"They're finally gone, Vassago," Thirteen said as he lightly patted the Pocopoco's head. "Thanks for the hard work."
"Mmm." The Pocopoco hummed, not shying away from the boy's touch and praise. "But, Zion, when will you recover your vision?"
"If I rest properly, it will return in three to four days," Thirteen replied. "At least, that is my estimate. I pushed myself a bit too much during the battle."
"I see." Vassago nodded. "There is something else that I forgot to tell you earlier. Your hunch was right. They have managed to slip through the cracks."
The boy frowned after hearing Vassago's report.
"How many?" Thirteen inquired. "And how close are they to our location?"
"Four, and they are at least five miles away," Vassago replied. "But since Tigerkins have superhuman senses and instincts, I'm sure they already sensed that something might be happening here in the Furvus Grasslands. There's a high possibility that they will investigate."
Thirteen sighed. "Things are never easy."
"They certainly aren't," Vassgo commented.
"Vassago, let's form contingency plans," Thirteen stated. "I don't want to leave any stones left unturned."
The seven-year-old and the Pocopoco discussed many things, while Tiona rested her head on his shoulder and listened silently.
Snakes didn't have ears and usually used their fork-shaped tongues to feel the vibrations in their surroundings.
But the Domini Mortis was different.
It was one of the handful of snakes in Solterra that possessed the natural blessings to hear and understand things perfectly.
Since its potential to Rank Up was stripped away, the Domini Mortis was compensated with a few abilities to make up for it.
It had other unique abilities. It could make its body as hard as steel, had a high level of stealth, could swim, and could dig underground.
They also had high resistance to heat and cold.
Domini Mortis could even swim on lava, unaffected by the heat.
Of course, getting hit by a Fireball Spell was a different matter.
Magic wasn't made from natural heat or flames, so if they weren't careful, they could get seriously injured or, worse, killed by it.
Truth be told, the Domini Mortis were a blessed race.
Unfortunately, they were simply too powerful. It was for this reason that they were not allowed to Rank Up. Their strength would break the balance of the world.
In a way, Tiona was similar to Thirteen.
Fated to stay as a Rank 1 Monster from birth till death because otherwise, if no shackles were placed on them, they would simply be unstoppable.
An hour later, Adira returned to the cave with Blacky, who was busy pulling the steel cage behind him.
The Black Hound barked several times at the boy, complaining that he wasn't a horse to be used as a mount or to transport cargo.
Thirteen pacified it, saying he would make up for it once they returned to Gronar City, which made the Black Hound temporarily forgive him.
"Lady Adira, there is something that you need to know," Thirteen said after he finished dealing with the Black Hound, who decided to go back to sleep. "There are Tigerkin Scouts a few miles away from our location. It is best that we leave after Blacky has rested for a few hours."
The Drow clicked her tongue before sitting cross-legged on the ground. "I think I understand what it feels to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. Next time, I won't be accompanying you on your wholesome adventures, Zion."
The Drow's words reeked of sarcasm, but Thirteen didn't mind it.
He understood that his companion was just venting out her frustration after her near-death experience with her narrow escape from the two Overlords of the Warsor Plains.
Several hours later, a reluctant Blacky was once again used as a horse by Thirteen and Adira. Not to mention, it was now forced to pull a steel cage behind it as well.
Fortunately, the two Overlords were both out of the picture, so they safely made their way out of the Furvus Grasslands at a steady pace.
It took them a day to return to the brighter area of the Warsor Plains, making the Drow finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"I didn't think I'd be happy to see the light of the sun again," Adira commented. "Especially since I'm a Drow who is used to living underground."
Blacky, on the other hand, barked in annoyance.
It had been too used to the darkness of the Furvus Grasslands that being in a very bright place makes it uneasy.
"Don't worry, Blacky," Thirteen stated. "When we get home, I'll set you and your comrades free. You can return to the Furvus Grasslands and hide from that Rank 6 Overlord, who will be waking up in a week or two."
The Warsor Black Hound whimpered because it had completely forgotten about the mutated Diabolical Hyena, who would make the Furvus Grasslands its new territory.
"Of course, if you don't want to become its food, you can stay with me for a while," Thirteen started to use his years of becoming the host of a Salesman to throw some bait down in order to make the Warsor Black Hound his personal mount.
"If you stay with me, you don't have to worry about food and shelter. Also, you can even start a family with one of your comrades. Out of the three, two of them are girls. You and the other male doggy can have one mate each, isn't that exciting?"
The Warsor Black Hound then barked angrily at Thirteen as if telling him to f*ck off and mind his own business.
Seeing the Black Hound's reaction, Adira wasn't able to stop herself from giggling. Although she didn't understand what Blacky was trying to say, she could make guesses due to how angry it was.
Suddenly, the three heard a loud whistle, which made Thirteen's body tense.
"Lady Adira, do you remember those Tigerkin Scouts I mentioned a while ago?" Thirteen asked.
"Are they coming?" Adira asked.
"No," Thirteen replied. "They are already here."
As soon as Thirteen said those words, an arrow flew in their direction, which prompted the Drow to fire her own arrow in the span of a heartbeat.
The two arrows collided, deflecting each other and falling harmlessly on the ground.
A few seconds later, four Sabertooth Tigers, with Tigerkins mounted on their back, entered their sight.
The Sabertooth Tigers were Rank 3 Monsters, while the Tigerkins themselves were Rank 4 to Rank 5 Beastkins.
They were the Scouting Party that the Tigerkins had dispatched in the Warsor Plains.
But after seeing the Drow, the boy, the Black Hound, and the steel cage where an Obsidian Tiger Beetle was held, they thought that Adira was just a Slave Trader who planned to sell the monster she caught to the Barbarians.
Thinking that the Drow was easy prey, they didn't hesitate to attack so that they could torture her to gather information.
"Zion, I think your misfortune is rubbing off on me," Adira said wryly.
"Lady Adira, don't worry about me and save yourself," Thirteen replied. "Blacky won't be able to outrun them with the two of us riding on his back."
"You're right," Adira said before summoning her sword to cut the rope that bound the Obsidian Tiger Beetle to Blacky's body. "Off you go!"
The Drow slapped the Black Hound's backside, prompting Blacky to run away, with Thirteen hanging onto it for dear life.
The Sabertooth Tigers then separated into two groups with three of them pursuing Thirteen and Blacky and the last one charging toward Adira, who had a sneer plastered on his face.
"Since you want to die, then I'll send you on your way," Adira said as she nocked an arrow to her bow and prepared to fight.
Although she was worried about Zion, she knew that she didn't have the luxury of helping him at this point in time.
The Tigerkin that had stayed behind was as strong as her, so she didn't have the leeway to focus her attention on other things.
'Just be safe, Zion,' Adira thought. 'I'll finish this quickly and come to find you.'
