Mushoku Tensei: A different path

(Third POV)

The next day the group consisting of Rudeus, Soldat, Sara and three other people, went out to search for more leads on the identified dragons.

This time, the main objective remains similar but different.

Search for leads or hints on the monsters locations and hiding spots without going into a fight.

Until a better plan has been put together, the adventurers are to remain on lookout.

The group Rudeus is in has already departed four days ago.

The currently new assigned leader was Soldat, and he made things go different from the last one.

As Soldat knew about Rudeus's detection ability very well, he would ask him whenever he saw it fit to check on the area.

Despite Rudeus's efforts, however, the problem remained the same. Other monsters, which they weren't after, were missing all over the place.

It made everyone feel uncomfortable when the third day approached, and they still hadn't found a single lead.

It was only until the fourth day did something happen.

"Soldat, there is something."

It was Rudeus who called out to his leader.

"And what might that 'something' be?"

"Not sure. There are two of them, and of large build. I think those might be monsters we are looking for."

Some of them started to relax momentarily before getting ready to get the hell back before they get too close.

Soldat, on the other hand, was skeptical if that was sufficient to head back already.

"Anything else to inform us?"

As Rudeus closed his eyes and concentrated some more, he detected new information.

"Those two seem to be… fighting? This could mean that fight is for territorial means."

"Well, that could explain the monster shortage."

Soldat was now in a thinking pose with one of his hands on his chin. The ferocity of those two definitely indicates that they are not targets to take lightly. But with the current state, going back now would still be insufficient of information.

Without a fitting plan, exterminating those will be impossible.

The leader in Soldat had an idea but the human in him wasn't ready to risk it.

He looked over at his team and tried to think about a way to get more detail without being at risk of getting attacked.

In the end, he decided to let the leader in him take over.

"Rudeus." He said stepping before him and putting a hand on his shoulder.

Rudeus started to get worried. He knew well enough how much of a capable leader Soldat was, but these moments of seriousness in his face are what made it obvious how hard of a decision he had to make.

"Listen to me carefully. I know that what I'm asking you is risky, but just the location of those monsters won't help much. I need you to get close to these monsters and get as many descriptions about them as you can. Do not, under any means, go into a fight on your own. And at any sign of danger, run to a different direction and send a warning signal."

"Are you out of your mind?!"

The one that yelled at was none other than Sara. And as a response, the rest put their fingers on their mouth and shushed at her.

"Idiot! We are close to them. Don't attract attention."

Upon realization of her slip up, she put a hand over her mouth and slightly blush. Composing herself again, the anger began to rise once more. This time, without yelling.

"You better have a good enough reason to send him off to his death."

Soldat couldn't help but scratch his cheek. He knew that at least one of them would scowl at him. No, the other three were glaring at him too, eyes asking for an explanation.

Despite all of that, the person giving her an answer was Rudeus himself. He went to Sara and put his hand on her shoulder.

This, of course, startled the young archer, as she wasn't ready to meet with Rudeus's calm demeanor.

"Your worries are very much appreciated. But, Soldat is asking me if that for good reason. Besides-" Rudeus stopped before looking at Soldat and then back at Sara with a meek smile. "This isn't the first time he sent me out for observation."

No one could believe how lightly he was taking it, but wouldn't want to stop him if he was willing to do it anyway.

As he started to stretch a bit before going, he spoke on last time to Sara.

"Sara. Do you remember when you and [Counter Arrow] followed me to that Luster Grizzly mission?"

"Why are you mentioning that now?"

"Didn't you guys follow me by my footprints in the snow?"

"At first, but then we couldn't find any."

"That's because I didn't leave any after I noticed you guys."

Sara, much like the other three, was confused by what he said.

The only one that understood Rudeus was Soldat, but just because he already saw it himself.

Done warming up his body, Rudeus started using his magic and levitated above the ground and into the distance between the woods.

By the time he was out of side, Soldat took the initiative to explain to the other four how Rudeus did for [Stepped Leader].

And it was necessary as Sara was looking into the direction in which Rudeus vanished.

"Timothy and the others thought he used magic to clean his trail, but this is how he did it?"

"He uses Gravity Magic to lighten his own body weight and then using some sort of mana arm extension, which he calls [Specter Force], to grab onto trees and pull himself forward while floating."

Sara couldn't help but stuttering her words. It made sense what Rudeus said just before. He didn't need to cover his trail because he never made any.

Meanwhile, the others went towards the opposite direction in case things got ugly earlier.

Soldat was still standing on the same spot and looking towards the direction Rudeus flew.

After a few seconds, he joined the others on the retread.

Next to him was Sara, punching him on the side of his ribs.

Soldat only winced a little without complaining, knowing why she did it and what she will soon be asking him.

"Answer me. Why did you send him off like this?"

"He has trust issues."

His answer was as quick as it was simplistic. And to further explain it, he continued.

"Even after joining my party, he avoided any interactions that didn't involve helping his goal. He is always eating on his own by growing some kind of plant from the King Dragon Kingdom, he always spends his spare time making those stone dolls, or using his services as a King class Healer.

I made him join my party in the hopes that his cranky attitude about his current situation to lessen, but he doesn't make it easy.

At this point, I am convinced that he unconsciously distances himself from others by being blinded from his objectives."

"Isn't that last part because he's overconfident about his abilities?"

"I don't think so. He knows when to use them whenever the situation asks for it. Honestly, having him in my party made things easier. Too easy, maybe. He would just about do well enough within any party, so it was a lucky thing to have spoken to him before anyone else did. Well, and my way of talking back at angered people like he was at that time."

"Sounds to me, you're exploiting from him."

"I believe that was a thing of the inevitable. Besides, he is still willing to stay with us. Though he does seem impatient about something."

Sara was about to ask what it was but then remembered the reason Rudeus was an adventurer in the first place.

It was his mother.

At first, Sara assumed that he was lying, and that he was only after the fame and sympathy from others.

But after talking to him the other day, and seeing how he takes this job seriously, doubt arose within her.

She still couldn't forgive him for what happened with the [Tri-Daggers], but over time her anger lessened.

"He was having trust issues even before that. Did he tell you what happened with his last party?"

The question came so unexpectedly that not just Soldat was surprised but Sara herself couldn't comprehend what drove her to ask this in the first place.

Deep inside her, she just tried to understand the person who is Rudeus Greyrat better to know what makes him who he is known in her eyes.

Sighing, Soldat picked his words with careful consideration.

"Something definitely happened to them that made him be scared to get too close to new people. Can't tell if he's doing it voluntarily or because he's unaware of it. Either way, he's good enough of a person to try and get people away from trouble. The only problem is, that's selfish and is doomed to cause more trouble than it needs to."

For Soldat, Rudeus was a person well aware of the aspect of his own pain. But that made him appear more like a puppy crawling out of its casket too early.

As pitiful as it may seem, with the current state as of now, Rudues will have more than a hard time getting his footing back should things continue like they are now.

*BOOM*

With the sudden blast breaking the cold atmosphere Soldat and Sara had, their instincts kick in.

Looking back to where Rudeus flew at, up in the sky a massive firework lite up the cloudy noon sky.

"Damn it, what have I done?!" Soldat exclaimed, looking at the bright firework with great regret.

"I freaking knew it!" Meanwhile, Sara made that regret sink in more deeply.

Since the agreed scenario was met, they picked up their speed and started to run like their life's mattered by the speed they would input. Which it ironically did.

All of them were thinking about what could have made even Rudeus force to retreat so early on, but only Soldat and Sara were thinking about if that was a retreat signal or a warning signal after getting immobilized.

But what they all initially felt was a sense of dread over that coursed through their minds from the soon to occur death battle.

However, that moment didn't come and instead a different kind of surprise attacked them.

From behind them, the sound of strong blasts neared them at terrifying speed.

Sara was the first one to notice but when she turned her head around, she was grabbed by the waist and flung forward.

The suddenness of that made her panic and assume that the monsters had caught up to them.

What she didn't expect, though was sensation of falling down from a high place.

When she opened her eyes, she was more than the word confused could describe.

She was still close to the ground but wasn't feeling getting dragged down but to the side, as if the world she once stood in got turned to the side.

When she looked at her surroundings, she came to the awareness that she wasn't the only one that fell sideways.

The rest of her group was also there, close and equally confused from getting levitated over the ground.

While they all looked for the reason for their obscure predicament, Soldat found the perpetrator.

It was Rudeus. He was using his [Specter Force] and grabbed everyone while running like there was no tomorrow.

As he maneuvered past the trees and hills they came across, all they could do as of now was to wait for Rudeus to slow down or completely stop.

Minutes passed by after their sudden kidnapping, it came to an abrupt and rough ending.

Rudeus tripped and fell over, rolling a bit further away than the rest did after finally being let go from the invisible hands.

None of them were seriously injured, but they were still in a difficult situation.

As Soldat got back up, he stomped towards Rudeus with anger.

He clearly gave him orders to head towards a different direction than he came from, and yet he still came back to them.

It wasn't like Soldat wanted to be angry, but rather that he should be.

He always held back on scolding him too hard ever since he heard about what the kid was forced to commit something that he regretted.

But now was not the time to continue with sympathy.

As he was getting close to Rudeus, he noticed something strange.

He was still laying face down on the ground while twitching with every part of his body.

A premonition formed into his mind on what it could be.

Sara ran up towards Rudeus, pushing Soldat away. As she kneeled besides him, she carefully turned him around.

That was the moment that Soldat's premonition came true.

Rudeus was severely poisoned and slashed at different part of his front side.

The veins on his face were swollen red, seemingly growing further into his body, making him gasp for enough air to come through. The right side of his face has multiple rows of smaller cuts that caused a severe injury altogether.

The side of his state was horrific.

All of them were at a loss for words.

It was only until Sara noticed that there was a movement from Rudeus's hand that she finally snapped out of it.

It was hard to believe, even right now, Rudeus was trying to heal himself.

Sara was about to assist him in getting his hand positioned right, but then Soldat stepped in and cut a piece of his jacket off.

He wasn't sure where else the poison was, so he used that piece of his clothing to avoid contact with it.

Sara helped him by taking another piece and assisting Rudeus's other hand.

Both of them now held his forearms, guiding them to touch his face.

As both of his hand made contact with his body, he releases Healing Magic with his left hand and Detoxification Magic with his right hand.

The green light that emitted from him was stronger than before due to the enormous amount of mana he put in from panic.

Slowly every part of his body got healed, may it be close or far from the area close enough to his hands.

Once he got fully healed, he snapped his eyes open and strongly breathed in.

Sara and Soldat let go of his hand before he sat up and coughed a few times into his hands.

A sense of relieve overwhelmed Soldat, and he fell backwards onto his butt.

Composing his self again, Rudeus turned to Soldat to speak in a panicked tone.

"Soldat, we need to ru-"

*Pow*

Before he could, though, he was abruptly punched at the side of his face.

He landed backward on Sara's lap after getting caught by her.

Soldat just snorted while throwing his head to the side. And Sara was in disbelief that Rudeus wasn't angry or anything. Just panicked.

"At first I didn't disregard your orders, Soldat. In fact, I was already going into another direction."

"Then what made you change your mind then."

"Soldat, they didn't see me, they felt my presence. I didn't get a glimpse at them."

"Wai… wait, so you're saying they have detection abilities like you do?" Soldat asked, nervous of the dangerous intel Rudeus has gotten them.

It means that getting a surprise attack done is next to impossible if they can sense them from afar.

"So you came back just to tell us that?" Sara asked, taken aback by his action.

"Worse. They were heading towards you guys. Both of them shot an attack of their own and I attempted to block it. But it went right through both my Touki and Barrier Magic. I'm not fully sure how though."

Soldat couldn't believe what he just said.

As someone who has been fighting with Rudeus enough already, he knew just how sturdy his defensive capabilities are. And to hear that those got broken down made him grow a tinge of anxiety.

"So you saved us?" One of the other guys asked.

"We are nowhere near safe right now. I brought us a good distance away from them, but that may not matter. One of these creatures could have a high sense of smell and follow us."

"He is right." Soldat declared, getting back into his role of leadership. "We need to leave and prepare for a raid. Every second is crucial. Now let's go."

By his command, the rest got ready to leave again. Since they were already at the means of leaving, they only needed to start walking.

Rudeus, on the other hand, had a different problem.

'Not again.'

As he looked down at his chest and arms, he saw the damage the two monsters had done to his clothing.

Cuts and holes have damaged his robe. Not just the front, his sleeves got hit too. He even lost the bandages he had.

Sighing in frustration over the course of the events that he got mingled into again.

And that was about to further worsen as he picked up four new signals approaching.

One after another noticed Rudeus's sudden halt, curious and anxious to find out what he was sensing this time.

"Another monster?" Soldat asked.

"No. It's… people?"

"Could they be another group?" Sara wondered.

"Before we all left from the first day, I memorized their signals before we left. All four aren't from us and I think I sensed three of them once before."

Confused as to who these people were, a nonverbal decision was made to wait and see who they were.

It wasn't long before the mysteries people came close enough to make their appearance certain.

All four of them had cloaks that hid their swords and armor under.

Once they saw how they came close to people, the four of them uncovered their hoods.

One of the men in particular, completely caught Rudeus's attention.

Someone he was never expected to meet again so far away from where they have met first.

He was only informed later about the true identity of this individual and was skeptical about it subsequent to the entire conflict with the shitty god.

But should he really be the person who he said he is, then things have not become better at all.

The man in question wore an eyepatch over his right eye.

His shin was color deprived as if infected.

Both his eyes and cheeks were sunken in as if he were malnourished.

Such a face would be considered one that would get better over time as it looked rather unique on its own, but making it be more memorable.

That memorability is what made Rudeus realize just who this person was should his untrustworthy intel have said the truth.

'It's Death God.'

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