Chapter 411: Follow the Herd

They were standing in the midst of a meadow with long blades of sunny yellow grass brushing against their knees. A dozen or so metres away from them, a herd of strange looking beasts were idly mulling around the open fields, with many lazing beneath the shade of the occasional fruit tree that was dotted here and there.

These beasts were like giant squirrels mixed with red pandas. They were large enough that they easily reached Belladonna’s waist when they were on all fours, and were just a head shorter than her when they sat on their hind legs.

Their noses twitched as a few of them gave the trio cautionary looks, sitting on their hind legs and waiting to see if these strange creatures were going to try and eat them.

When they were sure that they were safe, the guarding members of the herd let out a few chirps and bristled their tails, before the herd went back to picking nuts and bugs from the grass and stuffing it into their mouths.

The only time they cared about the fruit of the trees they were using as shade, was when they fell to the ground and were easily within reach. The prospect of climbing and plucking the fruit themselves seemed like too much work for these creatures.

Pulling out the dousing bone, Belladonna poured a few trickles of mana into it to activate it before she slowly turned in place.

It only took a few moments to re-orientate herself and find her place on her own mental map, which was currently being adjusted for global curve. But she couldn’t really blame the people of this world for their map issues, drawing a three dimensional shape on a two dimensional plane was a task that even people on her world struggled with for centuries.

Of course, that was before holographic technology made such things obsolete, but it was also because of that that such a consideration hadn’t crossed her mind. Such a thing could truly only be put down to ignorance.

"Alright..." Belladonna muttered, "We are a little out of the ways. A couple of miles, give or take. It shouldn’t take long to walk there. I doubt it will take more than a day, depending on the inconveniences that is.

I think I saw a lot of trees when we were falling, so teleporting definitely isn’t a good idea. Especially until I can get the curvature down."

"Agreed." Figg responded instantly, before he sniffed at the air with a deep frown on his face.

"It’s so weird... Smells like a storm is coming, but I couldn’t see any storm clouds on our way down. It doesn’t make any sense."

Belladonna frowned at him, putting away the dousing bone and sniffed the air herself. Sure enough, the scene of ozone tickled her nose, but Figg was right. The sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky.

Perhaps a mage was casting something nearby? That was possible.

Just as she was considering the options, the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end. Her ears perked up, as did the Shadow Demon perched on her shoulder, as all of the sounds of the meadow were tuned out in exchange for the single most important sound.

The small cracks of static electricity and the subtle rustling of grass that was not the wind.

A roar of thunder filled the air the next second, as a Thunder Fang lunged from the grass. It’s fangs sinking into the Panda Squirrel that was dining on a fallen fruit. The sounds of its high pitched screeches were overshadowed by the crackling of lightning coursing through its writhing body as it was cooked from the inside, and from the roaring of the dozen other Thunder Fangs that leapt from their own hiding space.

Belladonna whipped her body around, snatching Beans from her shoulder as a massive Thunder Fang lunged out from behind her. The lightning crackling around its yellow fur struck her shoulder, as it just barely brushed past her.

The Tiger skid to a halt as it landed, letting out a low rumbling growl of disappointment, before it backed off and disappeared back into the grass.

Belladonna narrowed her eyes, scanning the grass for even the smallest sign of movement. Her senses going into overdrive, focusing on the smell of ozone and the brief flash of bloodlust that game just before the strike.

That was always the most important part of dealing with an ambush predator, that feeling just before the attack. She was so focused on it that when something burst from the grass beside her, without that feeling of bloodlust, it took her completely by surprise.

A fuzzy butt slammed into her head, driving them both to the ground and causing the Panda Squirrel to bounce a few times, before it scrambled to its feet and sprinted off again.

It was not alone, as more and more of them burst from the grass, running with wreckless abandon as they barrelled through anything in their way. What did they care about manners or minor injuries, when the other option was death.

A flash of bloodlust sent Belladonna’s foot swinging backwards, her heel cracking the Thunder Fangs eye socket on contact and sent its body flying through the air in a corkscrew spiral.

The grass around her shifted again as it came alive. It wrapped around her arms, dragging her backwards before throwing her to her feet just as Figg was running past her.

"Come on! Let’s go!" He shouted as he passed her, his eyes glowing a soft green as the grass eagerly parted in front of him, creating a perfect path clear of Tigers. Which became even more useful as soon as the Thunder Fangs started to make their pursuit.

The lightning crackling across their fur leapt from their backs, arcing between the tall blades of grass, creating cages of crackling lightning to trap or divert their fleeing prey.

Some of the Panda Squirrels fell for their traps, stopping in their tracks where they were soon caught up with, whilst others were lured into the jaws of their predators. But the most wilful to live, simply charged through the lightning barriers.

Their bodies twitching from the shock, but it wasn’t enough to kill them. Charging through enough would stun them, but tanking one or two was just survivable enough if one could endure the pain.

Belladonna herself barged through half a dozen of these lightning barriers, enduring a pain like this was nothing compared to what she was used to, as she caught up with Figg just as the meadow came to its end, along with the rest of the ground.

Beside them, all of the surviving Panda Squirrels leapt from the safety of the grass, hurling themselves off of the cliff that sprung out of nowhere.

In the back of her mind, Belladonna remembered something about a certain creation prone for throwing itself off of Cliffs. Clearly, the earth beasts and these ones had it all figured out. So why not just follow the herd?