The mercenaries fought valiantly, sadly they gained more injuries from the damned monster's claws than they could inflict it.
The situation worsened when the half-orc grabbed one of them by foot and hurled him against a tree.
"Oi! Bulgogi!" the team yelled, glaring at the half-orc. "YOU DAMNED BEAST!" they yelled, lunging at him together.
However, the half-orc just continued to push, kick, or throw them. Some would find themselves crashing into rocks, some onto underbushes. Soon, fewer and fewer had enough health to stand to confront him.
Their groans and cries of pain filled the air, but everyone was alive thanks to their experience and relatively good level.
But there were still a lot of them and the years of fighting alongside each other honed their cooperation. They moved with precision, exploiting every opening they could find.
They managed to weaken and slow him down after a lot more injuries among themselves, but the half-orc's resilience was getting really annoying!
Eloi heaved deep breaths, looking at the tired creature as well. However, it was obvious that he was still in a somewhat better state than their group. "This won't do, we may lose energy before he would give in."
"Weaken him more," Bart commanded, his eyes fixed on the half-orc. "I have a plan!"
The team trusted Bart and lunged forward, sending barrage after barrage of attacks. The orc mostly defended but he also hit back before he was forced to a defensive stance again. They could feel their defensive equipment giving way, making them want to get the half-orc even more.
The violent scuffle continued for several more minutes and a few more mercenaries were thrown out. Their defense equipment had given way at this point and if the beast decided to target them—they'd be dead for real.
Of course, the half-orc was also exhausted. It was heaving deep breaths, though it was mixed with ominous growls. Bart's eyes sharpened as he saw the slight change in the half-orc. He immediately ran to him, revealing a high-level tool—a magic rope—from his space and created a loop with it.
"Now!" he yelled, and the remaining mercenaries surrounded the monster, keeping it in place. The loop surrounded the monster and with a pull, it was finally tied up.
They did not dare lower their guards as they tensely watched the half-orc struggle and roar as it was trapped. It felt like the ground shook as he did so.
However, even after a while, the rope held on, and the tense atmosphere lessened just a little bit.
"Did we get him?" Bulgogi mumbled, groaning as he struggled to see closely.
"GYA!" he gasped in shock. "YOU JERK!" He yelled, kicking the damned creature.
He tried to bite, but a pull from Bart kept him down and for now they were sure he was really contained.
This was a very expensive tool designed to hold level 40s, let alone a beast that had a lower level than that!
Bart bought it with a bulk of his savings when he encountered it on an auction in case they encounter great beasts so they could sell them to tamers. It was a pleasant surprise to use it early!
The others also recognized the rope. After all, it really cost a lot! "That rope! I forgot about that!"
"Those hundreds of gold was worth it!"
"We'll sell him for a very good amount!"
"If he's alive by then."
"This bastard, injuring us so much," Eloi said, sending the tied half-orc a kick to relieve his annoyance.
"Jerkjerkjerk!" Bulgoi said, kicking as well. He was already in so much pain, what the heck!
Bart heaved a deep breath and spoke. "Calm down," he said, "It's still raining. Let's go have some rest."
After tying up the monster very very nicely, they headed back to the cave. They left the monster there to weaken it a bit more, at least until they found it a buyer.
Judging by the looks of the cave, the half-orc had been here for at least a few weeks. It wasn't as smelly as they feared either, so it at least knew not to shit on his own floor.
Anyway, the ambulatory members checked the others' states. Fortunately, everyone was alive—though the same could not be said about their equipment.
As Mercenaries who traveled a lot, they naturally had a small stock of weapons in their spaces. But how many could fit in the space? Besides, a lot had been destroyed in the various battles, with the half-orc consuming the rest of them.
They were also injured in various ways. They could only sigh when they recalled they barely had any potions left.
Their higher-level medicine had already been consumed, except for a bottle. They had no choice but to dilute it and share it among the heavily injured ones.
As for the open wounds, they had no choice but to destroy a couple of clothing to serve as bandages, hoping nothing would get infected.
"Tsk," they cursed, glaring at the half-orc outside, thinking most of their troubles at this time were due to it. He better be worth it!
Speaking of the rain, it didn't seem to show any signs of stopping. Combined with their current weaknesses, they really couldn't help but worry for themselves. "We could lose more people if we encounter a mob."
"We'll need to find a territory to rest and restock again," Bart said and this made everyone look at him as a certain thought lingered inside everyone's heads.
"This is near the fog isn't it?" Eloi asked, and this made everyone think of Garan's team. "Wanna check what's behind?"
The Mercenary Team waited for a few more hours until the rain calmed, immediately heading out to their destination.
Sipa led the way again but he paused when they showed him the way—the location behind the 'fog'.
"That area? Wasn't that the Dying Lands?"
Bart paused. "Wait, now that you mention it—"
The Dying Lands was a massive area where the resources had refreshed in much slower rates. Sometimes, a simple Gouji tree that bloomed daily would bloom once a month in this place.
There were also a lot of monsters that made bases there because there were few people to fight for territory. For decades, there was no territory here simply because it wasn't worth it.
Bart seemed to vaguely remember that event 20 years ago with similar circumstances.
Anyway, there were plenty of reasons to check it out. "Well, let's go take a look."