Haaaaaa, yes, okay, that's another level we have here !

In front of me was the still barely alive wormy-possum, with a huge main body writhing in pain and his twenty something meters wormy neck trying to wrap itself with his last jolts of life around the colossal ice stake who impaled him.

Since Book girl was quiet and presented as a defense specialist, i've only pictured her as a walking bunker, but yeah, it should have been strange for her to be able to use only one capacity huh ? Hey Carl, if you need this level of firepower to be an academy teacher, you still have some way to go, bro !

The J-team, Beastcat, Boobs elf and Carl have retreated far away from the dying beast to heal their injuries. J-priest is currently in the middle of healing all the melee fighters, while Boobs elf, Carl and Book girl are discussing something. And keeping an eye out for any other potential threat. I think.

And for me, i was strongly encouraged to stay near the trunk of the tree and to absolutely not move. Book girl put a roundish, yellowish, semi-opaque magic shield around me to keep me safe.

So, now, i'm forced to sit down in an almost foetal position, with no means to see what's happening anymore.

... From the outside i must look like one of these cheap children toy you find in a plastic ball near supermarket. I just lack the chocolate egg...

... Well. I can only wait, now.

And thirty minutes later,

" - You Can come noW, Kyle. There's no danGer anymoRe."

I get up, and go near Carl and Book girl on the top of the tree trunk. From here, i can see that the beast finally died. she has ceased to make any move or sound. The fact it is dead doesn't make it look less intimidating and disgusting, however.

And smelling, too. I wonder why we didn't have found this beast by the spell, it's atrocious.

The J-team is already on site to inspect the corpse of the monster.

Beastcat come a little later with his bag, take a big saw who was inside and try to cut off the base of the worm-neck part.

Boobs elf join them after with a big knife and... huu.. Slice open the beast part of the monster to... What the fuck is she doing ?!?

All the innards of the beast are spilling from the big "entry door" Boobs elf is trying to carve from the main corpse. And now, fresh, still likewarm organs are pulled out by the two happy J-warriors, while boobs elf... Huu, she enter into the corpse by the wound... Ok, i dont understand anymore. She's not luke skywalker and we're not in a frozen waste planet, so why by the holy flying toilet is she doing this ?

" - Carl, i'm sorry to ask, but what are they doing here ?"

" - Ho, they are Fetching our Food for tonighT !"

... With a flat face, i slooowly turn my head to look at Carl with wide eyes. Aim : check. Puking in three... Two... One...

" - HAHAHAHA, you have a Funny heaD ! No, they are looKing for precious iteMs inside the monsTer, like the magic Core and other imPortants paRts."

" - Hahaha."

Damn it, fucker.

" - Yeah, you said it was like a magic battery before right ? It is valuable ?'

" - It's a veRy rare monsTer in this region, so the Core and the valuaBle organs shoulD sell for a decent suM."

" - Very rare ?"

I will not react on the fact we are lucky enough to encounter a very rare monster totally by accident or i'm sure it will call for another lucky encounter. We didnt have spotted a dragon yet. This flag still float high and proud in the wind, ready to act.

In the meantime, Boobs elf is back from her obstetrico-geologic trip, covered in a translucent gluttinous mucus, with a round grey ball and two unknown organs in hands. All of the escort guys seems to be happy at this sight, since they happily take the prizes and hug and congratulate each others... And now they're ALL covered with the mucus. They finish by taking some other body parts, notably the spikes who where on the back of the beast and the pincers, and are now all coming back to us, with big smile on their faces.

No offense, but i'm preparing to escape if they were to try to hug me too...

" - With this, we Can resume our Walk again."

Carl help Book girl to mount back, and after that pick up his little bag from the ground.

" - We neeD to take some disTance beforRe other beasts are atTracted by the sMell !"

A smell like this mucus-thing who stink in a five meters radius ?

" - ... but a Core can also conTain some parts of the characteristiCs essence of the Creature, it's uncommon but have its uSes when mixed as a-

One hour later, we have walked away from the purple forest part.

The trees are now all green again, with a normal height. Insects are the size of my pinky at best, and birds dont look like they will insta-kill you if they were to poop above your head. And we didn't encounter another monster, for now.

This is great.

Except the fact my feet are killing me again. But since i suffer, it mean i'm alive, right ?

Outch, my toe disagreed with me just now.

" - ...A Core allow to maKe interesting things aGain in what we call livinG enchanTment. It consist to find a meThod to attach the Power of the Core to a liVing beinG, consuming the said Core in the proceSs, but allowing the enchanteD to take a part of the poweR to himself."

" - Really ? That's awesome."

" - Yeah, and the weaKness is it need a core supPosedly stronger that your currenT power but the advantaGes are-"

Carl is still going on with a lesson about the use of magic cores, and it's another too densely packed bunch of informations, since they are used everywhere. In resume, they are battery, the stronger you take one from, the more she can have or eventually regenerate magic power, and size doesn't really matter. After that i stopped paying attention.

The smell from our escort have subsided after they used some magic to wash it away, and we are back to the same formation from before. Beastcat retrieved his dog who was hidden away from the fight, since the poor thing wouldn't have helped much against this kind of opponent, and has gone back to precede us by 200 meters in the road. Book girl have gone back to sleep on the horse, annnd, well, that's all. We are in the middle of the afternoon i think ?

" - ... It allow the Formula about (MagicPower X Capacity) diviseD by the sQuare of the-"

" - Sorry to intrrupt you Carl, but how much time until we attain the next shelter ?"

" - They saiD two more hours i think ? So the formula is diviseD with the square of-"

Endure a little more, my brave feet ! SURVIVE !

...

And two more excruciating hours laters, we are in sight of the tiny shelter dot on the road landscape who scream "hey, look, the last kilometer is the worst ! Suffer, bitch !".

Seriously, this trip is a training for olympic marathon. At least make it a bicycle training...

.. Now that i think about it, do they know about bike in this world ?

" - Hey, Carl, i wondered if-"

" - But then we haVe the case about the Core of the Mrthuhta city who is... Ho, looK, the shelter, finally ! Seem like there's peoPle here. Stay by our siDe until we confirm the saFety, please."

People ? Where ? I dont have bionic eyes like you, you know ?

And ten minute later, we are in front of the shelters, and yeah, there was three people in front too. Beastcat is already chatting and J-warrior-in-chief join them.

Based on their outfits, they look like hunters. One human and two dog or wolf beast people. They are stil in the middle of dismanteling a prey, a deer the size of a fucking horse outside the shelter, above a hole digged near a tree.

The talk seem like it's going in a good direction since i see them smiling and laughing with each others.

After he finished to discuss with them, J-warrior came back to us to speak a little with the rest. And at last, Carl relay the information to me.

" - It's a hunTer Party. They're staying here for the nighT and are Planning to go back tomorrow morninG to the town. Since we have Killed a monsteR further away who would have probably Threatened them lateR, they will thank us by alloWing us to traveL with them, since they have a Cart ! Isn't it great ?"

" - This is very nice !"

HO MY GOD. I almost cry internally.

We are withouth further talk invited to the shelter. Four more humans, three mens and a woman, are busy inside processing the pelts of another prey and preparing the campment for the night. They salute us politely as they continue their activity.

And inside, i can spot them. Not one, but TWO carts ! LONG LIVE THE HUNTERS OF THIS WORLD ! AND THE CART MANUFACTURERS ! I dont care if they are full of pelt or whatnot, and smell like rotten cheese, with fly buzzing inside, at least i will not have to walk anymore.

Inside my boots, my tiptoes are doing a party.