After consuming their meal, they quickly started moving again. This time, they continued to travel at an even higher speed, and they had no intention to stop before they had arrived in the next city on the way, which was quite far away from their current location. Even though it was far away, they estimated it would take around 5 hours for them to arrive. Since everyone, including the horses, were well fed and rested, they could easily travel for 5 hours non-stop at high speed. The rest of the trip was fairly dull since it only consisted of traveling along a road, and taking care of some low-level bandits as well as some magical beasts that tried to attack them. This was usually taken care of in an attack or two, resulting in them arriving in a medium-sized city in about four and a half hours.
After arriving in the city, they all checked in to one of the better inns of the town, but not the best one. That would stick out a little too much for their tastes. If their enemies were after them, then they would probably search the most renowned inns and places to stay before checking the normal ones, this was a noble lady after all. They wanted to be as inconspicuous as they could. This heightened Ark's and Thufrat's unease even more, them being on guard wasn't boding well.
The noble lady and her maid slept in one room, while the 3 other guards got another room, and a small room was left for Ark and Thufrat. Since he had time in his human form, Ark and Thufrat had a long conversation, and they took the chance to talk about a lot of things, before finally going to sleep late into the evening.
the next day, the party of 7 left early in the morning and headed further away from Ravenfront. At first, he wasn't really sure where they were going, but after a little while, Thufrat started to question the direction they were heading in. At this rate, they would either end up on the border or even entering another kingdom, namely the Kingdom of Magic, Steoteya! Magic was prevalent in a lot of kingdoms, but Steoteya was famous for their first-class magicians and wizards, earning them a secure spot as the second strongest kingdom under the Oshwalt Empire.
Magicians held a lot of power in Steoteya, and upon becoming a magician of Steoteya, your social standing would become a lot more prevalent. But that was easier said than done. Steoteya was known for its renowned magicians, therefore the bar was set really high to become an official magician of the country. This would also mean that you would have to fight in wars for Steoteyas sake, and protect its citizens, but for many, that was killing two birds with one stone. Getting to defend and protect your country whilst getting a lot of benefits, to many, this was a dreamy offer, to say the least.
The trip was going smoothly without mishaps, and they stopped a few times along the way to rest and eat some food, but after traveling for a couple of hours, a feeling of unease crept up along the entourage's spines. Even though they still travelled on the same road, a feeling of darkness and despair had started to sully the road. Morgana looked out of the windows on the carriage, an obvious frown plastered across her face. Her maid, Maddy, also fidgeted a little as she watched her young lady being uneasy.
Morgana's father was a very powerful and influential man, which garnered many enemies, this was why they were both worried. They knew what this trip would entail, and they came prepared, but the hope of being undiscovered, was lost. But their hope to live was all but gone, and Morgana looked to her guards with a serious and determined gaze. This was probably not going to be easy, but everyone here knew what they signed up for. Well, everyone but Ark and Thufrat.
The feeling of darkness and despair kept increasing, until all of a sudden, it vanished! The surprise and unease brought about by this aura made them stop in their tracks. Rushing straight ahead like fools would only get them killed. Morgana swiftly left the carriage and called all of the guards to assemble in front of her. As everyone lined up, Morgana was just about to open her mouth, when a stifling aura suddenly enveloped everyone present. The aura was scorching, and if they were normal people, they would probably boil alive from just this aura alone. Fortunately, no one here was normal, except for Maddy.
She didn't even suffer for a second though before Ark enveloped her in his own water mana, keeping the scorching aura at bay. She gave him a thankful nod, before refocusing on what was happening right now. Before long, the scorching aura kept getting closer and closer, and before the entourage's eyes, a magical beast made its appearance.
A large majestic lion showed up before their eyes. This lion was over 4 meters long, and it's ripped body was very effective when it came to striking fear into people's hearts. The lion's fur was a dark shade of brown. What stood out most about this lion, however, was its scarlet red mane. The lion's eyes glowed an eerie and savage red colour, indicating that it was the same as the bear that Ark had killed the day before.
Ark knew that this would likely be a tough opponent, and used inspect to see what he was up against.
[Scarlet Lion Variant]
Level: Max (75)
Stats: ???
The scarlet lion is a fierce and savage beast that lives to slaughter, relying on the strength of its body as well as its tyrannical fire magic, this beast dominates its opponents. This particular one is a variant, and is one the verge of evolving into a "Scarlet Lion King".
After seeing this information, Ark's eyes darkened a little. The level, as well as its innate strength, was already nothing to scoff at, but with the addition of being a variant? Ark wasn't entirely confident he could win. Even though he was usually miles above his level, that only applied if the enemies strength wasn't extraordinary. This lion had extraordinary strength, as well as being plenty of levels higher, it would be a tough fight for sure.
Ark wasn't alone though, and with the help of Thufrat, he would be able to take care of this Scarlet Lion. Before Ark had the chance to rejoice, numerous auras suddenly emerged once more. This time around, the auras were not as stifling, but they were still seriously strong, and there were multiple. Before anyone had the chance to react, numerous figures clad in black emerged from the shadows, standing alongside the Scarlet Lion...