"Monsters?" Lena asked, her hand drifting to her dagger hilt, but Reidar shook his head.

"It's too rhythmic," he said, pointing to the tree line where a plume of brown dust cut a straight line through the forest, suggesting something akin to a march, rather than some kind of natural phenomenon.

"Let's be quiet," Reidar said as they reached a ridge overlooking a narrow, dry canyon. The view below made Reidar's stomach turn, revealing a herd of Iron-Hide Behemoths rumbling through the ravine in a tight column.

—[Iron-Hide Behemoth—Level 205]—

…

—[Iron-Hide Behemoth—Level 210]—

…

—[Iron-Hide Behemoth—Level 210]—

…

—[Iron-Hide Behemoth—Level 207]—

There were at least thirty of them moving in a tight formation, and when Reidar shifted his gaze to the rear of the herd, he spotted a squad of ten figures walking behind the beasts.

They wore the violet-trimmed armor of the Church—all around level 220—and carried staves topped with glowing crystals. Every time a Behemoth drifted too far to the side, a Zealot would slam a staff into the ground, summoning a barrier that shoved the monster back into line with force.

But it wasn't magic that kept the herd moving.

"Oh God," Lena said.

The raw horror in her voice snapped Reidar's attention to the rear of the herd, and as he squinted through the dust, his stomach turned over.

Behind the lumbering monsters, the Zealots dragged a line of prisoners. Reidar tracked their stumbling gait, noting the torn clothes and stains of untreated injuries. He wasn't just looking at captives—he was looking at the reality of the Church's cruelty, a mirror of the fate awaiting his family if he wasn't fast enough in dismantling this shitty organization.

—[David Harris—Level 108]—

—[Sarah Mitchell—Level 115]—

—[Thomas Greene—Level 110]—

—[Emma Carter—Level 112]—

—[James Wilson—Level 106]—

—[Rachel Thompson—Level 114]—

—[Michael Roberts—Level 109]—

—[Laura Anderson—Level 111]—

There were about twenty of them chained together in a long line, walking just ten meters behind the rear legs of the Behemoths so the monsters could smell them.

The Behemoths were agitated since their instincts were triggered by the scent of terrified prey right at their backs, and while they wanted to turn and eat, the barriers prevented them from doing so.

The survivors were live bait, dangled by the Church to keep the monsters willing to follow, effectively driving the herd like an engine fueled by the promise of meat.

"They're herding them toward Redwater," Jake said.

Reidar nodded.

—[QUEST RECEIVED: Break the Herd]—

Goal: Eliminate the Church Zealots herding the Iron-Hide Behemoths and rescue all captive settlers.

Progress: 0/10 Church Zealots eliminated, 0/20 Settlers rescued

Time Limit: 30 minutes

Reward: 80,000 C.L.A.S.P. Points, 40,000 Survival Points, Skill Book: Coordinated Strike

Special Conditions: All settlers must survive the rescue. If the herd turns on the captives before the handlers are eliminated, the quest fails.

Description: The Church is using live bait to drive a herd of Iron-Hide Behemoths toward Redwater Crossing. Twenty settlers are chained behind the monsters, keeping them agitated and moving forward. Eliminate all ten Church Zealots controlling the herd and free the captives before they are trampled or devoured.

Warning: Spooking the herd prematurely will cause the Behemoths to turn on the prisoners. The barriers keeping the monsters in line will collapse if handlers are killed carelessly. Coordinate your strikes to neutralize threats simultaneously.

—[END]—

"We got a new quest."

It had been a while since they did, but honestly speaking, it was a little underwhelming in its rewards, and Reidar guessed it was because the enemy was low level.

"What do we do?" Jake asked, but the quest was an incentive to save those people.

"We can't just attack," Reidar said. "If we spook the herd, they'll turn on the captives. The barriers will collapse, and those monsters will devour the prisoners in seconds."

"We have to kill the handlers and the monsters together," Lena said.

Reidar nodded. "Do not let them escape."

He raised his wand, and as mana surged, he cast Summon Vorathid Sky-Hunters. A hundred winged horrors tore into existence like a plague unleashed from the sky. They were nightmare hybrids of wasps and reptiles with leathery wings beating with the sound of ripping canvas.

"Go," Reidar said.

The Sky-Hunters dived, folding their wings tight against their bodies as they dropped from the clouds, while Jake and Lena leaped from the ridge.

The Zealots, focused on the herd and keeping the captives in line, didn't see it coming. The first warning they got was the screech of the Sky-Hunters plummeting from the sky.

"Contact!" one Zealot screamed, raising his staff.

He never finished the spell he was preparing when a stream of acid hit him in the face, sizzling on contact as he screamed and dropped his staff.

His hands flew to his face, clawing at the burning flesh as it melted away from the bone, and smoke rose from the ruined skin as he collapsed to his knees before pitching forward into the dirt.

The Sky-Hunters slammed into the rear guard with the force of mortar shells as the skill Dive Bomb triggered, crushing three Zealots under the weight of the summoned insects before devouring them.

Then Jake landed.

He hit the canyon floor and dashed to the Level 220 Zealots, moving as nothing but a blur. When a Zealot swung a mace, Jake stepped inside its guard—moving so fast he appeared to teleport—and severed the Zealot's arm and throat with his Storm-Edge Kris.

Jake didn't stop there; he spun and drove the dagger through the chest plate of a second guard, discharging the lightning enchantment to fry the man's nervous system before he hit the ground.

Lena dropped behind the line of prisoners, where two Zealots were guarding the chains with swords drawn, ready to execute the hostages at the first sign of trouble.

Lena didn't give them a chance; she threw two daggers that struck both guards in the throat simultaneously, causing blood to spray as they collapsed.

She sprinted forward, pulling another set of blades from their sheaths to slash through the chains binding the settlers, breaking the steel links to free the captives.

"Run!" she said. "Get away from here!"

The settlers were frozen in shock, staring at the carnage, but the herd of monsters saw the disorder and began to grow restless. The barriers flickered and died as the Zealots holding them were slaughtered, allowing thirty massive, armored heads to swing around and sixty red eyes to lock onto the huddled group of survivors.

"Reidar!"

But the Vorathid Sky Hunters were already moving.

"Kill them!"

The insects didn't need to be told twice and charged at the monsters. The first Sky-Hunter slammed into the lead Behemoth, knocking it sideways into its pack mates, and what followed was a massacre.

The air pressure dropped as it was displaced by the collective beat of leathery wings, and the lead Behemoth's roar was cut short by the wet tearing of thick hide.

Mandibles crunched against the armored plating of the Behemoths, locking onto the metal-hard hide while venom dripped from stingers in thick streams.

The stingers punched through the monsters' natural armor, piercing deep into flesh with a wet popping sound as the leather-like hide gave way under the force.

Dive-bombing insects slammed into flanks, shattering ribs and ripping into exposed meat, and lights flickered against the canyon walls as barriers sprang up only to shatter an instant later.

The screams sounded for minutes, and then, silence.

[QUEST COMPLETE.]

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