Salvos (A Monster Evolution LitRPG)

Chapter 646: Dodge This

646. Dodge This

***

[Druid - Lvl. 174]

[Warrior - Lvl. 169]

[Archer - Lvl. 176]

Daniel narrowed his eyes as he saw the three figures surrounding him. There they were— the Elves that had been hunting him down. This was his first time seeing them. When they had attacked him beforehand, it had been from afar. He hadn’t even gotten a glimpse at their faces when he had nearly been killed.

Now, they had decided to come up to him to end his life. So he could see their levels and evaluate their threat. And he knew— he didn’t stand a chance of winning this fight.

He backed away as he gritted his teeth. The Elves didn’t launch an immediate attack this time around. So he glanced back and spoke in a hushed voice.

“Ivonne… what do we do?”

He asked the [Trader] as she stood calmly, faced down by the Elven [Druid]. She didn’t visibly react to the sudden appearance of the Elves. This was in stark contrast to Kacey who was backing up from the Elven [Warrior] with wide eyes, fumbling to even unsheathe her sword.

Daniel locked gazes with the [Archer]. She was a rather short Elven woman. Which was saying something, considering that all Elves were short. But she was even shorter than the other two Elves that accompanied her. But that didn’t make her any less threatening as she raised her bow.

“I am Kali’natha the Principality of the Farl-Zun Forest. I am a [Mystic Huntress]-- one of only a few in the world— and a Vanguard of Y’gdrazil. I serve as a bodyguard to Dominion As’triel, but I have been sent out during this war to eliminate the greatest threats to our people. That is why I have come here today to end your life, [Hero] of the Human Lands.”

“That’s too many Titles— I much preferred it when you just attacked me without saying a word. Because I’m not going to remember any of that by tomorrow.”

Daniel replied simply as he raised the Sword of Alexander defensively, its metallic surface reflecting an iridescent that reflected in her eyes.

“Oh, but you will have time to forget itl. After all, you will die here. And I shall claim your Mythic Grade Weapon for myself.”

She stepped forward with a dangerous look in her eye. A cruel smile slipped onto her lips.

“Would it not be quite ironic? For Humankind’s greatest weapon to be turned against them? For your death here to be the reason for their defeat? It is quite a fitting end for such a terrible Species…”

“I think you’ll find that Humans are a lot more tenacious than you think. Even if you kill me here, they’re probably not going to mourn my loss too badly. I mean, I’m pretty sure that a lot of people would be quite enthused to hear that I’m finally out of their hair.”

Daniel gave the Elf an uneasy grin. He wasn’t confident, even if he tried to sound confident. He knew he was outmatched, but at least he had some time to think and try to find a way out of this mess. Unfortunately, so far, he came up with nothing at all.

Kali’natha smirked as she raised her bow. She casually nocked an arrow, aiming at him.

“We’ll see about that.”

She spoke calmly, ready to kill the [Hero]. But she didn’t attack just yet. Daniel felt a trickle of sweat run down his neck, before turning around.

“Ivonne, what’s the plan?”

He hurriedly pressed the [Trader]. Ivonne just raised a brow, craning her neck to face Kali’natha.

“What about a parlay?”

Ivonne suggested simply. Upon hearing that, Daniel nearly dropped his sword. His jaw hung open as even the Elves paused. Kacey broke out of her stupor and blinked.

“You can’t be serious, right? That’s your plan?”

The [Crusader] asked, aghast. Ivonne shrugged.

“It is worth an ask.”

“The answer is no.”

Kali’natha replied as she glared at the [Trader].

“I will not negotiate with the one who stole our sacred Fruits of Y’gdrazil. In fact, I will ensure that you suffer before you die for what you’ve done.”

“That is unfortunate. I was hoping we could negotiate. There is much I can offer you in return of sparing our lives.”

Ivonne shook her head nonchalantly, and the Elven [Archer] sighed.

“Enough talk.”

A green aura overcame Kali’natha’s arrow as her comrades raised their weapons. Kacey’s eyes went round, and Daniel pursed his lips. The expression on Ivonne’s face didn’t change.

Kali’natha sneered as she released her arrow.

“You die now.”

“Ivonne!”

Daniel shouted, spinning around as the green bolt shot forward. The Elves moved, and Kacey stumbled back in fear. Ivonne closed her eyes. She didn’t even nod. All she did was raise her hand silently. And a ring shone on her finger.

There was a bright flash of light. It engulfed the scene. The Elves shouted something. The arrow struck the ground, blasting out. But Daniel didn’t see what happened next. He didn’t even hear what they said.

After all, he was gone. And it wasn’t just him. Kacey and Ivonne disappeared along with him, leaving the Elves behind in the clearing dust.

—--

“That was too close…”

Daniel sighed as he took in his surroundings. Ivonne stood calmly as she usually did, and Kacey was catching her breath. They had fled from certain death once more. But that was all they had done— flee the scene.

They hadn’t escaped just yet. They weren’t safe. Not until they got to the Fallen City of the Stars. Daniel raised his head, searching for their destination. Only to realize that he was high up in the sky, just beneath the clouds.

Kacey noticed this too. She blinked a few times as she looked down, taking in the mountainous landscape down below.

“Where are we?”

Daniel asked with narrowed eyes. Kacey backed away from the ledge as she looked up.

“I believe… we’re on Astros Mountain?”

“That is correct.”

Ivonne nodded as she dusted herself off. She turned to face Daniel, adjusting the ring in her hand.

“Or to be specific, we are halfway up Astros Mountain. We still have a few miles to go before we reach the peak.”

“That Ring of Instant Teleportation you have is very useful. But… next time, just get us out of there. Don’t risk our lives like that to try to bargain with those Elves.”

Daniel massaged his temples, and Kacey nodded next to him. Ivonne responded unapologetically.

“I was under the impression that they could be reasoned with. Unfortunately, I miscalculated.”

“And what makes you think you could negotiate with those creatures?”

Kacey gestured exasperatedly back in the direction they came from. Ivonne shrugged.

“Their previous Matriarch, Ios-friel, seemed to be quite reasonable.”

“And how do you even know that? Don’t tell me you’ve actually met her?”

Daniel couldn’t believe it. Actually— maybe he could. Considering how eccentric Ivonne appeared to be, it was entirely possible she had once gone to the Elven Forests and actually traded with the Elves.

But she shook her head as her eyes flickered. A morose expression seemed to slip onto her face for a moment.

“No… but an old friend of mine did.”

“I see.”

Daniel stared at Ivonne for a moment. But she steeled herself, and the indifferent look on her face returned. She stepped forward as she looked up the mountain— her gaze piercing through the white veil of the clouds leading up and above.

“Come on. Let us keep moving. We still have not reached our destination.”

She started up as Kacey and Daniel exchanged a glance. The two of them nodded at each other and followed after her, leaving the Elves far behind, miles back in the distance.

***

“They escaped. Again.”

Kali’natha whispered softly as she glanced between Vla’di and Crim. Her two comrades just stared at the ground— at the smoking crater where the Humans had been standing.

“We had them surrounded, and they got away.”

She closed her eyes. For a moment, she remained silent. Even as Crim hefted his hammer over his shoulder, and Vla’di’s eyes glinted. Then she smiled.

“Good.”

It was all part of the plan.

She turned to the [Archmagus Druid] and asked.

“Which way, Vla’di?”

“There.”

He pointed his staff at a mountain in the distance. He took a step back, and his body began to shift and misshapen. Fur started growing from his arms as he grew in size. Kali’natha walked past him, hearing his bones crack.

But she didn’t pay him any mind. Instead, she strode forward as she nocked five arrows onto her bowstring. She aimed in the direction of the mountain— in the general vicinity where the three Humans had escaped to.

There was a reason why she hadn’t simply ambushed the Humans with her Grand Skill. She could have attacked them from afar. There had been no reason for them to engage with each other from up close. And yet, that was what she had chosen to do.

The reason was simple— it was because she knew the Humans would have dodged her attack once again. But right now? After they had just teleported out of the way? There was no way for them to escape.

Even if she didn’t know their exact location, she knew where they had gone. She didn’t need to strike them with a direct attack. All she needed was to strike the area they were in. And then she could find them from that.

“Try and dodge this: [Fifty-Mile Shot], and—”

Kali’natha smiled savagely, and behind her, Vla’di finished his transformation into a giant ape. He picked up Crim as the [Mystic Huntress] unleashed her volley of arrows.

As she unleashed her Grand Skill.

“[Rain Fire Upon My Enemies].”

And the glowing green bolts shot out, wisping brightly. It crossed over the landscape and sped in the direction of the tall mountain, leaving behind a trail of green fire.

***

“How long until the Elves find us this time, Ivonne?”

Daniel asked as the [Trader] continued to lead the way. She replied without glancing back.

“We should be able to reach the Fallen City of the Stars before they…”

And she paused. Her brows snapped together as she glanced back. She looked towards the distance as Daniel frowned. He stared in the same direction as she did, before his eyes snapped wide open.

He saw the glinting green projectiles shoot straight for the mountain. They traveled fast— faster than the speed of sound. They left behind a shockwave as the trees lying beneath it were lit ablaze. Daniel saw this power, and he knew what was going to happen next.

He looked up towards Kacey and Ivonne as he opened his mouth.

“We need to get—”

And the projectiles struck the side of the mountain. A powerful explosion blasted out as the [Hero] grabbed both Ivonne and Kacey, leaping out of the way. The shockwave sent them all flying back. The blast was a distance away.

But the fiery green explosion bloomed out, incinerating everything in over a mile. The fringe edges of the blast reached the three of them, and Daniel gritted his teeth as a white aura flashed.

“[Greater Aura of the Sentinel]!”

He watched as his white barrier protected them. But its glass-like surface cracked under the pressure of the explosion. The earth shook beneath his feet as the blast continued to erupt for another minute, until it finally dissipated.

His [Greater Aura of the Sentinel] faded away, and the rumbling subsided for a moment. He let go of both Ivonne and Kacey as they all stared at the aftermath of the explosion. A giant crater had dug itself into the side of Astros Mountain. A massive column of smoke rose up towards the sky.

Kacey dropped to her knees as she took in this sight, trying to work her jaw.

“That— how…?”

“How did they find us, Ivonne?”

Daniel asked, turning to the [Trader].

“I thought your artifacts protected us from their tracking Skills.”

“Not when I used my Ring of Instant Teleportation. I could only mask us from their scrying spells after we escaped. That was why we had to keep moving. All they did was strike where we once were. They couldn’t find us… until now.”

Ivonne explained simply. Daniel furrowed his brows.

“Until now?”

“Now that you used that Skill of yours— they certainly know where we’re at. And they’re heading straight for us. Look.”

She pointed at a giant figure bounding its way through the trees, making its way up the mountainous terrain. It had to have been at least a hundred feet tall, and it looked like a kind of ape. Except, far more feral and monstrous.

It moved fast. Not nearly as fast as the shooting projectiles from earlier. But far faster than Daniel could run. And on its back, it carried two of the Elves with it— the [Archer] and the [Warrior].

“Fuck.”

Daniel cursed as he turned around.

“What do we do?”

Ivonne looked up, and the mountain began to tremble once again.

“I do not know. But that is not the end of our problems…”

And up above, the mountain began to shake more violently. Daniel paused as he stared up into the clouds. Then he watched as a large column of earth and snow began to cascade down towards him.

“A landslide...”

He whispered as the mountain rumbled. In front of him, a large section of earth continued to collapse down. And behind him, the Elves continued their rapid approach. They were trapped.

Daniel closed his eyes as he realized the predicament he was in. It was an impossible situation to survive. He wanted to give up. But he didn’t.

Instead, he raised his sword as a golden-white light enveloped his body.

“[A Hero’s Rage].”

And he moved.

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the slow chapters this week. And small retcon to last chapter. The exact Classes of the Elves shouldn't be shown to Daniel. It has been fixed.

What thonk?