Chapter 60: Spotting Another Party
The three of them continued wandering the Frostlands for what felt like an hour, but none of them seemed affected by the cold.
They were all resistant to it.
Even so, Anastasia still hadn’t calmed down. They moved through a frozen forest, searching for a cave to camp in; unlike Ronan and Sarael, she had the weakest resistance to the cold.
Her ice element made her naturally resistant, though not nearly as much as Ronan’s constitution or Sarael’s inhuman nature.
"Are you seriously just going to keep following me?"
Anastasia scowled. By then, she had already leveled up three times from constantly killing the random enemies they encountered.
"That’s the plan."
Ronan said, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
"Don’t worry, I’m memorizing the route just in case we get lost."
Sarael added, now perched on Ronan’s back instead of floating. Their casualness only frustrated Anastasia more.
The three of them continued on, and eventually found something other than trees and snow.
Smoke, actual smoke, along with an orange glow rose in the distance, and they could hear three voices as well.
"Finally, I can ask for directions!"
Anastasia cheered, but Ronan was more concerned. People being this far off the recommended path was definitely far from normal.
Still, he followed; there wasn’t any glaring red flag for now.
✧ ✦ ✧
"How long until we arrive at the ruin?"
Alexander asked, sharpening his greatsword by the fire.
"Probably twenty minutes after we’re done resting," Elena answered. The mage of the party rested her staff on one hand as she maintained the campfire despite the extreme temperatures.
"Does it really have to be night?" Yvraine asked. The healer was tending to Alexander’s wounds after a fight with a B-Class Bear they had encountered just a minute ago.
"That’s what the fixer said. I’m not even sure how the client got this information in the first place—"
RUSTLE!
The three of them immediately moved at the sound. Alexander stepped into the space between Elena and Yvraine, ready to frontline whatever beast had spotted them from the campfire.
"Wait! We’re friendly!"
Anastasia emerged from the snow-covered trees with both hands raised above her head, with Ronan and Sarael following not long after.
"Don’t come any closer!"
Elena yelled before Anastasia could take another step, her staff already raised and glowing with magic, ready to blow all three of them into bits and pieces.
"What are three people doing this far off the recommended path?"
"We got lost, that’s all. And when we saw your fire, I thought I might be able to ask for directions."
Anastasia answered, and Alexander narrowed his eyes, gauging her face for any sign of lying. But Anastasia genuinely wasn’t.
She might be a powerful hunter, but other than a few controlled raids, she was as green as it gets. There was no way she would have ulterior motives in a situation like this.
"Seriously?"
Alexander scoffed, resting his greatsword on his shoulder.
"It’s there."
He pointed in a specific direction to the right, never breaking eye contact with the three strangers who had wandered into their camp.
Anastasia nodded, already bowing in thanks, and gestured for Ronan to follow before he stopped her by tugging on the collar of her winter coat.
"Before we go, what are you three doing here?" Ronan asked, clearly curious. Even if their motives weren’t obvious, it didn’t hurt to gather information.
And anyone who wasn’t guilty would likely answer honestly as well.
"Farming, what else?"
Alexander answered bluntly, not even hesitating. But Sarael knew he was lying. Years of dealing with worshippers hiding their true desires while praying had trained her for it.
Well... that, and the fact that she was now an active deity after coming into contact with an old artifact from when she was still worshipped.
"You’re lying."
Sarael glared at him, her hands still hooked around Ronan’s neck as she hung on his back.
"What?"
Elena said, and Anastasia could feel the tension, her grip on her rifle tightening in case things got messy.
But Alexander didn’t even flinch.
"So what...? It’s not like we’re obligated to tell you everything. We’ve already told you where to go, so I suggest you scram."
Ronan shrugged, then forced the friendliest expression he could manage in this situation.
"Then how about we help out? No need to share the spoils."
"What...?"
Alexander looked genuinely surprised by the offer.
"The girl here..."
Ronan said, pulling her closer and patting her head like she was a child, despite them being the same age.
"Is a new hunter. If you three have a job, we’re willing to help free of charge. We just need the experience."
Alexander looked like he was about to refuse, but Yvraine suddenly tapped him on the shoulder and whispered something in his ear. That seemed to change his mind.
"Fine."
Anastasia blinked, clearly surprised by how easily he agreed.
"Fine?"
"Yes. We need more bodies anyway."
Alexander smirked, while Sarael looked thoroughly unimpressed.
"You’re still hiding something."
"I could say the same thing about you three. So you can either join us or leave. Your choice."
Ronan glanced at Anastasia, a punchable expression on his face.
"What’s your decision, leader?"
"I know you want me to say yes, so don’t even bother pretending I have a choice."
Anastasia sighed and nodded.
"Then it’s settled. But since you three need the experience, I expect you to do all the fighting first. This is our job, after all, and we don’t want you lagging behind only to ambush us once we reach the treasure."
"That’s fine with me."
Ronan replied, settling the deal.
"Since we’re working together, names," Alexander said. It wasn’t a request. "I’m Alexander. The mage is Elena. Our healer is Yvraine."
"Anastasia."
She said, then gestured behind her.
"These two are my... party members. I can’t reveal their names for legal reasons."
She deliberately avoided using their names. And Ronan filed that away as another sign she was learning.
Alexander’s eyes swept over Ronan and Sarael with the flat assessment of someone who’d worked with strangers before and trusted none of them.
"You two got names, or should I just call you Sword and Backpack?"
"Backpack’s fine."
Sarael said without missing a beat, still draped over Ronan’s shoulders.
"I like the view from here."
Ronan grinned. "I’ll take Sword."
"Great. We’re all friends now."
Alexander’s tone suggested the opposite. He turned and gestured toward the darkness beyond the campfire.
"The ruin’s twenty minutes north. We move in five."
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