System's POV
chapter-155

While Adira was having a faceoff with the Champion of the Tigerkins and his mount, Blacky was running with Thirteen mounted on his back.

The boy was still glued to the Black Hound's body due to the shadows that the Drow had conjured, but the farther away they were from her, the weaker the ability became.

Because of this, the boy had no choice but to hold onto the Black Hound for his dear life.

The Rank 3 Saber Tooth Tigers were fast, but they were not as fast as the Black Hound who specialized in running away.

Unfortunately, the Tigerkins were proficient marksmen as well. Every time they aimed their arrows at their target, Blacky was forced to run in a zigzag pattern in its attempt to dodge all incoming arrows.

Unfortunately, it wasn't able to evade all the arrows, and some of them landed on the Black Hound's body.

One arrow even landed dangerously close to Thirteen's neck.

The seven-year-old was focusing his concentration on his hearing, listening to the whistling of the wind, allowing him to predict the location where the arrows would hit.

Sensing that an arrow would be hitting his location soon, the boy gritted his teeth and pushed himself off the Warsor Black Hound's back.

He tucked his chin and knees on his chest and bent his arms to protect his head.

His landing on the ground was hard, with his shoulder taking the brunt of his fall, making him wince in pain.

But he did what he needed to do and rolled to mitigate the impact of the fall until it was dispersed completely.

Tiona, who was coiled on the boy's neck, made sure to protect his neck from injury and coiled around it like a protective vambrace.

A few seconds later, the boy stopped rolling on the ground.

The first thing he heard was the sound of the Sabertooth Tiger's steps, which were fast approaching him.

The second thing he heard was Tiona's angry hiss as the Black Snake positioned herself between the Tigerkins and her Master.

"A Lord of Death," one of the Tigerkins exclaimed as soon as they saw the Black Snake, who was ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

It was very obvious in their eyes that the Black Snake was protecting the fallen boy, who laid completely still on the ground.

"Hisssss!"

Tiona's angry hissing made the three Tigerkins unable to decide on what to do.

The Domini Mortis was a sacred beast that no Beastkin dared to hurt or kill.

Harming it in any way was taboo for the Beastkins, for the Domini Mortis was the symbol of Apollyon, the Deity who represented Death and Destruction.

Because of this, no Beastkin had the guts to even scratch it, for those who did would become Apollyon's enemy for life.

"What do we do?" one of the Tigerkin's asked their second in command.

The Vice Captain was also at a loss on what to do because they didn't think that a human boy would be in the possession of a Domini Mortis.

While the three Tigerkins were debating on what to do next, Thirteen finally stirred and slowly propped himself up from the ground.

Tiona hurriedly crawled on his body, coiling herself on his neck, and hissed softly in his ears, asking if he was alright.

"I'm fine, Tiona," Thirteen said. "I think I sprained my left shoulder though."

Tiona flicked her tongue as if licking the boy's cheek, making the Tigerkins look at each other with uncertainty.

Even the Saber Tooth Tigers, who were ferocious monsters, didn't dare to growl at the Black Snake's direction because they shared a strong bond with the Tigerkin Race.

Their taboos were their taboos, so they remained silent and waited for their Masters to handle the current situation.

"Who are you, boy?" the Vice Captain asked. "And why were you traveling with that Drow earlier?"

"She is a slave trader, and I am one of her slaves," Thirteen replied as he assessed the injury of his left shoulder by touching it with his right hand.

"Are you a barbarian?" the Vice Captain asked.

"Do I look like a barbarian?" Thirteen asked back.

"I'm the one asking the questions here, boy. So, answer me."

"I am not a barbarian."

Thirteen knew that adult Tigerkins, especially Warrior Tigerkins have a code of honor to not hurt children, especially those who were below ten years of age.

So he was safe. At least for the time being.

"You will allow us to capture you," the Vice Captain stated. "Worry not because we will not harm you. Also, we will give you medicine to tend to your injuries. We just need to take you back to our camp, so we can ask you questions."

"Okay," Thirteen replied.

"Also, tell the Lord of Death to not bite us," the Vice Captain said. "We mean it no harm."

"Understood." Thirteen nodded. "Tiona, don't bite any of them, okay?"

The Black Snake reluctantly nodded its head before giving a soft hiss to let her Master know that she would obey his orders.

"Maia, tend to his injuries," the Vice Captain commanded. "We will be taking him back to our camp."

"Understood," Maia replied.

The lady Tigerkin dismounted from her mount and anxiously approached the boy to examine his left arm.

Tiona eyed the Tigerkin with hostility, but she made no attempts to bite the latter.

"You have sprained your shoulder," Maia said as she looked at the boy, who had his eyes closed. "But it's not that severe. It will naturally heal in two to four weeks. I have a potion here that acts as a painkiller. Do you want it?"

Thirteen nodded. "I want it. Thank you."

"Here you go," Maia said as she took out a small bottle from his pouch.

Thirteen reached out for it. But because he had his eyes closed, he just kept his right hand raised so that the Tigerkin could give it to him.

"Are you blind?" Maia asked with curiosity as she placed the pain killing potion in Thirteen's hand, so he could grab hold of it.

"Temporarily blind," Thirteen answered. "I strained my eyes a day ago."

"Oh, you poor child." Maia felt a little sorry for the boy, who not only sprained his shoulder but had also temporarily lost his vision as well.

When Thirteen finished drinking the painkiller potion, he felt a little better because it was very effective.

The stinging pain on his shoulder was now gone, and he could think properly once more.

"Come. We will take you to our camp," Maia said before holding Zion's right hand and guiding him toward the Saber Tooth Tiger, who had crouched down so that the boy could properly mount its back.

Maia sat behind Thirteen, holding him securely in place.

Tiona gave the Tigerkin the "you better not do anything funny, or else I'll bite you" gaze, making Maia shudder.

"Let's regroup with our captain first," the Vice Captain said. "I'm sure he's done dealing with that Drow by now."

The rest of the Tigerkins nodded as they made their way back to the location where they first saw the boy and the Drow together.

High above their heads, Vassago followed closely behind.

One of the contingency plans that he and his Master had talked about was about what the Pocopoco would do just in case Thirteen ended up being captured by the Tigerkins.

Since the boy knew the Tigerkin's Code of Honor, he was confident that he wouldn't be harmed even if he was captured.

Because of this, Vassago wasn't too worried about his Master's safety. However, he still followed behind to see if Adira, who had stayed behind to keep the Tigerkin Champion at bay, had managed to survive her clash with him.