"My king, there have been reports of villages and cities being wiped out across the kingdom. We haven't heard anything else from Klance City apart from the distress signals." Herman kept his head bowed down while giving his report in front of the king. The other nobles in the room were agitated at the news, however, they were also waiting to break their own bad news to the king.
"Klance City you say. Hmm. This makes it the fifth city in just a day isn't it?" King Jacob stroked his beard as he mulled over the news. He was still sitting on his throne, but his body language indicated he was about to leap down from it and head out himself. If not for the decades of proper decorum drilled into his core and the nobles around him, he might have already done so. "Was it from the same type of mutated beasts?" He looked at the noble who knelt down with one knee and continued to bow his head. Jacob didn't want the nobles to remain in this uncomfortable posture while reporting to him, however, his royal advisers wouldn't allow him to change this practice.
"Yes, my king. The last message from the adventurer guild's messaging system was that they were under attack from black mutated beasts. They did not know how, but the beasts came from within the city. They had trouble defending and asked for aid. That was the last report we heard from them. I am currently sending a task force to check on it."
"How soon can they reach them?" Jacob was quick and short in his reply. It showed where his concerns where.
"Unfortunately the nearest city has also gone quiet after a similar message. The task force has already departed from Inlens City, it will take them 5 days to reach Driycester. From there a separate detachment will proceed to Klance."
"Driycester City to Klance City takes another 5 days is that right?" Jacob interjected.
"Yes, my king. Inlens City is the only one that is responding near that area at the moment so we were able to dispatch a task force from there."
With that exchange, a heavy silence filled the hall. Each of the nobles in attendance was hastily summoned by the king for an emergency meeting. A duke was assigned a specific area in the kingdom. They provided routine reports to the king, updating him and his advisors regarding matters of civil unrest, economy, and general updates.
When the initial reports of multiple cities being attacked by a new species of mutated beasts came, the emergency summons was issued. In times when they were depending on the information that simply trickled in, the king and the nobles were tense.
King Jacob was the first one to break the silence. "What about the other side? Is Wildecross City able to help? If I recall correctly, it also takes 5 days to travel from Wildecross to Klance?"
Herman kept his head bowed as he paused for a few seconds in silence. Because his head was bowed down and he stayed on a bended knee, the king didn't notice the duke nervously gulping in front of him. "They are indeed responding to my messages, my king. My informants are still active in the city. However, they are busy repulsing the attacks themselves. They have no spare manpower to send. They are currently preparing to evacuate as we speak."
***
Click clack
A horse carriage traced the forest pathways with minimal sound. Apart from the occasional clacking of the horse's hooves, there was no sound from the carriage itself. It seemed like a calm spectre that was running through the green visage. Inside the carriage, however, was a different story.
"Why are we keeping him alive? We don't need him anymore. I can paralyse him from the neck down if you'll let me." Sebastian was holding Fulgur's hilt in his right hand. The magick sword was sheathed, however, the faint humming indicated a different story.
Zes was also poised to strike, seated beside her master. In front of them, lying on the floor was a man who was only wearing his underwear. He had obvious bruises and caked blood in his mouth. No amount of [Heal] would remove those. He was tightly bound, blindfolded, and gagged. Whether he was awake or not was anybody's guess at this point.
Jin pulled the half-naked Nate closer to his side. "We still don't understand much about the situation. If he caused this then he might also know how to stop them."
"I agree with you, but as I said, we only need him to talk. He doesn't need to use his hands and feet now right? If his enhanced mutated beasts are also attacking Wildecross City then your parents are in danger Jin. The man you're protecting here is the cause of that."
"Do not tempt me by using my parents. This will be the last time I say it, Sebastian." A rare coldness flashed in Jin's eyes.
Sebastian let out a sigh as he released Fulgur from his grip. "I understand, I'm sorry. My condition is that I stay with Nate during the transport. If there is any sign whatsoever that something is wrong then I kill him at the first chance I get."
At the sign of the opposing party easing off, Jin also relaxed his stance. "I also agree with you on that one so don't worry too much. Zes, please relieve Aima in the front. The horses will also need reinforcement spells at this point."
Sebastian nodded to show that he agreed with Jin's plan. It was only then when Zes stood up from her seat to head outside. Even with the speeding carriage, the stability made moving in and out safe. They already had a lot of practice in the past three days of travel. Aima and Zes were taking turns with steering the horses while Jin and Sebastian kept watch over their prisoner. Leo already flew back to Wildecross when he heard of some strange mutated beasts attacking the city. After finding a carriage and a set of horses in the noble's mansion, they used it to rush back to Wildecross.
Although Sebastian and Zes didn't have anyone else in their lives, Jin and Aima had family in Wildecross City. Aima was more worried since her ailing parents lived in the outskirts of the city - where defences were meagre.
The carriage door flung open and quickly shut. Aima was now looking at the familiar scene in front of her with weary eyes. "Are you both arguing about him again? I swear you two are like scorned lovers. I'll rest up for now."
Before she could lie down in her usual corner, Sebastian offered a piece of bread. "You should eat up first. I've tried to warm the soup using my mana tendrils ability." Sebastian recently found another use for his mana tendrils. He could manipulate an object's property by inserting his mana through specific threads. For now, it was limited to warming or cooling down an object. Considering that he needed to oversaturate his body with mana, it was an inefficient exchange. He made a mental note to investigate this ability when he had more time.
Aima quietly accepted the warm cup of soup and bread. She spent a few moments looking at the simple meal in her hands. "I don't really have much of an appetite. Thank you for warming the soup though Sebastian. I know it takes a lot of your mana to warm this up." She was about to return the bread and soup when Jin stopped her.
"I know that you're worried about Wildecross City - I am too. Which is why we need to properly manage our strengths. When we arrive there we might need to spring into action immediately. You don't want to collapse without knowing anything would you?"
At this rebuke, Aima's hands froze. Her outstretched hands that were about to return the meal stopped. With a newfound calmness, she finished her food before she descended into sleep. The rest of the journey went by without any untoward instances.
Just as they were about to break free from the forest and see the walls of Wildecross City, Sebastian jerked up from his seat. Jin and Aima also woke up with a start. They were taking a nap to conserve their energies at the time. They looked at the startled Sebastian who woke the rest of the party up, waiting for an explanation.
"Something's following us. I can sense it with my heightened mana senses. I activated it now because I wanted to scout ahead and check the status up ahead. It's moving really fast. It's unlike anything else I've detected before."
Jin and Aima looked at each other before swallowing their saliva. A simple statement made their mouths run dry and sent their hearts racing alongside the carriage.
Seeing the distraught look in front of him, Sebastian offered his suggestion. "I'll go outside with Zes. We will continue with our current speed. Our main goal right now is to reach Wildecross City. I don't think we can survive an attack from an unknown mutated beast."
Sebastian immediately headed outside the carriage and sat beside Zes. She was skillfully steering the horses while providing reinforcement spells. Even with [Second Wind] being cast on them, the horses looked as if they were half dead. Sebastian made a mental note that the horses wouldn't come out of this trip alive.
He looked at the elf beside him. She also looked as if she was about to collapse. Whether it was from mana burn out or just general exhaustion was unknown at this point. For the first time, Sebastian felt sorry that he couldn't use any reinforcement spells. "Zes, I'll take over for now. Take a rest here. Something's chasing us and we're not stopping to find out what it is."
It was a short update, but Zes was able to grasp the urgency of the situation. She handed the reins over to her master with a heavy heart. Seeing as they were in a pressing situation, she didn't bother to insist on steering. With her condition, she simply couldn't be of any use. Seeing her downtrodden appearance, Sebastian patted her head. "Stay beside me. If that beast catches us, we might need to fight. We might not even survive if the predator catches us."
*
Behind the carriage, a sleek black figure darted through the trees. It was silent as the mana-imbued carriage, yet it didn't leave any traces behind even with the wet snow or the newly exposed leaves. Considering its colossal frame, it was a feat in itself.
Ggrrrrr...
A low growl escaped from the beast's snout. It was a werewolf that used its two hind legs and agility to chase the carriage. However, instead of the usual colour and size, it was coated with a jet black sheen and the size of two wolfbears. When spread out, it rivalled the carriage's size to an extent.
This was the creature Sebastian was able to detect chasing them. What he failed to detect, however, were the other three similar beasts after it.