"You know." Jorgen started. "We completely glossed over something with the outrage about that thing. It is, after all, the most likely culprit for those four dead."
"I don't think so," Mor said. "I understand where you're coming from, but I have some experience with illusion magic, and something like that is very hard."
"Oh, I need to hear that," Elly said, coming back for her regular check-in as a scout.
"At my school, an illusion specialist had it out for me, and after she almost killed me, I started reading up on illusion magic. It's the magic type I know the most about because my trying out magic can not be learned from books.
"I knew it, so it did kill them," Jorgen said, getting a flat look from Mor.
"As I said." Mor continued. "To influence more than one person simultaneously, you need to use noncorporeal illusions, which will be quickly unveiled when you stand your ground. If you want to have stronger illusions, you need to reduce targets and also need either a gigantic amount of magic, something I don't believe this little one has, or a strong emotional way into the target's mind."
"That means that when the other group engaged in a possible illusion, they should have recognized it after the first attack, but they continued fighting," Elly said.
"There might be another way," Mor revealed. "There are illusions, which can strengthen certain emotions but not impart them. For example, if that group had a fight and gave in to their rage, it might have been possible for the little one to strengthen it until they killed each other."
"Is it that easy?" Titania asked.
"Only if you have no reservations about killing your friends. The influence can be strong, but drastic things like killing your friends should be not so easy to invoke." Mor replied.
"Meaning, even if the little one was the catalyst, they would have killed each other sooner or later?" Elly asked, and Mor nodded.
"Also, there had to be quite a bit of aggression in the first place for such a spell to have that effect," Mor added.
"But that means, if it wasn't that monstrosity or a falling out, another might be responsible?" Jorgen asked, and the others agreed to that assessment.
They continued their journey while Mor kept healing the little monstrosity, while the cuteness of the little thing slowly wormed its way into Elly's heart and the other two's hearts, though to a lesser degree. Still, soon, it was done, and Mor stayed true to his word. With the crooked tail of the fox healed, Mor offered up a last bit of his blood, then tried to send the fox away, which went as well as one would expect.
The fox creature would not leave the side of the one who had healed it, at least until Mor shooed it away with much more aggression. With Mor shouting at it, the little vampire fox turned invisible, and the rustling of some grasses was the last thing the group saw of it. While everyone was a bit sad to see it gone, they all knew it was for the best. Well, almost everyone. The human was very disappointed, seeing the cute critter being driven off.
°It wanted to stay. You didn't have to scare it off.° The human protested.
°It's for the best like this. It is back in full health and fed, so it will be fine. Taking it with us would endanger both it and us, ° Mor said.
°It can turn invisible. No one would know it's there.° The human argued.
°It can't be invisible forever. Someone will see it, and then we'll be back to square one, ° Mor said.
"It was the right decision," Elly said after seeing Mor's sad gaze.
"I know, but I still didn't want to be mean to it," Mor said, looking in the direction where the little monstrosity had left.
Still, what was done was done, and they had a hunt to finish. At least Jorgen and Titania didn't want to return with only the turtle monstrosity on their kill list. Elly returned to her scouting, and after a few more days, she found another track, this time something bigger but still not a howler. The footprints she found were not of a clawed foot but of something hooved.
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"It might be our last chance," Elly stated after showing the tracks to the others.
"You sure it is no howler?" Jorgen asked needlessly.
"As long as it is big, strong, and scary, I'm satisfied," Titania said.
"Big and strong, I can guarantee," Elly told them.
"And I can guarantee that you won't kill it." A familiar voice said as Thor stepped out from the bushes.
°I knew the average intelligence had dropped.° The human sighed.
"Thor," Jorgen said.
"Jorgen." The other boy nodded.
"What do you mean we won't kill it?" Elly asked, furious.
"It is our prey. It is the biggest thing around, and we found it first." Thor said.
"So?" Elly said, standoffish.
"Honor dictates that I hunt it first. However, I will allow you to tag along and watch," Thor stated.
"You think you can spout things like that out here?" Elly asked.
"Elly," Jorgen said calmly. "He's right. Out here is where our honor is more important than ever."
The boy also didn't like it, but his respect for Ice-kin traditions was stronger than Elly's. Still, there was one among them who was not bound to such things, and Mor decided to whisper something to Jorgen.
"I'm not bound to those traditions. So want me to kick his butt?" Mor asked quietly, but Jorgen shook his head with a slight smile.
"Fine," Elly growled.
"Very good. Know your place." Thor stated when he passed by Elly,
However, he underestimated the woman's pettiness when his face hit the dirt after he tripped over her outstretched foot. The boy cursed and grumbled when he got back up, throwing the innocently smiling girl a hostile glare.
"You will regret that." He promised, but Elly continued her innocent display, looking questioningly at Thor.
"I didn't do anything."
Thor and his team then went off after the tracks while the other team stayed behind.
"So, are we following them?" Mor asked.
"And do what?" Jorgen asked.
"Either watch them kill the thing or save their asses." The Soul-kin said with a shrug.
"Maybe the monstrosity kills them," Elly said. "Then we could kill it, making it a win-win situation."
"Don't wish the death of other kin onto them. It will come back to haunt you." Jorgen stated.
"Shouldn't we look for another monstrosity?" Titania asked.
"We might not have the time to find and hunt another one before hitting the deadline," Elly said.
"Well, there might be another way," Mor said. "If I raise my magic output."
"No," Elly said. "If you do that, we won't know which or how many monstrosities will come to us."
"But getting a strong one is a risk worth taking," Jorgen argued.
"Are you stupid? Don't let your pride endanger your life," Elly countered as Mor remained out of the argument.
"Then we only have two choices," Titania said. "Going home or after the other group."
"We're going after them," Jorgen growled. They may need our help sooner rather than later.
After their quick discussion, the team went after Thor slowly and carefully. They didn't want to get detected by whatever Thor was now claiming for his hunt. This careful approach cost them more time than the less careful Thor. Meaning that Jorgen and the others caught up as the fight was already in full swing.
No matter what they thought of Thor and his group, they couldn't call them cowards or weak. Thor's group had engaged the monstrosity, a big elk-like beast with strong legs and stronger antlers. Its black color revealed it as a "normal" monstrosity and not a mutated one, which, of course, didn't diminish the danger it possessed. The antlers were more deer-like, flailing around like stretching thorn whips, and the hind hooves thundered like twin sledgehammers.
Thor and his group held their ground, even while being pressured, mostly because of the two shield-wielders in the group. They had no scout but instead two defenders and attackers, which was why they could only go after big monstrosities. As smaller tracks would evade their attention.
However, the group never planned on going after anything small, so it wasn't that detrimental, only risky. Their hunt would have been over if they had failed to find something big. Still, the risk had paid off as Thor's group slowly got the upper hand in the fight, pressuring the monstrosity into a dead end made by the two guardians, their shields cutting off the monstrosity's escape route.
°As stupid as Thor is, he can fight.° The human said.
°Yes, the fight is almost over.° Mor said.