Work Smarter, Not Harder (Part 3)

The following day, Ethan returned to the site, feeling the weight of unfinished business on his shoulders. The sky was bright, but a chill hung in the air as he approached the meeting spot. He spotted Layla and her group waiting for him, their equipment looking a bit worse for wear but their spirits seemingly intact.

"Morning, Ethan!" Layla called out cheerfully as she waved him over, her ponytail swaying with her enthusiastic greeting. To Ethan, she seemed more confident than she had yesterday. "Ready to finish what we started?"

"Definitely," Ethan replied with a nod, trying to keep his focus sharp. 

Despite the warm greeting, the nagging feeling Ethan had the day before returned. 'What the heck is up with this?' He couldn't help but scan their surroundings, and finding nothing to be concerned about, he pushed the feeling to the back of his mind.

The ragtag group of adventurers stood nearby, quietly preparing for the day ahead. Ethan took a moment to size them up.

First was Roland, the tall man with the patchy beard who had greeted him the day before. He wore mismatched armor that looked like it had seen better days, and his sword was nicked and worn. However, his grip on it looked steady. His nervous smile from yesterday had been replaced with a aura of confidence.

Beside him stood Zara, a slender woman with sharp features and short-cropped black hair. She wore light leather armor and carried a pair of daggers at her sides. Her eyes constantly scanned the surroundings as if expecting an ambush at any moment. Ethan silently wondered if she was experiencing the same uneasiness he had felt.

Then, there was Thorne, a bulky man with a shaved head and arms thicker than a small tree. He carried a massive warhammer slung over his shoulder that was nearly as tall as he was. Despite his massive size, there was a quiet intensity about him. Probably because he didn't speak much.

"Everyone ready?" Ethan asked.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Roland replied steadily.

Zara glanced at Ethan. "We'll handle the smaller groups of Blight like before. You keep focusing on the big ones."

Thorne simply nodded, his grip tightening on his warhammer.

Ethan appreciated that the group was happy to stick to the same plan and the lack of small talk. "Alright, let's finish this."

They spread out, each taking their position. Ethan resumed his methodical clearing of the Blight, using the pellets to draw them in and watching them turn into sludge once they consumed the bait. The adventurers handled the stragglers, taking down any Blight that was outside the pellets' attractive range.

For a while, everything went smoothly. But then, as the sun climbed higher in the sky, a low rumble echoed through the dead land. Ethan froze, his eyes narrowing as he searched for the source of the noise.

"Did you hear that?" Layla whispered, suddenly appearing beside him. Her usual cheerfulness was replaced with a look of concern.

"Yeah," Ethan replied, his grip tightening on his cudgel. "Something's coming."

The ground beneath them trembled slightly, and then a massive Blight emerged from the dead land beneath them. It towered over the adventurers, its body a mass of pulsating flesh and twisted limbs. Dark, oozing veins ran over its hide, and its eyes glowed with a sickly green light.

"By the gods…" Roland stuttered, his voice shaking as he took a step back.

Zara cursed under her breath, drawing her daggers. "Looks like we've got a real fight on our hands."

Thorne remained silent, but the tension in his posture was noticeable as he readied his warhammer.

Ethan quickly assessed the situation. "Stay together. We need to take this thing down, but don't get reckless."

The group moved as one, surrounding the creature and attacking from all sides. Ethan threw a handful of Blightbane Pellets at the monster, hoping they would have the same effect as they had on the smaller ones. But the mutated Blight simply ignored them, its massive bulk crashing through the dead landscape with terrifying force.

Moving with surprising agility, Layla darted in and out of the creature's reach, slashing at its legs with her sword. Yet, there was a strange hesitation in her movements, almost as if she was holding back. 'Maybe I'm just being paranoid. It's probably the nerves that are causing her to hesitate.'

Meanwhile, Roland tried to distract the creature, slashing away with his sword, while Zara focused on finding weak points. Her daggers flashed in the dull light with each swing. Thorne swung his warhammer with brutal precision, aiming for the creature's joints whenever he had the chance.

But despite their best efforts, the mutated Blight seemed almost unstoppable. Every time they landed a hit, the creature retaliated with a brutal swipe of its claws or a bone-rattling roar that rattled their teeth.

Ethan gritted his jaw as frustration rose in his chest. 'We can't keep this up for much longer.' He glanced over at Layla, who had just narrowly dodged another attack. Her earlier cheerfulness was gone, replaced by a look of grim determination.

And then it happened. As the creature lunged towards Zara, Layla moved. Unfortunately, she was too slow. Her sword clanged against the ground instead of striking the Blight's exposed side, leaving Zara vulnerable.

"Watch out!" Ethan shouted, rushing forward. But it was too late.

The mutated Blight's claw swiped across Zara's side, sending her flying back with a cry of pain. She hit the ground hard, her daggers skittering out of reach.

"Zara!" Roland yelled, panic in his voice as he ran to her side.

Ethan's heart pounded in his chest. They couldn't afford any more mistakes. 'We'll all end up dead if we don't bring it down soon!'

He glanced at Layla, who had quickly recovered from her misstep. She flashed him a brief, apologetic look. "Is Zara okay?"

Ethan frowned as Layla yelled that. It wasn't unusual to worry about a team member, but who would take their eyes off a monster that could flatten them at any second? Nobody. 'Unless she doesn't feel threatened by it.'

It was a grim thought, but before he could confront her with his suspicion, the mutated Blight let out another ear-splitting roar. Its movements growing more violent and unpredictable. It was wounded but nowhere close to going down.

Ethan raised his cudgel, unsure of whether he'd be of any real help in this situation. However, determination burned in his eyes as he charged into the battle.