Jelroy explained that Zightbeasts were graded on their power through ranks. The higher the rank, the more of a threat the beast was. Rank-one Zightbeasts were common and could be found almost everywhere in Dellorim, but Rank-three and higher beasts were rare in human-controlled areas.
Having one enter human territory could prove to be quite problematic since, after one settled into an area it would begin to force the others to grow to match its strength before growing more powerful. Jelroy explained that humans were also graded on a similar scale, but one that was slightly different. An average Rank-one Zightbeast was slightly more powerful than an average non-magickal beast of the same type. Rank-one for humans was the standard Rank-two for Zightbeasts and so on.
It was a balanced system and one that helped immensely for adventurers and Conductors alike. With that out of the way, Jelroy continued to explain the parameters of the mission.
"There should only be around thirty of them so if you manage to kill more than ten each, I want you to fall back and leave the rest to me. Understand? I don't want to take any chances here. As for you Cypher, keep in mind that Eiden's safety is a priority. If you have to, you had better lay down your life to protect him. If anything happens to him I'll kill you myself are we clear?"
He nodded and looked at the ground annoyed. As much as he hated Eiden, he didn't wish a fatal wound upon the boy. Though, he did smile at the thought of seeing Eiden beaten up pretty badly. He knew that Jelroy was putting on a show for Eiden’s sake, but he took the warning seriously all the same. It wouldn’t do to return before Galex with the body of his only son in tow.
Afterward, they continued heading for the cliff. The small stream they had followed to get to their destination had grown wider and wider until it had joined with another one fifty meters wide known as the Kabmac river.
The river ran all the way from the northern coast of Dellorim, branching out into many smaller rivers and streams along the way, and finally stopped somewhere around the middle of the country, feeding into Azerine lake near the royal capital. They continued following the river, and after another hour or so they arrived at Gelrin Cliff and dismounted. The dark grey walls rose high into the sky around them and ended in sharp, knife-like points. They seemed to loom over them menacingly and looked intimidating in the orange twilight of sunset.
Jagged rocks poked out everywhere you stepped, and very little plant life lived in this area. A few sparse bushes and dead tree trunks dotted the landscape, as well as a few brown patches of grass. The only sound around them was the constant gurgle of the flowing river and the occasional clattering of stone on stone as rocks fell from above.
They tied the horses to a nearby tree and crept silently through the uneven, rocky terrain. Jelroy led them cautiously and as the group moved around a boulder a few minutes later, the pack of horned wolves came into view. Their pack was supposed to be a medium-sized one, however, there were over fifty wolves here and Jelroy held up his hand signaling them to stop. The bulk of the wolves were all curled up sleeping or gnawing on bones at the entrance to a small cave that stood to the left of a sheer drop into the canyon below.
Several more horned wolves patrolled the larger group, stopping to sniff the air or scratch themselves every once in a while. Two were playfully fighting on the ground in front of the cave and would pin each other down every few moments. The horned wolves were big. Cypher noted that each one was about three feet tall and had dirty silver and brown fur covering their bodies. True to their name, each one had a horn protruding from the top of their heads at an angle parallel to their snouts. They didn't look like the feral beast’s Cypher's books had made them out to be, but that thought was soon forgotten.
A deep low growl resounded through the area, and from a cave behind the sleeping wolves, an even larger hulking form plodded its way out. It was easily five feet tall and looked far more dangerous than the others. This was clearly the alpha wolf and the others seemed to cower before it.
Its maw hung open and was lined with white, razor-sharp teeth; the fur around its mouth was stained with dark red blood; drool slipped from its open maw and pooled on the ground beneath it. Its yellow eyes seemed to glow with ferocity as it continued to growl, and above those gleaming orbs sat a thick serrated horn as long as Cypher's arm.
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It paused to look down at the two smaller wolves in front of the entrance. Both of them had stopped playing and were frozen in fear before the hulking creature. Before any of the other wolves could move the alpha wolf pounced on the smaller wolves and bit one of them in half before it could even let out a yelp. It gobbled down the upper body of the bisected wolf and threw the lower half into the cave behind it.
The other was quickly killed too as the alpha wolf jumped again and bit its head off. With a loud crunch, the alpha wolf chewed for a moment and then swallowed it down. The body of the second wolf also disappeared into the darkness of the cave behind it, and the alpha wolf turned and headed back inside.
Crunching sounds soon reached their small three-man group and the two young boys looked terrified. Eiden looked like he was about to throw up, Cypher went pale and fell silent, and Jelroy simply grimaced and shook his head. The book had failed to mention that these beasts were cannibals, and that fact alone sent shivers of disgust down Cypher's spine.
He kept crouched low and turned to face the two boys. Speaking in little more than a whisper he said, "Alright this could prove to be a problem. There are a lot more than I was originally led to believe."
He scratched his chin and continued, "Even if each of you kills ten there are still thirty more and the alpha wolf to worry about. The smaller ones are clearly Rank-one's in the lower and middle tiers, but the leader... well he's most definitely a Rank-three in the upper tier. I don't know that I can fight him and the others at the same time. We might need to pull out and regroup with another person."
Eiden had composed himself at that point, "No! We'll just have to try and beat them all! My father is counting on us to finish this job and I won't have him call me a coward because I ran away from some weak magick wolves!" he hissed.
Jelroy scowled and looked at him before the boy continued, "I can easily handle twenty. I don't think this useless bastard we brought with us can handle more than eight on his own, but we have to at least try to win. This bastard can just serve as a distraction for the others while you kill the leader. We aren't leaving until they are all dead! Besides it doesn't matter if a few of them escape, my father can just send more soldiers to deal with them if need be."
"It isn't that simple my lord, you don't seem to understand that-" Eiden cut him off and drew his sword, pointing it at Jelroy.
"What I understand, is that I'm ordering you as your superior to kill the alpha wolf! We aren't leaving until this pack is gone. Or are you saying you'd disobey a direct order from a noble?"
Cypher was stunned that even Eiden would talk to Jelroy in that way. The man was clearly his better when it came to combat and knew an awful lot about dealing with beasts this way. Not to mention that it was Jelroy who had taught Eiden just about everything he knew. Did this little shit really have no respect for his teacher? Had he been waiting all this time to pull rank on Jelroy and lord his noble status over him? Cypher wasn’t sure but he quickly found himself hating Eiden even more than he already had.
"Lord Eiden, Zightbeasts aren't like normal ones. They won't just run away from a direct threat to the pack. Even with Jelroy, our odds aren't good against such a force!" Eiden froze and then turned his blade on Cypher who had just spoken up.
"If I want the opinions of a motherless nobody I'll ask, until then you'd do well to shut up and follow orders!" Cypher quickly apologized and scolded himself for being so stupid as to defy Eiden. The boy would clearly not listen to reason. Eiden's voice had been a little too loud though, and a few of the wolves looked towards the boulder they were hiding behind before they went back to their patrols. The three of them had just barely avoided being spotted.
Jelroy clenched his fist and tightened his jaw as if he was about to say something, but then sighed and closed his eyes in thought. A moment of silence passed and he pulled his hammer out and gripped it tightly. He was clearly annoyed that Eiden had almost blown their cover and disrespected him in such a way, but he quickly hid the expression and opened his eyes. Now was not the time to make a disturbance and punishments for insubordination could be doled out another time.
"Alright, fine. We'll attack the pack, but I suggest you two try and spread the group out as much as possible. A few stragglers won't be much to handle while I'm fighting the alpha, but it won't be an easy victory. Be careful and keep your wits about you. Don't let more than four of them group up while you're fighting or you're in for trouble."
"We'll spread out at three points around the pack. You and Cypher will attack from either side and I'll leap down from above the cave and deal the first blow before I rush inside. Once my first attack hits, you two rush in and take out as many as you can before pulling back a bit to try and draw some away from the mouth of the cave."
Eiden smiled and his smug expression pissed Cypher off, but Jelroy's plan seemed to be quite sound. The group then moved into position. Jelroy disappeared for a few moments before reappearing atop the cave mouth, concealed by a few jagged boulders. Eiden worked his way around and moved into a spot in front of the sleeping wolves. Cypher was tasked with attacking from behind the boulder.
If all went well, it would only take a few minutes to spread them out and then it would be up to the captain to take out the Rank-three wolf. The moments passed slowly, the tension heavy in the air. A few of the patrol wolves seemed to sense that something was about to happen and their ears perked up as they scanned their surroundings.