We know not of the creatures lurking within the depths of the continent, or what sort of form they inhibit, let alone powers or taste.
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“H-has it…” Kai barely managed to utter through gritted teeth, the simple sight of of the man sent blood boiling throughout his body.
“Yeah, too long. I’m glad to see you’ve been well-behaved.” Raymond said with a fake smile, one that would fool even the smallest of snakes. He didn’t walk forward, giving Kai plenty of room to step around and leave, however, the boy didn’t do so.
“What is it?”
“Well…” The man’s eyes shone with a glint, showing more emotion with a simple brow movement than he did with his entire face. “Someone told me you weren’t happy with the lack of action on my guard’s part.” He said, then clicked his tongue before continuing. “Oh and I trained them so well… Alas, my fears have come true. Good news though, I heard you were going to leave soon, so you won’t have to worry about getting mixed up with things outside of your reach.”
That again? Kai thought, his pupils trembling with anger. “Hm, it seems you’ve forgoed the mask?” Raymond remarked casually, reminding Kai that he had yet to put on his cover. “Well, no matter. No one is here anyway. And don’t worry, I’m not here to harm you. If I wanted to, you already know it wouldn’t be difficult.” He chuckled, then pulled out a large bag from his Spatial Ring. It jingled melodiously as he threw it at Kai’s feet, making him take a step backward from surprise.
“Take it, it’s yours. A small reward for keeping my people safe.” After saying that, he walked back into the shadows, and his presence disappeared completely.
Kai let out a heavy sigh as he fell to the ground, his rapid breathing turning irregular. However, he quickly gathered himself and took out the mask, at the very least, so no one would find him undisguised. Onyx quickly rushed to his aid, allowing himself to be used as support for Kai to get back on his feet. The boy gulped, an icy shiver running down his spine, and his pupils snapped shut as he tried to collect himself.
Two minutes later, he inhaled deeply, then knelt to pick up the bag. Inside it was a substantial amount of silver coins, with some gold ones sprinkled in. What is this? He thought, however, he couldn’t deny a fair amount of coin, especially not at a time like that. Right, what did I want to do… Ah yes, rare plants.
He put a foot forward but hesitated slightly on where to go. It didn’t take long for him to decide, however, as he then walked toward the guild headquarters. Although he didn’t spend too long in there, he quickly came out with a few, easy, mundane tasks.
With everything he needed in hand, and with slight apprehension, he left toward the forest once again. I seem to be spending more time here than in my room. Kai thought as the sound of crumbling leaves and crushed twigs rang in his ears. The humid soil made his footsteps heavier, as they dug deeper into the ground, dirtying his boots. His eagle-like vision scanned the ground, looking for signs of the plants he needed, as well as the one plant that he needed, found only in this area.
«Scarfying Bloom,» he recalled the medicinal herb, «loves humid and cold environments. Unlike most plants, this one behaves like a worm or snail, only coming out for a short period after rain. Its name comes from the pattern on its leaves. Each leaf has a cut-like shape cutting across its length, sometimes with branching patterns.
It had no flower or bud, only the leaves and stem. They hide underground, right beneath the soil, and once they sense mineral water, like that of rain, they puff up and reveal themselves. That is when they are most useful, as the entirety of the plan gets filled to the brim with mana, most often water-elemental mana. The leaves can be used for tea and the stem for several potions.
It is considered rare because no matter how much you look for it, you will never find it. Once found, however, it may be guarded by magical beasts.»
Kai sighed at the description, slightly concerned about his luck in finding it. However, he couldn’t simply give up without trying, and he took advantage of the night after a heavy rain. Unsure if Ro Nin still followed him around or not, he decided not to take any chances by calling out to him and continued as normal.
He picked up a few of the plants he needed for the tasks while advancing and hunted some game for much the same reason and food.
Gradually, he got farther and farther away from the town, the dark forest embracing his presence with wide open arms. The deeper he went, though, the stronger the magical beasts became, and the more careful he had to be of the night predators.
‘Vision’ He whispered, getting a better view of the dark. It wasn’t quite as good as a veteran mage, or compared to the day, however, it did the job. His footsteps slowed down, coming to a halt a little before a clearing. Hiding in a bush, his eyes scanned the area, constricting upon seeing the Scarfying Bloom. Kai wanted to go and grab it right away, but he knew better than to rush out there. Ever so vigilant, he spread out his mana and softly bumped every physical object in a small area.
His heart skipped a beat as, not that far away, hidden in a bush behind leaves and twigs, he sensed a group of magical beasts guarding the Scarfying Bloom. Crap… Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to identify what they were, or how strong they were, not without seeing them. What do I do?
Biting his lower lip, and gritting his teeth, he approached slightly closer to where he sensed the beasts. Then he pulled out his wand and quickly swapped the crystals, slotting in two earth crystals, one water crystal, one light crystal, and two fire crystals, just in case. With a deep breath, he steeled his heart and recalled one spell from the book he didn’t try. It’s just like raising walls… but in inverse, right? He thought, murmuring under his breath. ‘Earth as a cauldron, steel as its borders, hell for the fire and heaven for the water… Collapse!’
Stolen story; please report.
The earth crystals on his wand immediately shone with a faint light and the ground in a small area of him shook violently. It crumbled into an irregularly shaped crater, taking with it a bush, tree, and animal. Without wasting any time, Kai jumped out of hiding and swung his wand. The water crystal on the wand shimmered, and very quickly, a large amount of water sphered condensed above the hole, immediately falling in.
It took a couple dozen of them to fill the hole halfway, which only took around ten seconds to materialize. Sounds of wailing rang out like a ghost screeching in the night, however, he didn’t stop. Kai quickly made a closing gesture with the wand, making the earth inside the crater extrude, swiftly closing it up, and then, with a pushing gesture, it fell down, putting pressure on everything unlucky enough to be inside. However, he wasn’t done.
Anxiously, he cast another spell, pulling out a few hefty chunks of soil, and dropping them on the pressurized manhole. Afterward, with one last grasp of strength, he extruded another part of the hole and flattened the soil he just added to it. Gasping for air, he took off his mask and simply looked at the mess he created in the span of thirty seconds, hoping that whatever he trapped wasn’t strong enough to break free, or even survive. Please work!
Yet, his pleas fell on deaf ears. Man proposes and God disposes, as the saying goes. The pile of earth shook, and the ground beneath his feet trembled. Before he could blink, or back off, the entire thing exploded, sending large chunks of rocks, trees, and vegetation flying everywhere. His pulse raced, and pupils constricted, as, before him, two medium-sized, yet powerful beasts rose from the hole.
Unable to clearly make out their features, Kai squinted and tried to identify whatever he could behind the dust. They stood on four legs, with scales covering their paws, back, and tail, as well as the stomach area. Having a pointed, yet slightly flattened snout, large, triangle-shaped ears, and a dark fur color, they exuded a terrifying aura that screamed the word ‘power’.
What… Unfortunately, no such beasts appeared in Kai’s memory, and definitely none in Rodney’s. Glancing at Onyx, he noticed he already buffed himself and was ready to start fighting at a moment’s notice. Kai gulped. He did the same, pulling out the silver sword alongside its scabbard, and quickly hanged it to his waist.
Following in the Obborik’s footsteps, he cast several body enhancements buffs, and, clicking his tongue, decided to left-hand the wand.
The two uninvited guests, rather, furious victims didn’t stand on ceremony either, and quickly dashed toward Kai and Onyx with a soul-piercing howl. The boy took a few steps backward, pushed by the soundwave, however, didn’t dare lose focus. Waving his wand, he summoned a circle of fireballs, which circled him, and waited for his command to shoot out. Unfortunately, these fireballs weren’t as strong as a single one but had the potential to catch a target by surprise.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to cast anything else, and quickly shot them forward as he dashed backward. One of the beasts had chosen him as the target, while the other kept Onyx occupied. Trusting his companion wholeheartedly, Kai concentrated on his fight. Quickly drawing the silver sword, and sending a bit of mana inside of it, the cry of a beast rang inside his mind. The desire for battle rushed to his brain, and he immediately charged forward, longsword in his right hand and wand in the left.
Flicking his wrist, another set of fireballs appeared, replacing the old, and then he sent them all hurling toward the unknown magical beast. After that, he stowed it away clutched the hilt with both hands, and slashed vertically upward.
The beast screeched uglily and dodged the incoming fireballs, right into Kai’s swing. It landed squarely on its stomach, however, it didn’t budge any more than that. Without hesitation, Kai, sensing danger, stepped back. At that moment, the thing’s tail hit right where he stood, causing dirt and grass to fly up. Quickly pulling out the wand, Kai flicked his wrist and quickly cast the fireball spell. It quickly formed right before his eyes and flew right toward the animal.
The blue, orange, and yellow mass of fire reflected within its pupils as it soared toward it at an incredible speed. Howling toward the sky, brown fur and scales shone briefly, and it quickly spun around, using its tail as a weapon, clashing right into the fireball. With a brief explosion, it dissipated without any grandeur, as if it was never there.
Kai’s pupils constricted, however, he didn’t lose his cool and quickly cast another spell. This time, the earth crystals on his wand shone with intense light, but nothing happened, at least, not immediately. However, just as quickly, the ground shook, and the earth below the creature’s paws caved, then closed and hardened, trapping it.
Struggling, the thing’s scales lit up with a red, fiery color, and the trap began to show cracks. Yet, it was too late, as Kai’s right fist pulled back, and the air around it began distorting. His body shone several times as well, and he grits his teeth as he sends his punch forward, the mana around it igniting, creating a flame spiral that exploded upon impact with the beast.
Kai hurled backward, his fist blazing hot, his clothes burning, and his skin red. Quickly taking out a regeneration pill, he ate it begrudgingly and stood up. He clicked his tongue. The feeling on his right arm disappeared almost completely, and he could barely move it enough to clench his fist. Shit… I did it wrong. He thought, almost regretting his decision.
With a racing heart, he stared at the beast from afar. The scales around its midsection completely disappeared, leaving behind a black rim, and one of its front paws remained embedded in the ground, leaving behind a bloody pool. The rest of its body lay collapsed on the ground, breath heavy and eyes unwilling. Walking over to it, he picked up the sword and stowed it away.
Not intending to waste any more time, he quickly wrapped a bandage around his neck, then hung his right arm on it. Wand in left hand, his eyes looked for Onyx, whose battle had yet to end. Heart full of anxiety, he followed the sound of destruction and the tracks left behind as the two beasts chased one another through the forest.
He took it away so it couldn’t help… what a smart boy. Kai praised internally and jumped on a large branch. His senses went crazy at that moment, though, and quickly fell back to the ground. The branch he stood upon got hit by a powerful gust of wind, severing at halfway point, almost falling on Kai.
Face full of horror, Kai looked behind him and saw a pair of glowing red eyes following him from the shadows. Their ferocity sent a shiver down his spine, unlike any other Kai encountered before, and he cursed himself for not being more careful. His heart skipped a beat, as two other invisible mana attacks flew toward him, breaking everything in their path. It’s just a plant!