Spirit Taming

Chapter 163: Tempt Fate

The night was full of worry. Not many people that had stopped at this point had the courage to speak louder than a whisper. Many were keeping their tamed beasts close or hugging lucky charms. The threat of any dungeon break was one that many knew to be dire.

The merchants had more or less lost their guards. Most merchants would hire mercenaries, guards, or private groups to protect them as they traveled. This was common among any merchants based in any city. However, when Star city called for all that could fight, they had beaten the price for many of the guards the merchants hired. That caused the merchants to leave without proper guards.

"Doc, why don't we offer to travel with the merchants back home? We may be able to take materials as a payment?" Isa had come back from her unsettled stomach due to the shaking of the carriage. She had immediately seen the business possibility in front of them.

"You want to risk the lives I must protect so that we can make a quick profit?" Doc looked at Isa with disdain. He was being very serious about this matter. He was a professor and needed to be deathly serious right now. It showed everyone exactly the man he was deep down.

"No, not risk their lives. Offer for them to travel with us. We have beasts that are stronger than them. I have seen two gray owls, one red weasel, and a single dwarfed crow. They are not combat type beasts. We have combat type beasts.

We can give them a better chance of living while we travel. It also will help us all later in life."

"Worst case, if we are attacked, they will know that their lives are not guaranteed. Nothing changes." Clark came in to clinch the deal. He knew that Doc would bend slightly if they added some more pressure with good reasoning.

"I have my beast scouting the woods. So far nothing has been sighted. If it remains that way, I will allow it." Doc walked away, not allowing them to push for anything else.

"Isa, it's up to you. Maira and I will speak with the others." Clark knew that the rest of the students would be fine with this as long as they kept their courage up. Some of them had already shown the power of the beasts they had raised.

There was one thing that was eating at Clark. He had not seen the two Cain family members anywhere. He was sure that they would have been waiting outside the walls. Waiting to join up with them to go back to the academy. But where were they now?

"Listen up. Isa is bargaining with the merchants outside. We will offer them a simple deal. Stick with us and we can keep them protected. We have the beasts that possess combat power. We also have the speed to keep things moving.

Every single one of them will be responsible for keeping up and remaining near us. Anyone against this?" Clark held back on telling them the materials that they could gain for this.

"No! We could die because of this." One of the girls immediately shut this down. She would not consider it.

"Why would we risk this? If we do then we are asking to be hurt or killed?" A few more were curious but holding back because of the danger.

"They would pay us. Materials. We have strength where they do not. We also have Doc to protect us and we are not making promises that every merchant will live. It's a fair deal." Using the materials as payment now pushed most of them over the edge to agree with Clark.

"Those that don't help will get nothing like her." Maria pointed out the girl that cowered in the corner. A few moved to the side of the campfire to show that they too were not in favor.

"Good, we have a majority that supports it. We will make a decent profit. Isa will split the goods. Ella will record who will be paid what based on contribution." Clark was glad to have this worked out. He had used their break wisely. Some rest and a deal to get stronger.

"We are moving out! Form a line with the merchants on the side. Do not do anything foolish. If you are left behind it is not my fault. If you are my student, do not prove my teachings to be wasted on you." Doc had a grim face. He had not rested at all and instead been in the woods.

He had to keep everything safe.

Before anyone could say a word, the carriages were moving. The merchants drove close to the student's line which made things a little slower. However, the students that had supported Isa and Clark's plan were ready for a fight.

The carriages had windows. They could be reinforced by boards inside the carriages but with them open, they gave the best attack spaces for beasts and the students. The merchants may have been partially in the way but that wasn't too big of an issue for them to handle. Clark had Devi who could float out freely if needed.

But even more, he had Crim who could do the same with his wings to a certain degree.

"We just need to keep a look out for anything. I doubt we will have any beasts from the dungeon break here. It's more likely that we will attract the beasts that hunt along these…Why did I have to jinx it?" Isa was trying to be confident and talk anyone down from being nervous. Instead, she had spit at fate and offered the perfect situation.

The sound of buzzing was something that anyone could have heard over the sound of the rough moving carriages. However, when the sound became too loud, it was clear that there was more at work than what they thought. It was clear that they had been targeted while on the more open trail the carriages needed to take.

'Giant plague fly- uncommon

The plague fly is a beast that has grown while consuming many diseases and toxins. They adore rot and will create nests within rotting things. They have the ability to capture and poison prey so that they can create rot piles to breed.

They have a large weakness to fire along with cold. They are impossible to poison but can easily poison others. Healing will rarely work unless a purifying effect is also used on the affected patient.

The plague fly is a rare beast that had the chance to take on a demonic form. The demonic forms are an extremely tough growth path to take that highlights negative traits that make the beast exceptionally dangerous. They will often be the masters of entire areas causing the wilderness to change drastically with a skill called domain.

The materials…'

Clark had never heard of a potential such as this. It was not something he had researched nor heard of. Unfortunately, he could not expand on this right now. He had to focus on the fact that he had an enemy that had found them. An enemy that was very far from the dungeon break yet had somehow come to them.