Chapter 11

Mika's POV

Our journey through the countryside is relatively peaceful. We immediately arrived at the small village of Rarbya before noon. From here, we would journey through a river before entering the entrance of the badlands swamp.

When Lulu and her craftsmen would make us rafts for the journey I thought it would just be a plain old raft. Instead, they built a full-blown rowboat big enough to house over 50 people and spare room for any baggage we had. There were 10 of them already waiting for us as we arrived.

Leaving our horses to the villagers' care, we started loading our supplies on the boats. It was a long ordeal as Vult had zero experience in using rowboats. They are land-bound mercenaries after all and the only experience they had in large amounts of water is through castle moats. Luckily for him, Kin managed to sort out the logistics by dividing all supplies equally to all boats.

By the time we started moving again, Night had fallen.

Danger.

It was here that the first problem in our journey began.

I warned Vult to wait for tomorrow morning as the swamps would be teeming with predators at night. Unfortunately, he reasoned that we are on a tight schedule. We had to get to the dark tower in 3 days at minimum to capitalize on Olga's current lack of army. I admitted defeat and followed his orders but on the condition that I would lead. He thankfully accepted as I knew the swamps more than them.

So we plunge into the deadly swamps of the badlands.

It was already pitch dark when we started our journey through the swamp. Hicks suggested having torches but Kin dissuaded it as it will just attract unwanted attention to us which I agreed. Our rowboat slowly waded through the swamp with slow movements of our paddles. We needed to be quiet as much as possible. Too bad I forgot this is a bunch of idiots that I'm with.

"Oi, Captain, when will we rest? It's been 4 hours." one of the idiots whined.

"Idiot." I hissed under my breath.

Not too soon, a huge crash followed as the rowboat of said idiot exploded as a giant monster came from below. The poor rowboat was no match as it was split in half by the monster's jaws. Its passengers screamed in fear as they fell into the murky dark waters. Multiple forms under the water immediately swarmed them and started to feast on the poor saps.

"Row! Row the fuck now!" I screamed at the men with me to escape the carnage. The crunching of bones and dying screams echo in the darkness.

"Oi, our guys are still in there!" Hicks screamed back at me. He had already stood up and pulled his pitiful daggers, which would do shit nothing to those monsters.

Yes, plural because the screaming men are already attracting every single living thing in the swamp.

" Leave them be. If we stay, we will be swarmed by every single damn monster in this place." I said to the lieutenant. I tried to make the mercenaries move but they're all frozen in fear of the carnage just behind them.

It was Vult's order that finally got the rest of them moving.

"Everybody move now. We need to leave right the fuck now!" The mercenaries exploded into action to their captain's orders. For the first time in their fucking lives, they rowed like their fucking lives depended on it.

We threw subtlety away as we frantically tried to escape. Unfortunately, some idiot's screams had attracted the feasting monsters below us as they immediately attacked the fleeing boats.

By the time we had escaped, only 5 boats remained.

As daybreak finally came, we finally found land to disembark.

The entire group's mood and morale are at an all-time low. We had just started our journey and we already lost over half our forces.

Seeing his mercenaries' current mood, he decided to let them rest for now. An order they happily received. A campfire was made away from the waters and hidden under many tired bodies.

"Alright, we're gonna eat and rest before leaving again." Vult's announcement was met with groans of disbelief. They protested their current state but Vult shot them down immediately.

"We have to keep on moving dumbass! If we stay even for an hour we'll get killed!"

The mercenaries reluctantly agreed on their captain before grumbling away to eat.

Meanwhile, I keep on watch for any possible enemy around us. Expanding my Innovator skills, I keep on track to each unknown in my range. Those swamp monsters have fallen asleep underwater after the feast they had. There was also a small blip, prowling around the campsite. It might be one of the smaller ones. I immediately announce the presence of such a predator but the bastards laugh it off saying it's just a small one, they can easily kill it.

Their arrogance will kill them.

Half an hour later

Our group has finally eaten and rested for a bit, it's now time to go.

As we were about to leave, some mercenaries pointed out that they were missing some men.

"Then fucking find them, idiot!" Hicks ordered the unfortunate man. He and a few men started looking for the missing men.

Ten minutes later, they didn't come back.

"They are dead, let's go. " I said after the 10-minute mark. They are already dead.

"What?! " Hicks rounded at me. "What the fuck do mean by that bastard?!" he roared at my face.

"I said they are dead. Didn't I say that we are being followed?" I pointed it out to him.

"But you said it was small! "

"Being small doesn't change how dangerous it is. It might be one of the smaller ones in this place but the fact that they stayed alive in this kind of place proves how deadly they are. " I explained to the fool.

Hicks didn't like my answer as he was about to punch me but Vult beat him.

" Enough, let's just go. We are wasting time here and the more we waste, the higher the chances are of us dying." It was enough to calm down Hicks.

We then started walking through the swamp woods in silence with only 200 men remaining.

Going through the woods didn't come with problems. Halfway through, a mist had started to cover the entire woods. Slowly, it covered the entire area in a deep fog. So thick, we can barely see each other.

" This is the work of a Mist Leeches!" Kin cried in alarm after deducing the situation.

Almost immediately after his scream, another echoed not far from their position. Soon the entire foggy woods was filled with screams of terror and dying men.

Vult suddenly lashed out with his giant sword, cutting down an old tree behind him and the giant leech in half. The leech writhed in pain while puffing out mist from its mouth.

"Ran." I simply said.

"Ran forward! " Vult heard me and ordered his remaining men to follow.

Our group soon went on a full panicked sprint as we tried to escape the foggy kill zone.

"Fuck! They're coming from above! " Hicks screams in terror after dodging a falling leech. Meanwhile, the man running beside him wasn't lucky enough as a leech dropped on him. Its weight easily broke his bones and he wailed in pain. His wails were snuffed out when the leech wrapped around him devoured his head.

"Kin, we need fire now! " Vult screamed at the mage who was having a hard time keeping up. Leeches are weak to fire even if they're bigger. Sadly he shook his head.

"We are in a swamp, Captain. I might accidentally make us all explode!" he screamed out.

"Fuck!" Vult roared in frustration.

So our group was forced to fight our way out of the fog. It took us 1 hour of constant fighting before the fog disappeared as we came out of the swamp.

"Fucking finally. '' Hicks panted in exhaustion, bent over trying to catch his breath.

Kin meanwhile collapsed in a heap of limbs on the barren ground.

We had finally arrived on the barren lands of the badlands. The edge of the Dark Queens territory.

"*Gulp* drink up, we still need to move away from here. Those Leeches can still smell us." Vult pointed at the fog slowly crawling towards us after drinking his fill of water.

I mirrored his action to refuel myself and to splash a bit of water to my face. It is to keep up my facade.

I didn't even sweat from the incident, fortunately, they didn't notice.

"Motherfuckers!" Hicks then picked up the passed-out mage to escape the fog.

Our group would then travel a few miles before the fog stopped following us.

I then told Vult that we were now in the safe area where there were no predators, much to their relief.

Vult finally decided to make camp to rest for the entire day.

By the time we set up camp, we had counted only 120 survivors.

It was the third day of our journey that we decided to move again.

Under the sweltering heat, our group moved slowly. For the entire day, we walked and ate when it was time to eat. The heat had also become overbearing, so hot that one of our supply bags went up in flames. We then took shelter in a nearby huge rock formation, a giant stone pillar, to pass the time until the heat wave died out.

That's when our next problem came.

One by one, the mercenaries around us started coughing blood before collapsing on the ground dead. We are immediately alarmed at the sight of men dying in droves.

Kin tried to diagnose and cure one of them to find out what was happening.

"Bo-boss , I don't fe-feel so good." Kin's patient said before coughing a huge amount of blood. I then noticed his glowing purple eyes, a symptom of Mana overload.

"Did you eat or drink anything from here!?" I immediately asked the dying man.

"I-I don't know?" he sputtered out before dying.

"Quick, check the food and water. Some of it had been contaminated by high-concentration of Mana." Kin went to work immediately as he knew what I meant.

It soon discovered that some men had taken water from a nearby spring when we camped after escaping the swamps. They then shared the contaminated water, poisoning many of them in the process.

There was no cure.

"*Tsk* What now? " Vult asked me after killing the last afflicted mercenary. Better kill them in a swift death than let the Mana rapture their organs to mush.

"We burn them and leave. The blood will attract nearby predators. Luckily it's still hot for them to come out but when Nightfall comes we're dead." I looked at the sun slowly lowering towards the horizon. We only have 2-3 hours to escape.

It was Kin who burned the bodies before we moved on when the heatwave died. We also got rid of the contaminated water and checked the food for safety from any contamination.

Of the 130 survivors, 42 died in the rampant Mana overload. Only 88 of us remained.

After the last incident, the mercenaries became much more cautious. Anything they see or hear is met with suspicion. They had grouped up closely, not letting anyone leave the group without protection. They had become paranoid.

We rested on the 3rd night before traveling again on the 4th day. At the end of the 4th day, our dangerous journey was rewarded by the sight of the Dark Tower just a few miles away from us.

"Holy shit! We are the first men in 100 years to get this far. " Hicks whispered in awe. Kin absently nodded at his statement.

Vult took a hard look at the tower before addressing his men.

"We'll camp for tonight. We rest and prepare our weapons for tomorrow. At dawn we march and take the fight to the bitch inside that tower. " his speech raised his men's morale. Their journey had finally bore fruit. The deaths of their comrades will be avenged.

We set up camp as close as possible to the tower but without being seen by the tower's inhabitants. We found a spot behind a small hill where we easily set up tents and piled up sand at the top to camouflage the camp.

That night, the mercenaries prepared their steel. Meanwhile, I prepared for my departure. My job is done.

"Leaving already?" Vult appeared at the entrance of my tent as I packed my supplies.

"Yes, my job is done here. I need to report back to the outpost to relay the campaign's success."

The campaign's success is not the subjugation of the Dark Queen but the establishment of a safe route towards her stronghold. Our group had already done the mission parameters, the subjugation of the tower was just a bonus objective that I had no part of.

"Right, but the journey back to the outpost is much farther than we had traveled? " he asked me unsurely.

"Yes?"

"Then if that is so, you need rest. At dawn, before we attack, you can finally leave. Hell, you can even watch us from afar. If we fail then you can report it back and if we succeed then we'll celebrate. I'm sure the Dark Queen had fine drinks in her abode. " Vult generously offered.

But my senses tell otherwise.

Might as well accept. Let's see what you are planning, Father.

Alright, I'll bite. But if you all die tomorrow, I'll immediately leave you all behind, survivors be damn." I sprung his trap.

"Excellent, now I need to go back to Hicks for tomorrow's plan." he exited immediately after saying his piece.

Now we wait.

Hicks' POV

"He took it. Do it." Vult gave me the signal. I smirked in response.

Soon midnight came and the camp had fallen asleep. Time to do my dirty work.

Slowly, I walked toward the half-breed scout's tent. I made sure to move quietly as much as I could. No one knows if that half-breed had enhanced hearing.

Opening the tent flaps, I entered without any sound. I found the scout soundly asleep in his cot, not a single idea of what was going to happen. I approached him to do my purpose.

Sorry kid, nothing personal. Just business.

With a quick slash to his jugular, he died quietly.

Now, how do I get rid of this?

A few minutes later.

"Welp, that should do it." I dusted my hands off any dirt that had clung to it after my job.

I buried the bastard's body far from the camp where no creature could get us if his dead body attracted one.

With one last wave, I left the area. We still have a bitch to enslave.

3rd person's POV

A few minutes after Hicks left, the ground he had buried suddenly burst open.

"*coughs* those assholes actually killed me. " The once-dead Mika burst out, coughing and sputtering dirt. The gaping wound on his neck is still bleeding profusely but he took no notice of it.

"*coughs* Damn, those DG cells were really good investments. " he then touched his wounded neck, wiping away the dried blood on it. His neck came out unblemished with no sign of his wound. The DG cells had done their job to keep him alive and heal any damage done.

So that's your play huh? Well, it's time for me to make my move.

" Eve, get me my ship," he said.

The first step to his plan had begun.

In the vast desert of the badlands, under a huge cliff, the sound of deep rumbling echoed in its walls.

It was the whine of an engine. Soon the cliff was lit up with vibrant green light.

Chapter end.

Next Chapter spoilers;

"Barbatos, kill them"

The monster's stoic green eyes glowed with violent intent.

They shat themselves, well most of them.