章 15: Death Scythe Mantis
Chen strolled down from the upper levels once he was finished with his bath and met with the other inhabitants of the tavern downstairs. Five dishes were laid out on the largest table with a barrel of beer not too far from it.
The barmaid held a pint in her hands as she paced up and down the vast dining hall. The innkeeper was in a similar state. After cooking up a storm, he remained close to the dishes and guarded it against any stray insects.
"Ah, Chen! Over here! Lunch is ready!"
Once Victoria noticed the red-haired teen, she waved her arms high in the air and rushed to his side. Locking her arms in between his, the young barmaid dragged Chen to the table where Mervin was waiting.
"We weren't expecting anyone today, so we've only got some vegetable dishes. But worry not! Once those pesky Death Scythe Mantises are killed, we'll be able to get some fresh fish and pork from the pier! I promise that I'll cook up my specialities for you, free of charge!"
"You really don't have to do that..." Chen frowned and muttered in a soft murmur.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing," Chen shook his head and instantly changed the topic. "Before we eat, I ask you some questions about the Death Scythe Mantises? The request lacked some details..."
"Sure, go ahead!" The innkeeper's eyes instantly sparkled.
The only reason why he was sucking up to Chen was due to his subjugation request. In all honesty, Mervin wished that Chen would go out and eliminate those pesky Magic Beasts already.
"Good… I have three main questions. When were the Death Scythe Mantises first observed on Ganger Road? Are they native to the area? And how many are there?"
"Hmmm, I can answer the first two questions for you easily. Death Scythe Mantises live up in the forests up north from Ganger Road, so yes they are native to the area. However, they mostly stay hidden from human activity since hunting them was a sport back in the day."
"Hunting them was a sport?" Chen looked confused as he received the new information.
"Yes, but that was before the Great Magic War. See, as weak as the Leona Republic was, we still had a wealth of magicians, many of them independent Adventurers. In fact, before the Great Magic War, Ganger Tavern was used as a rest spot for hunters and fisherman alike."
Mervin sat down on the nearest chair and began to reminisce about the golden age of Ganger Tavern.
"Everything changed when the Demon Army invaded our continent. The most powerful magicians in the Leona Republic joined the Alliance, and they all moved to the Frontiers."
"Ah, I see where this is going..." Chen was now able to connect the dots.
"Without hunters to control the Death Scythe Mantises' population, they started to explode. Which was fine for a while since they were still afraid to leave to the forest. But as they grew, the competition in the forest became harsher. Stronger Death Scythe Mantises established territories and the weaker ones were forced to the outskirts of the forest. The cycle continued on until..."
"Stray Death Scythe Mantises that knew nothing about humans were born. They saw the fisherman carriages leisurely moving on the roads with no protection and thought they were easy prey… Am I right?"
Chen finished the innkeeper's words with his own deductions.
"T-That's exactly it!"
"Stray Death Scythe Mantises… On average, they are D-ranked, but if gathered in large numbers, they are labelled with the C-rank. How many of them are there?"
"T-That… We can't be sure since it has been a while since any of us met one, but the last time a fisherman passed by, they counted at least five."
"Five strays…" Chen frowned.
"I-Is there a problem?"
"No," Chen pushed his back into the chair and replied with a sad tone. "On my way to Ganger Tavern, I've been looking out for tracks of the Death Scythe Mantises and based on my estimates… There should be at least double that amount."
"DOUBLE?!" Both the barmaid and the innkeeper screamed out loud.
"Yeah… Have you ever been out of the tavern ever since the Death Scythe Mantises first came onto the road?"
"O-Of course not! Other than our small vegetable garden, we haven't stepped foot anywhere near the forests!"
Victoria gave a succinct reply. The father and daughter were the only people living on Ganger Road at the moment, and there was no way either of them could fight off a Death Scythe Mantis. Thus, to stay safe, they constantly stayed within their comfortable home.
"That makes sense… But your inactivity has caused the Death Scythe Mantises to become bolder. There were numerous blade marks on the trees by the road and mantis footprints had been left behind, and it wasn't just a measly five mantises that were on the prowl."
"S-Shit… Are we doomed?"
Mervin slammed his fist on the table and held his head in pain. Five Death Scythe Mantises were enough of a headache, even for a B-ranked Adventurer, but ten? If there were a few more of those annoying Magic Beasts, Ganger Road would have been reclaimed to nature, and no one else would ever take this route.
Just as the tavern owner was contemplating about closing his shop, a voice from the heavens saves him from the throes of hell.
"No, ten Death Scythe Mantises shouldn't be a problem. If they all attacked at once, we might be in some sort of trouble, but if I employ some guerilla tactics, I should be able to kill them all within a week."
"For real?!"
The innkeeper jumped towards Chen and grabbed both his hands. There were sparkles in his eyes as if he were a teenage girl hoping to attract some attention from her crush.
That, of course, made Chen uncomfortable, and he stuttered as he replied: "Y-yeah. It might take longer, depending on how long it would take me to track them down; but if all goes well, I should be able to complete the request in a week."
"OH THANK THE HEAVENS!" Mervin gave Chen an exalted bow.
"Victoria! Bring out the twenty-year scotch from my room! Today, we celebrate the Gods for sending our Hero!"
"Got it!"
"W-wait, you really don't have to..."
Chen was overwhelmed by the hospitality of the innkeeper. He rushed to stop the man from doing anything more, especially since Chen has yet to complete the request. However, before Chen could even say anything, his sense caught wind of something eerie.
The young teenager snapped his head to the exit where a cold wind was brewing. There wasn't anything in view, but Chen felt a tingling fear creep up his spine. It was as if he was a mere ant being stalked by an apex predator… An apex predator that had the taste of human meat.
"Old man! Victoria! Go hide now!" Chen barked at the pair and instantly ran out of the tavern with his spear in hand.
"Hero Chen? What's going on?"
"The Death Scythe Mantises are attacking your tavern! They must've sensed my magic source and thought that I was viable prey. I'll chase them off, but I'll need you two to hide for now!"
"O-Okay!"
Although the pair were still sceptical of Chen's words, they weren't going to refute a B-ranked Adventurer. The innkeeper held his daughter's hand and brought her to the basement where the wine cellar was. At the same time, Chen exited out from Ganger Tavern, brandishing his spear like a general who was heading into war.
The first thing that Chen saw was the emptiness of Ganger Road. Beyond the stone pavements, there were only dense trees as far as the eye could see. Many of them were above fifty metres tall, which gave Chen poor visibility of the skies and dulled his vision somewhat.
However, that didn't pose a problem for the young magic warrior.
Chen closed his eyes and heightened his other senses. The earthy aroma of the forests and the potent perfume of mud were the first things that Chen smelt. His ears twitched as he mentally sorted out every sound that was in the vicinity—birds, insects and even the gentle breezes that swayed the grass.
Without his sight, Chen could 'see' the world much clearer. And to round it off, Chen used his magic senses to accurately pinpoint the location of his aggressors.
'Two of them, fifteen metres apart. As expected, they're Death Scythe Mantises. Fighting them in front of the tavern would be bad, so I should try to scare them off first.'
As much as Chen would have loved to finish two of the Magic Beasts terrorising the land right here, his combative style was way too destructive. If Ganger Tavern and the father-daughter duo were going to be collateral damage, there was no point in Chen accepting their request in the first place.
Chen waved his spear in the air like a wand, creating two red magic circles directly overhead. Fire elementals cried out in bliss as the magic circles gained more and more mana, causing the resulting temperature to skyrocket. It quickly turned from a cooling spring air to the monstrous winds of hell.
The magic circles continued to gain mana until eventually, it couldn't bear the overheating anymore and…
"Explosive dart!"
Two short spears shot out from the magic circles and exploded exactly where Chen had sensed the two Magic Beasts. The rip tore through the air and embers spewed out everywhere. A small fire began in the forest, and the trees nearby were starting to burn. However, before the small flame could turn into a giant forest fire, a few wind blades sliced the blaze into cinders.
And then… The two presences in the forests finally made their appearance.
Two giant praying mantises, each one about two-metres-tall, stepped out with their two front legs raised up high. True to their names, the Death Scythe Mantises had blades for forearms, and each one of them were laced with the aura of Hades himself.
One slice of their forearms and a fully grown bison's head would be chopped off. One flap from their wings would send winds equivalent to that of a hurricane's. And finally, one movement from them… was enough to kill any magician who wasn't prepared to face them.
"You guys can't take a hint, huh?" Chen snorted. "I went easy on you to spare your lives, but if you want to serve it up to me on a silver platter… Who am I to refuse?"
Chen spun his spear around and bent his knees into a pouncing stance. One finger brushed down from the shaft and a resonant metallic sound rung in the ears of the Magic Beasts. At that moment, they were paralysed.
Magic Beasts were sensitive to changes in nature, far more than any other human. The Death Scythe Mantises were targetting Chen because they'd thought that he was an easy prey that was rich with magical nutrients. It was a simple hunter's instinct.
Unfortunately, the poor Magic Beasts severely underestimated Chen.
From the moment he touched his spear, Chen's Magic Source underwent a dramatic change. A thick aura broke free from his core and coated his body in an outer shell. A Magic Circle formed at the tip of his spear and split into numerous small fireballs that emulated the sun. They were absorbed into the spear, wreathing it with flames that came straight out from a lava pit.
If Chen looked like a weak ant before, now the young man was a flaming lion sitting on the top of the food chain.
The Death Scythe Mantises froze. They came into this hunt believing that they were the predator, but as they witnessed Chen's mystical transformation… they knew that it was the opposite.
"With my current body, I can only sustain this form for thirty seconds. But that's more than enough time to deal with you weaklings."
Chen kicked the floor, and a left a shockwave in his wake. He sprung towards the first Death Scythe Mantis with his spear extended forwards, giving the Magic Beast no time to react. Chen's flame-wreathed spear took one of the Mantis' forearms off and melted the blade that it was so proud of.
Before it even had time to groan out in pain, Chen was already moving onto his next target. A massive fire emerged from the bottom of his left sole, propelling the magic warrior to the right. The other Death Scythe Mantis was more prepared after watching his compatriot lose one arm and was ready to send two wind blades crashing onto the young man enveloped with flames.
Alas…
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!"
Chen's spear was much faster than some D-ranked Death Scythe Mantis. A trail of fire remained in the air as Chen spear sliced deep into the Magic Beast's neck. The second Mantis fell down in pain and fear, unable to believe that it had been humbled by a mere human being.
And just as they were about to pray to their Mantis God for forgiveness, a bright sun appeared just above their heads. It was scorching hot and staggeringly powerful. It was an ability that the Death Scythe Mantises were unable to fathom with their small insect brains. And well...
"You're finished!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!
Chen absorbed the miniature sun into his spear and threw it down like a javelin. The two Death Scythe Mantises were skewered by that one throw and were forced into a Mantis Kebab. And finally, once they were speared onto the floor, the explosive power within the spear detonated and destroyed much of the surroundings.
It was the end of the insect invaders. Just as quickly as they arrived, they had been slain.
And fortunately for Chen...
"Hah… Hah… Hah… Barely made it..."
Chen's self-imposed thirty-second timer had expired just as he delivered the final blow. Externally he looked fine, with just sweats dripping down his fatigued body. Internally, however, if Chen continued on for just ten more seconds, his magic circuits would have been burnt to the crisp.
The red aura that he was emitting out dissipated away and his Magic Source once again shrunk to its original, fluctuating state. The warrior Chen was now gone. All that remained was the poor weakened Chen.
"I have to face eight more of those, huh?"
Chen looked down at the scattered remains of the Death Scythe Mantises, and a heavy weight fell upon his heart. While the fight against them was easy, it was stressful for Chen's already vulnerable body to keep up with his old techniques.
"If only I was at my best..."
Chen frowned before shaking his head. "No, there's no point in crying over spilt milk… All I can do is to look forward..."
"Exactly! Exactly! Haha, young man! The main protagonist aura is strong with you!"
Before Chen could return back to the tavern to rest, a cheerful voice answered his development monologue. Chen abruptly glanced back and jumped in shock. During the fight, he hadn't realised that there was another presence nearby.
And to his utter horror, two people were staring him down. A middle-aged man who looked insignificant at first glance and a young ugly girl who stood confidently by his side.
The man was happily grinning from ear to ear as if he had found the most priceless gem known to humanity while the girl was scowling at Chen with folded arms. Based on their attire, they weren't merchants or fishermen and since they were able to slip past Chen's senses unnoticed… That could only leave one option.
"Hehe, found you Charmander!"
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