crooked Growon. "We're going to take it. The meat rots, but the bones and fangs. Hah, they're worth a lot!"
Ethan was about to say something when Menir suddenly emerged from the forest.
"You won't do that," she proclaimed.
Koros grinned. "Oh, what a cute ally you have. And why is that?"
"Because you're hunters, real ones, it's obvious from the way you look."
Diatra drew her bowstring. "So what? You're Broken Mages too. I advise you not to fight over this beast's corpse!"
In response, Menir pointed at Ethan. "Because he killed the Crooked Growon."
For a moment, there was silence. It was hard for them to believe.
"W-What?" Diatra's voice trembled. "How can you know that?"
"Because I was right inside the belly of that monster. Ethan saved me, but... We're willing to cooperate because we came here for another reason."
Koros's hand fell on Diatra's shoulder.
"Well, I'm always up for negotiations. We can always kill each other later, right?"
The scorching sun had passed its zenith when Koros threw the last claws into the bag.
Menir stood next to Ethan, who was sitting on a rock in the shade. The sword hung from her belt — their spoils from the two mercenaries.
"Alright! We're ready!" Koros announced with a broad smile. "Now let's move on to your part of the deal, right?"
"Sure." Menir nodded weakly. "We need to keep moving west."
Their temporary team set off.
The essence of their deal was quite simple—Koros and Diatra helped Ethan and Menir find their target, and in return, they received 50% of the profits from the Crooked Growon's materials and also handled its sale.
"So, how long have you two been working together? You look very young," Diatra asked as they made their way through the forest.
Koros chuckled. "Yeah, we Broken Mages have to stick together."
"One day," Menir replied coldly. "Even a little less. We have... urgent circumstances that cannot be delayed."
Diatra wanted to say something, but Koros stopped her with a glance. It was none of their business.
Step.
Pushing the branches aside, they found themselves in front of a deep ravine, the earth crumbling from the edges in the gusts of wind. Roots sprouted through the soil among the sharp rocks that filled the field around them. Red flowers hid among the stones, feeding on the blood that had flowed throughout the summer.
"It's..." Koros gulped, directing his gaze to the center of the ravine.
A large skull lay in the center, thin roots more like pulsating blood vessels running through its cracks, jaw, and eye sockets. The crimson streams flowed toward the skull, thickening into a calm vortex.
"The Remnant."
Menir frowned.
"Amazing. How could a Remnant form in such an active place?"
The Remnants were quite rare but valuable. As the name suggests, they are the remains, most often the bones of some creature, in most cases a monster. At the same time, the energy of the dead creature was sufficient to become part of the territory under the right conditions, accumulating and giving off energy in an endless cycle.
The threat of the Remnants was that they were one of the few factors capable of changing the danger level of a particular territory, in this case, the Rotten Forest. More energy would attract stronger monsters, create new ones, and over time could even change the landscape.
Once this Remnant accumulated enough energy, a local catastrophe would occur that would affect everyone who hunted in the Rotten Forest or engaged in less than noble activities there, such as the people of the Black Horn.
Ethan turned to Menir. "So we'll have to disturb this Remnant?"
"Yes, I'm afraid battle is inevitable." Menir nodded as she turned to the hunters. "I hope you're not chicken?"
Diatra remained silent; such decisions were for Koros to make.
"Hah, girl, what are you talking about? I've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time! However, I'm afraid we'll have to change our deal."
Then, he pulled his bow from his back, preparing for battle.
"We agreed to help you find what you were looking for. We did that. The terms did not include fighting the Remnant's spirit."
Menir nodded weakly. "Sure, we'll see what we can do, but we should hurry."
"Good!"
And...
All eyes turned to Ethan.
"Agh? What the hell are you looking at me for? I'm not going there alone!"
Koros scratched the back of his head, looking away. "You see. We have two archers on our team, and your partner doesn't look like a warrior. But you, you're different. Hah, Diatra and I have seen what you're capable of!"
Ethan wasn't going to give up. He started to argue, but in the end... he found himself staring at the skull.
'Shit. Why me?!' he complained inwardly before clenching his fist and punching the skull.
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
At the same moment, the earth shook as the Remnant's spirit awoke, ready to fight for its right to be on these lands.