Book 11: Chapter 30: Running for Their Lives

“Isn’t the Ghostface Squid a Legendary Creature? Why isn’t it using its Legendary Domain?” Qin Lun asked Mastashia while running.

“It’s too afraid,” the Highland Elf panted. “Most Legendary Domains of water element magical beasts are Water Domains. In the Endless Sea, waves stirred by a Water Domain could capsize even Goblin-made steam battleships instantly. But this is only a lake. If it did that here, the water level would drop so low.”

Qin Lun understood. With its massive size, this Ghostface Squid was forever trapped in the Death Lands. It wouldn’t destroy its home just to hunt them. If it unleashed such huge waves, none of them could resist. That was one shred of good luck in this misfortune.

“Which way?” Lago shouted from ahead to Mastashia.

“Wait!” The Highland Elf bent down, plunged her hand into the soil, scooped some dirt with her fingers, and carefully tasted it. Then she pointed a direction. “This way!”

“Will that actually work?” Winnie’s face looked pale, drained from overcasting spells. Sweat soaked strands of hair clung to her face.

“She’s judging the decay in the soil. This place is different from other lakes—it’s way too deep, so Swamp Banyan Trees can’t grow. Higher decay concentration means we’re closer to the true banks.” Qin Lun explained quietly from behind.

“Oh!” Winnie acknowledged then asked, puzzled. “Why didn’t she do this earlier?”

Qin Lun’s eyes flickered. He offered no further explanation. It didn’t take Winnie long to grasp why. A bitter smile curved her lips as she shook her head.

Mastashia hadn’t done it before because she hadn’t realized the lake was unusual, and more importantly, because doing so had side effects. Qin Lun, observant, had already seen the Highland Elf stealthily wiping bright red blood trickling from her nose multiple times when she thought no one noticed.

Was random sampling in the Death Marsh’s soil safe? Forget all the weird stuff in it; just the toxins accumulated from swamp gas over time were enough to cause her a lot of trouble.

Splash! The faint sound of water rippling in the distance made everyone tense again. The Ghostface Squid hadn’t given up the hunt.

“Qin Lun, can you use Tree World Descent?” Hill asked quietly through the Team Channel.

“This environment isn’t suitable!” Qin Lun shook his head. What good would trees growing on this narrow dirt path do? They wouldn’t block the squid’s tentacles. Besides, this was deep in the lake; the soil held few plant seeds. Even if Tree World Descent were used, it probably couldn’t form a large barrier.

“There’s no path ahead!” The Rogue ran back, frantic. But everyone already saw it. Dozens of meters before them stretched open water. The dirt path simply ended, its tip disappearing beneath the surface.

“How could this happen?” Sif slumped to the ground, dazed. For an ordinary person, a noble youth, his will had been remarkably strong. After running for their lives all night, a regular professional would have broken down by now.

“Pah!” Mastashia spat the black soil from her mouth, a glimmer of hope showing in her eyes. “Swim! The shore is opposite! I tasted fresh banyan seeds!”

“Are you sure?” Winnie strained to boost her light spell’s brightness, peering across the vast, dark water, but visibility remained poor.

“Aren’t there Water Wraiths in the water?” Lago asked weakly.

“Not in this lake,” Mastashia stated, leaning forward, hands braced on her knees. Only Qin Lun, in the gloom, saw blood rush from the corner of her mouth.

A small pool of blood collected quickly on the ground. Shifting so her heavy boots smeared over it, Mastashia straightened up unseen.

“Qin Lun, can you see?” Rand asked wryly. “If she’s wrong this time too, we can’t fight that squid underwater.”

“Not clearly either,” Qin Lun admitted as the glow faded from his left eye. “It’s over a hundred meters away, minimum.”

“Decide quickly! That thing’s getting closer!” Rick, guarding the rear, called sharply. “Believe me! The opposite shore has to be land!” Mastashia shouted. With a loud splash, she jumped first into the icy lake.

“No choice left. Stick close. Call out if you can’t swim,” Qin Lun told Sif, gripping his arm. Then he and his two companions charged into the water.

“Damn it!” the Rogue cursed under his breath as he followed, hitting the water and instantly shivering. “@$%, it’s freezing!”

“Winnie, take my hand!” Rick offered his hand to the female Mage. She had the worst Constitution; despite years of wilderness travel, she wasn’t much stronger than Sif. A Mage’s body was just intrinsically weaker, prone to harm from Magic Element residue—something training couldn’t fully overcome.

“Can you swim in that? Should I give you a Floating Charm?” Winnie hesitated, eyeing Rick’s heavy armor.

“No need,” Rick shook his head with a grin. “This armor can shed water. It’ll actually help me float.”

Splash! The now clearer ripple-sound from behind felt like a whip cracking against them, urging greater speed.

“Mastashia?” Qin Lun, second into the lake, swam a distance only to find the Highland Elf gone.

“She sank!” Hill closed his eyes, sensing, then pointed downward. His affinity with water was sharper here than Qin Lun’s vision.

“You all keep going. I’ll save her!” Signaling Sif to follow Hill and Rand, Qin Lun dove under.

“Rand, have you felt Qin Lun’s been… different lately?” Hill frowned, watching Qin Lun swim while privately talking to Firecracker through the channel.

“Yeah,” Rand nodded seriously. “He’s rescued Winnie twice and the Rogue once already on this trip. He’d never do that before.”

Qin Lun and the other two hired the Thornblood Mercenary Corps specifically to be decoys. Occasional help could be excused, but repeated rescues wasn’t like him. Who treated cannon fodder so meticulously?

“Don’t question him yet. Let’s see what he plans.” Hill shrugged, grabbing Sif who was struggling to swim, and drove onward toward the direction Mastashia had pointed.

“Where is she?” Qin Lun’s left eye pulsed with dark green light as he searched underwater. He couldn’t see far—Death Marsh water seemed unnaturally dense—and found no trace of the Highland Elf.

“Found you!” A moment later, relief flashed across Qin Lun’s face. He spotted Mastashia’s ponytail drifting like seaweed.

Cough! Cough! Mastashia broke the surface, choking violently, bloody foam running down her chin.

“Where…?” Mastashia opened her eyes, dazed, looking at the silver-haired Elf beside her.

Her mind cleared a bit as she felt pressure across her chest. Looking down, she found Qin Lun holding her tight, one arm hooked under her armpit, the other… his hand unceremoniously cupping her ample breasts as he towed her forward.

With only his legs kicking, their bodies pressed flush against each other. Against the intimate friction, Mastashia’s exhausted body surprisingly tingled with shock.

“You awake? Relax—don’t tense up,” Qin Lun glanced down, voice serious. “We’ve fallen behind.”

Seeing the paleness in the silver-haired Elf’s face stirred something strange in Mastashia’s heart. But it vanished instantly. Sharp daggers shot from her eyes at Qin Lun before she wrenched free and began swimming frantically.

Qin Lun raised an eyebrow, grinning. He followed the Highland Elf, keeping an ear out behind him. But soon, a very peculiar look flickered across his face—an expression trying hard not to laugh.

Mastashia was tall, with an incredibly fit, well-proportioned build. Her long legs, especially, were impressive. Yet… her swimming now was horrendous. It looked like a frantic doggy-paddle. For so much flailing effort, she moved slowly and choked on water often. No wonder she had sunk earlier.

“Doesn’t know how to swim, yet she jumped in first?” Qin Lun teased lightly.

The Highland Elf froze mid-stroke. She started sinking again, limbs thrashing wildly before bobbing back up. Qin Lun accelerated, arm hooking under hers once more—his hand landing squarely on her chest again—and pulled her forward.

“Stop fighting it! Unless you want us all fed to that squid!” Feeling her instinctive resistance, Qin Lun tightened his grip, voice flat.

Mastashia hung her head. In the dark, her expression was impossible to see. A faint, resentful mumble escaped her lips.

“What?” Qin Lun couldn’t make out her words.

“I’m a Highland Elf! What’s wrong with not knowing how to swim?” Mastashia yelled back, voice rising in flustered anger.

“Fine, fine! Got it!” Sensing something odd about her reaction, Qin Lun just dismissed it lightly.

“Like I’m a child!” she muttered, but Qin Lun ignored her now. Even a Harper Master wasn’t immune to certain… distinctly female traits.

“I see the bank!” Lago’s joyful shout came from ahead.

Qin Lun looked up. After a focus of his gaze, he finally discerned a vague, dark shoreline in the distance. Across this immense lake, the emergence of any dark form on the horizon meant land was near.

“Huh? Strange…” Mastashia murmured thoughtfully in Qin Lun’s grasp until her eyes suddenly brightened. “We’re here! At the place!”

“Here?” Qin Lun shot her a searching look.

“Look!” Her excitement bubbled out. “See how that dark land stretches endlessly? It’s nothing like the swamp landscape we saw earlier, right?”

“You mean… the entrance to Troll Claw’s valley?” Qin Lun’s eyebrows lifted as understanding dawned.