The Guardian System: The strongest Summoner's quest to save his family-Chapter 362: Ancient Stone-Eater Behemoth (4)

Reidar kept his connection to the Sky-Hunters active, monitoring both the creature and Mara. The priestess had still not moved.

He summoned more Sky-Hunters and sent them ahead to the Behemoth. The creature had moved a little but remained in the same general area, waiting in its camouflaged state.

Reidar prepared for the next phase. Luring the Behemoth to the volcanic region would take hours, and he would need to keep constant pressure to keep it moving in the right direction while also monitoring Mara to make sure she did not wake up and notice what was going on.

This was going to be complicated.

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The process of luring the Behemoth toward the volcanic region was tedious. The kiting process was a nightmare of micromanagement in itself.

One part of Reidar's mind was constantly monitoring Mara, making sure she didn't wake up or move into the danger zone, and most importantly, that she didn't realize he was actually keeping an eye on her.

Two Sky-Hunters remained dedicated to watching her, positioned high enough that she would not spot them even if she looked up. The woman woke once during the first hour, stood, stretched, and then started to move again. She pulled out a canteen and drank, then ate something. After that, she restarted her journey to God knows only where she was going.

Another part of his mind was piloting the "bait" squad to keep the Behemoth interested. This was also the hardest part, because Reidar had to control the Sky-Hunters while keeping Mara in sight.

Reidar used his Sky-Hunters in a rotation, having one dive close to the creature to provoke it, then pulling that summon back while another took its place. The Behemoth followed, sometimes running at full speed, other times slowing down as if it suspected a trap.

Whenever the creature stopped or changed direction, Reidar had to adjust his strategy. He sent Sky-Hunters to harry it from the sides, forcing it to turn back toward the path he wanted. The Behemoth killed 300 more Sky-Hunters during this process, but Reidar kept summoning replacements.

The terrain complicated the situation. The badlands were a maze of ravines, cliffs, and rock formations. Reidar had to guide the Behemoth through paths that led generally northeast, which sometimes meant backtracking or taking longer routes to avoid dead ends. Also, the stone the monster went through healed it, so damaging the behemoth was futile.

At one point, the Behemoth stopped completely and refused to move. It had camouflaged itself against a large boulder and ignored the Sky-Hunters circling overhead.

Reidar tried several things to provoke it. He had Sky-Hunters dive and strike its armored back. He had them screech and circle lower. Nothing worked. The creature simply waited.

<This lazy fuck.>

Reidar changed tactics. He made some of the Sky-Hunters that were harassing the Behemoth and sent one of those Sky-Hunters on a low flight path that passed near the Behemoth.

The creature watched the Sky-Hunter fly by, and when the summon did not attack or slow down, the Behemoth lunged. It chased the Sky-Hunter, which Reidar guided back toward the right path.

<Good. Now keep following, dude. I don't have all day.>

Mara was getting farther and farther, and while more of his Vorathid Sky-Hunters were flying around, covering as much space as possible to prepare for Mara's eventual teleportation, the risk of losing her was still high.

Regardless, the Behemoth followed with renewed interest, and Reidar continued to lure it away to the volcanic region.

It took three hours.

Three hours of sweating, cursing, and watching his mana bar drain, but then the volcanic region came into view.

Reidar saw the glow of magma rivers through the eyes of his lead Sky-Hunters, and the temperature began to rise as they got closer to the boundary.

The Behemoth was a mile in front of him, chasing the Sky-Hunters. Reidar needed it to cross into the volcanic zone first and then find a way to keep the creature after something.

<Oh, and actually find a way to prevent it from leaving.>

He checked on Mara again. The woman was now standing and appeared to be examining her surroundings. She looked alert, which meant something had spooked her.

<Damn it. I need to finish this quickly before she gets too far.>

Reidar broke into a jog, heading toward the volcanic region. It would be better for him to be close so that he could summon something on the spot without having to waste time for it to reach the creature. The heat increased with each step, and when he crossed the boundary, the interface notification appeared.

[Environmental Hazard: Extreme Heat]

[You are taking 5 Fire Damage per second.]

[You are taking 5 Fire Damage per second.]

[You are taking 5 Fire Damage per second.]

[You are taking 5 Fire Damage per second.]

His health bar began to tick down. Reidar ignored it for now and focused on bringing the Sky-Hunter across the boundary. The summon flew over the line, entering the volcanic zone, and the Behemoth followed.

Reidar watched through his other Sky-Hunters as the massive creature charged into the superheated area. Its armored plates gleamed in the orange, which was a good sign. Aside from that, its movements remained strong and fast.

<Come on. Let's see if this works.>

For the first ten seconds, the Behemoth showed no signs of distress. It continued chasing the Sky-Hunters, closing the distance with long strides. But then Reidar noticed a change. The creature's pace slowed slightly, and its head swiveled as if searching for the source of discomfort.

<You are not going to find it, you idiot!>

The Behemoth stopped running and stood still. Its teeth flickered, and Reidar saw vapor rising from its armored back. The creature was overheating.

<It's working. The environmental damage is doing its work.>

Reidar ordered his Sky-Hunters to maintain their positions, circling high above the Behemoth but not attacking yet. He needed to see how much damage the heat was dealing and whether the creature would try to leave the volcanic zone.

The Behemoth turned and began walking back toward the badlands.

<No. Shit! You're not leaving!>

Reidar sent two hundred Sky-Hunters diving toward the creature, striking its head and screeching. The Behemoth roared and snapped at them, but the summons pulled away before it could bite. The attack had done its job. The creature turned toward the summons and focused on them.