The Soldier could feel the shadow of death from the moment most of its body had been cut apart or blown away. When Lith reached its back, grabbing it by its legs, the last Clacker could only hope that its dying screech would manage to reach its brood. Lith used the Float spell to make his enemy weightless before throwing it up in the air and immediately conjuring another spell. Away from its natural elements, water and earth, the Clacker was a sitting duck. Six fireballs appeared at the same time around the Soldier, one above, one below and the others in a square shape. It was Lith’s tier four personal spell, Burning Prison. The fireballs exploded simultaneously, each reinforcing the effect of the others Their combined shockwaves ripped the Clacker to shreds while the extreme heat turned it into ashes. After making sure there were no more threats lurking around them, Lith could allow himself to use Life Vision on Quylla. The wound was already closed. She was a bit pale because of exhaustion, but aside from that, she seemed fine. Professor Farg had witnessed the whole fight. Thanks to the artifact Tyris had given to her, she had been able to follow the one that took place above and the one below at the same time. ’Now I understand why Lady Tyris sent me here. Whatever that thing is, it’s no kid. I’ve seen my share of weird stuff, but nothing like that. His shapeshifting abilities make no sense. His strength didn’t improve at all.’ She thought. ’Damn! I can use Invigoration to restore myself, but if I do that, I could blow my cover. Yet if I don’t and another enemy appears, I’m as good as dead. I’ll choose the lesser evil.’ Lith was panting and wheezing like everyone else, but soon his breathing became steady. To avoid making things too weird, he recovered only about half his strength. Enough to defend in case something happened and at the same time leaving himself tired enough to not arouse too much suspicion. Maybe. Then, he checked Quylla’s condition with Invigoration before doing the same with everyone else. Lith had seen enough poisons, toxins, and undead to last three lifetimes. ’Better safe than sorry.’ He thought. Aside from small injuries and fatigue, his companions were as healthy as horses. "Okay, this road trip ends now." Lith said. "Take Quylla and go back to the academy. I’ll go on alone, it’s much safer that way." "Are you insane?" Phloria was still mulling over what she had just seen, refusing to believe her own eyes. Yet when she heard Lith’s words all her worries disappeared, replaced by outrage. "First of all, we are all exhausted. There are too many dangers lurking in this forest aside from those f*cking Clackers. If they attack us on our way back, we are basically a free meal." "Use the academy’s emergency button. They’ll send someone here in a half an hour tops." Lith suggested. "Second, and I speak for myself, I’m not letting you walk into this nightmare alone again!" She ignored his words, as she vented her frustration. "Why are you acting like that? Have you already forgotten your father’s words? You are no god! You could die out here." Lith’s reckless indifference for his own life made Phloria seethe with anger, to the point she wanted to strangle him on the spot. Therefore, she followed Raaz’s lead and flicked her middle finger against his forehead. "Consider yourself slapped, young man." Lith didn’t find it funny at all. ’I’m not a god indeed, but compared to you I might as well be. If only I could trust them enough to tell them the whole truth...’ Lith gritted his teeth to hold his tongue. ’That’s just mean!’ Solus scolded him. ’Being weaker than you is not a sin. Phloria simply worries about you. Do you remember your big lesson? Do not ask others to do what you wouldn’t ?’ "You don’t understand, it’s too dangerous!" Lith tried to make her listen to reason. "That’s my line, you idiot!" "Oh, my. You humans sure are funny. Screaming like you are the only ones in the world." The unknown voice made Phloria turn around in a split second, her estoc ready in her hand. Lith recognized the intruder and weaved a couple of spells, just to be safe. It was the dryad he had rescued from a Puppeteer Abomination months before, Lyta. Yet he had no idea of what a Puppeteer was or how she was called. "Yet I can understand why this ugly female is so worked up." She looked at Lith, licking her scarlet lips seductively. "I usually don’t like humans, especially after one really bad experience, but power is the most powerful aphrodisiac known to both women and dryads alike. Do you want to have some fun, handsome?" Phloria hated the dryad for her cruel words and shameful act. Yet she had to admit she was the most gorgeous woman she had ever seen. Lyta had big red eyes that sparkled under the sunlight like rubies. Her visage was simply stunning, from her delicate features to her full lips. She had feet length red hair, the same color of maple leaves during autumn. Everything about her exuded a wild and unrestrained allure that made even Phloria ponder whether to kick her a*s or ask her out. The dryad wore what on Earth would have been considered a skin tight cocktail dress made of vines and leaves. It exposed her shoulders, her arms, and her long legs up to the thigh. The only thing that betrayed her non-human nature was the light green skin. "You again?" Was Lith’s only reply. After their last encounter, he had read all he could find about dryads. They were a shady bunch that sometimes would mate with humans simply to have some fun. Most of the times they would just rob them blind. Dryads loved precious things, especially jewels. "So she’s the dryad you saved?" Much to everyone surprise, Yurial was looking at her with indifference. Yurial himself was amazed. It was the first time he managed to be aloof in front of such a beauty. ’Maybe it’s because she is green, or maybe I’m finally starting to think with the right head.’ He thought. Lyta was deeply offended by their reaction. It was only the second time in her life that humans didn’t throw themselves at her feet while swearing their eternal love for her. Suddenly, Yurial’s word rung some bells. "He saved me?" The dryad stopped looking at Lith’s mana flow, focusing on his eyes and smell instead. Lith had grown more than five centimeters since their last encounter and his smell had changed after his breakthrough in Kalla’s cave. Yet Lyta couldn’t forget that cold gaze devoid of mercy, nor the inhuman smell he exuded. "You!" She suddenly lost all her self confidence. She ran back to the nearest tree, ready to flee in case something went wrong. "Yeah, me. Since you have already bothered us, the least you could do is answer a few questions. Why are there Clackers here? This isn’t their turf." The dryad didn’t like being ignored. An ugly short lived human being indifferent to her beauty was unacceptable. She would have never wasted her time if the two males were alone. They seemed to have a few loose screws. The reason why she chose to remain was that the females were just perfect. They were staring at her with the perfect mix of envy, self pity, and desire that made Lyta feel alive. "The Brood Mother’s turf goes as far as she can get. She’s exploiting the academy’s and the forest’s current weakened state to lay as many eggs as she can. Also, the Lord of the forest is absent for a while. It’s the perfect opportunity for her." She laid on a tree branch high enough to give her room for escape if the battle crazed maniac attempted something funny, but low enough to let the girls ’enjoy’ her full figure. Lyta used a soft, languid tone like she was having pillow talk with her lover. "We are going to the mining town. Is it safe there?" Lith had just noticed that Phloria was staring at them. She hated the dryad’s guts for looking at him like a slab of meat, seductively playing with her dress and hair. Yet the coldness in Lith’s tone warmed her heart. "Gods, no. It’s full of corpses there, I wouldn’t be surprised if she has turned it into her new nest. Even if I doubt it with all the protections and the alarms set in that place, I doubt it. Humans would run to protect their precious mine and slaughter her colony." "What does she need the corpses for?" Lith was shocked by her words. He had an idea about what was happening, but he had to be sure. "How do you think she managed to expand her territory so much? With all those corpses of powerful beasts and humans, the Brood Mother has greatly improved the quality of her underlings. "That’s the reason why they wanted to capture you five alive so badly. Each of you can become the breeding ground for a small legion of Soldiers. Corpses are second rate hosts, but they still provide a lot of nutrients. Especially those belonging to powerful beings like Kalla or M’Rook." "When did Kalla die?" Lith had met her only twice, yet he cared for her. Not to mention he had to keep his promise to her too. "A long time ago." Lyta laughed cruelly, losing most of her glamour. "Kalla died the day she became a Wraith. Undead should stay away from the living." "That’s not what I meant! What happened to her? What about Protector’s corpse?" "Beats me." She shrugged, going higher on the tree, just to be safe. "I’ve never been there and I don’t plan to. I don’t get involved in humans’ squabbles. As long the Clackers stay out of my turf, it’s none of my business. Thanks for getting rid of them for me. I’d say we are even now." Lyta had enough of his rude behavior. She disappeared in the tree bark while Lith could only watch her dart away through the forest with Life Vision. "Did you hear her? You guys have to go back." Lith now felt even more motivated to continue his mission. He had to find out what had happened to Kalla and prevent the Clackers from defiling Protector’s corpse. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂 "We all have to go back! The Headmaster and the Professors can take care of the Clackers by themselves." Phloria said. "She is right. This isn’t a place for students anymore. We have to retreat to fight another day." Yurial patted his shoulder. He knew how deep the scar in Lith’s heart was and how the decision he had to make would only worsen it. "Heck, no!" Lith angrily pushed Yurial’s hand away. "I don’t plan to fight, only to recover my friend’s body. I can make it as long as I avoid direct confrontation. I don’t have the luxury of time. It could already be too late. If you were Linjos, what priority would you give to retrieving a corpse? Would you really risk the members of the staff you have left just to humor a grieving student?" No one could deny those words. An awkward silence fell between them. "Let’s calm down and rest first." Yurial said. "We can’t remain here, it’s not safe. There could be more Clackers around." The group used darkness magic to destroy the corpses and erase all traces of their passage. They moved in a random direction, picking the first clearing they found to rest. Yurial used what mana he had left to cast the best defensive arrays in his arsenal before entering the dimensional tent Phloria had arranged for them. On the outside, it closely resembled a pup tent. On the inside, it looked like a three star hotel room. There was a fully furnished bedroom with three king sized beds, a liquor cabinet, and a single door leading to a bathroom. It had no running water since any mage could easily conjure as much as they wanted, but there were a pot and a bathtub. Lith went straight for the liquor cabinet, removing stoppers until he found a familiar smell. "Do you drink?" Yurial was surprised. "Usually no." Lith poured himself a glass of something he hoped would taste like whiskey. "Right now I really need one though. Do you want to join me?" His father had never allowed him to drink alcohol. The ban had become especially severe ever since he had developed his nerve problems. So it was natural for Yurial to accept. "Take small sips and watch out for the burn." Lith warned him after handing Yurial his glass. Back on Earth, Lith would have finished his drink in two gulps. Now, instead, he was forced to follow his own advice. The taste was terrible but at least it was alcohol. Lith embraced the familiar warm sensation spreading from his stomach. It was only after the second glass that they talked. "Are you sure you want to do it?" Yurial asked. "I mean, risking your life for Protector’s dead body is beyond stupid. No offense." "None taken." Lith replied emptying his glass. "He died to save us all, the only way we have to honor his sacrifice is to live our lives to the fullest, don’t you think?" Yurial was surprised by Lith’s meek attitude and by how at peace he was feeling after drinking the amber colored liquid. "I agree with you. That’s why I’m going to do it."