Chapter 25
Chrysanthis' teaching had droned on till almost midnight, her skill and patience was exemplary though Gideon's attention span proved anything but. He had tried to follow along as best as he could, yet he couldn't match Rhordan's gluttonous appetite. After having to stop the lesson a third time, did Gideon shamefully admitted that he would never be able to keep up nor did he want to stunt Rhordan's education, he bowed out and spent his time investigating the sword.
Gideon had promised Chrysanthis that since travelling to quest locations took a while, then Rhordan could teach him on the move. She reluctantly agreed after Gideon made a point by showing how fast Rhordan could absorb knowledge, a feat that greatly surprised the red-haired receptionist.
The sword wrapped in bandages held Gideon's fascination, and not because of the evil energy it exudes. It offered the chance to experiment with both his magical sense ability and probing the sword with energy, though it yielded nothing more than what he already knew. The bindings suppressed any and all magic going into, or out from, the sword, rendering any investigation beyond its external layer mute.
Although he couldn't examine the sword, he could use it to practice with, he figured he could learn to use a sword through practice. The sword itself wasn't heavy, despite its dense metal, so wielding it wasn't much of an issue. The bindings did make handling it difficult as energy from both them and the sword itself sent tiny shockwaves through his hands, they caused no pain rather they messed with his grip and control of his fingers slightly.
Running through a few practice swings, Gideon found the weapon to be awkward and cumbersome, the sword's weight impeded his movement and attack speed. His style of fighting was fast and quick, unless he opted for a larger animal to shift into then it would follow along the lines of Cyborg's brute force approach. Since he no longer had his powers, he had to rely on his speed and agility rather than the variational style he was used to. Though the sword was nowhere near the size and weight of the claymore he had seen on Alex's back, its impact on his capability was barely noticeable, yet that small difference could decide his fate.
As each day passed, they focused on completing quests and learning what they could, prioritising their survival over comfort. For Rhordan, that was reading and writing, as well as asking questions on whatever subject she could, hoping that her enquires wouldn't raise suspicion. As for Gideon, that changed from weapon practice to exploration, scouring the town for shops and asking what he could from them. At the end of each day, they would share their discoveries, bringing the other up to speed on what they had learned.
Of the many things they learned, a few notes of worth stood out. The first was of magical power as it turned out that despite the amazing magical power that each of them possessed, it was practically useless. The exact particulars weren't expressed, only an experienced mage could properly inform them of the intricacies of magical power, a certain rarity belonging to academies, clans, guilds, and kingdom's military.
As for physical power, it was far more simplistic. There existed a ranking system to determine the physical power one possessed, one that is shared with magic. Though the ranking system may be used in both, how one's own magical power is determined relies on many different factors while physical power lied almost entirely in the strength of the person.
In order to increase one's own strength, it relied on three different methods. The first and easiest method was pure physical training, however it was the slowest method out of the three as it took dedication and perseverance to prosper. The second and fastest method was to infuse mana into one's own body, a method that required an either a manual or a master to teach as otherwise a person could cripple themselves permanently with one false move, ending their future path of power instantly.
The third and most dangerous method for those that didn't have a master or the time to train lied in fighting, life and death experiences not only increased one's skill, but it also improved their body and their willpower. The tougher the challenge, the closer one gets to death, the stronger they grow.
Upon learning of the ranking system, they found their victory over Conrad far less amazing than they had thought. The adventurer's guild provides their instructors rings that reduces their physical power down to that of the lowest level, putting them in line with those at the bronze rank. It felt somewhat crushing that if Conrad were to use his full strength then they would have lost in seconds, fruitlessly fighting against a block of pure steel.
During one of Gideon's exploration adventures, he had stumbled upon an old shop in the outer regions of Bardia ran by a cantankerous old man. The shop offered many different weapons, from the standard sword to even weapons like whips and flails. The old man had tried to shoo Gideon out the door once he knew he wasn't there to buy anything, though through persistence, Gideon irritated the old man enough that he let slip an important note of interest.
There exists a special type of stone, beyond that of the one that the guild uses, that can test a person's magic capability. If it was found that a person had a decent aptitude for magic then the various places of education would offer them a scholarship, but if it was found that a person had an exceptional aptitude towards magic then they could be accepted into one of the powerful clans without having to pay the standard fees.
With their current magical power under the effects of the bindings, Gideon doubted that they could pass high enough to be granted a free scholarship, but they would be offered opportunities to join some of the standard schools. However, there existed a few problems for them, the first and foremost being the chance to use the stone. The rarity of the stone meant that only the institutes or clans could have one, and they wouldn't allow a nobody to use it without either sufficient proof of their aptitude. The other problem lied in the fees, a single year of education could cost anywhere from a few gold pieces to tens of gold, and that was just to attend a somewhat decent school.
It gave the pair hope, if somewhat diluted. For now, they put their focus in completing quests and amassing enough silver to buy themselves some decent gear. From there, it would be an impossible climb up a sheer mountain side for the gold they needed for just one of them to attend a school.
The week that had passed since they became adventurers was as dull as Chrysanthis had implied, the bronze rank kill quests were rare and whenever one did find its way onto the board, the other bronze adventurers would literally fight for them. The only quests the pair managed to apply for were to gather medicinal plants or herbs from the nearby regions around Bardia, on occasion they would be sent to find lost merchants or guards that had not reported in.
So far, they had acquired the equivalent of three silver, a meagre sum but one that they were proud of as they had fought for each piece.
That said, after the single silver piece they earned on their first quest, earning the other two worried them greatly. By this rate of pace, they could afford a decent full set of gear within several months, and the money they owed Baltharn at least a year after that. What they owed Baltharn was nearly seventy silver pieces, five each for the exam and a further sixty for the night in the guild room, a daunting mountain to climb considering the rate at which they could earn silver and the amount they needed to spend on necessities. Yet, they couldn't exactly argue at how much they had earned, the vast majority of workers barely earned thirty silver a year, and that's before they take away living costs.
Gideon and Rhordan currently found themselves in Baltharn's office, awaiting to her the potential secret quest that he had for them. Upon entering the guild building at their usual time before the sun rose, they were flagged down by Chrysanthis and sent to Baltharn immediately. Sitting quietly, they waited for the guild director to arrive, musing over what the parameters of their next mission was.
"I don't like this! I have no doubt that he has something dastardly planned for us." Gideon groaned, pondering the penalties they would face if they ditched this meeting. Rhordan levelled a glare at him, silencing his protests. Though she agreed with his outburst, she knew they had little choice other than to accept their fate until they could escape.
"Apologies about the wait, had some issues with a disgruntled merchant harassing an adventurer group." Baltharn politely addressed them as he entered, swiftly settling himself in his chair and shuffling away a few documents. "Now, I have called you here as I have dilemma that needs solving swiftly and quietly."
Waiting patiently, the pair tried to contain the nervous shiver running down their spines, the subtle grim smile gracing the guild director's features for a split second was enough to confirm Gideon's premonition. Out of the many quests they had taken, they had a few strokes with death though nothing that they didn't have the appropriate skill to flee from. The gathering quests were supposedly low risk, adventurers still had the chance to run into a magical beast in the wilderness, creatures that could easily kill bronze ranked adventurers in a heartbeat.
On one such occasion, they had run into what they found out later to be a Boulder Horn, a large bull like magical beast with three large horns protruding from its head directly forward. Its skin was made of pure rock, eyes of blood red and enough power backing it to tear several trees down in a single charge.
Chrysanthis had shown them the index of magical beasts the adventurer's guild held, a detailed guide on all magical beasts known by the entire guild and not just in Bardia. The Boulder Horn, though a low ranked monster, had an impeccable defense that required a magical user of the same rank or higher to take on. How the ranks worked hadn't been fully explained to the pair, though they knew they resided on the lowest while the Boulder Horn was just above them. In short, any magical beast beyond that of a goblin could kill them without much effort.
"A popular route between here and the kingdom of Averia has been recently attacked by a small group of wolves." Baltharn's slow tempered voice uttered each word carefully and with a purposeful intent on ensuring the brothers knew exactly how serious the matter was to him. "From the intel, it is believed that three wolves have been harassing local merchants and carriages using that route. Only recently have they been brazen enough to outright attack and kill a carriage leaving Bardia, luckily it was a small-time local merchant's group, and they can be kept quiet."
"You want us to take out the wolves before anyone of importance finds out." Gideon stated as a matter of fact, though his experience in dealing with nobles or officials was lacking, he did know Baltharn's choice of words well.
"Precisely, it wouldn't be good for Bardia if one of their routes was plagued by a rogue band of wolves, now would it?" Baltharn rhetorically asked, smiling warmly at them. "Anyway, your mission is to either kill or drive away the three wolves from the route. I would prefer if you can bring back their tails as proof of the kill, but if you drive them away then you will have to wait a week before the mission can be counted as cleared."
"How far is the last known location?" Rhordan prayed they could complete the mission and return in time to get another quest before dusk, the night being a treacherous time to be outside of the town. As they were high bronze rank, they only needed to rack up enough quests to reach low silver, then they could take higher paying quests than the meagre rewards bronze offered.
"Not far, only a few leagues from Bardia." Baltharn swiftly answered, he was eager for them to set out immediately and deal with the problem, yet his eagerness irked Gideon somewhat. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but a part of him felt that Baltharn was hiding an important detail. "There is a special marker left by the guards on one of the trees where the last attack happened, a red ribbon wrapped around the trunk."
"If the guards were there, why didn't they go and hunt the wolves down?" Rhordan absentmindedly asked, somewhat confused as to why they were the ones hunting down the wolves rather than trained soldiers with experience.
"Perception. If the guards were to be blundering about the forest, they would attract far more attention than two lone adventurers out on a quest." Gideon beat Baltharn to the point, he knew all too well how perception could be the downfall of any leader if they weren't careful, and how it can their greatest asset. "Also, wolves aren't as stupid as many believe them to be, if they notice a large group on their trail, they will lay low and hide until the group leaves or flee from the area."
"Exactly, I see your knowledge on animals is rather good." Baltharn's fake smile seemingly turned genuine, the skill of one of the brothers before him could be a reliable resource.
"In my spare time, I usually went wandering in the forests around our farm, I learned quite a bit from the animals." Gideon lied, he winced slightly at revealing a fact about himself to the guild director, a fact that might come back to bite him if his weren't careful. Gideon knew that if he and Rhordan showed how skilled and resourceful they were, they would become all that more valuable to Baltharn, something they had to avoid at all costs.
"So… would you be able to track the wolves?" Baltharn enquired, intent on learning as much as he could from Gideon, leaning forward in his chair.
"Maybe, I'm not exactly that experienced, though knowing what little I do of wolves they would most likely have a lair nearby." Gideon pretended to ponder before answering, hoping this would be enough to dissuade Baltharn of further interrogation.
"They are a rogue band of wolves, why would they have a lair?" Baltharn innocently asked, feigning naivety to encourage Gideon to reveal what he knew.
"They're attacking, the skirmishes would be them testing the waters. Once they know they aren't in danger from anything local, they'll create a lair and claim their first kill." Wolves were cautious creatures that relied on being in a pack, they were less likely to relocate to a place where their pack would be in mortal danger. "It would be the same as us, if we knew that a place wasn't liveable then we wouldn't run the risk of laying roots there."
"Good to know." The surprise in Baltharn's voice genuine, he only theorised that the wolves were straying from a larger pack as renegades, setting out on their own and foolishly creating a lair close to Bardia. He wasn't exactly sure why they chose that spot or why they barely attacked the merchant's caravans at first before their outright slaughter, though he never thought to equate human logic to that of a beast.
"A word of advice…" Gideon knew he shouldn't dare to test his luck, however, as Baltharn was a guild director it was his solemn duty to protect adventurers and merchants alike. "Next time don't hesitate to retaliate against the wolves. If you show them that this place is far more dangerous to live then they would move on, though do be careful as they can just as easily move onto a smaller town without the powerful backing of the adventurer's guild."
"I'll keep that in mind." A silent message passed between the Baltharn and Gideon, one that had Rhordan perplexingly shifting her gaze from one to another, baffled by the exchange that had just occurred. Yet to them, it was of a mutual understanding, that though they had their differences they wouldn't stand idly by while innocent people got hurt or killed.
"Sorry to be brunt but… what is the reward?" Rhordan shook her head, ignoring the silent conversation, she opted to be frank with the guild director. They had been told that he would personally reward them for the covert missions, that he would offer more than the standard reward for quest in similar likeness.
"Ah! Yes, how could I forget." Baltharn's fake expression of surprise would have gone unnoticed had Rhordan not learned to scrutinise Gideon every time they spoke, studying when and how he lied. At first, Gideon thought she was trying to pry into his past with the number of conversations they had, however the questions never made sense to him. After he confronted her about this, Rhordan reluctantly explain the truth of her actions, irritated that she couldn't make much of a headway in her goal. He was surprised at first, yet knowing of people like Baltharn, Gideon started to tutor her on what to look for. "The mission reward was originally ten silver, though since you each owe me five silver pieces for the exam, we can call it even. That said, I cannot expect you to go into danger without a reward, therefore I will set to it that you each get a decent weapon of your choice. Plus, if you bring back the tails then I will give you a silver for each one, which I won't deduct from your overall total due."
The reward stunned them, the amount of silver alone was nearly a month's worth of work for one quest while the offer of a weapon for each of them practically doubled the reward. They didn't mind the deduction of silver as it reduced the amount they owed Baltharn, the weapon of their choice on the other hand could be extremely beneficial once they reached silver rank.
Silver rank, though it shared just as many gathering quests as bronze, had a fair share more kill quests than bronze. Though the danger rose, they would fetch a higher reward than any other quest in bronze rank. With the daggers they currently had, going up against anything other than goblins was an impossibility. With actual decent weapons, they stood a chance at completing the kill quests, as well as protecting themselves long enough to escape magical beasts if they ever encountered one far stronger than they were capable of dealing with.
Before either of them had a chance to say anything, Baltharn ushered them out of his office, babbling about needing to get back to work otherwise he would get nothing done. Meandering out of the adventurer's guild, the pair quietly walked towards the road leading to Averia, still somewhat stunned about the reward and irked that Baltharn refused to provide them any more details.
"Something doesn't feel right…" Gideon's paranoia crept in after they had walked for nearly a mile. Their destination was approximately six to seven miles from Bardia, a roughly estimated distance based on what little they actually knew of this world's measurements. A league to the them was roughly the distance of three miles, an annoying fact to work out the hard way during one of their missions.
"It's just three wolves, it can't be that difficult." Rhordan had at some point mastered the art of walking while reading, a feat that baffled many who passed the pair. She was still deciphering the book that Baltharn had given them as her basic understanding of the written langue was still lacking, she couldn't do much more than learn a few bits and pieces of information, nothing that could help them with their special mission.
"Three wolves worth twenty silver, you aren't going to tell me that that isn't suspicious?" Gideon retorted, wrapping his mind around why three wolves would be worth that much silver. He walked along lazily beside her, occasionally tugging on her arm to warn her of an approaching carriage.
"Maybe because Baltharn wants it to be dealt with quietly, that alone would increase the price." Rhordan tried to ignore his ramblings and focus on her reading, preferring to get the mission over with quickly. She had found Gideon's mistrust to be mildly irritating after the third time they ran into a friendly adventurer, though she would not voice her annoyance.
Rhordan had come to trust Gideon's suspicions, after learning that he had been a villain in his past, she figured he had enough dealings with them to know a person's true intentions. His constant need to justify it was what worried her, a niggling doubt crept into her mind that Gideon thought she didn't trust him after he had revealed a part of his past to her. That he feared her rejection of him over a past he had no control over.
"Seven goblins got us an entire silver, their ears alone were ten copper a piece. One tail of a wolf is worth the same as killing ten goblins, therefore isn't it reasonable to assume that these wolves are ten times more powerful than a goblin?" Gideon's reasoning proved faultless, Rhordan tried to find any possible way to explain the increased price, beyond that of hush money to keep them quiet.
"Aren't wolves powerful? Surely they would be worth more than goblins?" Rhordan put the book away, focusing on the conversation as her interest was piqued. She voiced one of the few reasons she believed could explain the high reward.
"Yes, wolves have claws, sharp fangs, and are faster than goblins, but if you factor in that goblins can use human weapons and actively hunt out humans then that would make them as equally as dangerous as goblins." Wolves wouldn't actively hunt a target unless it knew it had the advantage in either numbers or physical strength, goblins on the other hand weren't as reserved from their first experience with them. The little green creatures would fight even when they knew they had no chance of winning, disregarding self-preservation in favour of a misguided chance of success. "In any case, twenty silver plus a silver a piece for each tail is way too much for just three wolves. Remember, most workers barely make thirty silver a year, and we are about to make nearly two thirds of that in one mission."
"So… what if these wolves are magical beasts?" Rhordan worriedly asked, from what little they know about them other than the guild's book, they didn't stand a chance with their current gear. If they had to kill three of them, without knowing exactly what type they were up against, then they were at a severe disadvantage.
"Probably… if that is the case then we can't attack them openly." Gideon contemplated aloud, racking his brains on everything he knew of wolves, hoping it would still apply to magical beasts of this world. "We'll have to set a trap, and hopefully lure them in."
"What trap could get a magical beast wolf? I doubt that anything we do could harm such a thing." Rhordan mused, trying to determine if there was a way they could kill a magical beast with a trap, especially since their weapons were next to useless against them.
"It's doubtful we could kill one with anything short of knocking it off a cliff, and there aren't any around." Gideon agreed with her assessment, though they knew little of actually fighting magical beasts, they couldn't afford to underestimate them. "Magical beasts are like any other animal aren't they. The book the guild has, spoke of how often they got into quarrels, if we can find another magical beast in the area then maybe we could lure one to the other."
"And have them fight it out amongst themselves." Rhordan disliked the idea of entangling with another magical beast, but if it could complete their mission and garner them those weapons then it was a risk she was willing to take.
"They either kill each other, or they injure one another enough that we can finish them off." Gideon surmised their only option, it was a risky and daring move, but they had little other choice.
They powered onwards, fear and anxiety creeping into their hearts as they discussed their plan, praying that what they are about to face wouldn't be something beyond their limits. Though, knowing Baltharn, they wouldn't put it past him to shove them into a danger that could get one of them killed.
The long winding road was an unusual comfort for them as they travelled the six miles to their destination, the extensive training from being titans and the endless travelling to and from quests had increased their stamina and endurance, a useful boon as the twin stars above blazed their heat down upon them.
Finding the tree with the ribbon wasn't exactly difficult, it was a bright red and large ribbon that only the blind could miss. From there, Gideon surveyed the surroundings, searching for a trail they could follow.
"Found it… I think…" Gideon stuttered as he located the tracks that could only belong to a wolf, several pairs leading to and away from where the attack had supposedly taken place. The cause for Gideon's shivering fear, laid in the size of the paw prints, they were far larger than any he had ever seen.
"Aren't those a little large for wolves?" Though Rhordan had seen Gideon shift into the form of a wolf on occasion, she never had cause to look at his paws, to her these tracks could be exactly the size of a wolf yet a part of her knew otherwise judging from Gideon's reaction.
"Unfortunately, yes… They are almost over double the size… how is that possible…" Gideon temporarily forgot himself as he stared at the tracks, failing to remember that the magical beasts of this world were far larger than anything of their old world.
"Double… then… they have to be magical beasts…" Rhordan concluded, their worst fear coming to light as they now faced off against opponents that could outclass them if they weren't smart and careful. They had formulated a cunning plan that may work, though their confidence in said plan was severely lacking. The reason for such a lack of confidence lied in how similar magical beasts were to their earthen counterparts, and with their lack of experience facing them meant they couldn't accurate plan ahead.
"Stick to the plan, we'll scout out the outer regions and get a lay of how large their territory is, if we find the lair or… preferably another magical beast then… we can do this." Gideon tried to sound confident, attempting to encourage not only Rhordan, but himself as well.
Traversing into the forest had both of their hearts beating far faster than normal, fear burning their veins and begging them to run away. The only thing stopping them from fleeing for their lives was the promise of a substantial reward, one that could boost their future prospects and cut nearly fifteen percent of their debt in one go. They also had to find a way to help Alex, the one person who helped them out without expecting anything in return, if they couldn't deal with this then there was nothing they could do to repay his kindness.
Hours flew by as they tracked the wolves through the forest, their plan required them to scout out the size of their territory, but they first had to find it. Wolves would not necessarily make their lair close to where their source of food was, opting for a more secure location rather than a temporary one. From the map, and from what they could see from travelling, there was a rather sizeable hill in the general direction of where they suspected the wolves' territory to be, within that hill could be either caves or rocky outcrops that would serve as a decent lair. The territory of the wolves had to be around one side of that hill, but which side was the question.
They eventually stumbled upon trees marked with terrifyingly large claw marks, a trait normally used by bears to mark their territory, but just knowing that these wolves were magical beasts meant they could easily differ from that of a standard wolf. With the knowledge of their target's territory, they marked one of the trees with a small yet identifiable X, a reminder of where the trail was when they returned. Following along the outskirts, they found several other trees mimicking the first one, scratched and clawed by something big.
A sudden roar erupted near their location, causing both of them to throw themselves to the ground out of fear and instinct. Aurelia, having been startled awake by the sudden noise, flew into the trees to survey from above. The two waited, terrified of what could have made that blood curdling sound, casting fearful gaze in the direction of the sound.
There standing not more than five hundred paces from them, stood a nearly one and half metre tall black wolf. Its large maw curled into a snarl as it barked harshly at the second dark wolf, one that was partially hidden behind the trees and bushes. The two seemed to be arguing over a chunk of meat on the ground between them, both determined to get the entirety of the food while starving the other. As for the roar, that came from the far larger and darker wolf approaching the two, its stone-cold glare caused both Gideon and Rhordan to take a shuddering breath.
"That has to be the alpha… Baltharn must be right, they are renegades from a larger pack." Gideon whispered softly to Rhordan, his fear compelling him to speak otherwise he might go mad from the sight of the three lumbering monsters. "That alpha must have been a male born unto the pack that grew far stronger than the larger pack's alpha, when an alpha's leadership is challenged, they will either kill or cast out the antagonist."
The pair watched the exchange occur before them, the alpha snarling at its two subordinates before snapping up the chunk of meat and eating itself. Daring the two to argue against its rule. Once the two lower wolves bowed their heads in respect of the alpha, they all left in the direction of the hill.
Gideon and Rhordan waited for several minutes, watching the dense trees and bushes that the black wolves had disappeared behind, neither moving nor even breathing as they laid there. An abrupt chirrup startled the pair, sending them leaping upwards into defensive postures when they remembered the yellow feathery fiend accompanying them.
Aurelia had watched the wolves with a mild sense of fear, she knew she could fly away at a moment's notice if they decided to attack her. Yet, Rhordan wouldn't be able to flee in such a way, she would lose her friend if things went wrong. With her magical capabilities she could sense where the wolves were, and once they were far enough away from them, she chirruped loudly to inform them of their safety.
Returning to their work, the pair took even greater care in their search around the wolves' territory, praying they didn't accidentally run into them again. Aurelia proved especially useful in that case, she could easily sense if the wolves were near and chirruped to notify them, she would wait until they left before signalling the pair. Rhordan had at one point tried to use her magic sense to find the wolves though her ranged seemed rather insignificant, the same could be said for Gideon as his required line of sight.
It wasn't until Gideon managed to get a good look at the wolves did they finally understand why neither of them could sense them, they had no magical power of their own. Questioning how Aurelia could sense the wolves when they couldn't, they continued mapping out the area, relying solely on her ability to warn them.
With the twin stars shining brightly through the trees above them, they had to kill these wolves before nightfall. Travelling during the night ran the risk of running into bandits or nocturnal creatures when you couldn't see further than your own arms, and the guards refused entry to anyone travelling at night without being a noble or a special permit.
An abrupt chilling roar drew their attention away from wolves' territory, not far behind them stood a two metre tall dark grey lion, three whip like tails agitatedly flicked about as it's bright yellow eyes bore holes into the pair. The lion was seemingly covered in a metallic sheen, one that reflected the light that poured through the canopy of leaves above.
"Steel lion…" Rhordan whispered aloud, terror gripped their hearts as they realised what kind of magical beast they had ran into. The Steel Lion was a formidable foe, boosting a dense hard-shell armour that few swords could pierce, and devastating offensive capabilities that could rend and tear apart an entire squadron of soldiers.
The Steel Lion's mane bristled as it growled lowly at the pair, raising its steel whip tails behind it in a threatening motion. Hunger burned in its cold yellow eyes, a slight vicious smirk somehow appeared on its feline lips.
"Run!" Gideon roared, how they managed to miss a giant metallic lion didn't matter, what did was ensuring their survival. Seizing Rhordan's hand, he hauled her in the direction of the black wolves, praying they were still there. Aurelia soared into the air, upset that she had managed to miss an entire Steel Lion, however with her attention focused solely on the wolves it couldn't have been helped.
As the Steel Lion gave chase, Gideon and Rhordan split in two different directions while still going in the same direction. They banked around the trees and through bushes to avoid the whip like tails and the thundering metal spikes tearing through the ground at them, the Steel Lion's magical abilities weren't its strong point though that didn't make them any less dangerous.
Charging through the forest, they made as much noise as they could, trying to draw the attention of the wolves. Regardless of how powerful the wolves were, they could distract the Steel Lion enough for them to escape.
It wasn't long before the large black wolves came thundering towards them, hunger in their eyes for the pair of humans running through their territory until the Steel Lion burst through a row of trees. Landing in front of the wolves, the Steel Lion whipped its tail in a threatening manner to warn off the wolves, yet it somehow managed to slashed Rhordan's back. Cutting through her backpack and clothes gashing her from her lower left side up close to her right shoulder, she was silently sent flying through a cluster of bushes.
Stuck in between the three large wolves and a Steel Lion, Gideon took his chances and dove through the legs of the alpha wolf, causing it to temporarily forget about the large metallic lion. The alpha tried pitifully to swipe at Gideon, missing the attack and digging its claws into the ground for a split second. A split second that the lion used to its advantage, launching itself at the wolves with fury, determined to claim its meal.
Gideon dashed around the outskirts of the fight, skidding to his knees beside Rhordan who laid lifelessly on the ground, parts of her backpack laid strewn about. He silently surveyed her wound, finding it to be no deeper than just muscle and flesh, he breathed a sigh of relief. He spied the bottle of crystal blood a way away from them, a growing desire to give her some though a part of him warned him not to, instead he threw it into his backpack before returning to her side.
The shock of the attack had stunned Rhordan for several seconds, it wasn't until Gideon was pulling her to her feet did she return to her senses. Rhordan hadn't been expecting to be hit by such a powerful force, when she had been launched, all she could thing of was the blinding pain and to worry over Gideon.
"It's fine, just a flesh wound, though if we don't get it healed soon then it might get infected." Gideon reassured her as she tried to look at her back, he tore off a part of his shirt and stuffed it into the gashed shirt to staunch the blood oozing out of her wound. Rhordan had to bite down on her hand to stop herself from screaming out loud, the pain skyrocketing through her body which threatened to buckle at any moment.
Throwing her arm around his shoulder, Gideon helped her stumble through the forest. Though the wound didn't actually cause any impairment to her, the pain coursing through her system dazed her mind. Pushing through bushes, they tried to put as much distance as they could from the brawling monsters, uncaring as to whether if they had succeeded in their mission or not.
Howls of anguished emanated from both wolf and lion, the fight intensified as both refused to back down. Claws clashed and teeth tore, the wolves had the advantage of numbers, the lion had the advantage of power and magic, neither able to break the stalemate. Each side sustaining injury after injury as the claws on the large black wolves broke through the Steel Lion's impressive defense barely, yet with three of them working together did they manage to match the Steel Lion's steel claws and tails shredding their pelts.
The first of the three wolves fell as the Steel Lion used all three of its tails to slice its head off, the second wasn't far behind as the Steel Lion casted a mass of metal spikes to erupt from the group and impaled it. Despite killing two of the three wolves, the Steel Lion had made the mistake of killing the subordinates rather than the alpha, a mistake that was going to cost it its life as the last wolf suddenly glowed red and sharp bristles grew from its bones, piercing through its skin and protruding out of its body like spikes.
A special ability reserved by the alpha for when its life no longer matters and its pack is doomed, Retribution. Consuming the life force and mangling the body of the alpha wolf, it can double its power and strength at the cost of its life in return. The ability was a trait held among many alphas of various beasts, the moment their pack is gone, and they had no escape, then the only thing that matters is taking their enemy with them.
With the transformation complete, the wolf tore into the Steel Lion viciously, taking out chunks at a time. The steel tails whipped and slashed at the wolf as the lion itself tried to fight back in vain, though it was stronger and faster, the wolfs smaller size and newly acquired power had the advantage. Soon, the lion fell to the ground, unable to take the devastating hits, slowly succumbing to its injuries though not before it dealt its last attack.
Lower ranked magical beast didn't have last resort abilities, only alphas and higher ranked magical beasts, though there were a few exceptions to this rule. The Steel Lion was one of these exceptions, at the moment of its death it can forcefully destroy its own armour and expel it at a high speed in all directions. This ability could easily kill magical beast of a rank higher than its own, though it required the Steel Lion to retain its full mental capacity at the moment of death otherwise it diminishes the effect and power of its last resort.
The black wolf had not expected such an attack, its flesh tore as easily as paper, even one of its own limbs got sheared off. Its only saving grace happened to be Retribution, the ability prevented the alpha from dying until it had consumed their soul, forcing them to fight until either they had no body left or when their soul was no more.
In its crippled state, the wolf didn't have much left to do with its life ebbing away, yet a thought prevented it from laying down and accepting its fate. Two humans had drawn that lion to its pack, regardless of whether it was intentional or not, it wanted revenge. Powering itself onwards, the wolf quickly tracked down the humans, blood thirst raging in its eyes.
Gideon and Rhordan had managed to clear a full mile away from the fighting, yet they didn't stop. The power of the beasts was too much for them to handle, if any of them survived then they could have easily killed him and Rhordan in their crippled state. He had wanted to get Rhordan to safety before returning to the site, a dim hope that he could collect the tails and the magic cores.
Since these beasts were actual magical beasts, it meant they had a gem like stone inside them that contained their power. Magic cores are the source of magical power in all living creatures, able to store an energy source called mana, and it allowed its host to use certain elements. There exists some differences between the magic cores of magical beasts and that of humans, the cores of magical beast, although simplistic, were far stronger than that of a human's. However, the human's magical cores had a more complexity to it that offered a wider range of versatility than magical beasts, allowing them the ability to tackle a wider range of challenges.
When a magical beast dies, its core is left behind, though in the pursuit of killing said beast its core can be damaged. The cores condition determines its worth, the higher the quality the higher the price. That said, lower ranked magic cores were worth a lot less than that of higher ranked ones, therefore despite the quality of the core, if it was a low rank magic core then even in its perfect condition it wouldn't be worth more than the lowest quality high ranked magic core.
Gideon's brooding was cut short as thunderous footsteps sounded behind them, rampaging towards them at an extremely high rate. Without a second thought, Gideon tossed Rhordan into the bushes nearby, yanking the crude dagger from his belt. Determined to do what he could to save her, even if it meant the loss of his own life.
A split second later, the alpha wolf burst through the trees, blood thirsty rage shone in its eyes. Directing its furious gaze towards Gideon, it didn't hesitate to charge forward and clamp down its powerful jaws onto Gideon's arm. Howling in pain, Gideon tried in vain to stab the vicious wolf, his dagger was about as useful as a bent spoon. The wolf shook him relentlessly before launching him into a nearby tree, causing another painful roar to escape him.
The wolf bared down upon him, intent on taking his life if it was the last thing it would do. It didn't know where the second one was, though it didn't really care as this was the one it had seen personally. Watching the human struggle to lift itself from the ground, it gleefully slowed its pace to enjoy the scene before it. An unwise decision as it suddenly felt a powerful surge of magic behind it, whipping around it didn't have enough time to react as a bright ball of purple light smashed into its side, knocking it into a group of trees.
Rhordan had been struggling to keep herself conscious, the pain rattled her badly and when she was hurled into the bushes, she nearly blacked out. Regaining some semblance of awareness, she found herself staring at the horrific scene of Gideon seconds away from being killed by the wolf.
An insurmountable amount of rage and fear drove her next actions, lifting her arm, she pointed it directly at the wolf. Her magic power forcefully flowed into her palm before she let it lose, firing a small ball of bright purple energy at the wolf. The moment the ball struck, it exploded with an intensity that knocked Rhordan back down onto the ground, and out cold.
Author's Note: Sorry if the explanation of the magic cores was a bit academical, though the basic gist is that it's a stone inside every living creature's body that powers their soul and their magical abilities. Certain few people don't have a core, which is considered highly unusual, though the same is with magical beasts as well.
As for Baltharn… I have a few ideas installed for him. Oh, I hope that Garfield is alive next chapter.
Comments
Eris – Thank you for the comment, it's really appreciated.
I'm glad you liked it, I had intended for this to be a grim story though somewhere along the way it changed. My original version was far darker than what it has been, only after I enjoyed writing it that I wanted to lighten it and make it far longer.
They aren't done yet, they will find some things of interest and others that could prove fatal. Who knows, maybe the find the lost city of Atlantis? (Ironically, that was my original plan, drew it into the map and all, until I remembered Aquaman… killed the hilarious and witty vibe I had thought of when I first drew my second version of the map. Now I have to figure something else out.)
Not sure about the injustice of the creatures, though I understand your point as I wanted the reader to feel some sympathy for them to make the chapter darker. That said, there may be a part where they fight for justice to free those from oppression.
Thank you for the mythical creature names, I should have looked them up myself but I was focusing purely on making completely fantasy monsters that I forgot to add in myth type ones as well. I will definitely use the Roc and the Grootslang, not sure about the yeti yet. However, in case of befriending them, I'm not sure… I have seen various other stories use the method of giving the monster sentience by passing a certain power level, I think I have a similar idea though the pair won't see anything like it for a very long while.