Chapter 16
Draco huddled underneath the rickety cart, his small weakened frame trembling with fear.
There was a herd of battle boars in the area, some sniffing around his cart with their large snouts.
Some even used their tusks to shake some of the carts, perceiving them as threats.
‘Just how far into the forest did these slave traders take us?’ Draco wondered.
From what he could tell, the monsters within the forest were strong, so why did they use such a path to transport them?.
From his earlier rampage, he could tell most of them were either level 1 adventurers at best, level 2, so what made them so brave as to enter this monster-infested forest?.
Some battle boars soon began fighting each other for a spot to feast.
Draco’s eyes darted nervously as he observed the chaos.
Under the cart was pretty wide so if any intelligent monsters were drawn there, he was pretty much screwed.
Vasileios was just 3 years old and could easily slip up at any time; he knew that they were already lucky to last this long.
It didn’t take long before a new sound echoed through the area; it was the howling of wolves.
The battle boars immediately huddled together, drawn by the call of the wolves.
Draco used this chance to roll on his belly; his previous posture was uncomfortable.
He then stole a peek from under the cart to see several packs of ferocious wolves charging into the fray, their gleaming fangs bared.
They immediately set their sights on the battle boars, the two groups of monsters locked in a savage battle.
Draco watched with morbid fascination as the wolves and boars tore into each other, blood spraying in all directions.
The fighting was intense and expanding as the wolves tried isolating lone boars to hunt.
Just as he thought the battle couldn’t get any more chaotic, a new group of creatures appeared - goblins.
The diminutive green-skinned monsters scurried between the combatants, darting in to snatch up scraps of meat and other spoils.
One of them spotted Vasileios in the cage and began to slowly and cautiously approach, its beady eyes gleaming with malicious intent.
Draco’s breath caught in his throat. He had to do something; he couldn’t very well watch it get to and hurt Vasileios, but what could he do?
‘Think Draco, think; there must be something you can do. Okay, I knocked over a crate of what seemed to be potions near this cart before going crazy,’ Draco remembered.
‘I have no idea what the potions are, it could either be stamina potions, mind potions or none of them, even if only a drop remains it can help,’ Draco concluded.
Looking around desperately, he found a tiny puddle of liquid that had gathered underneath the cart.
‘Now this could either be dirty mud water or an unknown potion. Damn it, whatever,’ Draco thought, stretching his tongue to lick the contents off the ground.
Upon ingesting the strange liquid, he could feel a small amount of mind energy recover.
He still remembered the feeling of how he used mind during his rampage.
So, he managed to create a small burst of flame licking at the goblin's feet.
The creature let out a startled yelp and scurried away, its attention diverted.
‘Now what do I do if it returns? How did I even end up in this crazy place? Why didn’t I run when I had the chance? Instead, I just had to go crazy, and now this mess,’ Draco questioned himself.
‘Aaaaah, if I survive this madness, I will train like my life depends on it,’ Draco decided, shifting his body to a more comfortable position.
Trembling!!!
He was preserving the last vestiges of his mana as a last resort.
His temporary reprieve was cut short as a thunderous roar suddenly shook the ground, causing all the fighting creatures to freeze in their tracks.
Draco’s eyes widened in terror as a massive form emerged from the trees, its huge jaw gaping wide.
It was a bloodsaurus, a five-meter-tall carnivorous dinosaur, and it had been drawn to the area by the sounds and smell of battle within its territory.
The smart monsters immediately fled, recognizing the apex predator for the deadly threat it posed.
But some greedier goblins and wolf packs remained, unwilling to abandon their spoils.
‘We're dead’ was all that crossed Draco’s mind.
The only path he could see for survival was if the goblins and wolves somehow won, but he knew that such a thing happening was unrealistic.
Rooooooooaaaaar!!!
The bloodsaurus let out another earth-shaking roar and charged into the fray, its massive, clawed feet crushing anything in its path.
Draco could only watch in awe and horror as the mighty beast tore through its opponents, its jaws snapping shut with bone-shattering force.
The battle was brutal and merciless, the bloodsaurus showing no quarter.
Draco could feel the ground trembling beneath him as the monsters fought for their lives.
He dared not make a sound, lest he drew the attention of the bloodsaurus.
The battle raged on, the air thick with the sounds of snarls, roars, and the sickening crunch of bones.
Draco winced with every kill, his stomach churning.
He had never witnessed such raw, unadulterated violence. It was almost too much for his mind to bear.
‘Is this the true face of nature’ he thought.
Just when Draco thought the fight couldn't get any more intense, more monsters were drawn to the area by the commotion.
Hulking ogres, snapping dire wolves, and even a small tribe of orcs joined the fray, each group vying for a piece of the spoils.
The bloodsaurus fought with a ferocity, its massive jaws clamped down on a hapless ogre, lifting the creature off the ground and shaking it like a ragdoll.
Blood and viscera rained down, splattering Draco and his brother with the grisly remains.
Vasileios let out a terrified whimper, his body trembling uncontrollably.
At some point, Draco could only hold his body tight, trying to shield himself from the horrific sights and sounds as best he could.
He also wanted nothing more than to comfort his brother, to tell him that everything would be alright.
But he couldn’t talk, his own fear and uncertainty overwhelming him.
He watched in morbid fascination as the bloodsaurus tore through its opponents, its massive tail lashing out and sending bodies flying in all directions.
The creature was an unstoppable force of nature, a true apex predator.
After what felt like an eternity, the battle finally began to wind down.
The surviving monsters, their numbers dwindling, realized the futility of continuing the fight and began to retreat.
The bloodsaurus let out a triumphant roar, its massive jaws dripping with the blood of its vanquished foes.
Draco let out a shaky breath, his body sagging with relief.
The immediate threat had passed, but he knew that they were not yet safe.
The bloodsaurus was still prowling the area, its attention now turned towards the carts and wagons that had been left behind.