POV Change: Nina (elf), one of the villagers.

I woke up from the noise of battle and saw our warriors either half asleep or still sleeping being slaughtered by humans. They had dark red armor and were moving in orderly fashion, their numbers weren't more than 100, but still, they had an advantage of an ambush and were clearly more experienced in fighting than any of our villagers. Looking at their inhuman expressions, it looks more like they were experienced more in slaughtering and killing than fighting.

All I could think about is taking my daughter and running deeper into the forest, hoping that they won't notice. Dragging my 11 year old daughter by hand, and closing her mouth with the other, while hugging close to me so she won't see all the slaughter around us I move as silently as possible into the woods, away from the camp. We were quite deep inside the camp, and considering how much people we had, in it the camp was really big. I dragged my daughter closer to the edge, and noticed our village chief with some of the warriors making their way to the attackers.

Chief has done a lot of things for me and my daughter, so I wanted to warn them, that they don't have the chance, that they have to flee, but knowing him, he wouldn't listen to me.

"It's okay honey, just close your eyes shot, and follow me, everything will be okay." Whispering reassuring words to my daughter, while dragging her along, I can already see the forest on the other side of the camp, people here although already realized what is going on, they are unwilling to run from the safety of our camp, they don't understand in how much of a danger we are.

Imperial army shouldn't be here so soon, at least we hoped they shouldn't. But they would definitely number more than thousand, they should already encircle us. Why are their numbers so few? Remembering those savage looks on their faces, they should be the infamous red bandits.

I have the experience to judge the situation, because before settling with my husband and having our daughter, we were adventurers. Although I was just a C rank adventurer, my husband was B rank. It's actually quite high for a commoner. I don't know who's path he crossed, and at this point I don't even care, but they kidnapped me and our daughter when we still were in the city. He charged in heroically to save us, and he succeeded, but died in the process, leaving the two of us alone, with no choice but to flee the city, if we didn't want to be enslaved for being a murderers family. There is a rule, that if red's family have orange statuses, then they can harbor ill intentions, so they are guilty in aiding the criminal. And although my daughter had and still has the green status, she wouldn't be able to survive without both of her parents.

I joined the group, that were fleeing the city, led by the so called savor. I didn't care who he was or what motives he had, all I knew was, that it was my best chance to stay with my daughter. And after couple of mounts of peaceful life, we were forced to flee again.

Once we entered the woods again, I started running, still dragging my daughter along. I could tell, that she was barely being able to keep up, but we didn't have much choice.

*WhooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOO*

Then I heard the wolf's howling. It seems that blood and loud fighting and screaming attracted their attention, but they aren't confident enough to join the main fight, so they decided to pick on the easier prey, and right now we are the easy prey. Pulling the dagger from under my clothes and tightening my grip around my daughter's wrist I try to run faster.

I can already see a couple of wolves sneaking around the trees, they are trying to encircle us. Although they aren't mana beasts, they still can sense my mana, and they are cautious of me. In my best days I would be easily able to dispose of a dozen wolfs, but right now I don't have my gear, nor do I have my shield and sword. All I have is a dagger, and my biggest worry is, I will be forced to fight them while protecting my daughter, so I won't be able to use my superior agility. I am using mana to boost my body's strength and mainly agility, that's the only way us commoner has of utilizing mana. You have to be from those noble clans to get access to the techniques of using mana in other ways. So mages are only the people, who are born in the noble families or has high enough talent to be recruited.

As we keep running, the noises from the camp is getting quieter, I'm struggling to find a cliff or big enough rock. If I have to fight I'd better face those wolves from one side, instead of letting them encircle me, but I can't find a suitable place, so I just keep running. By this time, I have already counted 8 wolves, and it looks like they hunger got better of their caution, because the first wolf from my left side, where I keep dragging my daughter by the hand pounced on us. Twisting my body and pulling Nica's body into a hug, I use the dagger in my hand to hit the wolf in his side, feeling the dagger go through his skin and cutting through bones, I then avoid his sharp claws. Although I can't use my superior speed to run around them and kill them one by one, avoiding their attacks and dealing my own on the process is still easy for me. But as I thought that, I noticed how close the other wolf have already gotten, trying to pounce on us from my right. The first wolf have already hit the ground, bleeding, although It doesn't look like it's a fatal wound, it's still serious enough to reduce the number of wolves I have to worry about by one.

Reacting to the second pounce, with already uncomfortable position I was in from the previous exchange, I don't have any choice but to push us both with my daughter to the ground, avoiding the pounce. Deciding that there is no helping it, I try the only thing I can think about. Hugging my daughter with both of my hands, I start sprinting to the nearby tree my muscles already infused with mana giving me an explosive speed, then I jump as high as I can, landing on the first branch, which is already cracking, ready to break, I jump once more landing on the highest one, and it looks much sturdier.

But I know, that just hiding on the trees won't save us from the trouble, so I gently place my daughter on the branch, and we are standing and look at her for the first time from the very start I woke her up. She is clinging to me with both of her hands, with as much power as she got and crying, her beautiful face twisted in an expression of panick. Glancing once more at the base of the tree, I place a hand on my daughter's cheek and smile to her, making the most relaxed expression I can.

"Nica, dear, listen to me" Still sobbing and unsure, but a lot calmer then before she looks at me "Mama have to go down for a little bit ok? You just have to sit hear, and wait for me just a minute, I will be back sooner than you will notice" Panicking again in middle of my sentence, she realize that I intend to leave her in here alone, even if for just a moment, she tries to grab me once more, but I just slip from her grasp, jumping down dagger in hand, I can hear Nica's cries in my back. I'd like to sooth her more, calm her down first, but I really don't have the time. The wolves already started biting and clawing at the tree. Although they aren't monsters, who can directly utilize the mana and control it, their bones, teeth and claws are nurtured by the mana, making it stronger, so even if they can't bring trees down just by one swing, given enough time the 7 of them would be able to do it sooner or later.

Sinking the dagger through unfortunate wolf's skull, I landed on, I pull it out as fast as I can, glancing around. The wolves, that number 6 now and one wounded, look more hesitant this time, but after the brief hesitation, 4 of them pounce on me at the same time.

Now that I have don't have to worry about my daughter, I can use my speed to bring them down one by one, dodging their attacks. I already took a stance, ready to face them, making a small step towards the one to my left, I strike with my dagger through the side of his neck, inflicting a fatal wound, then moving pass it, I go for the other one, which wasn't with the initial 4, that attacked me.

Clearly being faster than the wolves, I appear near the startled wolf and sink my dagger right through his eye, directly into the brain, not feeling much resistance. Pulling dagger out once more, I turn around, to see now 4 wolfs sprinting towards me. Those wolves are more aggressive than I remember. Now it's too risky to try dance around them, I can't dodge all of their attacks at once, I'll need to use the trees and my speed to find an opportunity, I don't have to be impatient, so I keep taking steps back, still facing them. Feeling that my foot isn't on the hard ground and hearing a whimper, which followed by the pain in my leg, I turn my head to see the very first, wounded wolf biting my leg. Slashing with the dagger, and killing it as fast as I can to free my leg, I realize that it's much too late, when the other wolf bite me in my stomach. Killing it too with a fast slash, now bleeding I face the remaining three.

I have to think clearly, with my damaged leg, I don't have the advantage of the speed. That damnable wolf, why should I be so unlucky as to run right into his mouth. Ignoring the pain both in my stomach and leg, I greet the wolf's pounce just like with the first one, dodging it and slashing, dealing a not-deadly blow.

Then sidestepping the second one in a way, I stumble because of the pain in a leg, and try as hard as I can not to cry out loud, falling on the ground, but I don't have the time to collect myself and get up, because the third one is already on me, trying to bite my face. I use my arm to push its head away from my face, at the same time sinking my dagger through its ribs, and just after a second it fells on me powerlessly.

The last one bites, which I tried to not-so-successfully sidestep, bites my foot, thrashing around, while its friend is still laying on me. Pushing the dead wolf out of me I take an upright position as fast as I can and send the dagger right at the last one's eye, although with its thrashing around, I miss, hitting hard bone, but I keep hitting and hitting, after a couple of hits wolf understands, that things aren't good for it, and instead it tries to bite my hand, so I make use of its straight head movement, elbowing it on the side of the head to defend myself parrying its last struggle, while using the dagger in other hand to sink it right through its neck. After I feel the warm blood gushing out of wound into my hand and the wolf falls limp on the ground. I try to regain my breathing, at the same time trying to stop the bleeding from the wound in my stomach wrapping some clothes around it and pushing it as tight as I can. But I won't make the same mistake again, I have to kill the wounded wolf, the last one alive.

It took me more than the whole fight, couple of the minutes to tighten clothes around the wound and kill the last one, it didn't pose much of a threat in its situation, and would die sooner or later from bleeding, but still kept glaring at me, I ended its life with one precise strike. And finally sigh in relief.

Now that the battle ended I can hear my daughter's screams and sobs, calling for me.

"I'm ok dear, *cough*......... don't worry, I'll be right there after a second, *cough*,..... just wait a bit longer ok?" I manage to say through the haggard breathing and coughs. We can't stay here, it's still dangerous, I don't know when another pack of wolves or something else will attack us. We have to get out of here as soon as possible.