She followed Otto out of the cave and was greeted by a forest. Deciding to hold any questions for now, she just followed the spirit guardian who was following an unseen path that made the trip quite like a tourist attraction. It was quite a surprise that walking in silence surrounded by nature calmed her down completely as she partook the sights and sounds around her.
Mio didn't know how long they walked but they finally caught sight of a distant town up ahead. However her excitement was doused cold by a sudden scream and cries for help. They followed the sound with hurried steps until they found a carriage surrounded by a snarling pack of six wolves. The armored knights were valiantly trying to protect the carriage but it was clear that they were stretched thin. Originally there were seven knights protecting the carriage but four of them were left, while 3 were down with wounds.
They both looked at each other with a determined glint in their eyes.
""Let's go save them." Mio declared as she pulled out the gun from her backpack and gave it a quick check.
Seeing a nod from Otto, Mio sprinted towards the wolf pack and the defending knights. She fired off a quick shot, her battle instincts making her pull out her mana towards the weapon
despite her lack of training. She fired a shot that hit one of the wolves on the leg causing it to scream but the second shot to the head ended it.
The leader of the wolves noticed Mio charging towards them. It barked twice causing two from the left to break off and charge towards the rushing teen.
Mio saw this and instantly halted her charge and started backtracking, firing shots at the two charging wolves. One of the shots grazed one of the wolves ears while the other shot hit the ground in front of the other causing a small explosion, causing said wolf to stop with a startled yelp.
Despite being a champion marksman, this was her first time firing at a live target, which was quite challenging. However, she finally got the hang of it after a few volleys by reading the movement pattern of the wolf, successfully hitting it in the eye making it burst and causing the wolf to howl in pain. Mio mercifully ended its life with a headshot.
Done with the two wolves, Mio sprinted forward and jumped towards the carriage roof. She fired a few shots behind her, increasing her momentum through the recoil. Once there, she didn't waste sniping the remaining four wolves. Three went down easy but the leader had a bit of intelligence to turn tail and retreat considering he was the only one left.
Seeing that there were no more enemies around, Mio relaxed but she was not prepared when a sudden bout of exhaustion hit her. She realized that everything she did just now wasn't normal. If it was back on Earth, there was no way she would have the agility to keep pace with wolves, and these weren't ordinary wolves. Not only did she move fast, she jumped higher than she thought possible, and her battle instincts were off the charts.
Otto answered her inner ramblings telepathically since there were people around and he was invisible all throughout the battle.
"I forgot to mention, mana is capable of increasing your physical attributes. With active mana flowing in your body – your strength, speed, stamina, and reflexes are boosted above normal values." Otto explained nonchalantly.
Mio rolled her eyes and inwardly groused "Now you tell me that. A bit late don't you think? And you can speak directly to my mind now too?"
"Of course, I'm the spirit guardian of Azure. I am invisible to others except for a chosen few. If there are others around, we can speak the way we are now with no one the wiser." Otto explained. "And sorry for not explaining everything at once. There's too much information to cover so we need to get to town fast so I can explain everything to help you understand the situation better."
Mio didn't bother to reply but nodded. Between the summon, the battle with the gryphon, and everything else, there really wasn't any appropriate time to talk. She looked around and spotted no more enemies, she jumped down from the carriage in front of the knights who were looking at her in awe and respect.
She wasn't used to the stares but she clamped down her urge to blush. She nodded at them calmly before asking. "I hope everyone's alright?"
Before anyone could answer her, the carriage door opened with a bang and out came a very richly dressed fat man. He was wearing a purple outer coat with golden trim and a blue undercoat with the same color scheme. He was also covered in jewelries that would make any millionaire on Earth blush with envy.
The fat man immediately went in front of Mio and gave her a bow of gratitude. "Thank you, miss, for saving us. My name is William, humble merchant extraordinaire. May I ask for our saviour's name?"
"The name's Mio, and you're welcome." Mio answered with a smile. "I saw you being attacked so I decided to help out."
William looked around and saw the injuries of his bodyguard and decided to be bold. "I am on my way to Mustela, that town you see yonder. I was hoping if I could request your help in escorting us to town as added safety? I can pay you for your services."
Mio was about to disagree but Otto's voice echoed in her mind. "Take it. Traveling by carriage is faster and getting paid is normal for this kind of scenario. Besides, we need money to rent an inn and to stock up on supplies you will need. We need you to buy some new clothes as well, the current one you're wearing will stand out."
"Alright." Mio answered William, at the same time, acknowledging Otto's intention. "You get everything sorted while I'll stay on top of the carriage where it's easier to spot trouble and intercept."
"Are you sure?" William asked dubiously. "I mean you can stay in the carriage where it's comfortable."
Mio shook her head. "It's fine. Since you hired me to escort you then I will do my job well." She raised her gun and shook it briefly. "Besides, I'm a marksman, so I need to have a clear view of the area around me to hit my targets better."
William eyed the magic gun in appreciation. He encountered gun-type artifacts but this was the first time he saw one this beautiful. Considering how 'unique' his saviour was dressed, he concluded that she was no ordinary lady.
"Alright. I'll handle my guards and tidy up here then we'll be good to go." He agreed.