Realm Wars

Chapter 110: Coral Drake

Ryu stood to his feet and placed a distance between him and the creature. It was slender, and from its snout to the tip of its tail, it would be the same height as him. 

"Shut up, old hag!" Masha snapped at Jane. "Just so you know, I'm the greatest hunter in the Mortal Realm, second only to my sister."

Jane smiled. That was more like a sneer. "Then should you be leading this group and warn us for traps instead of taking the back lane like a scared cat? There's no more water, so you don't have any excuse not to summon your prized pet."

Masha gritted her teeth and opened her mouth to retort but was stopped by rattling sounds.

Rattle!

Rattle!

Kai and Ryu took a step back. The creature that Ryu saw a moment ago raffled its wings and flew from the corals. It wasn't the only one, as multiple creatures like it hovered mid-air. And with their numbers blocking the ceiling, Ryu and the others could only gasp.

"That's a Coral Drake," Seraphina said and caught her breath though her voice sounded calm.

Kai gulped. "I-is. .. is it aggressive?"

"Only if it felt threatened," Seraphina answered.

"Does it felt threatened now?" 

"It must have woken from the noises."

Everyone shot a knowing look in Jane and Masha's way. Jane harrumph and held Theodore's hand while Masha gave an awkward laugh as she scratched her head.

Rattle. . .

"It seemed like it didn't have any indication to attack," Thall said. 

Still, no one dared to move nor breathe too loud.

"Should we go back?" Thall asked Vein.

Vein shook his head. "This is the only way forward. I didn't see any other available path before." He then looked at Masha to confirm his words.

Masha nodded. "I already mapped the ones we've crossed, and there are no hidden traps and paths. This cave is straightforward. That meant that our only option is through this area if we wanted to explore this cave."

Ryu dissected Masha's words. It seemed like Hunters have a specific set of skills only available to them to track and map an area. Apparently, they could identify traps and mapped paths, but they had to explore the area first. They also know where traps were laid and hidden passageways and rooms.

Then their role mainly was to become cannon fodder for them to escape, if ever.

Still. .. A hunter was undoubtedly handy when exploring. Was that why Seraphina picked them from all the mercenary guild? 

Ryu snatched a peek at Seraphina. Her beautiful face was still the epitome of calmness, and her knowledge about the ocean was remarkable to the point that it was suspicious.

"Hey you," Vein called Kai, "move along."

".. . Huh? Do you want me to die? How do I know it wouldn't attack once I move?"

Vein's droopy eyes and his lethargic expression didn't change as he said, "Fine then. We could wait here for an hour and see which kills you first. That beast or my poison."

"Geh. . ." Kai's expression fell. He took a large intake of air as he threw occasional glances at the Coral Drakes that were eyeing them.

"If we don't step or touch the corals, they might not attack us," Seraphina said in a steady voice.

Kai wanted to cry. 'What do you mean, might?' Rather. .. his eyes took in the large expanse of the corals swarming the ground. There were also puddles and pools of water loitering around, and Kai didn't know if it contained corals or not. 

Kai's sweat tickled from the side of his face and pooled on the edge of his chin before it dropped on his boots. Adding to his hunger was the boiling of his stomach brought about by his wet feet. And to make matters worse, the space that corals didn't cover was just the size of his fist. How the hell was he going to cross over the swarm of corals without touching or stepping on it with his bigfoot?

Damn it! 

"S-should we just fly over?" Kai bargained.

Thall shrugged and cast a gaze at Jane. "The only ones who could do that are wind mages."

Jane closed her eyes and said, "It's impossible."

Masha snickered. "And you call yourself the greatest wind user?"

Jane's lips quirked up. "Unless you can control yourself in mid-air and a hundred percent sure that you could move left and right and in zigzag motion that take years of flying practice against those gigantic corals up ahead, then be my guest." 

It wouldn't be a problem if all corals were small in height, but some were gigantic, forming like mountains, and to make it near impossible to fly, the Coral Drakes was hovering not too far from them.

Masha's smile drop and Jane continued, "Maybe if you carry us one by one onto your pet's back, then it's possible to cross it."

Masha folded her arms. "Hmp! My Fin is a huge Griffin. Its wings wouldn't fit against those gaps."

"A pity then," Jane said in undisguised ridicule.

Grr. .. if Masha could move, Jane would be on the ground now with a bleeding nose.

Kai was on the verge of crying. "So both options are impossible." The only option was to tiptoe across and hope for the best.

"Hurry up. We're wasting time here," said Vein, didn't care if Kai would end up dead.

Kai let out a calming breath. He took a peek first at the Coral Drakes before he poured all his concentration on his feet.

Raising one leg, he took another glance at the Coral Drake. When they didn't move, he placed a foot on the empty ground and braced for impact.

.. .

.. .

Kai opened his eyes and saw that the Coral Drakes still didn't go after him. They continued to hover in the air while watching their every move. It raffled its wings and the spikes on its back trembled.

Kai breathed a big sigh of relief, and with tiny, slow, careful steps, he advanced forward.

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A/N

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