After walking for a bit, Alcott stopped lifting his hand. “A monster is ahead. Everyone takes an arrow formation.”

“What’s an arrow formation?” Arad asked, lifting his staff.

Ginger stared at them. Alcott in the front, me and Arad on the same footing behind him, and then Aella followed by Jack. Like this [-=–] 𝒷𝒹ℴ𝓿𝓁.𝓬𝓸𝓂

-(Alcott)=(Ginger and Arad)-(Aella)-(Jack)

Alcott looked back, “I could clear it alone, but Ginger and I will pretend to be weaker to allow you some space.” He smiled.

The fight started silently. Alcott approached the corner slowly and peeked around. A massive frog-like monster sat there, staring into the cave’s depth.

Alcott grabbed a stone from the ground and looked back at Ginger.

Ginger nodded with a smile. Arad looked at her, confused. What did he mean?

Alcott threw the stone toward the monster, drawing its attention.

When the monster turned, Aella pulled her bow and fired three arrows. The first arrow hit the monster’s right eye, the second in the left eye, and the last in the mouth.

Alcott smiled.

Ginger lifted her want and poked Arad, “Now!” [Firebolt] Both fired immediately at the frog, flashing a bright crimson light to the cave.

KA-DON! KA-DON! As the fire burned the frog’s skin, Alcott charged at an incredible speed, stabbing his giant sword onto the monster’s guts.

“JACK!” Alcott yelled.

“Don’t have to tell me,” Jack fell from the ceiling, stabbing the frog in the head. “Die, thank you. My ass is all slimy now.” Jack Twisted his dagger while sitting on the frog’s slimy, non-existing neck.

“Nicely done,” Alcott smiled, pulling his blade from the monster’s chest. CRACK! The frog fell to the ground with a loud crack, and Jack leaped away, shaking the blood from his dagger.

Alcott stared back at Aella, “Those were some nice shots even though its dark,”

Aella walked toward the frog to retrieve her arrows, “I’m an elf with night vision and a fighter on top of that,” She smiled, grabbing one of her arrows.

At that moment, a tongue jerked from the dark, approaching her in the blink of an eye.

Thud! Alcott stepped forward, catching the tongue with his hand. “Monsters, you have some guts today.” BAM! With a stop, he swung his arm, pulling the cow-sized frog toward him at an incredible speed.

Alcott swung his greatsword with his other hand, cutting the frog in half from head to groin. CLANG!

As everyone stared in shock, blood splattered across the cave as Alcott exhaled. THUD! Ginger chopped Alcott’s head, “Idiot, you hit the ceiling. What if the cave collapsed?” She glared at him.

Alcott stared at the ceiling. He could see nothing.

“Sorry, I might have miscalculated the distance.” He scratched his head with a puzzled face.

“Sir Alcott, what was that?” Jack gasped, staring around and trying to touch the frog’s corpse.

“Great weapon fighting, wrath stance. But That was a botched one-handed variant.” Alcott looked at his greatsword, “I should have used two hands,”

“I’m sure that isn’t what he meant.” Arad sighed, “What level are you?”

Alcott looked back at them, “Level twenty, I’m a maxed fighter.” He scratched his head, “But that doesn’t mean I can do everything a fight should be able to do,” He smiled.

“He’s bad with horses, so he can’t be a knight,” Ginger stared at Arad, “But he’s good at riding camels and donkeys.”

“Camels?”

“Desert horses are big and have a mean personality.” Ginger looked at the monster’s corpse. “Let’s proceed. The noise is bound to track more monsters.”

All of them walked away, heading deeper into the cave.

As they walked, Ginger stared at Arad, “That was some quick casting. You matched my speed,” She smiled, her fangs almost showing.

“You impressive!” Jack commented, “To think you will match Ginger in spell casting.”

Arad smiled bitterly.

^That isn’t even a human. She is a vampire,^ Arad thought, and Mom agreed. [Matching a vampire can never be a good thing. Let’s hope she doesn’t start seeing us as a threat.]

^Alcott is keeping her in check, right?^ Arad thought, trying to make himself feel better.

[Vampire thralls look like ordinary people. Alcott could be already controlled, don’t drop your guard around her.]

Not knowing the extent of Ginger’s power has started to worry Arad. The mere idea of her manipulating Alcott, the monstrous adventurer, is horrifying.

“What are you thinking about?” She looked Arad in the eyes. A faint red flare gleamed in her eyes. She sighed, “Can’t see a thing. You’re an empty shell.”

Arad stared at her, confused, and Jack was the one to ask, “What do you mean?”

“I can’t read his mind with magic, as if he has a mind-blank spell active. Or like a monk who attained enlightenment.” She lifted her hands, her shoulders dropping.

“Chief, do you know the mind-blank spell? Are you a trained monk?” Jack asked with glowing eyes and a wide smile.

Arad shook his head, “No, I’m but a sorcerer. She didn’t try hard enough.”

[You are a Void dragon. Your inner mind is an infinite void. Reading it will be a tall order for most people.] Mom said, her voice slowly shifting, [And those who can, they shall face me first.] PING! Something clicked inside Arad’s head, and Mom’s presence inside his stomach intensified for a moment.

^What do you mean?^

[I’m the last line of defense to protect your mind. I will erase anyone trying to peak into it. And I shall leave them disabled, if not insane.]

^You’re amazing,^

[I mean, I’m a fragment of the consciousness of the great wyrm void dragon. But I can also guide people in your head if you need help.]

^How will that help?^

[If you lost your mind, became too angry, or clouded with hatred. I can always get people inside your mind to pull out.]

“Jack, how did you get the frog?” Alcott suddenly asked, looking back at Jack.

“When they cast their spells, I saw the cave’s layout for a moment. That was enough for me to move.” Jack replied.

“And what if the monster moved?” Alcott asked, waving his hand.

“Unless they are entirely silent, I can guess which direction they moved just by sound.” Jack smiled, “But I don’t have your skill to tell much details.” He sighed, “Will you teach me?”

Alcott’s eyes sparkled, “You will learn?” He turned around, excited.

“Yeah, but calm down a bit. You’re intimidating with your massive size.” Jack lifted his hands.

“Very well, start clicking like me and listen carefully,” Alcott said, looking ahead.

“Listen to what exactly?” Jack stared at him with a puzzled face.

“The returning echos of your voice. Use the time it took to return to calculate the distance.” Alcott explained.

“And how do I calculate it exactly?”

“With your guts, error, and trial. Just start practicing, and you will understand it.” Alcott stopped walking and lifted his hands, “Everyone stop and don’t make a noise.”

Everyone stopped in their track, “Now, Jack. Try it,” Alcott said with a smile.

“What are you doing?” Arad asked.

“One of the reasons why joining your party is beneficial.” Jack smiled, trying his best to milk Alcott for knowledge and skills.