System's POV
chapter-156

After the group of three, plus a seven-year-old boy and a grumpy black snake backtracked from where they separated with their captain, they saw a land littered with small craters as if several bombs exploded at the same time.

At the center of it was their Captain, who was kneeling on the ground, with his Sabertooth Tiger standing guard beside him.

A slash wound could be seen on the side of his cheek, but aside from that superficial wound, he was mostly fine.

He also had other superficial wounds here and there, but for Tigerkins, this wasn't a big deal.

But, his condition was enough to alarm his subordinates, who thought that their Captain could easily subdue the Drow that he decided to fight on his own.

"Captain, are you alright?" the Vice Captain of the Scouting Party asked.

"Yes," The Captain, who went by the name, Dixon, replied. "Who is the boy, Armand?"

The Vice-Captain glanced at the seven-year-old, whom they had captured, and shook his head.

"I didn't ask him his name, Sir," Armand replied. "All I know is that he is a 'Chosen One' by a Lord of Death."

Dixon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Black Snake coiled around the boy's neck.

He didn't make any comment about Thirteen and only shifted his attention back to his Vice Captain.

"We need to leave," Dixon stated. "That Drow escaped and is bound to tell the Barbarians of our presence. Let's go before a Hunting Party finds us."

"And the boy?" Armand inquired.

"We're taking him with us."

"Understood, Sir. But what about this monster in the cage? Is it already dead? Should we leave it here?"

Dixon looked at the Obsidian Tiger Beetle, which was still alive despite the injuries that it had received, proving how tough its shell was.

"Let's just leave it," Dixon stated. Taking it will just slow us down."

Dixon gave the monster a sidelong glance before mounting his Saber Tooth Tiger.

A minute later, the small scouting party headed Northeast in order to leave the Warsor Plains and the Barbarian territories behind.

Thirteen, who was riding alongside the Tigerkin Lady, Alina, suddenly heard the screech of a hawk.

The boy knew that the screech came from Vassago, who told him that he would go find Adira and pass Thirteen's message to her.

While the Drow and Blacky were out hunting the Obsidian Tiger Beetle, one of the things that Vassago and his Master had talked about was the possibility of him getting captured by the Tigerkin Scouts.

The seven-year-old stated that if that were to happen, Vassago would inform Adira that he was fine and that he didn't need any rescue.

He knew the code of conduct of the Tigerkins and believed that they would not harm him since he was still a child.

As for Tiona being treated as a Sacred Beast, he wasn't aware of this because the information he got from the Valbarra Archipelago was 300 years old.

He knew who Apollyon was because the Deity was also known by another name, and that was Abaddon.

The Deity of Destruction, Slaughter, and Death.

He was one of the Seven Fiends, and he was worshiped by those who favored war over peace.

'I just hope Cristopher doesn't get depressed while I'm away,' Thirteen thought. 'Well, Vassago will be there to tell him what to do, so he should be okay.'

At that exact moment, Adira, who had escaped from Dixon, leaned on the wall of a small cave that she found during her escape.

She wasn't injured because she managed to draw first blood on her foe, and her blades contained a powerful paralyzing poison that limited the movement of her enemies.

Even so, it was a two versus one battle, with Dixon's Mount being a Rank 5 Saber Tooth Tiger.

Adira was unable to land a decisive blow on her enemy, so after giving him superficial wounds, she decided to escape before her opponent's party members returned.

Just as she was resting, something black entered the cave, prompting the Drow to raise her dagger.

However, after recognizing that it was Blacky with a few arrows sticking out of its body, she finally lowered her guard.

But it didn't take long for her to realize that the seven-year-old, who was supposed to be on his back, was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Zion?" Adira asked while frowning.

The Warsor Black Hound started to whine as if trying to explain what had happened.

However, since Adira couldn't understand its language, the frown on her face deepened.

Suddenly, something flew inside the cave and landed several meters from Adira.

Out of reflex, the Drow threw her dagger at the newcomer.

Fortunately, Vassago had already expected this to happen, so he hopped to the side, making the dagger hit the ground beside his feet.

"I have been captured by the Tigerkin," Vassago said using Thirteen's voice. "However, you don't have to worry about me. Tigerkins don't hurt children, so I will be safe for the time being. You don't need to rescue me because I plan to find a way to escape on my own.

"I don't know how long I'll be kept captive, so please look after Cristopher and my other slaves while I am away. Lastly, please heal the injuries of Blacky's comrades, as well as free them if they wished to leave."

The Pocopoco then shifted his attention to the Warsor Black Hound, who was eyeing him with suspicion.

"Blacky, I don't know if Lady Adira will honor our agreement, but I can tell that she is a Drow of her word. She will probably heal and release your friends. But I have another proposal for you.

"Since the Furvus Grasslands is now the territory of the Diabolical Hyena, returning there will be a very dangerous thing to do. So how about you stay with my subordinates in my base? You will receive food and shelter, and all you need to do is guard the place.

"Also, If you cooperate with Vassago to rescue me, I will help raise your Rank to Rank 5. Of course, you can reject this offer if you like. The choice is yours to make. But I can guarantee that if you choose to become my subordinate, I will ensure that you will not regret it."

Truth be told, Thirteen never said anything like the last part of the proposal to Vassago, the one about raising Blacky's Rank to Rank 5 if the Black Hound decided to rescue Thirteen with the Pocopoco.

But what the seven-year-old did tell Pocopoco was that he could use any means necessary to ensure a successful negotiation with Blacky and make it agree to help with his rescue.

Although he was confident about being able to escape the Tigerkins, he would need a mount that could travel on land and sea.

Since the Black Hound could also swim in the water for long distances, having its cooperation would increase his chances of escaping.

After the Pocopoco started talking, the Warsor Black Hound barked twice, telling Vassago that his Master could drink piss for all he cared.

The Black Hound even complained about the arrows in his back, which made the Pocopoco laugh in disdain, prompting Blacky to snap at the dumb bird.

However, Vassago had already flapped its wings to fly out of the cave, leaving an angry Blacky behind.

"Ah, one more thing," Vassago said, still using Thirteen's voice. "The Obsidian Tiger Beetle was left behind. If possible, can you bring it to Cristopher and make it one of his slaves? I'm sure he'll be delighted to have it."

The Drow clicked her tongue after hearing Vassago's message.

"Even after you've gotten yourself captured, you still treat me as one of your thugs," Adira scratched her head angrily. "Damn it. Don't let me catch you, Zion. I swear I'm going to give you a good beating next time I see you!"

Blacky howled to show his support to Adira.

The Black Hound also wanted to take a bite of the annoying seven-year-old's so that it could vent out its frustrations for all the suffering he had received after accepting the boy's proposal.

In the end, Adira decided to backtrack and look for the steel cage, which contained the Obsidian Tiger Beetle. She tied it to Blacky's back and went to look for Cristopher and the others, who were waiting for their Master to return.