Several hours after he had noticed, Razel’s companion spoke of the threat.
“I think we’re being followed.”
The ice mage nodded.
“I felt them arrive, but had hoped we weren’t a priority. As per usual, I appear to be wrong.”
Ghere scowled and stopped, turning to gaze into the grove behind them.
“Are they from that Academy you told me about?”
Razel seemed less distraught and more disgruntled.
“I certainly hope not. I hate repeating myself.”
The burly barbarian squinted uncertainly.
“Yeah, sure you do. So what do we do now?”
Razel feigned emotional pain.
“Ghere, please! I’ll have you know I studied under THE Professor Jojo-”
She scowled harder.
“Which do you prefer - maintaining this bit or preparing for a fight?”
That legitimately hurt him.
“There’s no difference for me. Anyway, we should at least be hospitable.”
He closed his eyes and exhaled, focusing his awareness on the immediate area. He felt the unmistakable pulse of two sparks aside from the three in his party. The interlopers were close now, likely able to see them if not hear them as well. For good measure, Razel chanted a quick trick he had picked up to carry his words across the air.
“Les ondes radio invisible grésillent de vie-”
“What?”
“HEY ASSHOLES. YOU FORGOT YOUR SUPPRESSORS.”
The sources stopped and vanished in short order, a smile curling Razel’s lips as Ghere cocked an eyebrow and drew her blades. They stood in wait, and within a minute the two hunters came into view through the redwoods. They both wore similar robes to Razel, but their cuts were each tailored to their variant physiology and personal color preferences. Razel whistled.
“Wow. I see they let them dye now.”
The four-armed one said something, the reply lost in the distance. Razel balked for a moment and undid his enchantment before smiling awkwardly at his companion.
“Sorry.”
She simply shook her head and looked to the two hunters as they slowed to a stop a good distance from the pair. The larger of the two, a four-armed quadropedal insectoid, clicked in irritation as he addressed his query.
“We are here-”
Razel waved his hand and shook his head.
“Gonna stop you right there. I already had my file cleared and I should certainly hope that applied going forward, because if not 12 and I are going to have words-”
The bug bristled at the mention of his superior, but he maintained his composure as he firmly continued.
“WE ARE HERE TO BRING IN THE TRIBAL ONE.”
It was Razel’s turn to be irritated.
“I don’t care. She’s with me now, so whatever she did is irrelevant as she’s under my protection.”
Ghere was taken aback at this.
“You hired me as a bodyguard!”
He shrugged to her.
“Boredom?”
She kept gaping as the bug’s own buddy decided to speak up, his boring humanoid visage made interesting only by his vivid red hue.
“Ghere the Gruesome, wanted for over-”
Razel interrupted again.
“HOLD UP. Ghere the Gruesome?! You didn’t tell me you had a name for yourself!”
“YOU HIRED ME! I ASSUMED YOU DID YOUR RESEARCH!”
The insect turned slowly to his friend and shrugged to the second power. By this point, Razel had dropped his brow into his hands.
“Alright, I don’t have time for this. Guys, go home and tell them I’m here, then see what they say.”
The red man wasn’t convinced.
“I don’t know who you are.”
The insect poked his cohort.
“I think that’s Rozzle. The exploding one.”
“That asshole? He’s the one that blew the main gate?”
The ice mage glared in offense.
“Ra-zel. Not Rozzle. Asshole.”
“I don’t have what you’d call an ass.”
“Cloacrust.”
“Please stop.”
Ghere took the chance to charge, attempting to ‘walk behind them but instead flickering to a stumble as she found their locks already engaged and sealing the area. The insect directed vegetative tendrils from the floor to entrap and entangle her, the two of them rushing her as Razel rolled his eyes and reached with his mind, tripping the red one and materializing a glimmering staff with his free hand. The hook at the far end of it held fast a small sphere of mana, flickering and shining with a violet light. The insect snatched her up and clicked the gridded sphere in his pouch, undoing the lock in time for Razel to stop time entirely. They hung motionless, or to be more accurate, they continued at an abysmally slower pace that was functionally still. He slinked over to them, gently prying Ghere from the bug’s clutches and shoving her aside to float impatiently while she awaited the return of inertia after receiving awareness at his touch. Time resumed as quickly as it had seized, sending her crashing into the trees as the Mantid glared at Razel.
“If I were to kill you now, we wouldn’t need to worry about some stupid, obscure exclusion.”
“You’re welcome to try, Edgar.”
They were distracted by a sudden cry from the other hunter.
“KERB!”
They looked to the red man, now stumbling to his feet.
“He’s not worth it. Maybe we should do what he says and let the boss know.”
Razel smirked irritatingly and gestured at him.
“SEE?! Here’s someone who paid attention. At least a nine-chin.”
Kerb reared back and swallowed Razel whole in a sudden lunge. Ghere, back on her feet, charged the bug only to get smacked into a nearby tree, wherein the other hunter sauntered over to gloat.
“I guess the guys weren’t kidding about my new partner. How funny...weren’t you two new partners?”
She screamed and lobbed her blade, eliciting only a deft dodge and a flurry of restraints thrown at her limbs with uncanny accuracy. As she fell to the forest floor, she saw Kerb start to convulse. The orb of mana pulsed from the staff on the floor as a violent violet light seared through his belly and rent his head asunder, spilling nutritious viscera all over the small clearing. Razel’s eye twitched as he worked his way to his feet and wiped the goop from his robes.
“He ate me first. Self defense.”
Razel stooped to retrieve his staff, shaking his head to release another rain of gore. The red man scowled as he started to back away.
“I’ll let you guys go for now. I get it, I’ll let my Sup know. Just...don’t think this is over.”
He fell into a crack between spaces and vanished from the world. Razel sighed heavily as he tromped over and released Ghere.
“The Gruesome?”
“I led a campaign in some backwater realm and got a bit carried away.”
“Apparently.”
