Chapter 4
Things that go bump in the night
Swarms of strange, boar-like monsters three times larger than average and large-tusked Wooly Mammoths squealed and rushed head-first into the thick crowd of soldiers. There weren't just a handful, but thousands screaming and stampeding into the camp.
"Wild Boars! Fight for your lives!" The soldiers cried out in panic. Nobody expected a night raid so quickly upon entering the Dark Continent. What was more mind-boggling was that they didn't even hear the boars until the last minute.
"Kill them before they cause chaos!" General Liam shouted; he scrambled out of his tent with half his armor on.
Soldiers scrambled into formation, trying to direct the charge of the boar's attack. They didn't want the monster to go in any deeper than necessary, especially because of their camping equipment and supplies. Quickly, they set up a defensive line against the boars; their spears were stuck out like spikes to prevent them from completely charging at them. Many got skewered by their head, while the others broke through, causing havoc around their surroundings.
Tents were torn apart, equipment was thrown around, and even supply wagons were toppled. The sheer chaos the Wild Boars caused wasn't just a simple dispute. They specifically seemed to head straight toward the supplies without a second thought.
"Stop them!" General Liam ran forward, his sword in his hand, and swung into the boar's head that was running straight at him. With a thunk, the sword sliced through, breaking into bone, and cutting the boar's flesh in half. "Don't let them come any closer!"
Adventurers stationed at the back of the army also heard or saw the chaos at the last moment. So when they saw and heard the explosion on the east side of General Liam's army, they knew something was wrong.
Players scrambled up on their feet, partially donned armor, and ran towards the carnage source. When they arrived, they saw the battle between the elven army and the swarms of Wild Boars that was taking place. The Wild Boars weren't like anything anyone had ever seen; they were fast, powerful, large, and brilliant.
As Zero and his group rushed toward the sound, what he saw made him stare in complete disbelief. Soldiers and Wild Boars were squaring off with one another. Then, a message appeared in front of Zero's face.
Wild Boar
Level 175
They are herd-type monsters who only come out at night. Sometimes their herd can grow to five thousand, depending on the location and if there is a herd leader in the group. If there is a herd leader, the herd can swell up to ten thousand in one fell swoop. These boars have caused endless amounts of vegetation to disappear in a day, sometimes even causing the terrain to shift into open deserted plains.
Zero was alarmed at the sheer possible number of boars that it could go up to. The sheer number of the monsters could easily be the same or even more than the Land Shark attack back in the City of Terra. This only meant there was a possibility of even more monsters stronger into the Dark Continent, possibly even three to five times more in than the attack here, making it a terrifying thought.
With his night vision, he could see countless boars swarming toward them in an endless stream. Still, he didn't back down; he was bent on quelling his hungry stomach first before it affected his performance and health.
Valiant, Sekka, Leaf, Zeraph, and Reed worked together, covering each other's backs. Valiant and Sekka were the main force that took dozens of Wild Boars effortlessly, working perfectly in sync. But, of course, they first had their fill of free food and changed gears when they couldn't eat too much. Zeraph, at times, would sneak in an attack to draw large numbers away if there were too many, but even still, all of them did a good job of slaughtering their enemies without getting overwhelmed.
Valiant would aggressively attack and kill the boars as many as possible. He would then resurrect the boar into a Boar Zombie to help create dozens for backups. They were less powerful than the original ones, but they did their job of slowing down the charges and opening up opportunities to counterattack. Meanwhile, Reed backed up Valiant by luring the boars towards Valiant to their demise.
Sekka, with her light ability, would buff and set up party protection around them, giving them the extra boost of speed and power that their party needs. Zero and Agnis were given the same buffs, giving Zero an exhilarating adrenaline-like high. Sekka, too, would use overwhelming strength, allowing them to combat their enemy easily. Finally, the leaf would dip in and out, riding, jumping, rolling, and even dodging out of harm's way from any boar without much trouble.
Zeraph leisurely walks through the thick crowds of soldiers, adventurers, and even the boars. He would draw his sword at inhumane speed, cutting the boar in multiple strikes and cutting the boar with every movement, careful not to use more energy than he needed to. His attacks were just as powerful as the dragons, making him a force to be reckoned with.
"It seems we solved our food shortage," Agnis smirked. "You ready?" She pulled out her bow and knocked an arrow.
"Born ready." Zero charged forward, his teeth dangerously gleaming with anticipation. He could smell the sweet scent of boar's meat tickling his nose, making him drool. Dinner was here, and he would feed himself until he burst.
"Good." Agnis let loose an arrow, hitting squarely in one of the oncoming boar's head. It squealed and tumbled forward.
Zero's head lunged forward and snapped up the boar into its mouth. His teeth were crushing against the bones while the boar screamed in pain. With a last-ditch effort, the boar struggled to get out of Zero's jaw, but he didn't allow it. Instead, his hunger made his dragon instinct kick in even faster, enjoying the pleasing taste of fresh blood and meat running down his throat.
This was one taste he couldn't easily forget, especially for a dragon that did not need cooked meat. In his Origin form, he liked his meat raw most of the time, but what he liked the most was the excitement of the hunt. The endorphin-like feel was ten times more potent than in his human body; the crushing of bones, the screaming of fear, and the taste of blood and meat spiked his hunger.
With a couple more crunches, he swallowed up the mash-up pieces of the boar and swallowed it in a couple of gulps like an alligator. Unfortunately, his shredded teeth weren't the best at chewing, so he had to swallow them into chunks. The food slowly went down his throat and into his stomach; he wasn't satisfied with the boar he had eaten.
The boar's size compared to him didn't even come up to a full-sized female human, not even filling up a third of his stomach, and the meat was slightly sweet, making him want more.
Finally, his raptor-like eyes zoned in on his second prey, where a group of soldiers surrounded the boar with pikes. Reaching his claws out, he slammed the boar ruthlessly against the ground.
The soldiers cried out in alarm at the sudden interference from Zero and gazed up at him with a startled expressions.
"What?!" One of the Elven soldiers cried out before he stumbled backward onto his butt. A loud boar squeal sounded, followed by a squishing-like sound.
"Stand back!" Agnis called out. "Zero's hungry!"
The elves scuttled away in panic, fearing to be part of a dragon's meal. When they saw Zero pick up the boar with one hand and chomp down, they turned pale when they saw the spurt of blood with half of the boar's body missing.
"Bring them over to Zero!" Agnis jumped off Zero's back; she did a perfect diving roll with her bow. She fired at another charging boar from the left when she got up. The boar stumbled and fell onto the side but quickly got back on its feet. "He'll deal with them!"
"Got it!" The elven soldiers nodded, and their expressions returned to their stiff, cold selves. The elves ran towards their other fellow soldiers.
"Round them up! The Dragon is hungry!" An elf with blond hair shouted while he ran around.
"Bring them this way!" He waved the others to follow.
The elves around Zero changed tactics into a hit-and-run, dragging the boar towards Zero as if their butts were on fire. Zero snapped his jaws at any nearest boar with one gulp, using his claws to rip them in half, leaving behind countless corpses of the dead boars. He even used his tail as a whip, wrapping around them like a lasso and pounding them into the ground until they stopped moving.
Zero happily ate his dinner without holding back; the Dragon in him wouldn't let him off with simple small meals; it wanted him to tear through bones, eradicate its prey, and even roar with excitement. The problem was that the more he ate, the more he still wanted more from the meal. Even when fifty went into his belly, he was still hungry.
Angrily, he raised his head, drew in a sharp breath, and roared. His roar echoed out into the plains with a thundering voice. Every Wild boar in a three-mile radius temporarily froze out of fear, their gaze turned towards Zero, debating if they should attack. Then, just when his echoing roar quieted, another deeper voice called back in challenge.
You have issued a territory battle. Territory battle has been accepted.
You have learned the Dragon's Challenge.
Zero knew the one who answered back was a boss who ordered the Wild Boar to attack. The boss monster was issuing a territory challenge back at Zero, not liking how he was here in its domain. Without a second thought, Zero answered back with as much force as he spewed a torrent of red flames into the air, brightening up the area and telling the boss where his location was.
"What the hell did you do?" shouted Agnis in alarm. "You just compromised everyone's location!"
Zero spat out a couple more breaths of fire, then his chest rumbled, and he turned towards Agnis. Then, with a half smile and rows of teeth showing, he let out a barking laugh.
"Too late for that now. The moment I stepped in on the boss's location, it became a territory war, and I'm not going to back down now." With a spew of hot air, Agni's white hair fluttered erratically behind her.
"Are you serious?" Agnis furrowed.
"Damn it, does it mean we'll have more opposition the further we go?"
"Yes."
"Argh! This is your fault!" Agnis pointed at him. "Why can't you shift out of your dragon form so this doesn't happen!"
"Can't do anything about that."
With an angry stomp, Agnis kicked the ground. "You better tell General Liam about this!"
"I'll think about it."
"There was no time to think; your presence made this quest ten times more difficult!"
"I don't believe so." Zero huffed, not liking how she accused him.
"How so? Huh? Explain!" She placed her hand on her hips.
"No time for that now." Zero snatched a boar off the ground and ate it with two bites.
"We have time; tell me what you did before I run to General Liam and tell him what you have just said!"
Zero eyes furrowed. Explaining in the middle of a fight was challenging; he had to pay attention to every little thing so Agnis wouldn't get run over when she wasn't paying attention. His claws swiped down from the left, behind Agnis, just in time before its tusk could maul her.
"Look, even if I stepped into the enemy's territory, I felt that the monsters would still have attacked, possibly even drawn out the fight under cover of the night. For me to be here and challenge the boss gives us a chance to minimize the casualties in a night battle." Zero replied curtly; his tail made a sweeping motion, causing three boars to trip and fall forward with a thud.
"By the rate we are going; we're probably going to meet every territory boss we come across. I don't know how far this territory boss' land is, but killing the boss means the monster swarms will lessen as we advance."
Agnis fired an arrow past Zero's side and into an oncoming boat. The hand-cut through the air and slammed into the rump of its butt. With a squeal, the boar stumbled but caught itself and charged forward.
"Are you serious?" She fired another at the boar, missing entirely, as the boar could move out just a hair's breadth away before the arrow could embed itself into its head. "What?!"
"Look out!" Zero's claw slammed downwards in between Agnes and the boar. With a heavy thud, a sharp pain erupted on Zero's arm, his muscles tensed, and he angrily snapped downwards, twisting his head towards the boar. His sharp teeth clamped onto its side, and he tore into its flesh.
"Zero?!" Agnis stepped back, startled. "Wha-?!
Zero didn't reply and took another hungry bite, eating the rest of the boar and leaving behind a part of its feet.
The thundering sound of beating footsteps that shook the ground could be heard heading straight toward them. The heavy beast burst out from behind a few trees with a roar. With a roarLowering its large tusk-like head, it plowed through the soldiers like a bowling ball. Elves and humans flew in the air as the giant tusk impaled itself into its enemy.
Zero was excited at the challenge that was brought before him. The monsters coming towards him were equal in size, heavy, had beady multiple red eyes, and even mammoth-like fur.
Boar Mammoth
Boss Type monster
Level: 210
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Living in the open plains, the Boar Mammoth comes out to scavenge at night with its offspring. They like to dig a hole into the ground, keeping themselves cool during the day. Usually, small mounds or hills are the Boar Mammoth hidden in the ground. Even if one steps on them during the day, they awaken when the sun is completely down.
Using its large tusk, it likes to charge forward and impale its enemy. There have been countless deaths upon its tusk, making it a sinister weapon. The boar enjoys skewering its victims and flailing them around like a ragdoll. Be wary of its charge, its tusk and power can destroy a large boulder with one charge.
Depending on its strength and age, this boss can lead up to over ten to twenty thousand Wild Boars in its territory. This Boar Mammoth had lived up to four hundred fifty-five years, allowing its herd to swell up to ten thousand.
Alarmed at the message that popped up in front of him, Zero was shocked to find that there were about ten thousand of its herd invading in the middle of the night, making this fight ten times more difficult. Even still, the Boar Mammoth didn't stop its attack, it was mad at Zero's presence, and when it saw Zero, it roared with rage, challenging him once again.
Zero pulled in his breath and roared viciously back. Angered, the Boar Mammoth stomped its feet, lowered its head, and charged. With thundering footsteps, the boar attacked, picking up dust and debris. He followed after, bracing himself from the charge.
"Come on. Come on. Come on!" Zero roared. The Boar tusk made contact with Zero's claws. His feet dug into the ground, bracing himself from the impact. Skidding backward, he dug into the ground even further. His muscles bulged, his mouth opened up into a devilish glee, and he pushed back with just as much force.
They were in a stalemate, both unable to advance forward or back. But, Zero couldn't let this go any. Further, Zero knew that if he fell back, the rampage would continue, creating more damage than necessary.
"Pin the monster down!" General Liam instructed; he threw a spear at the giant boar. "Keep the smaller ones away!"
The soldiers shifted into two groups, centering around Zero. Half of them threw spears and arrows into the Boar Mammoth, trying to cut down its life force as quickly as possible. The others fanned out, working together in a group of ten to push back the Wild Boars from breaking through to help the boss. High-level earth magic split open from the ground, and vines snapped out to wrap themselves around the boar mammoth's legs. With an angry grunt, the giant boar snorted out a hot breath of air and yanked forward, pulling the vines out of the ground.
Even still, the vines continually came out from the ground, rapidly wrapping themselves around the giant boar. The magic persisted even towards the other Wild Boars, stopping them in their tracks. This allowed adventurers and soldiers to take down the boars as quickly as possible without getting injured.
Zero faces snapped forward, moving past its giant tusk and biting down on the boar's shoulder. With the thought of tasting a savory slab of sweetmeat in his mouth, Zero's stomach rumbled even louder, telling him to devour this monster in front of him. But, instead, he pulled back, taking a chunk of its meat into its throat and allowing him a delicious belly full of meat. The meat was sweet, soft, and tough, but it reminded him of bacon.
The boar cried out in pain and violently shook back and forth, trying to throw Zero off. Zero didn't allow the monster to wiggle away. Strengthening his core, he twisted his body with every ounce of strength. With a loud thud, the Boar Mammoth fell onto its side, throwing its feet into the air.
Zero took this chance and lunged forward, teeth open as he clawed and bit down onto its stomach. Blood spurted outwards, and a painful squeal followed as he continued his ravaging attack. Like a lion hunting down his prey, Zero didn't let go of his meal. Even though he was a lot weaker in level compared to the boss monster, in his dragon form, he could fight head-to-head. Luckily, the boss was not too high in level and power, or it would've made the battle more difficult.
The scene before them was like a predator eating its prey in the middle of combat, making the image of a dragon more surreal and fierce. Soldiers and adventurers knew then that the dragons in front of them were living up to the legends. Even without his wings, Zero became more dragon-like as the seconds passed. No more was he the puppy in his starting days, a dog, a giant lizard, but now a dragon in the eyes of many.
His chest swelled up and glowed red with fire and compressed the air in his throat; he pulled back and spat out multiple balls of fire. The fire rushed forward into the open wound of the enemy, sharply increasing the smell of roasted bacon.
Zero didn't let the fireballs he blew go out of control, he didn't want to start a prairie fire, and he kept his flames at a minimum. Even Sekka and Valiant were conscious of where they were, knowing that if they continually used their flames without control, the whole army could be trapped by their flames. That in itself was counterproductive, which would cause a lot of unnecessary deaths.
The soldiers swarmed in unison along with the adventurers at hand and quelled the rampaging boars, putting them down as fast and efficiently as possible. Large amounts of loot and meat were scattered on the ground, coloring the dark floor with twinkling lights of gold, silver, copper, and bronze.
Striking and tearing was the repetitive cycle that Zero had done. He would use his entire weight against the Boar Mammoth, his right claws on its neck and the left digging into its rumps. Each squeal caused a frenzy of Wild Boars to push forward in the hopes of saving their leader.
Zero blew multiple fireballs. As the Boar Mammoth let out its last dying howl, its high pitch sound even caused Zero to falter backward. With a burst of energy, the Boar Mammoth pushed up from the ground, its gut spilling all over its place, and rammed into Zero's stomach with its tusks. Zero fumbled backward and fell onto the ground with a heavy thud.
The Boar Mammoth staggered and feebly let out a couple of desperate attacks; Zero rolled his large body would allow, getting out of harm's way. The Boar Mammoth half reared up, attempting to trample him under its feet. Zero's hand drew out its claw and impaled the Boar Mammoth when it struck. Blood swept downwards, covering half of his face, especially his neck.
A large number of arrows shot through the sky and came raining down upon the Boar. Then, with a shudder, the Boar collapsed on top of Zero, burying him underneath.
"Omph!" Zero grunted. He realized that the Boar mammoth was a lot heavier than he thought. He could wiggle himself halfway out of the Boar's body without completely being able to get out.
You have leveled up.
His hand wiggled underneath the Boar, hoping to find any loot before anyone could find it. Instead, his hand grabbed something metallic, and he quickly wrapped his paw around it and stashed it away before anyone could notice. A satisfied sly smile erupted on his face. He followed after a message appeared before him.
You have won the territory battle against the Boss Boar Mammoth. You have gained 30 miles of the Boar Mammoth's territory. All monsters lower level than you will not attempt to attack. All monsters 80 levels higher than you will issue a challenge to your territory. You cannot decline a challenge. This territory can be forfeited if you wish to avoid taking over the territory. All areas in green on your map are your territory.
Would you like to take over this territory?
"Yes." He replied, pleased with himself.
You have gained Boar Mammoth's territory.
Now that he thought about it, he remembered learning something during the fight. It was called Roar of the Dragon's Challenge.
Dragon's Challenge
A dragon's roar has more than one function that causes fear, intimidation, and terror. First, it can be used to challenge other creatures of different races. The more powerful the voice of the challenger, the stronger the responder will react.
If this giant monster wasn't going to get off, he even thought of eating his way out, possibly unloading the heavy load. But instead, zero opened his mouth to tear into the meat of the Boar to dig his way out. Plus, pushing himself off his back didn't give him enough power to push the monster away. He needed a more stable footing to have enough power; right now, he only had half.
Just when he was bent on eating his way out, a large number of General Liam's soldiers helped pull the Boat Mammoth off him by throwing ropes around the tusks and pulling them together. Then, with a thud, the Boar fell onto the ground.
General Liam brought a torch and examined the body with a weary expression. "Who would've thought they would be monsters like this roaming around in the area so soon? I expected it to be deeper into the continent, not right at the borders of our kingdom." He spoke with a worried gaze. "Luckily, we stopped this large herd from a possible invasion, but we lost six hundred men." His expression was solemn, but moments later, his gaze changed into a stern expression.
"We need to double our guard at night." General Liam quickly spoke, his demeanor shifting into an even more serious one than before. "Get moving!" He ordered.
A large number of soldiers pulled away in a hurry. They rushed to their post, doubling up and patrolling as best they could. Others went back to cleaning up the mess that the boars had caused; some were finishing off the strays, while others stayed around.
Some had stopped to look at Zero, awed at his presence and appearance. Quite a few inched forward, hoping to touch him. Zero glared at them, telling them to back off. They scuttled backward in fear, not wanting to get bitten by Zero's gleaming white teeth.
Zero crawled his way out and looked at the kill before him. He fell onto his butt with a loud thump and sat down with glee. Fresh meat, well-cooked, was present before him, and the smell of bacon tickled his nose, making him hungry. He wasn't sure why he was constantly eating, but the amount of food he needed increased in under a day.
His mouth salivated again, making him snap forward and bite into the cooked meat.
Delicious! He swooned.
They cook meat on the outside and raw juicy meat on the inside with a good slew of blood. His claws grabbed both ends of the Boar Mammoth's body, digging into it to get a better grip. With a pull, the boar meat ripped apart, allowing him to chew before he swallowed the red meat with glee. He tore, ate, and gobbled it down like an alligator.
Everyone who was watching started with complete disbelief. They saw something out of the
animal channel, watching a predator eating its prey. This was a close-up view done live in front of everyone's eyes. They could feel the sheer primal power of a creature in the Wild; even though Zero wasn't a wild animal, it still brought out the intimidation and fear factor of what a dragon was.
Players walked over, trying to see what other loot was around the Boar Mammoth, but they couldn't get any closer while Zero was eating. Some grumbled. Others walked away defeated. Half of them felt cheated, while the others didn't care and let Zero have the kill. They saw him take the brunt of the Boar Mammoth's attack and knew he had played a pivotal role.
Zero didn't care about the large number of states he was getting. Instead, he leisurely ate away the Boar Mammoth as if it was a delicious feast. Five minutes passed by, and he was a third of the way done with eating the Boar.
"Prince Zero." General Liam spoke out loud. Zero froze and whipped his head towards General Liam with a bloody mouth filled with red meat. The General took a step back but stopped himself from going further. He coughed a couple of times, clearing his throat.
Zero gulped and stared. "Please don't call me Prince. I'm just Zero." Then, with an unconscious growl, General Liam tensed up.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."
"No, it's alright. It's just weird."
"I see." He looked at Zero for a couple of moments, then back towards the Boar, he had partially eaten. "Are you going to eat all that?"
"Yes. I'm unusually hungry today, and for some reason, this particular meat is filling up my stomach. The little ones weren't doing that."
"If you don't mind, how many did you eat?"
"One hundred and twenty-five."
General Liam's lips twitched. "That's quite an appetite you have there."
"You're telling me. Usually, twenty of those little ones would've been fine." Zero turned back and ripped out another chunk of meat.
"I wanted to thank you for your help. I saw what you did by bringing the boss's attention to yourself. You made this whole fight a lot easier, which helped us cut down on the casualties."
"He had to do that." Agnis walked over; her hands patted Zero on his side. "His presence brings attention."
Zero snorted, putting out a burst of smoke from his mouth. Whose side was she on anyway? He didn't like how he was just thrown under the bus.
"Calm down, Zero. We need to explain the situation better, so we're better prepared for the next one."
"Are you sure? Because I feel like you did the opposite." Zero snarled, letting the blood and meat
spit on her pretty face. He didn't care that it messed up her look at all.
"What do you mean?" General Liam asked. "Please explain."
Agnis wiped away the blood on her face, then took a deep breath and began talking. "It's really simple animal instinct to defend what has invaded its territory, and Zero here had stepped in on the Boar's territory. If we didn't have Zero here, this Boar Mammoth would've picked us off slowly as we crossed its territory. So bringing it out by challenging its domain gave us a chance to deal with them quickly without searching for them."
"So, what are you suggesting that we do?" General Liam asked, thinking over what she had said.
"We use him as bait for the next territory, bringing out the boss to our doorsteps." Agnis started with a wide grin.
Zero tilted his head confused. Huh? Use him as bait? Wait, what? It didn't hit him until now what she wanted to do. For every new territory they went through, Agnis wanted him to call forth the boss of each domain before entering. This was becoming a territory battle just like how the animals in the wild kingdom did it, and now that he thought about it when he roared to challenge the territory boss, the Boar Mammoth shouted back with equal amounts of force. Plus, he got the Dragon's Challenge skill and gained territory.
"This time, you might not be crazy," Zero replied. He returned to leisurely eating the Boar's meat in front of him.
"Hmph. I never was." Agnis crossed her hand in front of her.
"Okay, let's say we use him as bait; how would he call the territory boss over?"
"That, I leave it to Zero to explain."
Zero sighed. If she was going to bring up an explanation, she should've gone all the way through instead of stopping midway.
"Don't worry about that. It comes with being a Dragon." Zero replied. "All I need to do is a roar, and if they roar back, the challenge is accepted. They'll come flocking towards us."
"Interesting. Then we should try what you stated." General Liam spoke.
"Plus, we won't have to worry for thirty miles from weaker monsters." He replied, in between each chew. "They're not going to attack now after I have become this territory's head."
"That is even better."
" Though there is one more fact. I forgot to mention."
"That is?"
"Stronger monsters that are stronger than me will still attack. I can't do anything about that but fight back."
"That could be a problem, but stopping the lower-level monsters from bringing unnecessary attacks would shave off at least 70% of the attacks. That is better than nothing; we might've had more casualties if we continued forwards without your blessing."
"I wouldn't say it's a blessing." Zero frowned. General Liam was making it sound a lot weirder than it should be.
General Liam waved his hand, stopping Zero from saying anything further. "What you are doing is more of a blessing to my soldiers. I don't want any more needless deaths that would jeopardize them, so getting to our objective as quickly and safely as possible is what I always hoped for, even though that isn't the case most of the time. Still, even if we have some edge that would benefit us, it means much more than you think. A dragon's blessing is one of them."
Zero couldn't refute what General Liam had said. He could only nod his head and let General Liam continue to think up whatever fantastical thing he had thought of him.
"You should go get some rest." General Liam saluted Zero. "We'll talk more when you have fully rested. We'll stay camping for another day to take care of the wounded. You should continue to eat your meals. I'll see you later, Zero." He turned away, leaving Zero behind so he could finish his meal.
Zero claws shifted upwards onto the white bone of the Boar's ribcage; he watched as General Liam left.
"So, what do you think of him?"
"What do you mean?" He turned towards her, not understanding why she would suddenly ask that question.
"Isn't he interesting? Usually, Generals don't listen to commoners like me, but he still did." Agnis chuckled.
"I believe it's because you're my companion; that's why he listened."
Agnis shook her head. "General Liam was born a commoner, so he knows how to deal with lower-class people and especially listens to what they have to say. The way he even talks about
his soldiers not getting injured as a priority makes him a great general."
"Just taking care of your people doesn't mean he is a great general, you know."
"I know." Agnis placed her hand on her back. "He also was quick on his feet and knew what to do. But, I believe he has more up his sleeve."
"We'll see." Zero devoured the Boar's meat to the bone, leaving nothing behind. He finally felt full after eating the whole meat. With a loud burp, he pushed himself up and returned to the tent they had set up.
Agnis scaled his side and sat on his back, enjoying the cool breeze. "Hey, Zero."
"Yea?"
"This might sound strange, but I think your wings have grown a bit more."
"It did?" Zero's brightened at the thought his wings were growing quicker than expected.
"Yea, it's now twice its normal size. I bet it's all going into your wings at the rate you're eating."
"That could be a possibility."
"I think so."
"Well, we'll see."
"Yes, we will," Agnis replied as she stroked his wing with a giggle. Zero shuddered at the tingling feeling and sighed. Eventually, they made it back towards the tent, and Zero curled around the tent, letting Agnis jump off. He felt bloated and happy that his stomach was full; he closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him.
#####
The army continued to move towards the south, and the endless plains outstretched before them, overtaking twenty-seven miles without many problems. Many monsters ran away when they smelled or saw the large army that descended upon them. When they saw and felt Zero's presence, they scattered in fear, for they knew that a powerful enemy was in the midst of the army.
There were also a few high-level monsters that did sniff out Zero's presence, but they didn't challenge Zero for the territory. Instead, they watched with weariness, for they thought the army was part of Zero's pack and knew that if they attacked, they would be overrun. Not a single one picked a fight that meant their death. Every creature had an intuitive instinct that would tell them when to pick a fight and when their death was near hand if they made a foolish move. This was when the monsters on the plain knew the dangers around Zero's group.
Also, most of General Liam's army was all high level, passing level 380. They were a lot stronger than Zero and the players, making the fight a lot easier for them to comb through the field without much trouble. Even fighting against the Boar Mammoth was relatively easy, especially if they only lost about six hundred soldiers.
While Zero took the brunt of the attack, the army took care of the small fries quickly and efficiently, helping to lessen the damage to the army.
Crossing the thirty miles plains took over one and a half days; when they reached the edge of the borders of Zero's new territory, his pace slowed. He could still see the endless plains before him. The sharp scent of his territory had started to thin out, and instead, a spicy, sharp scent slapped him in the face.
His nose wrinkled, and he warily scanned his surroundings, not liking the smell ahead. The smell was three times worse than the Boar Mammoth's smell. What attacked his nose reminded him of a bit of sewage mixed in with some strange plant smell that he couldn't recognize.
"Agnis, we're finally crossing out of my territory."
"So soon? I thought it would be another couple of hours." Agnis replied while she was lying on his back.
The one thing that Zero wished he could do was laze around like Agnis, but he couldn't shift into his human form to even ride a horse. So instead, he became a horse to Agnis, making him feel a bit peeved and jealous.
"Yes, are you going to tell General Liam?"
"I'm on it." Agnis got up, slid down his back, and went into a full sprint.
The army went for a couple more minutes until they halted, making people wonder why they had stopped. Then, soldiers started to split ways, and General Liam walked over on his horse.
"Zero!"
Zero lowered his head so he could hear him better. "General Liam, you're here quite fast."
"We need you to take the front." He asked. "Do you mind taking the lead for a while?"
"I don't mind." Zero started to walk; people moved out of the way to let him through.
"I'm sorry for putting you through a large burden," General Liam replied. He gripped the reins harder than usual, then looked up towards Zero. "I will make sure to back you up all the way."
"Thank you, General Liam. I will be fine. Please, stay behind me, for we don't know what kind of monsters will be popping out."
"Don't worry about me." Then, with a deep chuckle, General Liam smiled. "Even though I am a bit old, I for sure can keep up the fight."
Zero picked up his pace; Agnis followed, running up to his side, and climbed on. This time, she stood on his shoulder to better understand what was in front of them. Again, he felt uncomfortable leaving his territory, as if he shouldn't be there. His body tensed, and his teeth bared; he glared out into the distance waiting for any possible attack.
"Are you okay?" Agnis asked worriedly; they made it toward the front of the moving army.
"Be on guard; we just entered into someone's territory."
Agnis nodded her head. They continued forward more carefully than before. Zero watched for any unsuspecting attacks, strange movements, noise, and even smell. The further they walked, the stronger the smell.
Zero knew that whatever was up ahead knew that he was here, invading their territory.
"Are you ready?" He asked.
"Whenever you are." Agnis patted her hand against his neck.
Then, with a deep inhale of breath, he drugged his claws into the ground, stood up straighter, and even curled a bit of his tail. A loud, challenging roar escaped his throat as it shook the ground.
"You think whoever heard that?"
"Oh, they heard it alright."
You have issued a territory battle.
A high, piercing sound erupted outwards from far off in the distance.
Territory battle has been accepted.