As they approached the center of the ruins, cracks and holes appeared in the ground, growing larger and larger. The surrounding water poured into these cracks like small waterfalls. In some places, buildings and walls were partially collapsed due to the sinking ground. Smaller houses had already completely disappeared, swallowed up by the abyss.
The monolith in the middle still stood on solid ground. But surrounding it almost entirely was a circular chasm. Most of the water that was pouring into the basin ended up at the base of the monolith and emptied into the unseen depths. These waterfalls produced great plumes of mist that rose into the air, carried by the wind, covering the area in a wet fog.
The sounds of battle grew louder. Several wretched screams rang out along with loud growls and angry barks. Human shouts were mixed together with the cries of birds and the buzzing of insect wings.
Zachary and Katherine stopped as a crowd of figures came into view. There were about ten that stood upright, human survivors. They were huddled together as tightly as possible, shoulder to shoulder. Their summons which numbered about twenty were arrayed around them in a protective circle. There were a few familiar ones such as an armored beetle with a yellow shell and a praying mantis that stood over a meter tall. There were several jungle birds, a furry pig similar to Onkie, as well as a monkey with six limbs.
This ragtag force was surrounded by a large pack of black wolves. There were over a hundred of them, perhaps even more. Their pointed ears and a long snout were unmistakable. Their yellow eyes gleamed with hunger and viciousness. Curled lips revealed large white fangs that glistened with saliva.
The pack circled around the humans and their summons. Every so often, several howls would sound out through the pack, causing many others to join in, creating a frightening chorus. A handful would then make probing attacks against their prey.
“Kill!”
Sha!
The giant praying mantis swung its forelimb and caught the first wolf, slicing it into its head. Another wolf tried to get past and at the summoner behind the mantis but was also caught by the large insect’s claws, losing a forelimb in the process.
This mantis was very strong. It was probably at the Four Paths Novice Rank, perhaps even the fifth path. It was not something that the wolves could face in ones or twos. In fact, each individual wolf in the large pack was not that strong, perhaps no more than the Three Paths Novice Rank. However, there were so many of them and they kept coming.
The wolves were also smart. Their fans could do nothing against the hard shell of the yellow armored beetle. And yet, several wolves worked together and managed to overturn the lumbering insect. With its underbelly exposed, it was quickly torn apart by merciless fangs.
Each attack left gaping wounds, puddles of blood of various colors on the ground, and an occasional death. Summons that suffered grievous wounds were reluctantly recalled. Those people who had no more viable summons could only fight with bamboo spears or tiny knives.
These people had nowhere to go. The wolves didn’t let them leave.
“Ace, get back… No!” Someone shouted as their summon fell.
Another furiously skewered a wolf with their spear, “Damn mutts, I’ll kill you all!”
“Curse the eternals!”
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
“Aaron, you bastard! You caused this mess, you better fix it!”
The scene became even more chaotic as the survivors started arguing amongst themselves.
Hearing the name, Zachary jerked to attention. He focused on the tallest figure and found a familiar face. It was the same Aaron White whom he had met on the beach. That person had gathered a large group of thirty or so survivors before heading into the jungle.
Jean-Pierre had been right. Having too many people was not a good thing. They caused too much noise. They were difficult to control. Counting the bodies up until now, Aaron had entered the ruins with less than twenty people. The casualty rate was already frighteningly high. Now that they had met this pack of wolves, it was difficult to say if any of them could make it out alive.
“Ah.” Katherine, who was crouched beside Zachary, let out an unnatural cry.
Before he could ask her, she tugged on his arm and pointed ahead. His eyes followed and fell upon an astonishing sight. His breath caught in his throat and he suddenly forgot to breathe. He blinked several times to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating.
Aaron White and his group were situated near a wide ledge that jutted into the chasm. Just beyond the sea of black wolves that surrounded them was a narrow pathway of stone and overgrown grass that had yet to collapse into the abyss. This path led directly to the base of the monolith as well as a strange tree situated beneath the towering stone construct.
“No way!” He blurted.
He recognized this tree. Most summoners with any level of education would have as well. The tree had a reddish-brown bark that was smooth, almost polished. Its trunk and branches were twisted in every direction. The tree formed an oval-shaped crown of green pine needles that were occasionally tinged with red.
However, the most eye-catching aspect of this tree was its fruit. Small, perfectly round spheres grew from the tip of the spindly branches. They were the size of apricots and the color of glass. They were transparent like little ice crystals. There was no explanation for how something like this could have formed, only the whims of the heavens.
Two sets of words arose in Zachary’s thoughts. He almost couldn’t believe it.
Pinecitta tree.
Soul orbs.
The pinecitta tree was a special tree prized throughout the summoning world. It was said to grow in places with especially high concentrations of Eternum. It was difficult to find and even harder to cultivate. As for the fruit it bore, they were known as soul orbs. It was one of the pillars of human summoning. It served as an alternative to summoning cards, only much, much better.
The glass-like soul orb that grew on the pinecitta tree was hollow on the inside. It held a clear liquid inside that allowed a person to perform orb summoning. If one placed a drop of their own blood into the liquid and let a wild Ensouled drink the concoction, they would be able to tame it and form a soul bond. After the bond was established, the Ensouled’s body would then reside within the orb, from where it could be summoned into the real world at any time.
At its simplest, it was another method of summoning, another method of capturing Ensouled to fight on one’s behalf.
“Damn it,” Zachary muttered.
He was frustrated beyond measure. If there were no wolves, he would have jumped out and rushed towards the tree. Each soul orb he could obtain was an additional chance of survival.
In this wild jungle, summoning cards were a limited resource. Even if he robbed others, the overall number of usable cards would decrease as the days passed until none were left. However, the pinecitta tree was covered with ripe soul orbs, more than he could count.
If he had these soul orbs, he could build an army. Even if they were only novice rank at first, it didn’t matter. If he could catch twenty or thirty of a powerful Ensouled like Hammer, he could sweep through the jungle with little worry. He could search for an Ensouled with healing powers to heal his wounded soul. He could even subdue an adept rank Ensouled with sheer numbers.
He looked back at Aaron White. His group probably had similar intentions when they saw the pinecitta tree. It was their misfortune that they were too careless. This place was no doubt the wolf pack’s territory. For such a special existence like the pinecitta tree, even if the wild Ensouled could not use the fruit like humans, it was still a great place to cultivate the soul.
“Zach,” Katherine spoke up, slightly breathless and unable to hide her excitement, “Do you want these soul orbs?”
“Yeah…”
“Listen, I have a plan.”
---
A/N If you are enjoying this story, please drop a comment, a follow, or a review. Anything helps!
Also, if you'd like to support this work, you can go to Patreon and read up to 10 chapters ahead.