Pursuit
During the night, the elves had long since turned in, replaced by the awakened undead for night watch.
Hiding in the shadows, Beverly, with the unconscious Camilla on her back, observed the undead patrolling the city walls and watchtowers, her eyes gleaming with the light of sapphires.
"These undead are connected in consciousness with that wretched woman and that monster. I must not alert them."
As she realized this, a black raven suddenly flew across the sky.
Standing at the pinnacle of both soul magic and spirit magic, Beverly sensed the Raven before it noticed her. She immediately concealed herself, shutting off all traces of aura and magic.
Caw, caw, caw!
The Raven passed overhead, and Beverly patted her chest in relief.
Turning back for one last look at the peaceful sleeping girl on her back, she muttered...
"Just wait until I get you out—I'll make you pay!"
As she spoke, Beverly activated her body's 'Thief' ability. Entering a stealth state, she quietly crept toward the city wall.
Ordinarily, even if one hid their form, they would be detected by the blood slaves and the Raven. However, Beverly was a rare exception; carrying Camilla, she slipped out through the city wall without alerting anyone. Once she was far from the camp, she broke into a run.
Sha sha sha!
Her footsteps rustled lightly on the snow. Beverly, still running, adjusted Camilla's clothes to keep her warm. She headed toward Lake Nos, hoping to find Adolf first.
But suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from afar.
"Hm!"
Startled by the sudden noise, Beverly quickly reactivated her stealth, hiding behind a tree and daring not to make the slightest sound.
"I think I just sensed the presence of some creatures."
It was a man's voice—very close. Beverly peeked out and saw Maro leading a unit of blood slaves.
"Damn it, why did I have to run into them?"
She cursed inwardly; she had not expected to bump into Maro, who was returning from patrol right after slipping out of the camp. As a soon-to-be-promoted Vampire blood slave, maro's sensitivity to the scent of blood was quite acute.
When he glanced her way, Beverly didn't dare breathe. Maro appeared to have discovered something, but Vina, at his side, said,
"It's probably just an illusion. Let's head back."
"Huh? Oh, alright."
The group rode their Carrion Beasts back toward the camp.
As their voices faded into the distance, Beverly cautiously moved farther away—unaware that she left a trail of footprints in the snow behind her.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Triple Shot!
Beverly dodged desperately, but one arrow still struck her in the shoulder.
"Ugh!"
Blood gushed out. The scent immediately drew the attention of Maro and the blood slaves. Soon, torchlight flickered through the trees as Vina spoke.
"Come out. You have nowhere left to hide."
Vina drew her bow, nocking an arrow and aiming at the now-exposed Beverly. It was only then that Beverly realized—the Carrion Beasts had left, but the real patrol hadn't gone far. Vina was luring her out of hiding!
Gritting her teeth, Beverly glared at her opponents. Maro exclaimed in shock,
"Camilla, Beverly—why is it you two?!"
Upon hearing Maro's voice, Vina also recognized the girls.
"Huh???"
Why were they out here in the middle of the night?
Using Eagle Eye, she noticed that the unconscious Camilla seemed to be injured while an eerie blue light sparkled in Beverly's eyes.
Spirit magic!
Vina suddenly felt as if she was struck on the back of the head, her vision going black. In that instant, she saw Beverly dash away with Camilla in her arms.
Soul Shock!
An invisible wave rippled out. Everyone present was briefly dazed. Taking the opportunity, Beverly dashed into the woods.
As she regained her senses, Vina clutched her head and shouted,
"Something's wrong with those two—after them!"
"Right!"
At the sound of a whistle, carrion Beasts burst from the woods. Fifteen blood slaves, led by Maro and Vina and riding their mounts, gave chase. The news was quickly relayed back to the camp.
......
Inside the camp, Serea was awakened by the Raven, little Boo. Hearing the report, her face frosted over with icy anger.
"Order the Skeleton Cavalry to cancel their patrols and return immediately to block them off. We absolutely cannot let those two escape."
Why were Camilla and Beverly trying to run away?
She would only find out by bringing them back...
Recalling the saying, "Vampires are born traitors,"
Serea began to feel a vague sense of unease in her heart.
......
Beyond the jungle, with her location exposed, Beverly no longer bothered to hide. Black spectral wings unfurled as she carried Camilla along the jungle edge in flight, blood slaves in relentless pursuit behind.
"Loose your arrows!"
Vina commanded, and after locking on with Eagle Eye, released her guiding shot. A rain of arrows instantly flew, all aimed at Beverly.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Dodging and weaving low to the ground, Beverly avoided the majority of the arrows. Her superior soul perception allowed her to evade any attacks from that distance, but—
"This is bad. My strength can't keep up with my energy usage. I have to shake them off quickly."
She had no token to help her recover her strength, and those potions wouldn't last long. She glanced down at Camilla in her arms.
Dumping her might help her escape faster, but...
"Beverly..."
Camilla slowly opened her eyes, her gaze falling on the girl desperately evading Maro and the rest. Blood was seeping steadily from Beverly's shoulder.
"We'll break through soon, just hold on."
Beverly gritted her teeth and continued using 'Soul Wings' despite the drain on her strength. But she was slowing down; in a few more minutes, the pursuers would catch up.
At that moment, a dozen pairs of eyes in the jungle locked onto her as well.
Because the Queen had ordered them to bring targets back alive if possible, Little White aimed her arrows at non-lethal spots.
"Huh?"
Looking down, Beverly saw a figure in a black and red cloak gliding like a Phantom Veil, tailing her closely. Beverly tried to swerve away, but suddenly—
Piercing Magic Arrows!
Drawing and loosing in one smooth motion, the arrow flew out, ignoring distance—the archer's skill perfectly anticipated Beverly's next movement.
"Not good!"
Beverly tried to dodge, but the arrow homed in as though guided, piercing her soul wings directly. At that instant, the piercing effect shattered the wings and sent Beverly tumbling into the jungle below.
"Got her."
After lying in ambush for so long, Little White spat out those words, as the Skeleton Cavalry and the blood slaves charged toward where the girls had fallen.
"Ah!"
As they fell, Camilla screamed, terrified. Beverly instinctively shielded her in her arms. The repeated impacts left Beverly's body battered and covered with wounds. By the time they finally stopped rolling, she felt as if every bone in her body was broken.
(To be continued)
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