189 Latgor (Part 1)
The Broteforge Empire is a nation of many mind-blowing biomes and some terrifying landscapes, ones that can make anyone want to change routes.
The Far North is where most of these landscapes come together. Between the Cardinal Kingdom and the small coastal town called Latgor, there are dense forests where the sunlight barely reaches the ground, and there are also canyons so steep that a single mistake can cost you your life.
After overcoming all these difficulties, the half-wolf group finally arrived in the vicinity of Latgor, where Yoelona had lived for some years.
Located only a few kilometers from the Skdødsgen Forest, Latgor is a city full of myths and legends, whose residents, far from the reality of Dungeons and Adventurers, live a peaceful and, at the same time, vulnerable life. This was the perfect place for a demon profiteer.
The winter had already arrived in the region. The trees in the forests were looking dead and dry, the ground was barren because of the rapid frosts, and the crops, which are the region’s main contribution to the entire Broteforge Empire, were unproductive because of the weather. On the horizon, the sea was gray, and also the sky, whose clouds only allowed the sun’s rays to pass through with intensity for a few hours per day.
Together on the top of a small hill, a part of the half-wolf group was enjoying the last pieces of a sheep that the half-dragon had hunted on the previous day.
There was a tense atmosphere around the campfire because everyone could see through the pendant that the half-dragon carried with her, the black trail in the sky that showed the demon’s location. However, for the first time in Luke Lange and Alexis Dmitry’s lives, they were not seeing only one beam, but two, which meant that there were two demons in Latgor, and not the expected, which was only one.
“What’s the plan?” Meredith asked Alexis and Luke, who were looking over the city. “Are we going to attack them from the front?”
“No, that would be reckless. The black beams are inside the city, there could be casualties. Besides, we don’t know if the demons possess powerful people, and we have no way of knowing their powers. They don’t know about us either, so we have to get an advantage.” Alexis explained. The demons’ markings were in a mansion on top of a hill, but there were dozens of houses just below the mountain.
“So… how do you usually do this?” Luke asked. Although he had fought demons three times, he didn’t know what a demon hunter’s method was like.
“Usually, emissaries do the investigative work for me and tell me their possible abilities and the best place to lure the demon. Hehe!” The half-dragon smiled shyly. “But the good thing is that we already know where the demons are, and we need to seal them. First, we need information about where people live and which areas are the most inhospitable. If we can lure the demons to the empty parts, we won’t have a problem with civilians.”
“All right… since we don’t want to attract attention, I think it’s best if we don’t go with such a large group. Who will want to go?” Meredith turned back and questioned the rest of the gang.
Zack and John were chewing on sheep meat, Matthew was reviewing the town map they bought in the previous village, and Ynosuke was napping quietly.
“Sorry…we’re busy.” Zack and John replied with their mouths full simultaneously.
Although John dreamed of being an Adventurer, he knew he was too weak to fight, and although Zack was quite big, he was quite fearful.
“Sigh… I guess it will just be us.” Meredith sighed and spoke.
“That’s fine, but when things turn dangerous, you focus on helping the civilians. All right?” Luke asked the half-fox.
Meredith punched the half-wolf weakly on the shoulder, smiled, and said, “Relax, sweetie. I can take care of myself. I still know the basics of everything you taught me…”
The half-wolf knew that Meredith was not the kind of person who would expose herself to danger; after all, she lived in the same reality like him. They both had to learn to hide and live in the dangerous world of the Lower City of Oukiwa; however, demons are wicked and cunning, and Luke would never stand guard in the presence of one.
Before going down the hill, Luke summoned Bastet and left him with the rest of the gang that would remain on the hill. That way, Luke would be much more relaxed about leaving them alone.
So, Meredith, Luke, and Alexis walked to one of Latgor’s roads to appear simple travelers when they arrived in town.
The first thing they noticed was the smell of the city, which was assimilated to the smell of a rotting lemon, something citrusy and at the same time unpleasant. There was also a creeping mist hanging over the entire city, accentuating the dreadful feeling that could be felt as the group got closer.
When they passed the large archway that read ‘Welcome to sweet Latgor City’, Meredith immediately compared the city to Yoelona’s descriptions. According to the old Master of the half-wolf, this should be a city with beautiful scenery of wheat fields and other crops, but now everything seemed dead.
Without any fear, they entered the city. However, there was something very different than expected: they could not find any people even after walking for more than 10 minutes. The windows of several houses were boarded up, and although Luke and Meredith were able to smell people and hear them inside the buildings, they didn’t even stick their heads out to talk.
“Hello, is anyone there?!” Alexis asked in a loud tone, but her voice only echoed through the deadly quiet city. “We are adventurous travelers and we are here to hunt a beast we heard about!”
No one dared to answer her or open an inch of their curtains to see what it was all about.
“Whoa, why doesn’t anyone answer me?” The half-dragon asked as she turned to Meredith and Luke.
“Shhh… I think I hear something.” Luke spoke up.
The half-wolf’s ears always twitched when he detected an unusual sound. Focused on finding that sound, Luke closed his eyes and extended his hearing range.
Tum~
He heard a tremor a few blocks away, but this tremor didn’t seem to be made by an explosion but by something falling or being placed on the ground.
“There’s something approaching. We need to get off the street…” Luke whispered to the two redheaded women. Alexis didn’t have as good hearing as the half-wolf, so she trusted his decision, and Meredith nodded too because she trusted in her friend completely.
As the tremors became more intense, it became clear that they were not things falling, but the footsteps of a giant creature whose powerful paws were so oppressive that they created deep marks in the hard winter ground.