Eternal Mana 34 034 The Danger Of Terror

Gafney and Oryan led a party with five other Marsian Mecenery Group members, all late foundation stage pract.i.tioners, into the Arango Forest.

Most of the members were familiar with hunting terrors in Torken Forest, located in the lower valley area of Grisham Mountain Range. Hunting terrors required at least two weeks of preparation. The Marsian Mercenary Group was one of the few capable of leading a party to hunt terrors.

Hunting party hunted during the day when most terrors were asleep. Terrors slept together in packs, but once in awhile a rare stray would roam around alone. Those were the most prized terror a hunter group could encounter during the day. Unfortunately, even a single manabeast terror could give a party of late foundation staged pract.i.tioners trouble.

Scouting and researching the manabeast terrors weaknesses were the first step any good hunters should take if they valued their lives. Information on manabeast terrors were expensive, and Gafney team specialized in both hunting and gathering information.

Although they don't normally scout the Arango Forest, they were interested in the lone terror. Gafney was one of the first to hear the rumors and immediately investigated with his party.

The party worked together to locate the crevice leading to the rumored manabeast terror.

One member stayed above while the six members hoisted themselves down the cavern. The odor drifted up from below.

Oryan surveyed the cavern entrance. Leftover bones and chewed up flesh scattered throughout the rocky ground.

Oryan looked wearily at Gafney.

Gafney nodded, there was a manabeast terror up ahead. A manabeast that liked to hide underground indicated that it was either an insect type or a rodent type manabeast. Rodent they could deal with, but insects were tricky. What was even more concerning was the traces of poisonous acid on the wall.

Oryan held the hanging oil lamp, took the lead and continued further inside. The magician also cast a dim light spell from behind.

Oryan didn't like to carry the oil lamp, but it was the only way to navigate through the cave.

The party carefully moved through the stalagmites.

Oof!

One member almost slipped on fell.

Something rushed toward their way.

S***! Oryan sprang backward and ran off. Their movement alerted the beasts sleeping inside.

"Karkardo up ahead! Flee now!" Cried Oryan.

Oryan took out the talisman and shot one toward the charging Karkardo.

Everyone in the party quickly took out their talismans and ran off toward the exit.

The Karkardo shot an acid ball toward the party. Gafney quickly pulled out his saber, dodged the acid ball, and jumped toward the Karkardo. He charged directly into its head.

Clank!

Gafney jumped back away, then twisted and spun his body, slashing the saber toward the antenna.

Clunk!

"Hit the antenna!" Gafney commanded.

Reese, the magician of the party, pointed his wand toward the creature. A purple fireball flew directly toward the Karkardo. The Kardardo dodged.

"It has good reflexes," commented Oryan.

The party used the hit and run tactics as they fled the cave.

Mid-way to the exit, Gafney attacked the antenna again. He was sure two of the Karkardo's force barriers were broken. After striking the antenna a couple more times, Gafney slashed one of the antennas the third time. The antenna broke apart and the Karkardo squirmed violently.

Bam! The tail whipped Gafney, knocking him into the cavern wall.

Gafney felt two of his force barriers dispersing, and quickly jumped back up and followed the rest of his party. If a gathering stage pract.i.tioners were hit like that, they would immediately die from the heavy blunt force trauma.

He quickly grabbed onto a robe and kicked himself up the cavern in one leap. He was the last to leave.

Once above ground, everyone remained on alert.

"Boss, what should we do?" asked Oryan.

They were not familiar with hunting Karkardo.

"We won't be able to handle that thing for now," said Gafney. "Reese, did you gather the poison?"

Reese, the magician of the party, nodded. "I'll contact the Alchemy Guild to see if they can a.n.a.lyze the poison."

The Karkardo's tail strike and whiplash were powerful and deadly. It could shoot out powerful acid that could easily erode a person's armor and force barrier.

Gafney and his party were selective. They only deal with terrors they knew they could handle. The Karkardo was not something they could handle. They needed to gather more information. Unfortunately, the information on the Karkardo was closely guarded by everyone, including the Alchemy Guild. No one were unwilling to share the information. Gafney kept the location to himself, but he was sure other hunters will find the location and the rumors will spread about the manabeast terror.

Gafney instructed Oryan to lead different parties to the manabeast terror. Not only could they watch other parties strategy and gather information about its weaknesses, Gafney could earn a good amount of money from leading the way to the secret cavern. The parties that hired them were even less willing to share the location, so Gafney wasn't too concerned about revealing the location. However, nothing could remain a secret forever.

Gafney wasn't too interested in competing over a single manabeast terror. There were other terrors he could hunt with his party. He found more amus.e.m.e.nt watching other hunters clamor over it.

****

Oryan watched as Prince Keras and his party continued on. Oryan had already provided the Prince and his party with information and the antidote, with a fee 15% more than what Merci had charged them. It was the end of their deal.

Oryan continued to watch over Prince Keras and his party. They were close to the Karkardo's sensing range.

Prince Keras and his party alerted the Karkardo, which immediately charged at the intruder. The lady magician in Prince Keras party signaled everyone to remain still and silent.

The Karkardo rushed in, but suddenly slowed down. It lurked around near Prince Keras's party.

Karkardos were blind creatures, and could only sense movement.

It weaved around the cavern, trying to find the prey.

Did the humans leave? It wondered.

The Karkardo closed in on Obi. Obi slowly held up the oil lamp, lighting up the Kardardo's antennas. The antennas were both recently destroyed.

Prince Keras and the magician named Ilona surveyed the Karkardo. Ilona was a well-known beastologist and recognized that the beast as a Geophil Karkardo. She signaled Prince Keras and the team to leave. They needed to make more preparation. She also had a feeling that striking first would reveal some information to the Marsien Mercenary Group.

Prince Keras nodded and the party slowly exited the cavern.

"So this is the famous Ilona of the Evangild Clan," Oryan thought. He had heard of the name and her reputation, but to see her make the decision for the Prince's party was interesting.

Oryan followed them out.

As they reached the top, they were surprised to see a masked figure waiting on top of a nearby tree, alone. No one traveled into a manabeast's infested forest alone, unless they were a lord stage pract.i.tioner, or suicidal.