"Lotus Spider?" The others were equally shocked and immediately retreated to the King and the great warlock as they brandished their weapons, ready to attack on command.
"Cover your nose," Mavi reminded them and he, too, had put on his face cover so the breath of the Lotus Spiders would not be inhaled.
Lotus Spiders actually didn't have much combat power. Their only weapons were the thorns they could shoot out endlessly. But they were easily evaded.
However, their breath, much like the lotus flower, smelled very nice and also very dangerous. Once you inhaled the breath, you would start to be unable to move. Seconds later your organs would start to fail functioning. You would start to feel hard to breathe. You couldn't even move and your death would be coming in an agonizing way as you felt your every cell died one after another.
It wasn't pleasant.
However, they were basically easier to kill than the owl. You just had to separate the lotus flower on its back from the spider's body and they'd die. They were indeed fast and moved in groups, and their bodies were several times larger than normal spiders, but as long as one could bear being pricked by a dozen or two thorns and shed a little blood, and managed to cover their nose in time, they were basically not scary.
"Why are these Asian beasts appearing in this country? What the fuck are people up to?" Jana cursed as she followed her companions in slaughtering the spiders.
"There is no end to them! Fuck!" Roscoe also cursed heartily as he stomped on a dead spider.
"What would the owl and the spider be useful for?" Allerick, in turn, asked the magic user to his side.
Mavi, on the other hand, had been silent while he was casting his spells to kill the spiders. In his mind were thousands of possibilities of how and why these two beasts appear so far from their home continent.
"I genuinely have no idea," Mavi said after a while.
As the two were talking they have also been busy eradicating the spiders. The special operation team members were also energetically killing those spiders. Probably for having been toyed around by the owl, they were very eager to kill these spiders.
Halfway through, however, the spiders surprisingly retreated into the darkness. They were all stunned and at a loss on whether or not they should give chase. The forest returned to its eerie silence and the only thing remaining after the battle were the many corpses of the spiders, the dead owl, as well as the sweet scent of the lotus left by the retreating spider.
The people, however, didn't relax their vigilance even the slightest. They also still covered their nose tightly since the smell was still lingering.
"Should we… follow them?" Roscoe asked unsure as he turned towards his King.
Allerick looked up at the crystal that had been emitting light this whole time and then turned towards Mavi who looked a little paler than before. He then turned back to Roscoe and shook his head as he pulled Mavi to lean on him. "The crystal took too much energy to be used, and it's not safe to blindly walk in the darkness of the fog. We should try to reach the village first before we figure out our next step," he said to the special operation team members.
Mavi was slightly absentminded as he leaned against Allerick's board chest. He stared at nothing while the others were cleaning themselves lightly and making sure they dropped nothing before they continued on their journey into the village.
There were actually many things where magic users could use the owl and spider in making a few magical items. There were many things from many parts of the beasts that could be made out of. But Mavi had never known anything that would use both at the same time for one thing. He couldn't recall any spell or potion or formation that needed those two things together.
But his knowledge was also limited to earth magic. As for dark magic….
After they made sure that none of the spiders left behind were alive, and that they were all fine, albeit slightly tired and anxious, Mavi took back the crystal and the forest once again plunged into darkness. The temperature also dropped once again and they couldn't help but to shiver even though their uniforms were imbued with magic for heating.
"Are you cold?" Allerick asked when he saw Mavi shivering. He walked closer to his lover and hugged his shoulder and rubbed it lightly to deliver some heat.
"It's the fog," Mavi sighed as he leaned closer to Allerick and let the King tended to him.
"Let's go, then. The sooner we arrive at the village, the better it will be," Allerick said to Mavi and nodded to the rest of the team, commanding them to start walking again.
They were more vigilant this time around, afraid that there'll be more beasts appearing suddenly. Although Amaya had given them blessings as well as protective charms, they could only ward off the lower lever beasts. For beasts like the owl and the lotus spider, their blessings and charms might not be enough. Therefore, they were super vigilant and walked very cautiously with Mavi in the lead.
"Probably the only good thing about this fog is that it doesn't mess with direction," Jana scoffed in annoyance as she walked briskly following her members. The others also somewhat agreed to her remark. But still, it would be better if there were no fogs at all. The beasts alone were enough to have them running here and there.
They walked slowly for more than two hours after that until they all felt a difference in the air. The temperature was not as cold as before, and the fog wasn't as thick. They could also subtly heat the sound of the wind in the distance.
"Don't rush," Allerick's warning stopped the other people from running towards the sound. "Keep your vigilance and march forward carefully," he said to them.
The special operation team members all took a deep breath and once again gathered themselves together and proceeded towards the sound of the wind cautiously. They walked slowly and held their breath as they felt that they had reached the edge of the fog. Allerick replaced Mavi and walked in front. He didn't stop and only slightly slowed his pace as he took another step forward with his subordinates and lover following behind.
When they finally stepped out of the fog and into the village, another eerie silence welcomed them. The entire village was shrouded in darkness. There was no sound nor movement.
"We should look for the scouts first before we investigate further. After we determine their whereabouts and condition, we should look for a place to stay. The village isn't too big, we'll spread out and reconvene at the temple in two hours regardless if we find them or not, understood?" Allerick said after he looked around for a while.
"Understood," the others readily accepted the command.
"Mavi, you go with Rigel and Jana. I'll go with Chet. Roscoe, Aaron, Yara, Joleen, and Seho, you go together," Allerick commanded once again.
"Why don't I go with you?" Mavi asked worriedly. He wasn't used to leaving the side of his King. And considering the danger of the mission, he wouldn't be at peace to be separated from Allerick.
Seeing the anxious look on Mavi's face, Allerick's heart softened and relented. "Fine," he said and then he turned to Chet, "you go with Rigel and Jana," he told the officer who nodded readily.
Mavi smiled at Allerick gratefully before turning to the others. He took out a few crystal vials and handed one to each of them. "These are some elixirs I concocted for this mission. A drop can heal any external wounds. You can drink it or pour it on the wound. As long as it isn't a mortal wound, it will heal in about an hour's time," he told them.
"Thank you, My Lord," Rigel represented the team to show his gratitude and took the vial.
"It's very limited so do try not to get hurt," Mavi added after they all put away the vials safely with their other equipment.
Rigel then took out a blue crystal that recorded the map of the village and projected it for them to see. He had made some marks on the map, indicating many things, such as the residents where the first few victims lived, and the temple. Allerick stood beside him and pointed at some places.
"Me and Mavi will take this palace," Allerick said, circling an area with his fingers. "The school and the village hall are close together, so a team can go there. Another check out the residents, especially the ones where the first victims and the last victims lived. The market and the farm are also next to each other so we can also check that place out," Allerick said thoughtfully after he studied the map once again.
"Understood," the order was received readily and they at once set off in small teams, leaving Mavi and Allerick to stand by the edge of the forest shrouded in fog.
"What are you thinking?" Allerick, sensing Mavi's silence, looked down at his lover and gently caressed the side of his face.
"I don't like this silence," Mavi said after a while, sighing.
"It will be fine," Allerick said, promising, as he took Mavi's hand and set off to their own destination.