"There's only ten of them left. If we return to the village and they track us down, it'll be eleven versus ten. This is the best option." Sylas finished.
"You killed five?" Morgan did the math.
"Yes," Sylas replied coolly.
The entire group looked toward Sylas' back as they ran, feeling as though they had all run into a monster.
This wasn't the movies. Winning against one strong opponent was already impressive enough. You couldn't win against two unless you were at least 50% stronger than them both from their experience, let alone three or more. Was Sylas really one of them?
Olivia frowned, feeling that she had lost control of the situation. Sylas went and made such a huge decision on his own, and she was fairly certain that the field that disrupted their minds had come from him. Although there was also a large chance it came from the gnolls as well, her senses were sharp. She obviously didn't have just the Skill either.
She had to admit that she had bent Cassarae's rules a little and taken some advantage of Sylas, but she had never put his life in danger. It was unacceptable to her for this to happen, and yet, at the same time, she gave Sylas more leeway than she would have someone else.
Maybe it was because she knew quite clearly that Cassarae still had feelings for him and would likely let this matter slide as well.
As for Sylas, he already knew it was inappropriate. This wasn't his village and yet he had made such an important decision for them, he wasn't na?ve to that fact.
Unfortunately, there also wasn't a choice for propriety.
The group moved as fast as they could and this time, it was actually Sylas who lagged behind them, his lungs screaming. However, he urged them to keep going and not slow down so they could lessen the potential variables.
The group inevitably came across beasts, but this wasn't the time to care about collecting beast pelts, so they directly attacked as a group, skewering the animals from all sides.
This slowed them down, but not by much, and soon the village was in sight again as they stepped into the wet marsh.
There were two guards facing the direction of the rainforest and the gnoll village, likely men of the village. It was clear their only task was to scout and report because the moment the group was seen returning, one of them immediately rushed off to inform the City Lord.
Soon, Cassarae had appeared with the militiamen. There was a tight frown that knitted her brows, as she could already feel that something had gone wrong. Her heart plummeted to the floor when she didn't see Sylas among the returnees.
"Where is Syl?!" Cassarae questioned immediately. She looked at Olivia with a hint of franticness in her eyes that was barely masked by her attempt to keep her composure.
Olivia was startled for a moment and looked back. Sylas was very tired, and he had been falling further and further behind their pace as they moved.
The adventurers looked toward one another. Sylas knew the City Lord? That was…
At that moment, Sylas jogged out of the rainforest and into the marsh, his body slick with sweat and his chest heaving.
It was only after seeing this that Cassarae had to stifle a breath of relief. She immediately moved on as though she hadn't said a word.
Olivia gave her friend some grace and moved on as well, explaining the situation.
Cassarae bit at her bottom lip as she listened. Knowing that the village would likely be attacked soon put her on edge, even if they had the numbers advantage right now.
They would likely have to be on edge and the gnolls might try a night raid. And, from their information, the gnolls were even stronger at night.
This also wasn't the modern world anymore. At night, it would practically be pitch black aside from the moonlight. Their scouting wouldn't even be effective. The gnolls would definitely have far sharper vision than them in this case as well.
Sylas finally caught up. His breathing was ragged just a moment ago, but for some reason, he stood straight and tall now, as though he was just fine.
"We will have to prepare the village." Cassarae regained all of her composure at the same moment. "Gather the women, children, and weak near the center. We'll give the men spears, but inform them that they aren't to fight. They're only there for intimidation and to keep up appearances.
"They will probably try a night raid, so if you can help it, I would suggest resting as much as you can now. This will be dangerous, but it will also be a great opportunity."
'These two…' Olivia was speechless.
There was a rush to fulfill Cassarae's orders.
Sylas completed his trade with Olivia and finally learned . Then, he found a bed and collapsed, his aching body completely forgetting that he had gotten a good night's rest just hours ago. He barely had the time to take a glance at his new-look status screen.
[Name: Sylas Grimblade]
[Affiliation: Grimblade Lineage]
[Titles: A Flexible Will; Skill Savant (FFF+); Madness Conqueror (FF-); A Patient Stalker (F-)]
[Skills: Maddened Meditation (FF-); Madness Control (FF+); Basic Scouting (F-)]
[Comprehensions: Madness (FFF)]
[Fragmented Genes: Grimblade Lineage (F); (8) Dexterity (F); (6) Constitution (F); (6) Strength (F)]
[Common Genes: (3) Speed (F); (3) Strength (F); (2) Constitution (F); (3) Dexterity (F)]
[Gene Talents: Blade Aura (Unranked); Sudden Burst (F); Tail Whip (F-)]
There were so many things that Sylas noticed immediately, so many surprising things, from two of his Titles actually swapping places, to the fact one of those titles didn't seem to have a rank at all, and then the new ranks everything seemed to have gained…
But he didn't allow himself to think too much about it. Maybe it was because of his strong Will, but he shut those thoughts down, forcing his mind into a blank state where sleep was king.