Adam woke up to the sounds of early morning. In a couple of months he was finally going to turn sixteen and become his own man! He had just come back from helping with another bandit subjugation contract yesterday. He was still not allowed to fight on the front lines of their conflicts but there was still plenty of things for him to do. As Adam gently turned over Helen could be seen snuggling up to him. They had been a couple for sometime but rarely spent any nights together. She was now an adult and he was yet to turn sixteen. Many people typically get married between sixteen and twenty years of age. Adam had been thinking that in just a few years Helen might become his wife and they could even have a child...

Adam threw off these thoughts for now. Before they did any of that he would have to prepare a proper house for them to live in. Adam quietly got up, being careful to not knock into the empty bed next to their own. Trying his best not to disturb Helen, Adam quietly put his clothes on and got ready for his morning training. As he was about to leave Helen stirred a little as she mumbled: “Morning Adam.”

Adam gave a faint smile in her direction. The blanket covering Helen hid her beauty away. Helen had become quite attractive since she had grown, though there could be no comparison with noble ladies who had no end of makeup and tonics. Still, among commoners her beauty could be rated fairly high. To Adam, though, there was no one else but Helen in his eyes. “Morning Helen, I was just heading out for my morning training.”

Helen's only response was to give a weak wave goodbye as she turned over to sleep some more. Adam then quietly left the room. As he was going down the hallway of the dormitory that would lead to the cafeteria, Adam met Susan. Susan gave a mischievous grin as she greeted Adam. “Oh my Adam you seem a tad tired. Did you have a busy night?”

Adam turned a little red at this comment but kept on walking past Susan, ignoring her. Adam had learned that this was simply the best way to deal with her teasing. Susan simply giggled and went into the room Adam just came out of. Helen and Susan had been sharing a room and Susan had graciously given them some space last night. Susan was working that night anyway so it all seemed to work.

Finally getting to the cafeteria, Adam joined a few young boys for breakfast. Franklin and the others who had trained with Adam had all turned sixteen and had moved to the Silver Saviors already. This group of young boys had actually started to take up a similar training that Adam and the others had undertaken. These boys all looked up to Adam who seemed very much like an adult to them. Adam was quite muscular, though still very lean compared to Alfred and the others. Adam also had an intelligence and knowledge that made him seem very mature.

After they had all eaten their breakfast, they met Hansen at the usual place for morning training. Hansen had started to have some gray hairs appear in his hair but he had never looked any better. In the last few years Hansen's manner had turned more mellow compared to his previous gruff self. With this new batch of young boys willing to learn from him he felt that he had truly been given a new lease on life. More than just something he could offer to Adam he could offer his talents and expertise to many young boys here at Madame's. A part of him started to think of himself as an uncle to these young boys.

The training and the day passed rather normally for Adam, just like his youth. Adam's training had progressed in these last few years. He had been able to train in human level martial arts without worrying about his soul too much. With that, he had finally been able to incorporate it into his sword song! Adam had also finally figured out the major problem he was faced with in his spiritual path. After he had composed a few songs he had finally realized it. Adam could only use a single instrument at a time, however, a fully composed song included a variety of instruments that played at the same time! Yes there are many songs only use a single instrument but with everything Adam needs to command spirit essence to do to form a spiritual formation he needs a complex multi instrumental composition! Adam had yet to figure a way around this problem since it was fundamentally impossible for him to perfectly play more than one instrument at a time.

During the afternoon, while Adam was enjoying playing a tune as Helen danced on stage, Franklin came over from the Silver Saviors with a message for Adam. Adam was quite surprised at this since he typically gets a week or more of down time after he completes a contract. Franklin looked apologetically at Adam: “Clayton says he is going to need you on an important contract. He wouldn't explain what it was to me at the time since he was busy making preparations.”

It had to be quite a serious contract for Clayton to ask Adam for his help like this. It could only mean that Adam's elemental sight would have some importance to this contract. Adam thanked Franklin for the message and went to talk with both Helen and his mother. He had only just gotten back from another contract and he had wanted to spend some more time with them. Depending on the contract Adam could be gone for multiple weeks on end. Adam felt sure that this contract that Clayton had summoned him for was going to be a long one.

After a hesitant departure from Madame's Adam arrived at the Silver Saviors. One of the first people Adam saw when he arrived was Alfred who had Silber next to him. Since he had become a couple with Helen, Adam and Alfred had a few awkward moments. They mostly stayed the same friends but Adam had still gotten Helen in the end. Adam was quite scared at first after he and Helen became a couple. He did not know what Alfred's reaction was going to be when he heard the news. What really scared Adam was that when he told Alfred, Alfred was just quiet for a long time. Adam had no idea what else to say or do when Alfred finally looked him in the eye with a calm look and said: “If you make her cry you will regret it.” Adam could only vigorously nod his head in agreement as he said he would put forth the greatest care for Helen.

“Do you know what this big contract is about?” Adam asked Alfred with curiosity as he bent to greet Silber with some petting. Silber had grown into an adult wolf with fur that was a mix of silver gray and bright white. Silber had been a steadfast companion to Adam and was now fully trained to hunt and fight beside Adam.

Alfred shook his head: “I heard that it was a beast hunt with some special circumstances. Clayton was going to explain everything at once when we have all gathered. We have only been waiting on you. Everyone should be coming out soon.”

A beast hunt was similar to when the Silver Saviors hunted the wolves back when that demonic bear was running rampant. They were dangerous animals that normal citizens could not handle and needed to be dealt with. Adam had also done many of these types of contracts as well as helping with bandit subjugation.

Someone must have gone to tell Clayton that Adam had arrived as tons of Silver Saviors started pouring out of the houses and filing into the training yard. The entire mercenary company of the Silver Saviors was present with over two hundred and fifty men and women present. It was rather uncomfortable being so tightly packed in but everyone bore through it considering how serious this contract seemed to be.

Clayton skipped pleasantries to try and get through the announcement quickly: “We have been handed down an extremely risky contract and anyone of you may choose to back down from it. As many of you have heard this is a beast hunt. However, there is a high chance of this beast being a demonic beast! This contract is close to the border between Heider and Luxom. The military believes that it may be a ploy by Luxom to make them send troops away from an outpost before they attack. Therefore the military has decided to not investigate into this beast and have handed out a contract to mercenaries for it. Take your time to consider we leave the day after tomorrow. Adam I would also like to speak with you before you depart.”

After this the Silver Saviors broke apart heading in different directions, all talking about the contract. Many of them headed out so as not to clog up the area with everyone. Usually this many Silver Saviors do not congregate at the same time. As everyone was dispersing Adam followed Clayton into one of the houses. In there Clayton found an empty room to talk with Adam.

Clayton had a slightly hesitant look on his face as he started to talk: “I know you just got back from another contract but I could really use you on this one. I don't know how hard it will be to find this beast, whether it is demonic or not. Your elemental sight would prove very invaluable this time. I don't like putting such pressure on you before you are even truly considered an adult but I have to ask; will you join in the contract?”

Adam did not have to think long before he said: “Yeah, this beast wouldn't be such trouble unless it was attacking towns somewhere. Let's take it down before it kills anyone.”

Relief came to Clayton's face. “I should have no trouble taking this beast down by myself but I would not be able to track and find it like you could. I won't bother you any further and let you get home. Spend some more time with your girl before you leave.”

That last part Clayton had said with a grin on his face. Adam turned red faced and quickly left while thinking: “Why does everyone have to tease me this way!?”

Both Adam and Helen felt embarrassed to talk about their relationship in public. It was simply a very youthful reaction that they shared. With his red face, Adam went home to tell Helen and Vivienne the news. Neither wanted to see him go but they both knew there was no way to stop him. He had long ago began making his own decisions for his life and working as a Silver Savior to help others had become very important to him. At least he had one more day to relax and be with them before he had to head off. That one day passed far too quickly, however.

Adam met up with most of the Silver Saviors to depart on this new contract. Only a few stayed behind for their own reasons. It was quite the sight to watch the two hundred or so Silver Saviors, all dressed in their blue leather armor, march out of the city. There were even a few wagons mixed into their column.

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The march to where the beast was located took quite some time. It would take them two weeks to get to the destinations since it was so far from Hessler. The area they were heading to was forested, like much of Heider, and formed by many hills with many rocky outcroppings. The journey itself was rather uneventful. There were no bandits stupid enough to tangle with such a large group of mercenaries.

Finally reaching the general area the beast was supposed to be in, the Silver Saviors camped outside the first town they came to. Clayton and a few others went into the town to collect more detailed information about this beast that had been causing problems in the area. The Silver Saviors had arrived in the afternoon and it was the evening before Clayton and the others came back.

The information that Clayton received made him more sure that it was a demonic beast that they were dealing with. Nobody had yet to even see the beast, but what they have heard has been more than enough to scare them. For the past month the people of the area have been hearing giant roars. This town is right on the edge of where you can start hearing the roars. The roars will get louder as you go further north east and closer to the border.

When this news made its way around camp, the Silver Saviors started to feel some tension. If this beast could be heard in such a wide area it would be stronger than they had initially thought it would be. Clayton should still be able to take care of it but it would become much more dangerous for everyone else if they accidentally stumbled across it without any prior warning.

That night a few people strained their ears to see if they could hear these roars. Adam was one of the few who could hear them. Unless you were intentionally trying to listen to them they would be easily missed. The roars were extremely faint but still filled Adam with a sense of dread. Upon feeling this, Adam completely agreed with Clayton. There was no way this was going to be a regular beast. It might just be a guardian beast dying of old age but it could also be an angry demonic beast. With the dread Adam felt, he was sure it was the latter.

The town they were by did not worry too much about the beast. It was a far distance away and unlikely to disturb them unless it went on a wild rampage. There were a few villages closer to the source of the roars, however, that were quite frightened. They did not really have the means to just simply move somewhere else. They had little money to help them start a new life somewhere else and that little money would all be spent on transportation costs before they even settled anywhere.

The next day the Silver Saviors moved on as they tried to locate the source of the roars. Throughout the day, the roars had steadily become louder. Still, they were not able to find where the roars originated from. It was another two days before the Silver Saviors felt that they were close to the source. During these two days they had passed by three villages whose occupants did their best to point out the direction they believed the roars were most likely emanating from. Currently the Silver Saviors could all clearly hear loud sporadic roars throughout the day.

Finding a relatively clear spot by the side of the road, they Silver Saviors pulled off to set up camp. It was only noon time but this was the general area the villagers had pointed out as being the source of the roars. After setting up the camp, they all sat down for a light meal before beginning their search.

While Adam was eating with Alfred and the others, Clayton came by to briefly give Adam some instruction; “After the meal we will be splitting up to search the areas on both sides of the road. I want you to be with a team searching the north side while I will search the south side. If you see anything suspicious at all retreat immediately and get me before you more thoroughly search it okay?”

Adam nodded while saying “Okay” with a mouth full of food.

After their noon meal was done the Silver Saviors split up into various groups to search the area. Adam joined one of the groups searching the north with Alfred, Silber, and the others. Truthfully, it shouldn't be that hard to find this beast. They were not hunting down tracks or anything. They were just splitting up and trying to find the source of those intermittent roars. It was just going to take time before they find the source.

Adam spread his elemental sight out during the search. The range of his elemental sight had improved a little, but not by much. The biggest improvement in his elemental sight had been that he could see wider areas inside the range he could see. The area he could view at a single moment had almost doubled!

The search was slow and rather fruitless. With the way the hills and the various rock outcroppings were, the roars bounced around and it was pretty much impossible to figure out if you were getting closer or further away from the roars. The beast would also only roar once or twice an hour so if it was in a cave that was easily concealed they could go right past it without even noticing.

It was getting late and Adam's group was preparing to head back to camp and call it a day. Just as they were about to, they heard an enormous roar louder than they have ever heard it before! Quickly turning around, Adam and the others were surprised to see a cave opening in an outcropping they had just gone past. They were certain that they had looked earlier and that there was no cave there!

Adam had gotten used to the dread he felt from the roars, but that last one shook him to the bone. Even Silber had hid behind Adam while whimpering! They were far enough away that Adam could only see the entrance of the cave with his elemental sight. As he looked at the entrance he felt a very prickly and dangerous feeling as his body started to heat up as though it were getting ready to flee for its life. Adam didn't even think of trying to approach the cave to peer deeper inside. He felt that if he did so, he would surely die! It felt that there was something large and immense just inside that was giving him all these dangerous feelings. The immensity of the thing reminded him of what he felt a few years ago. That one thing he would miss if he had left Hessler. Was it this thing that he had been waiting for?

Someone asked: “Should we check it out.”

Adam crisply said: “No! I feel like there is an extremely high chance of us dying if we get to close!”

The other members of the search group paled at Adam's response. Adam had never been one to over exaggerate or shy away from something because he was scared. With his abilities as a spiritualist, the others did not doubt Adam's statement.

“Let's carefully retreat and get Clayton.”

Adam's group carefully slunk away while holding their breath. They felt that the slightest provocation could spell their doom. Adam also began to sweat after he started to think about something. Silber had not sniffed anything out and even with his elemental sight he could not tell that the cave had been there earlier. It was like it had just suddenly appeared! In his mind this could only mean one thing; this beast could utilize spirit formations!

After making it back to camp, they had to wait for Clayton to arrive. In the meantime they started to tell others to not go into that area where they found the cave until Clayton could check it out. It wasn't until later in the evening that Clayton came back to camp. Adam and the others quickly reported what they had found to him. Adam also gave him his concerns about the beast being able to control spirit formations.

Clayton thought for a moment before announcing his plan: “Tomorrow I do not want anyone out of the camp. I will take Adam and a few others to check out the cave. When we encounter whatever is inside the cave I want you all to fall back! I will deal with the beast on my own.”

Clayton had some confidence against the beast but knew he would not be able to protect anyone else if they tried to join in the fight. Adam was coming along for his elemental sight and the few others for tracking. Clayton wanted to catch the beast unaware to get the best chance of killing it quickly.

The roars continued unabated throughout the night. In the morning, Clayton finally set out with Adam and a few others. Adam left Silber behind since he seemed rather effected by that roar earlier. It may have just been animal instinct to bow to a stronger creature or fears from that night when the demonic bear attacked its pack. Either way Adam decided to leave Silber behind. With Adam leading the way it took a little over an hour to finally reach the outcropping where the cave was. As they inspected the area, though, there appeared to be no cave!

“Are you sure this is the right spot Adam?”

“Yes.” Adam responded as he thought for a moment. “Why don't we wait here until it roars again. It is possible that when it roars it disturbs the spirit formation that disguises the entrance somehow.”

Adam knew better than anyone else in the Silver Saviors on how spirit formations worked. They decided to listen to Adam and waited for the roars to start again. They didn't have to wait for too long until they finally heard a gigantic roar from nearby! As the beast's roar resounded out, a particular place in the outcropping started to distort and finally the mouth to a cave appeared!

Looking into the gaping blackness of the cave Clayton called out: “Everyone stay behind me. Let's go see just what lies within.”