With the contract settled, all that was left to do was get ready and do the job. The more time passed, the more money would be lost…and more human lives would be lost. There wasn’t much to do in terms of preparation, since Zig and Siasha came into the guild looking for work anyway. The survivors told them about the general terrain and direction in which the remaining adventurers fled.
“These are your provisions. Free of charge, but there will be consequences if you misuse them.”
They were given a large stretcher-type dolly to transport the wounded along with a first aid kit.
The male staff member, likely from the medical team, quickly explained the contents of the first aid kit.
“If the person is still conscious, use this tonic after you’ve stopped the bleeding. In the event they’re unconscious, inject this syringe into the inner part of their elbow. You do that by—”
“I know how injections work.”
“I won’t ask how you know, but all right.”
Zig avoided the medical staff member’s gaze as the latter narrowed his eyes. He grabbed the stuff and went over to Aoi for a final authorization as he waited for Siasha to receive the same explanation.
Other adventurers were also present for the emergency quest.
“According to the latest survivors, the blade bees have split their swarms into two. One to protect their nest and another to chase down adventurers who escaped into the forest. Although there aren’t many of them away from the nest, their numbers are still larger than usual.”
Aoi pointed to the nest at the center of the map, drew a semicircle some distance away from it, and then slid it toward him.
“First, you are to rescue survivors while going around the nest. As soon as you’re done, you can proceed to search the forest. The search for survivors around the nest is probably finished.”
Primarily because most, if not all, of the people near the nest were already dead.
The spell that hit the nest unleashed a frightening number of blade bees who proceeded to attack nearby adventurers. However, the distribution of the bees was uneven.
Perhaps the hole in the nest was on the larger side, but most of the bees ended up going into the forest. This allowed most of the adventurers that had been in front of the nest to escape while forcing those behind it to scurry into the trees. Adventurers near the nest were either hiding or too injured to move.
Blade bees weren’t known for sniffing out their enemies and mostly used their overwhelming numbers to overpower any opposition, for better or worse. Still, it was only a matter of time until the swarm found what they were looking for. Survival was impossible without a great bit of luck.
“The number of blade bees is overwhelming. Avoid contact at all costs. If you must engage, take care of them as swiftly as possible before reinforcements arrive. Obviously, you are to refrain from using loud magic.”
Zig and Siasha weren’t the only members of the rescue party. Other adventurers who just arrived, or came late, had also taken on the guild’s request.
The rescue party was split into two groups. One would be posted near the nest to secure a safe route and transport any survivors to the guild. The other group would go into the forest to search for the other adventurers. The latter was made up of higher-class adventurers since they would be more likely to encounter blade bees.
Several Wadatsumi adventurers were present. They noticed Zig and raised their hands in a silent greeting.
“There are eighty adventurers who haven’t made it back yet. Rescue as many as you can.”
And with that, the adventurers moved out.
They filed out in an orderly fashion, teleporting one party at a time with the transportation stone.
“Looks like you’re finally back to adventuring,” Siasha said.
“Yeah, looks like I can get a lot of money from this job too,” Zig replied. “You’re not used to defensive battles, right? Don’t let your guard down.”
“Okay!”
Zig and Siasha followed suit and disappeared within the light.
When they arrived, the adventurers who had gone ahead had already secured the area. Fortunately, the transportation stone was clear of blade bees.
The rescue team assembled without wasting time. There was a transportation team made up of fifteen members and a search team of ten, which meant there were twenty-five members in total.
The adventurers stood around, not organized but not disorderly, until a man stepped forward.
“I’m Norton Wilser, clan master of Sibasikul. I’ll be leading the operation today.”
The tall man was in his early thirties, with blond hair and blue eyes. His refreshing smile made him look youthful, but he stood with all the authority of a powerful adventurer, which nullified his young age.
He looked impressive with a double-edged greatsword on his back, his body clad in black heavy armor.
“We’ll split the team into two groups and look for survivors while going around the nest. We’ll regroup in the forest once we’re clear of the nest. I’d prefer that we play it safe…but we don’t have the luxury of time. It’s up to each of you to stay on alert. Any objections?” Norton asked.
No one raised their hands, so the team was quickly divided in two. Zig and Siasha were in the same group, entering the forest on the right side of the nest.
“Commence operation! Good luck out there!”
Scouts had gone ahead to plan a route for the team.
Eleven adventurers followed the route in formation. Among them were mages along with frontliners who protected the back line. Zig wasn’t obliged to follow orders, but breaking formation would only cause unrest and get in the way of the job.
“Sorry, do you have a minute?”
Someone called out to him as he was looking for survivors. He turned toward the voice.
Looking around, he spotted the clan master of the Sibasikul and commander of the operation coming toward him.
“I’m Norton, like I said earlier.”
“Zig. Mercenary.”
With the introductions out of the way, Zig wondered what Norton wanted from him.
“First, I’d like to thank you, Zig. Having you follow my orders is a great help. It’s important to keep the team together at times like this.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m just being professional.”
“Not a lot of mercenaries are these days,” Norton said with a friendly smile. “You’re the exception. So, the stories are true. Oh, excuse me. I’ve always wanted to meet you ever since Isana talked about you.”
Zig narrowed his eyes. “Did she, now? What’d she say?”
That clumsy battle junkie was a liability. He would need to check out what else she had been telling people when he got back.
Norton put his hand on his chin, trying to remember.
“I think it was… ‘A monstrosity with a mind,’ and ‘a man that can either be medicine or poison.’”
“Oh?”
The princess in puberty really had a habit of running her mouth.
“Still, it’s rare for Isana to take an interest in other people like that…” Norton said in a low voice as his eyes looked Zig up and down. “Though now I can see why.”
The man had a well-trained body with a core that could withstand rigorous punishment.
Norton’s gait was efficient but relaxed enough to have the right amount of flexibility. Although he wasn’t particularly on alert, his eyes and posture were always ready for the unexpected.
This was his natural posture. That meant he was always ready for battle.
If Zig attacked him now, he knew that Norton could easily defend himself.
“Very impressive. And here I thought I was good. Ha ha ha… I can’t remember the last time I thought I couldn’t beat someone.” Norton laughed sheepishly, shifting his attention to the greatsword on his back. “How about we spar sometime?”
Zig gave a noncommittal answer to Norton’s cheerful invitation. “If I feel like it.”
Is Isana surrounded by people like this?
He felt worn out, unlike the clan master who was cheerful at the prospect of fighting a powerful opponent.
Norton noticed Zig’s shift in mood and scratched his cheek, embarrassed.
“Ah, my apologies. We should focus on the task at hand.”
“That we should.”
The forest felt different than usual.
It was no longer filled with the sound of small animals and monstrosities. Instead, the ambient noise was replaced by something else coming from the distance.
The buzzing of blade bees.
The residents of the forest were hiding, holding their breaths while trying to avoid the countless predator swarm.
“This is worse than I expected…”
Things were so bad that Zig, who was inexperienced as an adventurer, could notice. The veteran adventurers grimaced at the forest’s eerie atmosphere.
“Let’s hurry.”
They increased their pace. The route set by the Sibasikul scouts was highly efficient, allowing them to avoid blade bees while also taking the shortest possible path to their destination.
The flying blade bees were quite impervious to an ambush of blades.
Since they couldn’t use flashy magic, the adventurers were left with bows and crossbows.
A Sibasikul scout fired his bow while an unknown swordsman whipped out a crossbow, his secondary weapon, to quickly dispatch the enemy. Siasha joined in with her earth magic since it didn’t make that much noise.
The number of blade bees increased the deeper they went, and with it, the number of dead monstrosities that had fallen victim to the swarm.
Mixed among them were human remains.
“Shit!” an adventurer spat.
Human limbs and clumps of meat were strewn about—and they didn’t come from just one or two people. These remains confirmed their suspicions that there was no hope for survivors who happened to be around the nest.
The adventurers collected the adventurer cards of their fallen comrades since they were unable to bring their remains back with them. However, they were unable to do so for the corpses still swarming with blade bees, forcing the adventurers to clench their teeth and move on.
Norton offered a silent prayer before quickly following.
Blade bees used their powerful mandibles to cut up and bring their prey back to the nest. They couldn’t carry much, however, as they were limited by their size and their necessity of flight.
Their stinger blades were powerful weapons but unfit for sawing. Blade bees would use their forelegs and mandibles to neatly cut up their prey, turning torsos into manageable meatballs so they could carry it to their nest.