Chapter 17: Surrounded
Rhodes was awakened by a rustling sound. He rubbed his eyes and saw that Serie had already packed her things and was standing outside the tent.
He had slept soundly last night, a rare occurrence. He had felt warm and comfortable, reminiscent of the days when he used to sleep clutching his life-sized body pillow. Only this pillow had been warm.
Was it possible that the "pillow" had been Serie herself? Rhodes couldn't be sure. If he had really held her all night, why hadn't she protested?
Outside the tent, Serie had her back to him. "You're awake?" she said without turning around. "Get packed. We need to pick up the pace today. We must leave this swamp before sunset."
Rhodes stretched and asked casually, "I didn't do anything strange last night, did I? I'm not a very still sleeper."
Serie turned and stared at him, a direct gaze that made his scalp tingle.
"You certainly are not. You held onto me the whole night. It was very uncomfortable."
Serie couldn't understand the workings of a human mind like Rhodes's. It was a common elven trait, having nothing to do with him being human. Elves were simply an emotionally distant race. Moreover, when she had woken up that morning, she had felt a strange and uncomfortable pressure against her. Is this a normal human phenomenon? she wondered. Now that Rhodes had brought it up, she voiced her complaint without hesitation.
Her words made Rhodes feel a little awkward. "My apologies. Next time that happens, you can just push me away."
Yes, next time, Rhodes thought to himself, a small, selfish hope blooming in his chest. A pillow that comfortable... he wasn't content with just holding it once. There had to be a next time.
Serie tilted her head. "Why are you apologizing?" Her golden eyes were filled with genuine confusion. "You were just holding me like a sloth bear. It was merely a bit uncomfortable. There is no need for an apology."
"A sloth bear?" Rhodes paused in his packing. Miss Serie's train of thought was certainly a strange one. Was the sloth bear she was referring to the same kind he was thinking of?
"It's an animal from the Great Elven Forest," Serie explained. "They like to hold onto things when they sleep." She paused. "But you are much warmer than they are."
Rhodes didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It seemed the elven understanding of physical intimacy was completely different from his own. Truly, she was a classic elf from the world of Frieren. He let out a silent sigh of relief, yet at the same time felt a strange pang of disappointment.
"Would you like some tea?" he asked, changing the subject. "We're not in that much of a hurry, are we?" Rhodes had gotten a variety of plants from the dwarves that could be used for making tea. Dwarves themselves rarely drank tea, but they could still identify which plants were edible or suitable for brewing. After all, their history also traced back to before the Age of Myth.
"Hmm..." Serie first deactivated her alarm spell, then cast a detection spell. "Strange. How did the number of magical beasts around us increase overnight?"
Serie's brow furrowed. Before they had made camp last night, she had carefully and quietly cleared all the magical beasts within a hundred-meter radius. Now, after a single night, their numbers had returned to what they were before, and had even increased. This was not normal. Either this swamp was teeming with magical beasts, and any empty territory was immediately filled, or... they were being watched.
"Try extending the detection range to five hundred meters," Rhodes suggested, leaning over to look at the red dots on her magic circle.
Serie channeled more mana into the spell, expanding its range. Her frown deepened. "There are even more of them. The number of magical beasts around us is now in the triple digits."
Rhodes understood the gravity of the situation. Whether this was a coincidence or not, they could not stay here any longer.
Serie spread out the map. "If we follow the stream, we should be able to get out of this central area by noon."
"I'll pack right away."
Rhodes immediately started packing. All the while, Serie kept a close watch on the movement of the magical beasts on her magic circle. The only thing that gave her a sliver of comfort was that the beasts didn't seem to be moving. But this, in itself, was strangely eerie.
Rhodes quickly finished packing, and they set off at a brisk pace along the stream. Rhodes kept glancing back over his shoulder, a nagging feeling that they were being watched from the shadows.
"Don't look back. Act like nothing is wrong," Serie warned in a low voice. "They are observing us."
As an elf, her senses were far more acute than his. The moment they had started moving, the surrounding magical beasts had also begun to shift, confirming her ominous premonition. No matter which way they moved, the beasts kept them perfectly surrounded.
Someone was definitely commanding them.
"'They?'" Rhodes swallowed hard. "You mean...?" He instantly realized what she meant. For Serie to have such a serious expression, the crisis they were facing was not a small one.
"Demons," Serie said, a hint of killing intent in her eyes. "There are at least two of them. They are commanding over a hundred magical beasts, and they have us completely surrounded."
Cold sweat broke out on Rhodes's palms. So it was finally happening. His first encounter with the demons of the Age of Myth.
"Why aren't they attacking?" Rhodes whispered, his eyes scanning the dense bushes around them.
"They're waiting for us to show an opening," Serie explained, keeping a constant watch on the distance of the surrounding beasts. "Demons are cunning creatures. They have no emotions. Their only purpose is to kill their enemies." She suspected that the leading demon was highly intelligent and had become cautious after noticing she was an elf. But when did it find us? Her alarm spell had a hundred-meter range, and it hadn't gone off last night. Was it because I was distracted this morning?
"Go straight ahead. There aren't many beasts in that direction. Once the fighting starts, run for it. I'll cover our retreat."
Serie gave him a few more instructions, already preparing her light arrow spell, ready to release it at a moment's notice.
Just then, the bushes in front of them began to shake violently.
"Watch out!" Serie instantly threw up a mana barrier, shielding Rhodes behind her. To conserve mana, she had deactivated her detection spell, relying only on her basic sense for magical beasts. She hadn't expected one to get so close without her noticing. Is it a beast that can mask its presence?
Then, a familiar figure stumbled out of the bushes. "Wait! It's me!"
It was the dwarf, Somme.
He collapsed to his knees, covered in blood. The runes on his battle-axe were dim and lifeless. "Run..." he gasped. "So many... magical beasts...!"