They reached the Steel Coated Mantises last seen location by 2:00 PM in the afternoon.
Being the 1st time out of the defence wall in the wild without any adult's supervision, they were more vigilant while also excited looking around the natural growth of the trees and plants around.
Meera was too scared, she stayed within 5 meters from Manav while looking around in fear which made Gideon wonder how she would fight the monsters if she was too scared even when there are no monsters around.
They did not encounter any monsters in the wild, mostly because they stuck to the dirt road that is being used by the travelers moving around. Even though there is less travelling to and from their small village, the road is not deserted and they could see at least 1 or 2 vehicles every 10 minutes.
They decided to have their lunch first before trying to track the monsters they were tasked to hunt and sat under a large tree with its shade covering half of the road width and had the lunch which they had packed from their home.
Gideon had an egg sandwich with a small bottle of chilled carbonated drink to refresh himself while Manav and Meera had varieties of food and drinks brought by Manav from home which Gideon declined when offered to share as he wanted not to fight when his stomach is full.
He knew that he can't fight at his full capacity if he eats heartily and also reminded Manav and Meera too, but they didn't take it and continued eating to their full capacity.
After having their lunch, they enter the forest to look for the Steel Coated Mantises with more vigilance. This was the place where the mantises had attacked just 3 days back and there is a possibility of staying here for a few more days because of the small lake that was just a few kilometers away from the road which Gideon preferred to check 1st before going to other possible places.
His preference for the lake was because not any living being can live without water and will try to be close to the places with abundant water resources. The Steel Coated Mantises which could kill lone adventurers who are in Tier-1, level-5 will definitely be near the lake.
Gideon was pretty sure that they could handle these Steel Coated Mantises until he saw Meera shivering uncontrollably because of the fear she had in her heart to fight a monster which made him realize she came out of the safety of the defence wall just because of Manav who wanted to go out on an adventure.
He quickly threw it behind his mind as it is their personal and he has joined them temporarily as it was required to complete the task#13856 as he wanted to fight real monsters in the wild.
After walking for 30 minutes, they reached the lake they intended to search 1st and found the surroundings were full of monsters that live in the outer forest regions and have gathered for drinking water from the lake and also to enjoy the humidity of the lake during the hot summer.
Looking at so many monsters gathered together, Gideon felt his heart skip a beat while Meera gripped Manav's hand tightly and tears started falling down her chubby cheeks. It was a good thing Manav had closed her mouth with his hands or she would have cried loud which would have been a disaster for them.
Manav looked at Gideon with an apologetic expression which he acknowledged with a slight nod.
They moved about a 100 meters away from the spot before Manav took his hand from Meera's mouth and she immediately hugged him crying her heart out while he was trying to calm her, which didn't go too well.
After a few minutes, she regained her composure and looked shyly at Gideon as this was the 1st time she had cried in front of him, making her feel a little weak in front of him. But he didn't bother about it.
He was worried about her ability to fight the monsters and would not let them fight alone when the time comes.
They were happy as they had seen their intended targets near the lake and needed to come up with a plan to get them out of there so they could fight without the interruption of other monsters.
Mostly, monsters in the wild do not attack anyone without being provoked and they wanted to keep it low and not provoke other monsters who are leisurely wandering around the lake.
After pondering for a few minutes, Gideon and Manav came up with a plan and got ready to execute it.
They moved another 100 meters away so their fight will not attract other monsters which will be hard for them to handle. They hid their backpacks in a small bush near so they could fight without any hindrance from it.
Jaice, being a Breeze Crow that can fly, was given the task to lure the 3 Steel Coated Mantises they saw at the lake, to the spot where they will be waiting to ambush them and complete their task.
Jaice flew to the lake and drank water from the lake casually like any other monster in there. It then looked at the mantises that were under a large tree chirping and enjoying the moisture of the lake.
Their entire body is covered by a thin layer of steel which gave them their name. They are not hard to penetrate, but have a little defence and good offence because of it.
They had 4 legs that are attached to their abdomen sack that gave them swift speed and their arms were sharp and curved like scythe that could cleave an adult into 2 if the attack was swift and strong.
Jaice went close to the mantises and started cawing at them hopping in front of them disturbing their leisure time under the tree which started to annoy them after a few minutes.
Jaice, being Soul Integrated, has gained the intelligence of a 5 year old kid. Knowing a direct mockery would lead to her death, did this and also picked small pebbles around her with her beak and tossed them at random intervals which made them more angry, but they didn't move from the tree.
After trying a few other tricks, which only made them chirp at Jaice in anger, but still stayed under the tree.
They stayed under the tree unwilling to move because there are many monsters who will take over their place immediately after they move out of the shadows and they will have to be under the hot summer sun for the rest of the day, which anyone would hesitate to do.
Seeing its tricks are not working, Jaice became more frustrated and started to flap her wings fast, flying close to the ground, about 5 feet high, creating a gust of wind that spewed dust towards the mantises which made them finally come out of the shadows and chase after the tiny crow that was irritating them for a while.
Jaice still flew slowly 15 feet above the ground, so the mantises would not lose their interest in chasing her. She also turned and did a small attack of wind slash, creating a small arc of air sending it towards the Steel Coated Mantises now and then so they would not turn around to leave, making all her tricks go in vain.
About 200 meters away, Gideon was worried about Jaice as it had already been 40 minutes she had left to lure their targets, but hadn't come back even without them.
He had strictly told her to come back if luring them to their ambush seemed to be more dangerous that she couldn't handle, but knows very well that she loves to play with other monsters just to irritate them and mock them.
Having Soul Integrated with her, he was able to sense her emotions a little, if they are close, but being 200 meters away, he is yet to feel them as the bond they had is not strong and it would take time for them to strengthen it so they could feel each other's emotions even when they are far.
When he was about to lose his patience and go to the lake himself, he started to feel Jaice's excited feeling and also a small understanding that made him realize that she has completed her task by luring the Steel Coated Mantises to their ambush.
"They are coming." Gideon immediately informed Manav who was close cuddling Meera to be brave to fight.
Manav immediately unsheathed his broad sword and stood before Meera who took her bow and an arrow from the quiver, notched it to the bow and readied herself for the fight that was about to come, shivering a little indicating that she was still scared.
The Metal Horn Bison stood next to him breathing heavily that made it look more ferocious and scary. The Steel Claw Hen that is mostly used in farming stood next to Meera looking as scared as Meera was, looking around while scratching its steel claws on the ground.
Gideon unsheathed his short sword and stood next to the Metal Horn Bison looking straight at the direction Jaice was flying back with a slight smile on his face which made him look like a bully looking at his prey.