Chapter 315: Gnoll

Trying to explain humanoid culture to the giant eagles was obviously fruitless, but neither side dwelled on the matter. Ron and the others quickly descended the mountain, following the path the eagles had indicated in their pursuit to track down the Gargoyles as fast as possible.

This side of the mountain had likely been untouched by people for centuries, and all manner of wild beasts and monsters seemed to block the few paths that existed. Ron’s party had to spend a great deal of time driving them off or clearing them out just to ensure safe passage.

Take the Mud Monsters the giant eagles had specifically mentioned, for example. By the time the party finally broke free from where the gel-like creatures swarmed, every one of them was coated in a layer of stinking, viscous paste.

"I even have half an undigested skull on me!" Yelena said, peeling a shattered piece of bone from her body in disgust. "If you ask me, Ron, you should’ve just used Magic to get rid of them! This is just disgusting!"

"It’s just as well I’m washing us off with Magic now," Ron said, casually summoning a stream of water that swirled among his companions to wash away the annoying slime. "Look at the plants around us. A Fireball Magic or a Lightning Bolt could have set them on fire. That would have been a real mess to deal with."

While starting a forest fire here wouldn’t exactly land them in prison, it would very likely attract the attention of other monsters. Their priority was to press on, so it was best to avoid unnecessary trouble whenever possible.

"I don’t like this slime either, but Ron’s right," Quest said, lifting his boot to scrape the slippery gunk off on a tree trunk. "I don’t know if you all noticed, but there’s a breeze blowing toward us from that stream up ahead."

Delaford’s nose twitched. He warily unslung his shortbow. "Something stinks. We’d better be careful."

The Hunter’s nose was exceptionally keen. As Ron and the others used the cover of the woods to stealthily approach the clearing by the stream, the sound of the water grew louder, now mixed with what sounded like the barking of dogs.

"Are those animals drinking?" Yelena’s interest in the souls of wild creatures was far less than her interest in those of humanoids, and her knowledge on the subject was consequently limited.

She bounded into a nearby tree as silently as a leopard to observe the scene by the stream. "Looks like a pack of jackals. They’re gathered at the water’s edge, and some are in the water."

"And this isn’t just some creek. The water’s deep enough that only their heads are sticking out."

"Are you sure they’re just animals?" Delaford asked, raising a hand to summon a patch of fog. At this time of day, by a stream in the forest, a sudden fog would seem like a "natural phenomenon" and was unlikely to cause alarm. The party concealed themselves in the mist, silently leaving the woods to cross the exposed clearing.

If they were just ordinary jackals, Ron’s party would have simply bypassed them. In broad daylight, even the most ferocious beasts wouldn’t risk hunting a whole party of armed adventurers. Their real concern was the second possibility: creatures with the heads of jackals but the bodies of humanoids.

Those were the true beasts.

"Caution always pays off..." Aive muttered. Through the cover of the fog, once the party was within bowshot, there was no more debate as to what the creatures were.

One of the creatures, submerged up to its neck, raised a limb. It was less a paw and more a hand, and it used it to wipe the water from its face.

"Gnolls!" Delaford whispered. "They’re seasoned hunters and bandits, second only to goblins. I suggest we go around them and cover our tracks so they can’t follow."

"Their hunts and attacks are completely random and without warning. If they lock onto us, we’ll have to worry about them harassing us for a long time to come!"

"That’ll be too slow," Quest said, shaking his head. "Besides, remember? The giant eagles go to that graveyard to scavenge corpses. These Gnolls are probably no different. No matter how careful we are, there’s no guarantee we won’t run into them anyway."

"I say we take them out right here, while most of them are still in the water!"

Just as Quest said, most of the Gnolls were submerged in the water. On the bank, only a few of their four-legged jackals remained, drinking the "bathwater" and incidentally guarding the weapons. It was indeed the perfect time to strike.

A Gnoll burst from the water, raising its hands high above its head to show off its prize to its packmates: a plump salmon. But Gnolls are not a species that understands the concept of "first come, first served." The other Gnolls immediately swarmed forward. Some dove underwater, hoping for similar luck. Others simply pounced on the successful hunter, trying to steal the fruits of its labor.

The chaos only ended with the appearance of a Gnoll much stronger than the others. This one, clearly the leader, didn’t even bother to use its hands. It simply stretched out its snout and snatched the salmon right out of the other’s grasp with its jaws.

The Gnoll, who had earned a beating for its careless showboating, was naturally unwilling to give up its catch. However, faced with a threatening growl rumbling from its leader’s throat, it reluctantly released its grip to save its hands from being bitten off. It could only watch helplessly as the leader swallowed its hard-won meal whole.

Having "once again upheld its dignity as leader," the powerful Gnoll licked its chops in satisfaction. It scanned the other Gnolls, who all lowered their heads under its gaze, completely oblivious to the arrow tip, enchanted with Strong Acid, that was taking aim at its heart from within the fog drifting out of the forest.

THWIP—

The Goblin Hunter’s arrow was the signal for Ron’s party to attack. As the Gnoll leader’s vision faded to black, its eyes still fixed on the shaft buried in its chest, a brilliant flash of lightning erupted through the entire stream.

The Gnolls, still recovering from the earlier scuffle, were thrown into utter chaos. They discovered in horror that the pleasantly cool water had suddenly become electrifyingly numb. A powerful current shot through them from foot to head. The ones scrambling to get to shore and fight back found their legs seizing up, causing them to slip back into the now-deadly water, unable to struggle free.

Aive’s fiery red blade easily scorched the flesh of the jackals on the bank. Meanwhile, Quest patrolled the water’s edge. Any Gnoll that had avoided paralysis and managed to get close was mercilessly beaten back into the water. For a moment, the entire streamside echoed with the heart-rending howls of wounded Gnolls.