Logan struggled to keep up with Valeria, burdened by the weight of his Scorchwyrm on his back. The only thing that kept him at her pace was the adrenaline pumping through his veins.
They continued for what seed like forever, but in reality, it was only about ten minutes until they reached the place where the cries of a large beast and Valeria's panther were battling.
As they got closer, Logan saw how large trees were being pushed aside, with a massive beast trampling through everything in its path.
It looked like a massive boar, its body covered in rocky, earth-like armor. The only fur it had was on its back and face, which sported four large tusks extending outwards. Its large belly resembled rhino skin, but with cracks that allowed it to move fluidly.
The huge beast was surprisingly fast for sothing so big, stomping through boulders and foliage that got in its path. anwhile, Valeria's panther raced through the jungle as if gliding.
It used its powerful paws to leap from tree to tree like an acrobat, its quick maneuvering consistently leaving the large boar at least ten ters behind.
"Wow, that's a big one. It must be a chief monster of this area. Too bad its intelligence is lacking; it will be a good foe for your Scorchwyrm," Valeria said.
"Now, let's quickly set up a place to fight. Go towards that open area and place your beast there. Its flas should be good enough to burn through the face of that Stonehide Boar," Valeria commanded, pointing to a specific empty plot of land devastated by the fight.
As for Valeria, she readied so tools—spikes and strings that she quickly set up. Most of them, she threw into place before charging forward, as if they would have a delayed effect.
"Hurry, we have at most half a minute for the trap to work," Valeria said as she continued her own work.
Feeling the urgency of the matter, Logan placed his fla salamander, which seed to be getting into the zone. Its breathing changed, and its scales produced a bright red color that made Logan back off quickly.
"Noire, we are ready! Co!" Valeria scread as she hid behind so shrubs. Logan received quick hand signals to stay back.
Wiping sweat off his forehead, Logan ran back as quickly as he could. He felt everything was happening in slow motion as he turned back to see the panther three ters in the air, using three trees as stepping stones to propel itself forward. The dense forest shook with the force of Noire's leap, branches snapping and leaves scattering in her wake.
In the distance, the earth rumbled as the Stonehide erged, its stone-like armor flaking off as it hit a large tree. It let out a thunderous roar, and with a swift charge, the ground trembled under its imnse weight.
It was going forward towards the trap, sensing a new opponent which it could kill with ease.
The salamander felt that it was the new target of the large monster. To look intimidating, it bellowed a stream of flas, not enough to cause the forest harm but powerful enough to prove its might.
Enraged at the tiny monster's actions, the boar ran forward, its tusks set in place to pierce through anything in its path.
Logan wanted to go back in and retrieve his monster, not fully convinced by the plan. But it was far too late—the boar suddenly stepped on the first trap. A huge explosion erupted, causing one of its front legs to bend at a strange angle. This triggered the other traps to activate. One pierced the beast with black spikes, while others, like the first, caused multiple explosions.
The Scorchwyrm, aware that the target was being assaulted, wobbled forth. Its scales, producing intense heat, began to burn the ground beneath it as it advanced.
It was less than five ters away, but that was enough distance for its intense flas to reach. It began breathing fire as it closed in, the flas causing the boar's hairy face to ignite.
The squeals from the boar were deafening as the monster was hit from all sides. Part of its face was beginning to smolder.
"I wonder how the Earl got his hands on one of these babies. It's one of the strongest monsters I've ever seen for its size. That fire will make quick work of that boar," Valeria said, now standing near Logan to ensure nothing happened to him.
"He is… isn't he? But that fire, isn't it dangerous?" Logan said, watching as nearby trees began to burn.
"Oh, don't worry. My panther will take care of that fire once your beast is done," Valeria said, pointing to her monster. The panther was already using magical black energy to extinguish the spreading flas, while her raven employed wind magic to snuff out any unintended fires instantly.
"Your falcon should also be able to use the sa technique. It's hard to learn, as it prevents the wind from forming in a certain area. It can even cause so animals to go unconscious," Valeria explained.
Logan quickly thought about how the wind manipulation was affecting the oxygen in the area, perfectly fitting with the phenonon that the large raven had produced.
Getting back to the one-sided battle, he saw the boar was about to give up on its life. Three of its legs were already broken, and most of its skin was charred. It heaved heavily as it wobbled a few tis. After a minute of torture, it finally fell to one side, its breathing stopped.
[Ping, ping, ping] Logan heard various jingles signifying a few good levels gained, not only for himself but also for his Scorchwyrm. The Scorchwyrm roared with the new power it was gaining.
"It seems we are just getting started. I hope you're ready for a day filled with battles. I have enough traps for about twenty monsters. That should be enough for you to start doing your part. Leave the smaller ones to your Everwind Falcon. We will concentrate on the mutations, only killing beasts like this one that impede our path forward."
Logan nodded as he went to fetch his Scorchwyrm. The creature had already reduced its scales' temperature enough to be safely picked up.
Within three hours, the group had already encountered twelve mutations. This was not in Valeria's calculations and painted a dire picture of what was happening in the forest.
"Within my own lands, there are only about four of these mutations during the sa distance that it took for us to find all twelve in this forest. Sothing bad is happening. It isn't normal to have so many. Also, what is this kingdom doing? Does it not send people to check its territory?" Valeria said, while stomping on the mutation crystal which was slowly crumbling.
"The only thing we can take from all this is that it will be easier for you to level. The mutations are many, but they are just starting, so they should still give you enough experience to raise a few levels," Valeria finished.
She then directed her gaze towards a particular area in the forest, where her raven seed to be calling from.
"Seems we have a horde of sothing over there. Let's hurry and check so we can make a plan," she said, guiding the team towards the location of her bird.
"There, do you see them? The thick green hide is perfect for this area, but I can sll that stench a whole league away. We seem to have stumbled into Warks. They may look human, but don't let them fool you—they have a particular interest in human at," Valeria said, as Logan's vision finally focused on one part of the forest.
There, he saw a type of pig-faced, bipedal monster, whose hair grew in various parts of its body as if it were wearing clothing.
The monsters were looking up at the raven, which cawed to get their attention. They didn't seem too intelligent as they picked up stones to throw at the bird, most of them missing.
"This won't be hard if we find a good position. Rember, Logan, hunting is all about finding the perfect vantage point. Always rember it's not all about sight but also sll and hearing," she finished, while leading the group to where her panther had settled itself.
It seed to have found a spot where the wind was not strong and was well protected behind various bushes, making the perfect cover for them.
"As with before, I will toss a few bombs to cause so chaos. Place your Scorchwyrm… over… there, yeah, that spot should be good. Just watch where you're stepping so you don't make too much noise. While Warks don't have good hearing, their sense of sll is particularly strong," she said, setting up everyone's positions.
Her panther made three powerful jumps and landed on a large branch about four stories high, ready to pounce if necessary.
Logan, as before, followed the instructions to the letter. He placed his beast and ran back to the team's hiding spot.
Explosions suddenly attracted the Warks' attention, causing them to look back at the lone salamander. Hunger guiding their actions, they rushed towards their new victim.
Reviews
All reviews (0)