"Hold on," I whispered.
The team came to an immediate halt, allowing me to better perceive the faint presences at the edge of my awareness. That soul was small, its hue a earthy brown, and it resembled a single note in a song. Beautiful when heard alone, yet merely a fragment of a grander whole, its full significance ungraspable from this solitary snippet. It was indeed captivating, but what truly caught my attention was the soul's location."I sense movement beneath the ground," I reported. "The direction is right, and the intensity seems about right. This could be the first sign of our target."Relieved smiles spread across the faces of my team members. Partly, this was because the news was far more promising than what I usually brought when asking them to stop.
Mainly, though, it was because we all yearned to conclude this hunt. The near - disaster yesterday had sobered us all, and Penelope's added aloofness had imposed extra strain on the team. She still hadn't healed the slap mark on my face, but to my amusement, its presence seemed to have prompted some embarrassing questions from the other teammates. I wasn't sure exactly what they asked, but I thoroughly enjoyed the small measure of revenge as she stammered and responded angrily. Her face turned even redder than the mark on my cheek when she got worked up, which I found particularly entertaining.
Perhaps I shouldn't have been so insolent towards her. After all, the word "sass" contains "ass." But still, she had no right to hit me because of it! Especially now. Questioning someone about a deadly secret halfway through a mission was ill - timed, and hitting a teammate was simply wrong!Regardless, I hoped the mission would end soon. As we pressed on, I sensed more and more of those earthy, note - like souls. The greater their number, the more enchanting they became. This was surely a colony of burrowing creatures, and we were near the area where our target was expected to appear.The next plan was for us to circumnavigate the outer perimeter of their tunnel network, determine its extent, and estimate the number of creatures within. Then, we would locate an entrance and use Penelope's "viral witchcraft" and Orville's wind magic to send the deadly virus into the tunnels.The plan was straightforward in concept, but its execution was excruciatingly slow. It took over three hours just to circle the territory of the burrow - hounds (or what I assumed were burrow - hounds; after all, I couldn't be certain it belonged to something else). Then, we moved cautiously and silently along the outer edge of the tunnels in this territory. If I sensed them approaching the team, we would have to make a quick escape. Thankfully, there were other monsters wandering above the ground, so our risky maneuver seemed relatively safe.I couldn't sense the tunnels themselves, but the closer we got to the center of the territory, the more and deeper the souls I perceived became. Some of these souls had a peculiar trait: as many of the creatures moved, a black, viscous soul clung to them, right beside their normal souls. Perhaps they were pregnant, or there was some kind of parasite. Strangely, parasite souls were usually minuscule, and I often couldn't detect them when they were nestled within a much larger creature with a far more substantial soul. But these black, gooey souls were almost as large as the host souls. I had no idea what this meant.
I supposed it wasn't a huge deal. We were here to kill them, after all. Finally, I sensed it: a spot where the movement of souls shifted from underground to the surface and vice versa. I climbed to a higher vantage point and saw them: burrow - hounds, resembling giant moles with broad noses, sniffing around on all fours, leaving trails of drool in their wake.
"Target sighted," I whispered. "Confirmed as burrow - hounds."There were only about six near this entrance. The area around the hole was clear, with trees uprooted by the burrow - hounds' frenzied digging. It was time to clear the area and let the mages work their magic."Just six," I murmured to the team, exchanging observation positions with Orville. "Four on the ground within sprinting range, and two in the tunnel.""Guess it's our turn," Nora replied, readying her shield. "I'll draw the two in the tunnel out and then run back to you guys. These things are weaker than those 'little acolytes,' right, Vita?""Much weaker," I confirmed. "About half the soul strength of an orphan, roughly. And they probably aren't smart enough to grab your helmet.""Half an orphan...?" Orville muttered softly from above."Should I stay with you, Vita?" Bentley asked hesitantly."Yeah," I affirmed. "Hide until Nora lures them over. We can't let any of them run back into the tunnel. We need to keep this entrance clear and safely send death inside."
He nodded, lacking his usual vim and vigor. I guessed this journey had exhausted him too. Or perhaps he was embarrassed by his performance in the last fight against the "little acolytes." Weak opponents weren't his forte, and these were much the same.
However, weak opponents were right up my alley.
That being said, I didn't want to rely too heavily on my soul - devouring ability. It was a foolish idea to get close to the monsters to touch them when I had a spear. Of course, it was equally stupid to let them bite me when I could kill them with a single touch, but it seemed ideal to deny them the chance to bite me from the start. I'd use my spear.
As expected, Nora's decoy worked (after all, she was large and noisy), and the two burrow - hounds charged towards the bush where we were hiding. I swiftly thrust my spear, Bentley delivered a powerful blow, and they went down. Effortless. Soon, the other four charged in, but Nora managed to draw their attention, giving our team enough time to dispatch them with ease. These creatures were so weak!
Even so, my heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of my throat. They might be weak, but how many burrow - hounds did I estimate were beneath our feet? Easily thousands. No wonder the Hunter's Guild sent our team to deal with them using a biochemical bomb. What other method could possibly work? I collected their souls and pressed on.
Our team approached the tunnel together. I handed Penelope the body of a burrow - hound, and she began to examine it while Orville started casting a large, complex spell. I sincerely hoped this would all succeed; otherwise, these two and a half days would have been for nothing... Well, for those who couldn't feast on a plethora of delicious souls, it would be a waste. I was dying to devour them all...!
But now wasn't the time to think about that. For now, I focused. The burrow - hounds were extremely displeased that we had taken over one of the entrances to their home, but in the end, it was just one entrance. They didn't understand, nor could they comprehend, the threat our team posed to them, and they were far from the most aggressive species in this forest. For the moment, they seemed content to leave us alone... Still, the tension was rising on all sides. After an excruciating ten minutes, Orville and Penelope were ready.
The air stirred through the forest, and Orville's magic compressed the air like a vise. The air rushed into the tunnels, and Penelope concentrated on casting her spell. The wind carried the deadly plague she created deeper and deeper into the tunnels. The movement of the air made the burrow - hounds restless, but it wasn't until they started dying in large numbers that the colony began to panic.
"Guys, something's happening," I whispered. "They're on the move."
The team members nodded, but there wasn't much to say for a moment. Some of the burrow - hounds with two souls died, but the viscous souls attached to them didn't. Those black souls detached from the dead burrow - hounds and quickly moved on their own to a living burrow - hound. What on earth were these things? From a soul - level perspective, they were as powerful as the burrow - hounds' souls, yet the burrow - hounds didn't attack them.
However, before I could think further, I sensed a massive creature moving deep underground. It felt similar to the burrow - hounds, with an earthy and rhythmic essence, but its soul was colossal, dozens of times larger than its kin. It had several viscous souls attached to it, and this beast moved through the earth as if swimming through water, charging straight towards the surface.
"Big one! A huge one is about to break through to the surface!" I warned.
I quickly compared the size of its soul with that of the team members... Yeah, no, definitely not. There was no chance of victory.
"Retreat!" I shouted. "We can't handle it if it comes!"
"Not so fast," Remus said, stepping forward. "Report on the status of the main target, Vita."
"Over a hundred are already dead, and the number is rising, sir! I estimate there are at least a thousand in the tunnels."
"Penelope?" Remus asked.
"Not enough!" she replied. "I need to double the number of infections before I can be sure of wiping out the entire colony."
"Retreating is the right decision," Remus said. "But I want this colony completely eradicated. This won't affect your assessment."
He stepped forward, and for the first time in my life, I saw him draw his sword. It was an ordinary two - handed longsword, with the hilt and pommel carved from the same blue, scaly material as his armor. And the blade...
It glistened in the sunlight, adorned with incredibly intricate patterns. It exuded a cold, heavy, and sharp aura, possessing a power unlike any other weapon. I wasn't a learned mage; I couldn't see or sense the complex flow of magic. But as this shining metal gathered and prepared to release its power, the pressure around it bore down on me like the inhale and exhale of a person.
This sword was made of metal. I had never seen anything like it in my life.
A hundred yards ahead of us, the ground suddenly exploded, dirt flying everywhere, and a wave of fury rushed towards us. This giant burrow - hound wasn't just an enlarged mole. Its long fur was as hard as spikes, and the drool dripping from its slobbering mouth hissed as it landed on the dirt below. It was a beast of muscle and death. The monster let out an enraged scream and charged towards our group, with Remus standing at the front. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of its kin followed it out of the tunnel, chasing their leader like a tide of death.
"Orville, Penelope. Keep focusing on the situation in the tunnels," Remus ordered. "Your task is to ensure that not enough burrow - hounds retreat to pose a threat in the future. Vita, Bentley, Nora..."
He swung his sword so fast that I couldn't even see it. He simply assumed a stance to grip the sword and then changed his stance, as if there were only the images before and after the swing, with the motion of the swing itself missing. A wave of pressure assaulted my eardrums, and most of the charging burrow - hounds died instantly. Only a few behind the largest burrow - hound remained alive, and the gigantic dog - mole merely sustained a gash on its face. But it continued its charge, undeterred in speed or ferocity.
"...Do your best," Remus finished and then moved forward to meet the enemy.
However, it was clear that our team could only watch in horror as Remus effortlessly cut down the remaining burrow - hounds on the ground. He weaved through the pack as easily as I walked through a sewer, not regarding them as a danger but merely as foul excrement. Even the giant burrow - hound couldn't withstand his sword up close. After the large dog died, the remaining survivors scattered, but Remus still eliminated them all. We could only stand there, dumbfounded.
Remus had the most powerful soul I had ever sensed. But only now did I truly realize the vast gulf between us. Beyond his awe - inspiring display, the only thing that caught my attention was the presence of those creatures with viscous souls inside the largest burrow - hound. When Remus nearly split the beast in two, most of these creatures died, but a few survived. However, Remus neither noticed nor cared and began walking back towards our team.
"What the hell do we even do here?" Nora cursed under her breath. "Is he even human?"
"As I said, to take care of the burrow - hounds that retreat into the tunnels," Remus replied from halfway across the field as he flicked the blood off his sword. "And, yes, I'm human. I'm just a decent fighter, but I can't dig tunnels."
He carefully took out a cloth, wiped his sword clean, and after returning to us, sheathed it once more.
"Did you complete the virus dissemination, Penelope?" he asked.
She glanced at me, her eyes wide with an unspoken question.
"U - um... I think... there are still about... two hundred fewer deaths underground," I stammered. "Probably... just... another minute or two?"
He nodded, seemingly satisfied.
"There are still some survivors over there," I told Remus. "They're inside the body of that big dog, but they aren't burrow - hounds."
He frowned.
"Really? How strong are they?"
"Not very strong," I said. "About the same as ordinary burrow - hounds. There was a particularly large one, but you killed it. The survivors seem to be... Well, no, they're moving."
I sensed those souls starting to scatter in all directions, as if fleeing blindly. I squinted, but I couldn't see anything. Remus also stared intently but seemed just as unable to see anything as I was.
"Are any coming this way?"
"None directly," I replied.
"All right, keep an eye on them. I don't know what they are, but until we figure it out, we should obviously assume they're dangerous. Are you sure they aren't young burrow - hounds? That big dog might have been something like a queen."
"I'm not certain, but they feel completely different from burrow - hounds."
"Hmm. Whatever they are, they must be extremely small. I can't even see the grass moving. Come with me. Let's investigate. Lead me to the nearest one."
I nodded and did as he said, leaving the team to finish the task while I led Remus towards a creature that was somewhat fleeing in our direction. When it got closer, I pointed to where I sensed it, and Remus kicked in that direction. I thought I... saw something... a flash, a movement, but whatever it was, it lunged at Remus! Then he seemed to see something too and punched at the air. I heard a wet slap, and then the thing was dead.
"Hmm," Remus murmured, looking at his gauntlet.
I leaned in to look as well and could barely make out a thin, translucent layer of mucus on it. Strange.
"...Do you know what that was, sir?" I asked.
"I'd guess it's just some kind of parasitic mucus," he replied. "There are dozens, if not hundreds, of things like this. But it's the first time I've seen something that can camouflage itself outside of its host. You said there was more than one of these things in that big beast?"
"Yes," I confirmed.
"Then at least they probably aren't too deadly. That beast didn't seem sick during the fight. If something like this gets inside a person, Penelope should be able to handle it."
I nodded and followed him back to the team. I made up an excuse to get some food and then went to the area where Remus had wreaked havoc, collecting souls before Penelope finished her "massacre." Then it would be time to start the journey back, which would likely be just as dangerous as the journey here. At least the mission was almost over. A few hours later, we set up camp far from the tunnels filled with corpses and the scavengers that were surely feasting on Remus' "masterpiece." Finally, I was in a relatively safe place.
I wanted to talk to the team members, but I secretly hoped they would all fall asleep. I had collected an absurd number of souls, including that of the colossal burrow - hound. Its soul was even larger than mine, yet it still fit comfortably within my body. I couldn't wait to devour it! Consuming the souls of all these burrow - hounds would be like a symphony of flavors! Ah, just feeling them within me was already wonderful! I was so excited that I couldn't help but squirm a little.
However, I couldn't keep fantasizing about these soul delicacies, or I'd go crazy. Everyone was still awake, so instead of excitedly screaming to myself while pretending to go to the toilet, I should probably go and chat with them. Reluctantly, I returned to the camp and approached Remus.
"I'm curious. Has this mission been a regular one so far?" I asked.
"No, not at all," Remus replied. "I usually have to step in and help most teams on their first mission. Vita, your extreme caution has been very beneficial to your team. But in a regular mission, I wouldn't be there at all, and when that mutated burrow - hound charged out after you, you would have failed. If it caught up to you or forced you into a worse situation in a panic, you might even have died."
"But you said I made the right decision," I pressed.
"You were right," Remus said. "Retreating was the correct choice; your team couldn't have fought that monster. But sometimes, even when you make all the right decisions, people still die. Usually, though, fewer people die than when you make the wrong decisions, so keep up this cautious approach on the way back. It's working."
I nodded and grabbed a piece of burrow - hound meat from the kill pile and took a bite. I had actually gone to get some food, and collecting souls was just an added bonus. Apparently, my indiscriminate appetite had become somewhat famous within the team, but they were the odd ones. We had a biomancer. She could handle meat. Everything we killed was made of meat! Why did they still cling to those non - perishable rations? Eating