Sometimes, things could change faster than one could blink. The mercenary's fate was sealed, but it didn't go as planned.
Without a second thought, Ethan jumped aside, hiding behind the Crooked Growon's corpse. He didn't even dare to peek out, afraid that the next arrow would fly straight at him.
He glanced at Menir, who slowly shook her head, signaling that it wasn't safe for him to show himself yet.
Step. Step. Step.
Footsteps sounded from the side, two pairs, before the figures stopped.
"Come out and we won't shoot!" A stern voice rang out.
"Yeah, kid, maybe you can escape that man's fate."
All Ethan could make out was that there was a man and a woman behind him, but the same could not be said for Menir, who could see everything.
Ethan decided to act only when he received an approving nod from her.
With his hands raised, he stepped out from behind the corpse, moving forward slowly.
"Fine, just don't shoot. I don't want to see my guts spill out, you know?" Ethan frowned.
Standing before him were a man and a woman in leather armor, tall and ripped, their muscles trembling in the sunlight. If they were in the army, they would definitely be instructors with bodies like that.
But it was clear that they were hunters. Not all Carriers joined the army or formed their factions like Black Horn did. Some became hunters, tracking monsters and selling their parts, which was a good way to make money, and monsters weren't as dangerous as other Carriers, in most cases.
Sure, some, like Roger, enlisted in the army, but others opened alchemy shops or blacksmiths or simply worked as merchants among ordinary people. There were many options, and everyone chose their path. Often, it was the Broken Carriers who chose different professions, because they knew they would never reach the Second Rank.
"I am Koros, this is Diatra," the man nodded toward the woman, while his massive bow was aimed at Ethan. "What about you and your secret ally..."
A chill ran down Ethan's spine. He wasn't worried about his safety while Menir was around, but if they were both in the crosshairs, they would become hostages.
"What do you want? You saw that I'm not with these guys. I have no reason to fight you."
Koros sighed.
"Sure, but our confrontation is inevitable." He pointed at the Crooked Growon. "We're going to take it. The meat is rotten, but the bones and fangs are worth their weight in gold!"
Ethan was about to say something when Menir suddenly emerged from the forest.
"You won't do that," she proclaimed.
Koros grinned. "Oh, what a cute ally you have. And why is that?"
"Because you're hunters, real ones, I can tell by the look on your faces."
Diatra drew her bowstring. "So what? You're just Broken Carriers. I don't advise you to fight over this beast's corpse!"
In response, Menir pointed at Ethan. "Because he killed the Crooked Growon."
For a moment, there was silence. They found it hard to believe.
"W-What?" Diatra's voice faltered. "How could you know that?"
"Because I was inside that monster's belly. Ethan saved me, but... We're willing to cooperate because we came here for a different reason."
Koros's hand fell on Diatra's shoulder.
"Well, I'm always up for negotiations. We can always kill each other later, right?"
The scorching sun had passed its zenith when Koros threw the last claws into the bag.
Menir stood next to Ethan, who was sitting on a rock in the shade. A sword hung from her belt — their spoils from the two mercenaries.
"Alright! We're ready!" Koros announced with a broad smile. "Now it's time for your part of the deal?"
"Sure." Menir nodded weakly. "We need to keep moving west."
Their temporary team set off.
The essence of their deal was quite simple — Koros and Diatra would help Ethan and Menir find their target, and in return, they would receive 50% of the profits from the Crooked Growon's materials and also take care of its sale.
"So, how long have you two been working together? You look very young," Diatra said as they made their way through the woods.
Koros chuckled. "Yeah, we Broken Carriers have to stick together."
"One day," Menir replied coldly. "Even less than that. We have... urgent circumstances that cannot be delayed."
Diatra wanted to say something, but Koros stopped her with a glance. It was none of their business.
Step.
Pushing the branches aside, they found themselves in front of a deep ravine, the earth crumbling from the edges in the wind. Roots sprouted through the soil among the sharp stones that filled the field around them. Red flowers hid among the pebbles, feeding on the blood flowing from the entire forest.
"It's..." Koros gulped, directing his gaze to the ravine.
A large skull lay in the center, thin roots more like pulsating blood vessels running through its cracks, jaw, and eye sockets. Crimson streams flowed toward the skull, thickening into a calm vortex.
"The Remnant."
The Remnants were a rare but valuable phenomenon. As the name suggests, they were the remains, most often the bones, of some creature, in most cases a monster. The energy of the dead creature was sufficient to become part of the territory under the right conditions, accumulating and giving off energy in an endless cycle.
The threat of the Remnants was that they were one of the few factors capable of changing the danger level of a particular territory, in this case, the Rotten Forest. More energy would attract stronger monsters, create new ones, and eventually even change the landscape.
As soon as this Remnant accumulated enough energy, a local catastrophe would occur that would affect everyone hunting in the Rotten Forest or engaging in less than noble activities there, such as the people of Black Horn.
Menir frowned.
"Amazing. How could a Remnant form in such an active place?"
Ethan turned to Menir. "So we have to disturb this Remnant?"
"Yes, I'm afraid a battle is inevitable." Menir nodded as she turned to the hunters. "I hope you're not going to back out?"
Diatra remained silent, such decisions were for Koros to make.
"Hah, girl, what are you talking about? I've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time! However, I'm afraid we'll have to change our deal."
Then, he pulled a bow from his back, preparing for battle.
"We agreed to help you find what you were looking for. We did that. The terms did not include fighting the Remnant's Spirit."
Each Remnant had a protective mechanism — the Spirit. Basically, using its energy, a Remnant took the form of a dangerous creature to protect itself, its energy, and the place where it appeared.
Most of the time, the spirit's power was the same as the level of the area where the Remnant appeared. In this case, it was the Rotten Forest, where Broken Rank and First Rank Monsters of different tiers resided.
So, in the worst-case scenario, they would face the First Rank Spirit, which was a difficult but achievable task for the four Broken Carriers.
Menir nodded slightly, considering Koros's words.
"Sure, we'll see what we can do, but we should hurry."
"Good!"
And...
All eyes turned to Ethan.
"Agh? What the hell are you looking at me for? I'm not going there alone!"
Koros scratched the back of his head, looking away. "You see. We have two archers in our team, and your partner doesn't look like a warrior. But you, you're different. Hah, Diatra and I have seen what you're capable of!"
Ethan wasn't going to give up. He started to argue, but in the end... he found himself right in front of the skull.
'Shit. Why me?!' he complained inwardly before clenching his fist and punching the skull.
At the same moment, the ground shook as the Remnant's spirit awoke, ready to fight for its right to be on these lands.