The duo went further into the tunnels for Melitele knew how long after Roy was done eating the plants. Since their supplies were running low, they estimated it’d been four days, so they’d been in the tunnels for nearly a week at that point.

Letho managed to walk by propping up his broken leg with his short swords and a piece of cloth while using Gwyhyr as a crutch.

Luckily for them, the journey was peaceful; the monsters must’ve died from extreme starvation. The stagnant air finally began to flow, and that told them the exit must’ve been near. They were close to the surface, close to leaving the darkness of the tunnels behind.

***

“Shh.” When they arrived into a bigger cavern after going through the narrow tunnel, Letho shushed Roy and put out his torch. Roy looked to where Letho was pointing, only to vaguely see a nekker warrior dragging its hands around the entrance.

The nekker warrior was obviously bigger and stronger than the ones they’d faced before. It probably ate more than its brethren. It looked like an ugly, burly, hunched man, prowling like a guard dog. Its eyes were gleaming in the darkness, its nose twitching. And then it inched closer to the duo when it smelled their scent.

But before it could get closer, Roy pierced its head with a bolt, and it fell with a thud. 

‘You killed a nekker warrior. EXP +30.’ 

Roy kept his crossbow before going to take his spoils, but Letho held his shoulder. A moment later, two more nekkers came out of the tunnel, and then a bloody scene followed.

They didn’t notice the duo, and they were attracted by the fallen nekker warrior’s body. The pair took a whiff before pouncing on it. One of the nekkers gnawed on the neck, while the other dug into the thigh. Their sharp teeth easily tore through the body’s skin, severing vessels and flesh. And they gobbled everything down before looking up to the sky to swallow the flesh.

When they were done, they licked their lips clean with their lizardlike tongue before going for another bite. The cavern was silent, aside from the sounds of chewing and tearing. Flesh and blood spewed everywhere, turning that spot into a gory mess. About thirty seconds later, a considerable part of the body had been devoured, leaving nothing but bones behind. The nekkers stopped after eating a fifth of the body, and they dragged the remains into the tunnel behind them.

“Those nekkers looked starved.” Roy gasped, a chill running down his spine. “Why didn’t they finish it?”

“Nekkers have a clear hierarchy.” Letho coughed. “Much like lions and wolves, the higher echelons enjoy the meat first. In this case, the warriors and leaders have the privilege to feast first. Once they’re done, they’ll give some to the nest, and then the normal nekkers eat last. Those guys didn’t take too much because they didn’t want to anger their boss.” He heaved a sigh. “They were eating the body so they could evolve. Those kinds of creatures benefit from devouring the flesh of those more powerful than them. Evolution’s more important to them than the desire to feast.”

Roy nodded, but then his face fell. “They have a boss? I hope it’s not a nekker chieftain.” Nekker chieftains were stronger and harder to handle than warriors. A single chieftain could rally the disorganized nekkers and have them work together.

The duo waited for half an hour before approaching the feasting ground. The body left trails of blood and flesh, so the duo wiped that all over them before drawing five diagonal lines on their faces.

Then they hunched and trudged inside, not unlike the nekkers. After turning a few corners, they came to an exit and saw the light at the end of the tunnel. The exit was right there, but what they saw made their faces fall.

Thirty feet away, light illuminated the group nekkers sprawled on the ground. They were entwined, squirming, grunting, not unlike pythons in heat. There were at least ninety of them, making them the biggest tribe the duo had ever seen.

The body that was dragged in by the nekkers earlier was placed behind the sleeping tribe, where their nest rested. Most of the body had been devoured, and the ribcage was revealed. Roy was reminded of mutton and beef on display. Sitting beside the nest was a green nekker whose skin looked like armor. It was supporting its chin with its hand, and its eyes were closed, as if it were a thinker. It could’ve been one, if not for its thunderous snoring.

As its chest heaved, its fangs would reveal themselves from time to time. Normal nekkers were only five feet four, but the green nekker was six feet. It was taller than all the others. Even when it was asleep, it exuded a cruel, violent air.

‘Nekker chieftain

Age: Twenty years old

HP: 100

Strength: 8 (Strength of Greed +2)

Dexterity: 6 (Strength in Numbers +1)

Constitution: 10 (Strength of Greed +3)

Perception: 5

Will: 5 (Strength in Numbers +1)

Charisma: 2

Spirit: 3

Skills:

Leap Attack Level 8: Nekkers have great leaping ability, allowing them to attack from ten feet away. It can leap toward its target quickly, attacking it with its fangs and claws. It gains +2 in Strength when it leaps. Lasts thirty seconds.

Corpse Venom Level 8: Nekkers live in places filled with corpses and decaying flesh. Thanks to that, their claws and fangs are imbibed with venom. Their attacks can weaken their target and cause bleeding as well as heat them up and cause intense pain.

Strength of Greed (Passive): Nekker chieftains have ingested a great amount of flesh and have undergone two evolutions. They possess far superior life force and strength compared to normal nekkers. Constitution +3, Strength +2.

Strength in Numbers (Passive): Whenever nekkers move in packs, they gain +1 in Dexterity and Will.

Leader (Passive): Nekker chieftains are the leaders of nekkers. Nekkers lower in rank can’t go against its orders.’

***

Shit,Roy cursed silently. After all the battles they’d fought, they’d run out of bombs, potions, and oils. To make things worse, Letho was out of commission, and it took all he had just to move around. How are we supposed to fight them? They have a chieftain with them.

He pondered on a way to escape. There was only one option left. They had to go through the squirming swarm without alerting even one of them, or they’d be dead if they were swarmed. Roy squinted in an attempt to see a way out, even if the way was a narrow path.

Letho suddenly tugged at him and gave him a look that said ‘Get back inside.’ 

Letho stared into his eyes. “Listen to me, boy. You’re going to leave by yourself later,” he commanded. “You’re agile enough to get past them silently and quickly. Nekkers don’t sleep for long. If you miss this chance…”

“But what about you?” Roy interrupted, looking at Letho’s fractured right leg. “You got another idea?” Roy sounded excited.

“Yeah. You getting away safely is better than us getting trapped here.” Letho paused. “You can get some help when you escape. I can easily hide for a bit.”

“As if, Letho. You can barely walk, let alone hide from them.” He shook his head, refusing. “It’s not the time to play here. I’ll give you a piggyback ride, and that’s it.” Letho wanted to say something, but Roy said, “You’re asking me to be a deserter? A coward?” Roy started convincing him. “I’ll be wracked with guilt if I escape alone. I’ll just be another Seville Hoger. That guilt’s going to haunt me forever, and if I bring it into the trial, it’ll be the end of me.”

Letho took a deep breath. He got me good. “Very well then. We shall fight together once again.”

***

They tiptoed to the nekker heap to observe them for a while. Most of the nekkers were entangled tightly, leaving no space, but there were some small spots between arms, legs, or the nekkers. Just enough for them to stand in. They looked ahead and managed to find an escape route, though a narrow one.

Roy nodded at Letho, and then they started moving. Letho was two times heavier than Roy, so giving him a piggyback ride was no small feat. Roy felt like he was being crushed by a small hill, his face turning scarlet, and his veins bulged.

Roy’s breathing turned heavy, but he kept his mouth shut. He puffed his cheeks, gritted his teeth, and tried his best not to make a sound. When he put his left foot into the space between two nekkers, a terrible stench assailed him. 

Roy could see every inch of the nekkers’ faces, and they were hideous. They were filled with blotches, and their skin was disgustingly rough. They wore nothing but loincloths, the bloated flesh of their bodies in full sight. Their mouths were filled with sharp fangs that had flesh stuck between them.

He never expected to observe a living nekker at such a close distance, but it was terrifying. He was worried they would suddenly open their eyes and attack him, but that was just his imagination.

Roy solidified his legs’ grip on the ground before taking a ten second rest. Then he stepped into the space between the nekkers’ arms. But the moment he did, a single drop of sweat fell into one of the nekkers’ open mouth.

The nekker smacked its lips, its face scrunching. At the same time, Roy took a deep breath and stood rooted in place. Letho extended his hand over Roy’s shoulder, getting ready to cast Axii, but he didn’t have to. A few moments later, the nekker turned around to hold its companion’s legs and snore.

The same thing happened a few times, and it felt like the journey had taken an eternity. They felt like a guillotine was hanging over their heads, ready to lop them off at any given moment. One misstep or grunt could spell the end of them.

However, Roy managed to control himself well thanks to his Dexterity. His Spirit helped him keep focus, while his Will resolved him to take every step without fear. 

A long while later, someone said in Roy’s mind, ‘You have passed the third trial — The Nekkers’ Hotbed.’

There were only twenty feet left, but it took Roy five minutes to finish them. Exhaustion caught up to him the moment he let Letho go. He bent over with his hands on his knees. His chest heaved, and sweat trickled down his legs. Every cell in his body felt hot and sore, but when he looked back at the nekkers, he felt accomplished. I made it through without leaving my comrade behind.

But it wasn’t time to celebrate. They quickly went past the chieftain, and it didn’t seem to notice them. The chieftain still had its eyes closed, as if it were deep in thought. Eventually, they arrived at the exit, but it could only fit one person at a time, so Letho went ahead while he took the rear. However, a short while later, alarm bells started ringing in his head, so he turned around.

Standing at the tunnel’s entrance was the chieftain. It was tilting its head toward Roy, observing him. Its back was hunched, and one of its claws was hanging above the ground, while the other was before its chest. Its gigantic eyes gleamed smugly, and a grin broke out on its face. Then it laughed.

Roy was smeared in nekker blood, but his camouflage was only effective with normal nekkers, not the sly chieftain.

The chieftain let out a loud screech, and the tribe of nekkers awoke. Whipped into frenzy, they crashed into the tunnel, ready to kill the duo.

Roy sighed. I guess we can’t run. He gave up on escaping. He could escape alone, but that meant he would have to leave Letho for dead. The only way left is to fight.