Rise of the Legendary Emperor

Chapter 184: The Red Mist

After taking a few moments to think about Aster's suggestion, the rest of them agreed to go on with Aster's plan with a not so happy mind.

"Well, let's get to work girls"

Aster said with a smile as the girls started to break the spells that protected the herbs.

"Nightmare, do you know what these herbs are used for?"

Don and Knight had no idea of the uses of these herbs since they weren't too good in alchemy.

"I don't know, I've heard about some of these herbs but that's it"

"We have to get an alchemist when we go back, Viper"

A talented alchemist could be useful as any powerful combat cultivator. They could concoct pills, brew potions as well as do many other things that would serve Everlight and turn it into a powerful kingdom. If Don and Knight were lucky, they might find a talented alchemist who could reproduce the healing potions, and the pills in Don's space rings so they wouldn't run out in the future.

Still, Don was extremely lucky to find a talented runemaster like Nikalas so finding a talented alchemist might not be an easy thing. However, for an unknown reason, he always had such good luck.

"Wow, they are quick"

Arrora was surprised to see the speed of Aster and the girls breaking the spells. Everywhere they go, a spell would shatter and the herb under the protective shield would disappear into a space ring.

While Aster was breaking the spells, she couldn't help but feel like someone's watching them. Yet, she ignored the feelings and continued to break the spells so they could get all the herbs and go to the next stage of the dungeon. 

"She's going to break the last spell"

Knight said with an excited voice as Arrora saw Don retrieve a pouch from his space ring.

"Nightmare, hold your breath"

Arrora had a question about the pouch but since Knight and DOn already stopped inhaling, she started to hold her breath.

As Aster broke the last smile and turned to look at the rest of them with a proud grin on her face, Arrora saw Don take a handful of red glimmering powder from the pouch and disperse the powder in the air and send it towards the group below.

Having filled their rings with the herbs, the youths seemed happy.

"Keep the herbs, in your ring, we will share them when we get out"

Aster had already taken the rarest herbs of them all and the herbs she let the others take weren't so important to her so she didn't care much about them dying, as far as she's concerned, she helped them in a way and there's nothing she could do anymore.

"I don't think there are any more herbal gardens in this realm, so let's get out of here"

Aster said and sniffed a pungent smell

"What is that smell? *cough*"

The youths started to cough and their eyes turned red.

Aster was unable to stop coughing as tears started to flow out of her eyes

"What...what's happening?"

Aster rubbed her eyes as her eyes and skin felt like they were burning.

"I could never get used to this Viper"

She hated the ugly skull mask on her face but seeing the youths screaming and wriggling like maggots in hot oil, she was glad that she's wearing the mask as it protected her from the red mist.

"What... the *cough* fuck did you *cough* do?"

One of the youths from the star empire screamed.

Aster was in no state to answer and then started to crawl her way out of the red mist, she vaguely saw some figures walking at them.

Just as she thought to ask who they were, the ring in her finger was pulled out by an invisible force and flew towards the figures.

"No *cough* my *cough* ring"

Since the rings were made of metal, Don easily pulled them out from the crowd as the victims could only growl and scream.

"Give me *cough* my ring *cough* back"

One of the girls who had come with Aster said.

However, it was too late as every ring including the rings of the star empire had been taken by Don.

"We won't forget your help, miss, Star empire will always be grateful to you"

Knight said, looking at Aster to make them believe that they were from the star empire as the three of them turned back and left.

"NOOOOOO! *cough*"

The last thing she saw before closing her eyes was two tall and one short shadow.

**********************************

"Why didn't you kill that bitch?"

Arrora asked when they got out of the pocket realm.

'And reduce their suspect pool, no we're not idiots, Nightmare"

Knight said as Arrora threw a bunch of maps and compasses on the ground for the crowd lying at the garden to find when they came out.

"Why are you leaving the maps and compasses for them?"

"Karma's a bitch, you ever heard of that saying, if by any chance there's an innocent in that group and got killed or lost in this realm because we took the map and compass, that karma will come back to bite us in the back someday "

Arrora was surprised

"I didn't know you believe in things like that"

Knight shook his head 

"I don't believe in things like that except for Karma, Nightmare, now shall we go?

Don and Arrora nodded as they started to go north where there was a light beam shining.

On their way to the light beam, Arrora kept collecting little sapling and seeds of plants that looked exotic and beautiful to give her elven friends back at Everlight while Knight was whistling in joy looking at the herbs in their space ring.

"Hold on"

Suddenly Knight stopped whittling and said.

"There's a group hiding behind that tree"

Hearing Knight, Arrora realized that the spot before them is a good place for an ambush.

Nodding at Don, Knight started to walk in the front as Arrora and Don followed Knight.

"Look at these clowns"

A youth came from behind the tree with four men and laughed at them.

"Why are you wearing that ugly mask?"

The youth in the front had a long scar on his face and didn't have any emblems on his robes like Don or Arrora.

"Boss, I think they are too ugly so they hid their ugly faces behind those ugly masks"

One man behind the scar-faced youth said and the rest of them started to laugh.

"Oh? Look at that, they have a pet wolf"

Arrora was confused to see the man looking at Knight seemed to be wearing lipsticks and makeup as well as breasts holder beneath his shirt.

"Why didn't you have to be men? Would it kill you to bring a girl? we could have had so much fun before killing you"

The boss man said with a disappointed look.

"Don't worry, we're going to have fun"

The youths were shocked to see the wolf's talking and a sudden dread hit their core as only a beast at or higher than a grandmaster level could talk.

"Boss, did he just talk?"

"It can't be, even the grandmaster level beasts would be transformed into master-level beasts inside the dungeon, they won't have the ability to talk, isn't it?"

Two youths behind the boss man were shivering in fear and had the urge to flee from the wolf, however, the boss man started to laugh.

"You dumb fucks, the ability to talk doesn't get stripped away, only the cultivation level"

"I almost wet my pants"

One of the men sighed.

"I'm too bored for this"

The group was surprised and shocked to see the man behind the wolf walking away.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The boss man became furious when he saw him walking away without showing any fear.

"Kill that arrogant bastard first"

The boss man ordered one of his men pointing at Don as the other man behind the wolf unsheathed his sword.

"Hey, let me have my fun"

Knight shouted at Arrora as she saw the excitement in Knight's eyes.

"Who are these arrogant clowns?"

Looking at the other man also walking away from them made the youths boil in anger.

"So before we begin, do you have any valuables on you? Or treasures in your ring?"

The boss man was angry and surprised at the same time hearing the wolf as he couldn't guess the wolf was too dumb to take on five people or too confident in his ability.

No matter what, the boss man had already decided to kill them so he didn't think about anything else and motioned two of his men to flank and attack the wolf.

"Your pelt will fetch us a good price in the market, you dumb animal"

Don sat under a tree and retrieved a glass of water.

"You want some?"

Don drank a full cup in one gulp and asked Arrora as she nodded and took out a glass from her ring.

And just when Arrora placed the glass on her lips, she saw Knight leap at one of the men and sink his teeth into the man's neck.

"AHHHHHHH!"

The man's scream was cut short as Knight ripped his head off from his body.

"What the?"

The other man at Knight's right side had no time to react. Knight was too fast as before the other man could raise his mace, Knight had already sunk his claws in his chest.

"You picked the wrong people to rob, my friends"