Was it the effect of Gravel's enhancement magic? Or perhaps the force of leaping down from a great height? Whatever the reason, the massive harpoon pierced through what seemed like the thick scales of the drake with surprising ease. Almost simultaneously, five harpoons struck the drake's back with a resounding crack. Blood spurted from the wounds, and the drake's agonized roar echoed through the forest.
"Perfect! Everyone, fall back!"
As soon as the harpoons were lodged into the drake's back, Wellen shouted, leaping backward.
"Yes! Understood, Wel—argh!"
Clau, who had been squinting with one eye closed—likely from blood splattering into it—was thrown off the drake's back mid-response. Among the other harpoon team members, Baum stumbled and fell, but most managed to retreat safely from the drake's back.
The drake suddenly twisted its massive body, flinging the harpoon team off its back. Another deafening roar followed—a furious bellow, an expression of rage toward the tiny creatures that had caused it such pain. Growling, it swung its head back and forth, searching for the beings that had just been on its back. Of the five harpoons embedded in its hide, two had been dislodged by the drake's violent thrashing and now lay on the ground.
The remaining three harpoons clinked and rattled with the chains attached to them as the drake moved. Whether annoyed by the sound or tormented by the pain, the drake craned its neck toward its back and clamped its jaws around one of the harpoons, yanking it out. As it spat out the bloodied harpoon and moved to bite at the second, a purple cloud of smoke exploded with a pop near its head.
"Hey! Over here! This way!"
It was Eto, Lat, and Uuk. The purple smoke came from a small pouch fired from a crossbow. Eto raised the crossbow high, waving it as he shouted at the drake.
"This way, I said! Come on, Lat, hurry up!"
Eto thrust the crossbow toward Lat, who was pulling back the string beside her, urging him to hand over the next one.
"Here… here!"
Lat quickly took Eto's crossbow and passed him his own.
Whirrrr!
The pouch fired from the crossbow made a peculiar sound as it flew, influenced by the stringed ornament tied to its end.
The small pouch struck the drake's horn, bursting into another cloud of purple smoke.
"Well then, Wellen, we'll head out first as planned!"
Eto shouted toward an unseen Wellen before vanishing into the tall grass. The drake, shaken by Eto's disorienting powder and thrashing its head side to side, charged in the direction Eto had disappeared. Two harpoons remained embedded in its back, their chains tethered to nearby rock pillars, but they couldn't stop the drake's momentum. The chains were yanked free, pulling the pillars down with a crash as dust and debris clouded the air.
*****
"Ugh… what happened? Cough! What's going on…"
The collapse of the rock pillars, torn free by the chains, had filled the area with dust. Not far from the rubble, Clau leaned against a tree, coughing as he opened his eyes.
"You're awake."
"Up, huh, rookie?"
Greeting Clau were Gravel and Lesa.
Lesa, arms crossed and leaning against a nearby tree, was having her injured, bloodied shoulder tended to by Gravel when Clau stirred.
"Haha… yeah… Where's the beast?"
Clau stood, steadying himself against the tree and looking around.
"Eto's team lured it away. It's not like a beast that big would be stopped by chained harpoons, but we got in a solid hit—five, actually—so it's gotta be hurting. Wellen, Smir, and Baum went after it."
"Oh… I see. I'm sorry, it's my fault…"
"What are you talking about? Don't tell me you think I stayed behind just to babysit the 'no-longer-rookie' Clau?"
"No way, right?"
As the glow of healing magic enveloped Lesa's arm, she rolled her newly mended shoulder and walked toward Clau. She didn't forget to murmur a quiet "Thanks" to Gravel.
"Don't get the wrong idea, 'no-longer-rookie' Clau. I got hit by a rock from that collapsing pillar when the beast went wild, so I'm running late too. Wellen said he'd save my share of the hunt, so I stayed to get patched up properly before joining them."
"Oh, haha, got it… Then let's hurry. We need to catch up with Wellen!"
As Clau exchanged words with Lesa, he glanced around, searching for something. Likely, he was looking for the blast spear he'd propped against a tree before climbing the rock pillar to set up the harpoons. When he couldn't find it where he'd left it, his expression began to harden, a cold sweat forming on his back. Just then, Lesa pointed to where his spear was.
"Hey, it's over there, your blast spear. The lady knight brought it over earlier."
Iris, who had been watching the direction the drake had fled, turned toward Clau and Lesa at the mention of her name.
"Thank you! Iris, thank you so much!"
Clau bowed deeply to Iris, gratitude clear in his voice.
"Shall I cast a speed enhancement spell before we head out?"
Gravel, dusting off the dirt from his cloak after finishing Lesa's treatment, spoke up.
"Please, Gravel." Clau replied.
No sooner had Clau spoken than Gravel extended his hand, summoning a magic circle.
"Wait, I'm not big on magic—"
"Oh... Already cast it…"
The spell was complete. It wasn't a high-level spell, so there was no time to stop it mid-cast.
"Hm, well, whatever. It's just to catch up with the others." Lesa said, tying her dust-covered, dark brown hair into a ponytail. There was no particular reason for her aversion to enhancement magic—just a hunter's pride. She'd always refused it, clinging to the belief that a true hunter faced their prey with raw strength alone.
"Just take it. The Captain spent a fortune hiring Gravel." Clau said, winking at Gravel.
"How's it feel? Lighter, right? This stuff's no joke."
"Hmph! Fine, but no more when the hunt starts again."
Lesa leaped into the air, testing the effects of Gravel's speed enhancement.
"Come on… Well, fine. Lesa's strong enough as is."
"What, you mocking me now, Clau? With this speed boost, wanna see how fast I can knock you down?"
"No, no! I meant it! Let's go, we're gonna be late!"
Clau bolted ahead as if fleeing.
Side Story: Awaiting the Drake
While the harpoon team of the Lamir drake hunting party waited atop the rock pillars for the drake, Gravel walked with Iris toward a large boulder a short distance away. It was too thick to call a pillar and too small to be a hill—an oddly shaped mass of rock. Its height was just right for a clear view of the harpoon team's hunt, so Gravel had arranged with Clau and Wellen to wait there.
'If it's a raid monster… even a low-level one might withstand high-level magic. No, wait, we don't even know if it's low-level yet…'
As he walked toward the boulder, Gravel's mind raced. He'd taken on various quests in Froikton, but this was his first with such a large group. Part of him was excited, but he couldn't let himself get carried away. What if the drake was weaker than expected? Or far stronger? The uncertainty gnawed at him.
It might be reckless to assume, but there was a chance the drake could fall too easily to his magic or Iris's attacks. Conversely, if it was stronger than anticipated, he'd need contingency plans. His thoughts grew tangled.
Fleeing was always an option, but abandoning the others to escape with just Iris would complicate things. As a hired adventurer and as a person, he couldn't do that.
"Iris, what do you think about this drake hunt?"
"Hm? I don't have any particular thoughts. My role is to protect you Lord Gravel, and follow your orders."
"Hm… (Asking her for an opinion might be pointless…)"
Gravel kept walking, organizing his thoughts. After a moment, he spoke again.
"Then let me share my thoughts. To put it simply, we won't directly participate in the drake hunt. We'll stick to our role as hired adventurers—casting healing spells or enhancement magic for the injured. The only exception is if you, I, or anyone in this hunt is in mortal danger. Only then will we use our full strength."
"Understood, Lord Gravel."
"Is that too one-sided? I know you're worried that holding back too much might put me in danger. The reason's simple: I don't want to show our full power in front of so many people. Not yet, at least, not when we've only just arrived in this world. Just until we know more about it. Bear with me until then"
Though Iris walked calmly behind Gravel, she paused briefly, stunned. She was touched—not just that he'd noticed her subtle unease, but that he'd explained his reasoning and sought her understanding. It wasn't just surprise; it was moving.
"No, Lord Gravel. As long as your safety isn't at risk, I'll follow any order you give."
"Thanks for understanding, Iris."
Gravel gave a small smile at Iris's unusually earnest response.