The wagons rattled as the horses ran at their full speed, hoping to distance themselves from the horde of monsters that were running in their direction.
They were at least a mile away from their location, but they could hear the sounds of countless animals moving in their direction in order to flee the horrors that were hunting them from behind.
Adira, who had taken the reins that controlled the horses of the First Wagon, was pushing the horses to their limits.
If it was only her, she could probably escape without a problem.
However, she couldn’t leave Zion and Cristopher behind, which forced her to take command of the party since the seven-year-old was unconscious.
If not for Vassago’s warning, the Monster Stampeded might have already overtaken them.
Fortunately, Cristopher had trusted the Pocopoco’s words, and commanded everyone to evacuate as fast as they could.
While everyone was doing their best to hold onto the shaking wagons, the seven-year-old stirred in his sleep, but didn’t open his eyes.
“What’s happening, Cristopher?” Thirteen asked as he propped himself in a seating position. His eyes were closed, as if he was unable to open them temporarily.
“Young Master, there is currently a Monster Stampede behind us,” Cristopher replied.
He then explained that Vassago had warned them about the incoming disaster, which prompted them to evacuate their camp as soon as possible.
The younger boy didn’t interrupt Cristopher’s explanation and waited until he finished his report.
When he was done, Thirteen nodded his head in understanding.
“Good job, Cristopher,” Thirteen praised. “You saved everyone.”
The chubby boy couldn’t stop himself from smiling after getting praised by his Young Master, which was something that he didn’t get from his original master, Terence.
Having learned their current situation, the seven-year-old placed his index finger and thumb finger inside his mouth and whistled loudly.
A moment later, Vassago entered the first wagon and landed beside his Master, who still had his eyes closed.
Although Adira was busy driving the first wagon, her ears were paying close attention to what was happening inside.
Knowing that the Drow was eavesdropping, Thirteen started to chirp like a bird, making Adira frown.
Cristopher, Jasmine, and Ariel, on the other hand, looked at the seven-year-old weirdly.
However, after the boy started chirping, the Pocopoco chirped back in return.
When the System God stripped Zion’s body of all of its potential, he had to replace it with something of equal value to compensate for the loss.
Even the Gods need to pay a price for their actions, and this was why Deus Ex Machina, had bestowed upon Thirteen’s new vessel the power of Universal Language Proficiency.
This gave him the ability to communicate with anyone and anything, as long as they had a means of communication.
Because of this ability, the System God didn’t receive a penalty for tampering with Zion’s mortal body.
Since he had made a promise to the Pocopoco to keep its secret, Thirteen decided to use a method that wouldn’t allow anyone to understand what they were talking about.
In their eyes, and ears, Thirteen was just randomly chirping like a bird, which made no sense at all.
Vassago, who had been asked to tell him everything about the current situation, replied in kind.
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(A/N: Note that this conversation was had while the two were chirping. I’m just translating it for you guys since none of you are able to speak Pocopoco Language. Kekeke.)
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“Tell me our current situation,” Thirteen ordered.
Vassago nodded and began to tell his Master everything.
“Currently, the Monster Stampede is just a mile away, and will overtake our party very soon,” Vassago reported. “Behind them, at least two miles away, hundreds of Hyenas, led by their Overlord, are devouring everything in their path.
“The Rank 5 Overlord has suffered injuries from its clash with the Purple-Furred Honey Badger and decided to escape. However, it didn’t just plan to escape, but grow stronger in a short period of time.
“Because of this, his subordinates spread out as they started to sweep over the Warsor Plains, forcing the other monsters to flee in this direction. The Honey Badger is in hot pursuit, but since it’s not built for long distance running, it is still four miles away from the Golden-Eyed Hyenas.”
Thirteen pondered a bit after hearing Vassago’s reply.
He knew that sooner or later, the Golden-Eyed Hyenas would also overtake their party, and when that happened, it would be game over for them.
After a few minutes, Thirteen formed a plan that would help save his people from a fate worse than death.
“Lady Adira, please lead the others back to Gronar City,” Thirteen said as he crawled towards the rear of the wagon where the steel cage of the Warsor Black Hound that he had captured was tied up.
“What are you planning, Zion?” Adira asked, feeling that the boy was going to do something reckless.
“Young Master…” Crisotpher looked at the younger boy with an anxious look on his face. “What are you going to do?”
“Bargain.”
“Hah?”
“I’m going to Bargain.”
Although Thirteen still had his eyes closed, he deftly crawled to the rear of the wagon, facing the caged Warsor Black Hound, who was whimpering inside its cage.
“Hey, can you understand me?” Thirteen asked.
The Black Hound shifted its attention to the seven-year-old who had made it suffer a lot.
“I know that you hate me, but I have a proposal to make,” Thirteen stated. “Because of you, your comrades have been captured and injured. In short, they are currently suffering because of you.”
The Black Hound momentarily forgot its fear as it growled at the seven-year-old in anger.
Thirteen ignored the dog’s growl, and continued what he was going to say.
“I have a proposal to make,” Thirteen stated. “If you promise to help me, I will not only set them free, but I will have their injuries healed as well. Of course, if you don’t want to agree, that’s fine as well. I’ll just use them as bait for the Golden-Eyed Hyenas that are right behind us.”
The Warsor Black Hound glanced at its comrades, who were inside the steel cages with their hind legs broken.
It knew that if the monsters overtook them, none of its brethren would be able to get away.
The Black Hound then barked at Thirteen, asking the boy what he wanted.
“Cooperate with me to divert the attention of the Golden-Eyed Hyenas,” Thirteen stated. “If you do that, your brethren will live, and their injuries will be healed. What do you say?”
“Master, are you mad?!” Cristopher, who had been listening to what Thirteen was saying, interjected. “This is a monster. How can you possibly trust it? What if it breaks its word?”
“Right now, we are on the same boat,” Thirteen replied calmly. “If he doesn’t agree to my proposal then he, and his brethren will become food for the Hyenas. I’m just offering it a chance to live.”
“That’s what I’m saying!” Cristopher clenched his fists. “What if it doesn’t keep its promise?”
“It won’t.”
“What makes you so sure that it won’t?!”
Thirteen smiled faintly. Although he couldn’t see Cristopher’s current expression, he was very certain that his chubby boy was very worried about him.
Instead of answering Cristopher, Thirteen asked the Black Hound a question.
“Will you agree to my proposal?”
The Warsor Black Hound once again glanced at his comrades before barking twice.
“Good.” Thirteen nodded. “Cristopher, swap places with Lady Adira for the time being. I will need her help to free the Warsor Black Hound.”
Cristopher couldn’t help but feel that his Young Master had gone mad.
However, he still followed his order because even if Zion was about to do something crazy, he believed that the seven-year-
old still knew what he was doing.
Adira, who had heard everything from start to finish, shared Cristopher’s sentiments.
But, since their current situation was desperate, she decided to put her trust in the boy, who was willing to put his life on the line for a chance of survival.