Chapter 111 - 110: Within Range

Chapter 111: Chapter 110: Within Range

The next morning, Iris led the group beyond the gates of Velaris again.

They had already discussed the Sentries the previous night, going over what they had witnessed and what the twenty-meter defensive range could mean for their hunts. There was no need to repeat the conversation now. They had come outside to test the idea.

This time, they stayed closer to the wall.

The forest was quiet at first. Snow and Dog moved ahead of the group, occasionally stopping to sniff the ground before continuing. The others followed at a steady pace, weapons ready but not raised.

They didn’t have to wait long.

Snow suddenly stopped.

Dog lowered his head beside him.

"Something’s nearby," Elias said.

A low growl came from somewhere ahead.

Then something burst through the trees.

It was a stocky creature covered in dark brown fur, with a broad head and two curved horns protruding from its forehead.

Iris Appraised it.

"Level two."

The creature charged.

Caleb stepped aside as it rushed past him, while Benjamin swung at its exposed side. His weapon struck, but the creature barely slowed before turning around.

"It’s fast," Benjamin said.

"It doesn’t like being surrounded," Iris observed.

Henry moved to one side while Jin Taejin and Li Wei closed the other. The creature tried to force its way through the opening between them, but Caleb struck its hind leg and sent it stumbling.

Veronica stepped in and attacked before it could recover.

Her weapon connected with its shoulder.

The creature recoiled.

"Nice," Caleb said.

Veronica didn’t answer. She was already moving again.

The creature swung its head toward her, and Henry intercepted it before the horns could reach her.

The monster was eventually brought down, but not before its horns caught Henry across the thigh, leaving a shallow cut through his trousers.

He looked down at the blood.

"Nothing serious."

Veronica frowned. "You said that too quickly."

Henry smiled faintly. "Because it isn’t."

They continued.

The first fight had been manageable. The next one wasn’t.

They heard movement from both sides before three creatures emerged from the trees.

Iris Appraised the nearest one.

"Three Level twos."

"Three?" Caleb asked.

A fourth shape moved behind them.

Iris narrowed her eyes.

"And a Level three."

The larger creature stepped into view.

Its body was covered in rough gray hide, and a row of short spikes ran along its back. Its jaws opened wide enough to reveal several rows of uneven teeth.

Nobody joked this time.

"Don’t let them split us," Henry said.

The creatures attacked almost together.

Jin Taejin intercepted one while Li Wei took another. Marcus moved toward the Level three, but it was faster than expected and struck before he could fully prepare.

He blocked the attack.

The force sent him sliding backward through the dirt.

"Marcus!"

"I’ve got it!"

Daniel rushed past him and struck the creature from the side.

For a brief moment, Iris caught the strange speed in his movement again. Daniel had crossed the distance almost too quickly, but he immediately retreated and gave no explanation.

The creature turned toward him.

Daniel barely avoided its jaws.

"That’s not going down easily!" he shouted.

Iris moved in.

Her sword cut across its side, opening a long wound.

Red blood splashed across her sleeve.

The creature roared and swung at her.

She ducked beneath the attack, but Caleb was already there.

"Move!"

He struck the creature’s leg.

It staggered, giving Henry enough time to drive his weapon into its exposed side.

The creature stumbled backward.

Benjamin attacked from behind.

It turned sharply and caught him across the chest.

Benjamin was thrown to the ground.

"Benjamin!"

He rolled away as the creature’s foot came down where his head had been.

"I’m fine!"

He pushed himself up, but there was blood running from a cut above his eyebrow.

He wiped it away and looked at the red smear on his fingers.

"Definitely not fine."

Caleb almost laughed.

"Now you admit it?"

"Shut up and hit it."

Caleb grinned and charged.

The fight became chaotic.

The smaller creatures were still attacking from different directions, forcing everyone to watch their surroundings while dealing with the larger monster. Veronica took a shallow cut along her arm while helping Evelina fend one off. Claire struck another creature across the jaw, then stepped back before it could retaliate.

Priscilla grabbed Victor’s shoulder when he tried to use his injured forearm.

"Don’t."

"I can still fight."

"Not with that arm."

Victor clenched his jaw but listened.

The Level three charged again.

This time, Iris saw the opening.

"Back toward the wall!"

Henry understood immediately.

"Everyone, move!"

They began giving ground.

The monsters followed.

The fight dragged closer to Velaris.

One of the Level two creatures broke away and disappeared between the trees, but the Level three remained focused on the group. Caleb struck it and retreated. Benjamin attacked from the opposite side, forcing it to turn.

They weren’t trying to kill it yet.

They were guiding it.

The Blackstone Wall became visible through the trees.

Iris watched the distance.

"Keep moving."

The creature charged Caleb.

He stepped backward.

Another step.

Another.

The monster was almost on top of him when Caleb stumbled over a root and fell hard.

The creature lunged.

Henry moved to intercept it, but the monster twisted around him.

"Caleb!"

Caleb rolled away just before the jaws snapped shut.

He scrambled backward, breathing hard.

The creature followed.

Then it crossed the invisible boundary.

A Sentry activated.

Iris saw the projectile leave the wall.

"Caleb, move!"

He threw himself sideways.

The projectile passed so close to his upper arm that it tore through his sleeve and scraped the skin beneath it before striking the monster.

Caleb landed hard.

For a second, he simply stared at his arm.

Blood was already running down it.

"Okay," he breathed. "That was way too close."

The projectile had buried itself in the creature’s shoulder.

The monster staggered but didn’t fall.

A second shot struck its side.

The creature roared and turned toward the wall.

"It’s trying to run!"

Henry raised his weapon.

"Don’t let it get past us."

They moved together.

The monster was wounded now, but it was still dangerous. It charged again, catching Evelina across the shoulder and sending her stumbling.

Priscilla grabbed her before she fell.

"Are you hurt?"

"Just scratched."

Iris moved past them.

The creature swung toward her.

She blocked the attack, but the force drove her backward.

Caleb came in from the side despite the blood running down his arm.

"Got you."

His attack struck the creature’s ribs.

Benjamin followed.

Henry attacked from the front.

The creature finally collapsed.

For a moment, nobody moved.

Blood covered them.

Some of it belonged to the monster. Some of it came from their own cuts. With dirt mixed into the red stains, it was difficult to tell which was which.

Caleb looked down at his arm.

"I think this one’s mine."

Benjamin wiped his forehead and looked at his bloodied hand.

"I don’t know anymore."

Veronica glanced at her sleeve.

"Neither do I."

A sound came from the trees.

Everyone turned.

Several people stood farther back between the trunks.

They were other survivors from Velaris, carrying their own weapons and clearly returning from a hunt.

One of them stared at the dead monster.

Another looked toward the wall.

"Did that thing shoot the monster?"

Caleb glanced at Iris.

Iris nodded.

"The Sentry attacked when the monster entered its range."

The survivor looked at Caleb’s bleeding arm.

"And you?"

"The Sentry nearly got me too," Caleb said.

He held up his arm.

"Twenty meters. Don’t stand too close."

The survivors exchanged looks.

One stepped closer, still keeping a safe distance from the wall.

"So you were using it on purpose?"

"We were testing whether we could," Iris said.

The survivor looked at the dead monster again.

It was obvious that he was already considering the possibilities.

"You could lead monsters toward the wall."

"That seems to be the idea," Benjamin said.

Another survivor glanced toward the forest.

"We should try that."

Iris didn’t stop them.

But she did add, "Be careful. The Sentry doesn’t know you’re trying to help it."

The survivor nodded.

They left soon afterward, talking quietly among themselves.

Iris watched them disappear.

Henry looked at her.

"They’ll tell the others."

"Probably."

Caleb flexed his injured arm and winced.

"Next time, someone else can test how close is too close."

Benjamin laughed.

"You volunteered."

"I changed my mind."

Despite the injuries, the mood lightened.

They continued hunting.

The rest of the day was less predictable. Some monsters were killed before they could get close to the wall. Others refused to follow the group once they began retreating. One Level three creature chased them nearly to the boundary before turning away, forcing the group to finish the fight without the Sentries.

Another caught Caleb off guard and knocked him into the dirt again, leaving him with a bruised shoulder.

They were learning that the strategy wasn’t guaranteed to work.

But when it did, the difference was obvious.

By the time they returned to Velaris, their clothes were dirty and torn, several of them had minor cuts, and everyone was exhausted. Victor had protected his injured arm throughout the hunt, while Priscilla continued to keep an eye on him. Caleb’s sleeve was stained with blood around the fresh scrape on his arm.

As they passed through the gates, Iris glanced back.

Another group of hunters was already leaving Velaris.

One of them pointed toward the wall while speaking to the others.

Iris couldn’t hear what they were saying.

She didn’t need to.

The idea was already spreading.

The Sentries had been built to defend Velaris.

Now the people living there were beginning to understand that the wall could protect them in another way too.

They could bring the hunt to it.

*~*

A/N:

Thank you for your patience while I was away! I’m finally back to updating, and I hope you’ll enjoy the Chapters ahead. ❤️