Trapped.
They still got trapped even after all those retaliations. Though the Mercenaries killed a number of Goblins and Wolves and also wounded the rest varying from moderate to severe, but since their first priority is to escape, they inevitably got injured, as well, and killed some of their mounts.
At first, they thought they were escaping the grasp of the monsters, but halfway through, another wave of monsters appeared from who knows where and started another bout of attacks.
This time, the monsters were not just Goblins and Wolves, an Orc added to the group.
"Men! Formation! Kill as much as possible before another wave starts again!"
Huffing and puffing from exertion, the injured and exhausted Mercenaries that got trapped from all directions like caged beasts, set aside the carriage that further hindering their movements and attacks.
It does not matter now. If the monsters happens to take their target's life in either way around didn't weigh them that much in this time of danger.
They were barely able to defend themselves because of the chaos, so protecting the captive isn't an option they could carelessly pick. What's more, the whole situation was not in their favor like what they had planned.
Furthermore, if most of them do die from the unexpected waves after waves of besieging monsters that kept spitting out stronger ones each time, then the target will also die, wouldn't she? So now, it's better to be tactful than to be sorry later on.
It's not being pessimistic or something, the Mercenaries had this seemingly synchronize thoughts based on their current situation that's circling out of hand.
"Mr. Valdez! Behind you!"
Neck graze by the Reaper's scythe, Valdez maneuver his body blaring with alarms and successfully escaped the sneak attack. Behind him a second ago was a Goblin holding a dagger, the dripping liquid on the blade was none other than poison. So even if that dagger did not successfully stab him, but by any chance it scrapes his skin even a little, it was self-explanatory if what would happen afterward.
"...Fuck!"
Heart thumping from the sudden threat, Valdez then counter. With a flawless attack and efficient move, he beheaded the Goblin who nearly took his life.
"These monsters are no signs of waning! Fuck!"
From his left where the grunting came from, Valdez could see his brothers profusely sweating while attacking, countering, and also defending against their opponents.
Indeed. Because of the Dungeon Break, the monsters surely no signs of waning, instead, the number increases. The new monsters added to the group were no joke either. By killing the weaker ones, who would have thought that stronger monsters were to replace them?
While Valdez grinding his teeth because of their worsening situation, Alex, who was now on the top of the carriage with two other acting as his protectors and having a more panoramic view of the chaos, shuddered with the images of bulging muscles and huge stature of the Orcs that had joined.
The savage looks of those monsters were far worse than the Goblins'.
Though Orcs had arms and legs and stood on two feet like humans did, its face was hideous, resembling that of a pig, and it has green skin, imposing figure, and body covered in countless scar.
The image alone was enough to leave a person a psychological shadow.
In all honestly, today's event was Alex's first. Just like the rest, he was so desperate to earn a cash. If his despicable of a father did not sell his younger sister just to pay off his debt while he was away doing his usual operation outside, he wouldn't be here by now.
That was why Alex put all the blame to that cheap father of his.
If not because of him, that awful, despicable, and shameless man, his sister wouldn't be sold off. If his sister is still with them by the time he came back at their house that he refused to call home, he wouldn't have to accept this kind of mission. A mission that reeks off danger even at a single glance or a faint sniff.
If a miracle happen, and he managed to survive, he'll surely get his sister back and leave that damned house with her. That man can live or die by himself for all he cares.
"Mr. Alex you-"
"...I'm fine. I can still manage."
Alex's condition was no good either just like the others. While on top of the carriage's roof, he sends mana to the injured Mercenaries to heal them.
For someone like him who heals people since he knew how to, the distance did not really bother him that much. As long as his mana can reach the specific target, everything's good.
Though sadly for their situation, his mana can reach fifty to eighty meters at most.
That being the case, the Mercenaries that was quite far to that required distance had to do their best to scoot a bit closer for him to heal them.
The healing process is quite hard, too. As a quasi-Healer with a limited room for healing, he has to squeeze his mana, so he could heal them a little faster than his usual. The way of fast healing was not his forte, by the way. His way of operation was a leisure one, like a medium slow tempo.
"Ugh... I'm starting to get dizzy."
Forehead covered in cold sweats, Alex's couldn't hide his exhaustion between his brows. Even his complexion isn't good. His already pale face gets even paler.
If he runs out of mana, it could cause him severe exhaustion, render him unconscious, or, in extreme cases, be a brainless monster. But Alex was quite confident that that extreme case wouldn't happen to him.
Those who land themselves in that mine are people who always pushed themselves hard over and over again, which was certainly didn't apply to Alex simply because he was always cautious.
So if he happens to exhaust his mana right then and there, undoubtedly, because he must do so, considering the end of his Phase is nearing.
This Phase is what most pressing to him.
One lose all the mana in their Mana Pool if one do not use it before their Phase ends. A person who lost mana this way loses one life, which is called Mana Burn. This Mana Burn is a loss of life and not simply damage. So for his own good, he must empty his Mana Pool and exhaust all his mana before the end of his Phase.
His Second Main Phase.
Alex, as a quasi-Healer, uses mana instead of Magical Energy when healing. It wasn't because it is an important aspect of every Mage that has ever lived as it is their source of Magic Power, it was because mana is a spiritual form of mystic energy and originally a life-force.
It is a form of magical life-energy and grants life essence to the users' spell casting. And since it is spiritual, the supernatural usage such as healing was self-explanatory.
Magical Energy, on the other hand, is a natural form of mystic energy that flows anywhere. It's a magical version of Physical Energy. It is natural and only causes raw forces when being released or used in spell casting. The one range-type of melee-type used the most.
MDS, or Magic Deficiency Syndrome, is what called when someone rapidly loss of their Magic Power, different from Mana Burn, which can either be from using a massive amount all at once, or having it drained from another person, and can cause death in dire cases.
Fortunately for this disease, it has cures. With potions and medicines to replenish one's Magic Power, it could be solved easily.
What's more, if the said person was not in a hurry or in any dire situation, one just need to wait and rest to replenish the Magic Power they deplete, since the Ethernano will come from the atmosphere and enters the Mage's body and then after a while, restore it.
It would be fortunate if what Alex faces now is this MDS since he has a lot of potions and medicines to replenish his Magic Power right away. Sadly, it was not and what he faces is quite terrifying.
He heard a lot of similar reports that if a Mage experienced Mana Burn too often, they could be turned into a near brainless monster, which had no cure whatsoever. Like a one-way ticket to hell.
Alex experiences Mana Burn three times on his previous operations. It was not because of him being careless, since he was always the cautious one, it was ironically because he has no one, or anything, to use his mana for in those past Phases after the whole thing passed and then repeated.
It says in many books Alex's had reads that a Mage has to passed Mana Burn repeatedly for two decades before it disappear permanently. A Mage with a mana-burn-free life is all Mages' goal, anyway.
And for him, who experienced his very first Phase six years ago, had to persevere for fourteen more entire years while repeatedly being tortured physically, emotionally, and psychologically with this phenomenon.
There really is no gain if there is no pain.
After a while, Alex took few deep breaths after ensuring that he healed the Mercenaries and has not missed a single one. But he didn't know that before he could feel relieved, an arrow lunged at his left shoulder, the bone of his arm that connects to his shoulder and also the collar bone near it was also struck.
Though everything happened so fast, Alex clearly heard the fracture of his bones... then a cringe-inducing pain came. With a grunt then hiss, he pulled out the arrow in his shoulder and snapped it in two before throwing it away.
"...Mr. Alex!"
The two Mercenaries he was with from his left and right and busy fending attacks from flying arrows and daggers didn't expect that a sneaky arrow could escape their sight. Before they could even react, the arrow was already in Alex's shoulder.
"I'm fine! Don't mind me..."
The two Mercenaries know how valuable Alex is especially in their current state. If he was taken down by their enemies, this only means that their already difficult situation could get even more difficult. And even though each of them had their own variety of potions, with how full both of their hands were, taking what potions out of their spatial items wouldn't be an easy task to do.
The besieged of monsters and their random way of attacks in a surprise or sneaky way shouldn't be looked down on.
An hour passed, the inevitable death they all had in mind became reality. Few of their comrades died in different reasons. Some died from sneaky attacks, some because they took the attack that weren't for them in form of helping or defending their brothers, and some were, sadly, because their opponents weren't just one or two at the same time.
That was why even though they completely wiped out the monsters, everyone's mood were down. Not to mention in the next wave, they didn't know if what kind of monster they have to face.
Alex too is feeling sentimental despite him having no deep relations with those who died. One could say that it was his way of paying respect for those who passed, or because of the mood itself, it could also be both.
However, Valdez, this man is different.
Three of his brothers who he was with since and very close to were some of those who died. It was really difficult for him to accept their deaths. How many situations in life and death they survived together flashes back in his memory.
Their silly grins and contagious laughs every time they all escaped the Grim Reaper's scythe brought him to tears. Even their not-so-funny jokes that he still laughed with them made him genuinely laugh now, albeit in sadness.
"...Seems like taking this mission was not a good choice."
If Valdez knew that taking this mission is in exchange for his brothers' lives because the situation could be this dire, he'll surely reject the offer without any second thought. Sadly, he didn't, and lost important people.
Never in his life Valdez regretted being a Mercenary, because if he never became one, he wouldn't meet these good brothers of him, wouldn't be with his beloved wife who he met halfway through their mission back then, wouldn't encounter and experience many things, and more importantly, wouldn't be the kind of person he was today.
That was why despite facing a mountain of negativity being a Mercenary, he never quits, and he embraced the pros and cons instead.
People who didn't know anything, or those who only knew little because of scattered rumors, thought of them as a battle-crazed maniac, a money-grubber, twisted murderers, and other more despicable labels.
But not all Mercenaries were the same, weren't they? Just like everybody, which has different nature varying from good to bad and other more types.
It just happens that most people with pieced up pieces as their 'basis' believed them like that, and worse, make a sweeping generalization.
But yes, some Mercenaries really did act such one. Those rotten fruits slaughter people just for the fun of it. They acted as monsters. And up to this very day, there were still those kinds of Mercenaries out there, causing mayhem in their wake, and ruining the majority of Mercenaries.
Valdez and his men might not be labelled as 'good people' because they took lives too, but what makes them different from those rotten ones were, they never took lives just because they were bored nor for the fun it. They were rational, and also professional. There actions were well-thought-out, that was why there were no guilt to weigh them down.
Valdez believed that feeling 'guilty' despite doing the same actions again and again are only for those hypocrites who kept insisting that they had left no choices, so they ended up doing the deed, and then do it again eventually.
But he was not. His brothers were not. And others were not, too. It just depends on the person. Depends on one's choice.
Those rotten fruits were indeed overcome with genuine guilt, then sorrow, and then regret. But they rationalized their actions to overcome all that, throwing out their morals, and becoming that of an irrational monster that they chose for themselves and what they were now.
That's right. Irrational monsters. Those rotten fruits were irrational monster.
Thankfully, Valdez and his brothers were always rational. He, himself, is always rational. Yet, at this very moment, it feels like his rationality is being tested.
Valdez is most aware that the reason his rationality remained intact was because of his brothers. Because together, they have always and repeatedly survived the Reaper's chase. Because his brothers were always his foundation and the solid support for his rationality.
And now... now his brothers, his brothers that he treated not just simply as allies or companions but as families, three of them died. Three. And he fears the number might add up in the next wave and the wave after that.
This fear, this inevitable, instinctual fear, has found a crack to his rationality because of the losses of his once firm foundation and solid support.
Will he be like those rotten fruits and be an irrational monster? Can he now fell regret being a Mercenary? Or, can he overcome his extreme emotions and other more emotions to come? More importantly, can he stay as 'that' kind of Valdez?