As they navigated deeper into the woods, Mira, with genuine curiosity, asked Erik, "Can you be honest? Why did you truly decide to create a guild? There are already many established ones out there. You could have joined any guild with your fame and earned much money."
Erik walked silently for a few moments, pondering how to answer her. He looked up at the canopy, filtering his thoughts through the dappled sunlight. "Honestly?" he began, his voice somber. "I'm tired of being poor. I'm tired of watching opportunities slip through my fingers because I lack the resources or backup to seize them. Besides, I want to be under no one."
When Mira gazed in his direction, she saw genuine honesty in his eyes. However, before she could respond, both attentions were drawn to a rustling in nearby bushes. Five huge Mires stepped out of the shadows as they got closer. These beasts were scary and three times the size of a large dog.
Their thick black carapaces gleamed in the light of the surrounding environment, illuminating a spectral glimpse of transparent wings beneath.
The Mires moved forward with a determined pace; their double-pointed horns perched menacingly as they advanced, which was a clear sign of their intentions. The most disturbing thing about them, though, was their mouth.
Two appendages resembling pincers writhed before the monster, moving with uncanny flexibility. These monstrous fangs were jagged and appeared to be on the verge of snapping at any moment. They looked as if someone had melded barbed tentacles with the substance of solid bone.
Erik and Mira went straight into fighting stances when they saw the monsters. They exchanged a brief look, acknowledging the sudden turn of their situation.
Mira caught her breath, her gaze momentarily flitting to her comrade. "Erik," she said, her voice a blend of courage and concern, "Remember that I'm not as strong as you. Facing these Mires head-on isn't simple for me."
Erik turned to her, his eyes softening with understanding. "Don't worry," he said, "Just knock some arrows and keep your distance. I'll take care of the close combat."
She looked into his eyes, searching for the sincerity behind his words, and found it. Mira nodded, her face set in determination. "Alright, but don't get reckless with me."
Erik smirked, "Yeah."
Mira swiftly retreated and notched an arrow, her fingers deftly adjusting for the wind and the distance. Erik channeled mana through his fists, calculating the distance and speed of the advancing threats.
With a resounding twang, Mira released her arrow, piercing the closest Mire's wing and momentarily hindering its movement. Using this brief distraction, Erik lunged forward, his supercharged punch tearing through the air with precision.
Swiftly drawing another arrow, Mira nocked it, aimed, and released. The arrow zipped through the air, its tip shimmering with an ethereal light. It struck the ground directly before the foremost Mire, stopping a Mires from moving. She quickly dispatched several more arrows, doing the same for the others. Everything happened in an instant.
A Mires, its jagged teeth snapping, lunged towards him. With a swift uppercut powered by his mana-charged fist, Erik sent the creature flying backward, its carapace cracking upon impact with a tree. The sheer force of the blow resonated throughout the forest, leaving an echoing silence in its wake as the beast died.
Erik immediately twisted on his heel, narrowly escaping the pincers of another Mires, and continued fighting without skipping a beat. In retaliation, he delivered a vicious straight punch to the beast's abdomen, which caused the mana contained within his fist to burst upon impact. The Mires were left staggering, their dark ichor dripping from the enormous wound Erik's strike had caused. Mira then killed the beast by cocking an arrow that penetrated its eye socket.
Erik spotted another Thaid out of the corner of his eye; it was coming behind him and making an attempt to kill him. Mira was on the beast already; another arrow was shot, and this one hit the creature's wing, pinning it to the tree trunk.
Erik grinned in acknowledgment, quickly closing the distance and delivering a roundhouse kick that destroyed the Mires's carapace.
However, despite just two Thaids leaving, they continued their attacks. They approached Erik with savage fury, even though they were outnumbered. Erik was able to kill the other two quickly. Still, since he wasn't by himself, he didn't want to steal the spotlights, fearing that the woman would feel useless, which is something Erik didn't want to happen.
Mira retrieved an arrow from her quiver, took a few deliberate aims, and then released it. At the moment of impact, it went into the mouth of the Mires, but it only pierced the mouth and wasn't enough to kill the beast.
Erik made the most of this opportunity by racing forward lightning-fastly. One blow was all it took to end the beast, and in seconds, it was lying defeated at his feet. The last one took little before meeting the same fate.
The forest fell silent once more, save for the woman's panting. Mira lowered her bow, nodding appreciatively at Erik. "It would have taken at least ten minutes for my team to kill them all," she remarked, a hint of a smile on her lips.
Erik chuckled, wiping some sweat from his brow. "It's normal, don't worry." They rested for a bit, basking in the post-battle excitement, before getting ready to hunt down the other Mires, but the two hunters knew there was little time to waste. While the sense of victory was sweet, they were only a fraction of the way through their quest.
"Can you keep going?" Erik asked, his voice showing a hint of concern. He'd been in the thick of the battle, fists flying and mana sparking, but Mira was much weaker than him, and he didn't know if she overexerted herself.
The woman stretched her arms, feeling the minor twinges of exertion but nothing more. "I'm good. I didn't use much mana, and you drew most of their attention," she replied with a slight smirk. "It made my job easier, not having to dance around too much."
Erik chuckled. "Glad I could be of service." His gaze lingered on Mira for a moment longer, ensuring she was all right, and then he nodded. "Let's go."
Before heading deeper into the forest, Erik retrieved a small communication device from his pocket. Dialing the porter company that had accompanied them, he relayed their current location.
"We have five Mire bodies for you to collect at these coordinates," he explained. The company had a reputation for efficiency and discretion, allowing mercenaries like Erik and Mira to focus on their tasks without worrying about transporting their kills.
In moments, the Porter company replied that they had received the message. It informed Erik that they would be heading to take away the bodies of the Mires. It was optional for the two hunters to wait; they could continue their job without stopping.
There were only 25 more Thaids left to be eliminated for the quest to be a success.
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