“A plan?” Zachary asked, also excited.

His rational mind told him that this was a bad idea, that they stood no chance against so many wolves. It was better to retreat and live another day. However, in the heat of the moment, there was only the greed of the human heart.

Things like the pinecitta tree were why people dared to venture into the New World. There were dangers but there were also rewards. The bigger the danger, the bigger the reward.

A pinecitta tree was a big deal, especially for low rank summoners. A single soul orb was equivalent to the average monthly income of an adept rank summoner. A whole tree surpassed what an expert rank summoner could earn in their lifetime. If one was able to somehow uproot the whole thing and replant it in the Old World, it would be like growing money for years to come.

And it was just one example.

The New World was filled with such treasures. They came in all shapes and sizes. The remains of ancient Ensouled could leave behind powerful anima crystals. The passage of time could produce deposits of elemental quintessences which were even more precious. Strange Ensouled, mysterious ruins, or even a lost tribe of humanity from the Wild Era; the possibilities were endless.

Zachary had been sent to the New World as punishment for his crimes. This jungle was intended as his final resting place. Instead, he found himself an opportunity and he didn’t want to let it go.

“What’s the plan?” He asked again, more anxiously this time.

Katherine took out her leather bag, the one they had gotten from the ship, “First, we need to figure out how many soul orbs we can carry if we can reach the tree.”

He opened his own bag and examined it. It was only half filled with spare summoning cards and food. There was about three days’ worth of dried biscuits and an equal amount of dried fish. The remaining space could hold a small number of soul orbs, maybe around twenty.

He felt that this was far from enough and looked around, trying to find something else that they could use to carry more soul orbs. He instinctively patted the small cloth bag tied to the snakeskin belt around his waist. It could hold a handful of soul orbs but it currently held his active summoning carbs so it wouldn’t work.

“To take more soul orbs, we’ll use this.” She stuck a large leaf under his nose.

It was as big as a table. He watched as she deftly folded the leaf over several times, creating a large pocket that could hold an armful of plunder.

“Neat.” He said as she handed him the leaf pocket and quickly made another.

With looting bags ready, the two of them looked back toward the ongoing battle. During their brief distraction, another summon died. Three wolves also fell but that hardly dented their numbers.

“How do we get to the tree,” He said, thinking out loud, “We can’t exactly sneak past so many wolves.”

“I know.” She said.

“And,” He added, “Even if Aaron White’s group manages to break out and lead the pack away, we can’t do anything. The wolves will be back soon since this is their territory. They’ll likely catch our scent. If those people make a run for it, we have run too.”

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“I know… That’s why we have to help them.”

“What?” He asked sharply, “Help them? Are you crazy?”

He wasn’t the type to trust strangers and he didn’t know this Aaron White person. The wound left behind by that person’s betrayal remained fresh in his soul.

“Not crazy. Look.” Katherine pointed to the narrow land bridge that connected the monolith to the rest of the ruins. “It is very narrow, three people can block it off or three large summons. You have Hammer, Oakley, and Onkie but it’s not enough. We need strength in numbers. With Aaron White’s group, it will be enough to hold off the wolves.”

Zachary shook his head, “No way, we’ll be trapped. There is nowhere to go except down. We’ll be trapped and those beasts aren’t going to let us off for invading their territory. Even if we can hold the land bridge for a while, we’ll eventually be worn down. Their numbers far exceed ours.”

“Then we’ll get reinforcements. Did you forget about the pinecitta tree? The ripe soul orbs? We can capture the wounded and summon them to fight. There are far more soul orbs than the wolves. As long as we can hold the bridge, we’ll beat them.”

He didn’t like it. He had to admit that her plan was feasible. He would have never thought of something like this. It was probably due to her training and experience with the army. But he still didn’t like it. He couldn’t explain exactly why.

Seeing her determined face, he eventually gave in. After all, he wanted the soul orbs just as much as her.

“Okay, fine! But we’ll have to work together with them. How do we coordinate?” He asked.

“Already on it.” She said.

She found another large leaf. On it, she used her fingernail to write a few short sentences as she explained the plan in detail.

Once done, he summoned Blue and let the bird carry the rolled-up leaf in its claws.

“Blue, fly over there and drop this on the tallest person’s head. Do you see him? Good, chirp a few times to get his attention first.”

With that, Blue was off. It flew over the pack of wolves and circled above the group of humans, chirping nonstop. It then dropped its payload, just in time to bound off of Aaron’s forehead as he looked up.

Its mission accomplished, Blue zoomed away, leading Aaron and several other people’s gazes toward Zachary and Katherine who had stood up.

They both waved and pointed at Aaron several times.

Aaron quickly understood. He unfurled the leaf and read the contents. He crushed it afterward and cursed.

“Hey!” He shouted and waved his arm, “Are you fucking crazy?”

His voice was strong and loud, even louder than the incessant howling.

Zachary gave a thumbs up and then moved hands across his brow several times, bringing out his four strongest summons in succession. There was Hammer, Oakley, Onkie, and Arrow. It was a strong lineup, enough to take on a dozen wolves by himself.

“Alright! We’ll do it your way!” Aaron shouted, “Everybody get ready! We’re going to make a break for the land bridge!”

“Why are we going back?”

“Who is that?”

“Aaron, are you going to listen to that pretty-faced bastard?”

“Shut up!” Aaron roared.

The dissent was quelled by his powerful voice and spiritual force. He wasn’t the leader for nothing. The others still followed him because he was the strongest summoner among them.

“Alright! Listen closely!”

As Aaron explained the plan, Zachary and Katherine started moving. They climbed over several obstacles of fallen stone walls and overgrown vegetation and arrived at the edge of the chasm that separated the ruins from the central monolith. They then sneaked along the edge until they were close to the land bridge and the ongoing battle.

Most of the wolves were occupied with encircling Aaron’s group. Only a few mutts were loitering between Zachary’s side and the land bridge. They would be able to reach it with a short sprint.

“We’re ready!” Aaron shouted into the air. "Come on! Kill the wolves if you want to live!"

His strength gave everyone else confidence. The remaining survivors roared to life and fought the wild beasts with renewed vigor. Their summons followed their masters and became even more ferocious.

Even Zachary felt bolstered. He felt his heart pound fast in the face of a dangerous struggle. They would make it. It was going to work.

“Go, go, go!” He shouted and broke cover, charging a wolf with the tip of his bamboo spear.