"A woman?"
Michael was currently standing over the unconscious body of Winter. Her figure and facial features were quite stunning, and the grey under armour with lab coat tied around her waist perfectly matched her white hair and black eyebrows.
However, right now, several bloody patches rested benath her clothing, while her left foot seemed to have been smashed into splinters.
No longer in any shape or form to support weight. Removing any thoughts about admiring her beauty.
"Hmmm... I'm in a good mood thanks to the rewards I reaped here, and I need someone to point me in the right direction. So I will try an help you out for now, Mrs."
Michael leaned more over her body and placed his bestial hand on her belly. Wincing his eyes as he tried mesuring her biometrics with his bestial senses.
'Her energy level is depleting itself slowly. Must have something to do with the injuries.'
'If I remember correctly, when Jenkins healed me, he injected a strand of energy into my body. Or thats what it felt like... Let's go with that then!'
While still resting his palm on her belly, Michael imagined part of his energy flowing down into his hand, and then pour into the white haired woman like a glass under a running tap.
'If this doesn't work I'll find someone else to help me.'
Slowly, he could feel a mild flow of warmth travel inside the unconscious girl. As the energy entered her body, the injuries seemed to weaken and her face regained some color. However, the stump was still the same, not changing much other than stopping to bleed.
'It worked better than I imagined! However, a healing spell would be nice to have...'
Michael removed his hand now that her condition stabilized, waiting to see if his efforts were for naught or not.
"Mmmh.."
"She seems to be waking up."
The girl twitched her eyelids a couple of times as she breathed in some more air through her nostrils. And eventually, she opened them.
"W..Where am I..?"
Winter's vision gradually cleared up. Allowing her to see the light of day once more, looking around while feeling her eyes ajust to the environment. However, the first thing she was able to register was the blurry black image resting not too far away from her face.
"What's up."
A toned male voice entered her ear. And as it did, her eyes fully cleared. Gradually showing all the features displayed on the humanoid wolfman.
"Who are yo...AH!!! AHHH!!!! GET AWAY FROM ME MONSTER!!!!"
Greeted the razor sharp teeth, yellow red eyes and the black and red fur only resting a breath away from her head was like a bucket of cold water to the face. Waking her up completely.
But her fit of panic seemed to have startled Michael a little, so he tried to play it off by screaming with her.
"AHHHH!!! IS THAT HOW YOU THANK YOUR BENEFACTOR?!"
"AHHH...huh? W..What did you say..? No, did you talk?!" Hearing the beastman speak fluently removed an inch of her fear. Birthing a more netrual, yet fearful atmosphere between the two.
"Looks like you can do more than just scream. Name's Michael."
"A...A Beast..Beastmaster? No! A BEASTLORD!?! How is a creature of your rarity in the human cont..." Winter only starred at him. with an awestruck look. Wanting to find out how this rare type of beast found its way here, but...
"I SAID MY NAME IS MICHAEL." Michael's voice boomed out into her mind. Filled with an unlimited amount of might and strength. Forcing her to answer.
"Oh...right! Uh...Uhm, my friends call me Winter. However, you can just adress me as snow wh..."
"Nice to meet you Winter!" Not giving any care for anything that she said, he only answered with a glee.
Winter seemed to feel a little offended and saddend by his wording. However, deep withing her blue eyes, a faint trace of misery could be seen.
"O..Only my friends call me that. "
"Yeah, I don't give a shit. You know which direction will get me to [Nunel]? I have stuff to do."
Michael's non caring tone of speech and I intimidating appearance snapped her out of the short depressed state. Forcing Winter to answer.
"E..Ehm...I...I...h..have a map over most of the pieces of land territories and provinces b..back home..."
"Great, let's go!" Michael sendt out a strand of his beastial senses into the area, wanting to find the rest of the humans in the area. Winter could't be the only one, right?
"Oh? I can sense some more people coming here. I bet they are with you. Let's go meet up with them!"
"W...Wait! I can't waAAALK!!"
Michael scooped up the girl in his arms, letting her legs rest on one side while the rest leaned against his shoulder. Not caring for anything she said.
Winter was baffled by how this thing would just so casually pick her up. However, even with small jolts of pain coming from her foot together with the unkown feeling of discomfort, she could only plea and pout to him.
"P...Please wait! Can't I at least treat my leg properl..."
She wiggled around in Michael's embrace. But he ignored everything as usual and just got on with his business. Pushing one of his animalistic feet into the ruined and bloody stone, and flung himself and Winter away.
"Strider's step'"
The sudden burst of speed greatly startled her. and as a result, Michael was left with a rather noisy passanger. Sometimes even getting strands of her hair in his eyes.
"AAAAAAHHH!!!!! NO WAIT!! SLOW DOWN!!!
.....
Currently, the female knight and Wilsen joined hands in searching for Winter. Traversing part of the broken land in hopes of finding the girl and clearing their conscious.
"aaaaaahhh! No, wait!! Slow down!!!"
A faint scream of terror entered both their ears. However, the first one to identify it was of course, the one feeling most guilt. The female knight.
"Mr Wilsen! Was that Winter screaming?!" She haggardy panted underneath her iron helmet. Letting whisps of warm air blow out from the cinks and cracks.
Wilsen starred in the direction where the voice came from along with her, feeling relieved as this was not a voice he would forget easily.
"Yes, that was indeed her voice. Let us take a closer look."
But as they planned on running towards the direction, a descending black shadow caught the female knights attention. Making her abruptly pull Wilsen backwards by his white lab coat.
"Watch out!"
The falling blur then hit the ground not too far away form them. The landing was quite elegant, however, a weak smokescreen was sparked up under the impact. The energy from the fall seemed to have dispersed into the surrounding soil, leaving the one in the middle unharmed.
While Wilsen and the knight covered their eyes from the sand and dust, a masculine, yet unrecognizable voice entered their ears. Putting them both on guard.
"You know these people, Winter?"
The smokescreen quickly cleared up, and the two were finally able to see who this person was.
The first one to react, however, was Wilsen. The pearly blue eyes almost bulged out of his small head, shooting straight into the glasses he wore. Even the hair on his head rouse up a little in suprise as he saw his long time love interest lay in the arms of the humanoid wolf.
"Winter?! You are still alive!!" His voice contained both relief and dissatisfaction. Happy that she was still alive, yet not very fond of the other guy.
Winter saw the two people who had abandoned her, and the now familiar heart wrenching feeling covered her hard.
"Y..Yes..! It's...it's good to see you too..." Winter looked at them both for a second. Unsure as to how to greet them.
But while she contemplated inside her head, the female knight was quick to work. Seeing her injured leg, and the unfamiliar beastmaster sparked her impulsive fighting spirit. And so she unsheated the jagged longsword hanging from her waist
"Unhand Mrs Winter this instant, Beast! Or face my wrath!" Her voice boomed out with a vengeful aura originating from one of the seven [Vices]. Sending waves of power into her blade, making it drip with wrath.
Wilsen saw her course of action and felt reassured of their success. The first thing he felt after seeing this man was actually very strange, as if they were arch enemies. No, rather, it was the chaotic aura swaying into his body, making him naturally feel loath for the beast. Was it the same for the knight as well maybe?
However, as he was waiting for a good show, Winter's familiar voice covered them. Pleading that the female knight sheat her blade and cease her unintelligent course of action. Having a hunch that she was no match for Michael.
"No! Mrs Knight, Please put your weapon down!"
Sadly, her provocation was clearly felt by Michael. And with a mocking smile on his face, he looked down at the iron clad woman.
"You dare raise your hand against me? An insignificant tomboy?"
Michael's yellow slit pupils shone brighter within the dark void filling his eye sockets. Threatening to burst out and claim her life.
Now, with the intent to devour reaching a dangoures level once again, he slowly raised the hand that supported Winters upper body, forcing her to grip around his neck as not to fall. But he took not notice of her actions, only casually aiming the empty palm at this tincan.
The knight was too blinded by her anger. And as a result, she even provoked the beast more despite the obvious danger.
"Hmpf! A mere beastmaster dares talk to me in such a wa.."
But before she could finish, a heavy force hammered itself through her head.
Michael had focused the newfound abstruse energy of chaos into his hand, and imagined it bursting at her. Wishing to send her flying.
BOOM
The energy of chaos shot out. Clad in a black color, yet containing some small tints of pink and red inside. It manifested in the shape of his hand, and flew straight. Smashing into the frontal side of her helmet, and burning it's way through the end. Leaving a searing hot palm shaped tunnel in the middle of her now battered skull and melted headgear.
"M..MRS KNIGHT!!!" Winter screamed in panic as she as the woman heavily drop to the ground. Letting the armour rustle togheter for the last time.
'Holy Shit! This chaos power is on another level!! I wonder, what more can I do with it..'
Michael kept thinking about the uses for such an unstable and destructive power. Wondering how his spells would be influenced by it. However, Winter's scream woke him up from his daydreaming, and instinctively, he apologized to the dead woman.
"Sorry lady, my bad."
"Y...YOU KILLED HER!!" Winter began to tear up. She had never seen another human getting so brutality mursered before, and this must stimulated her adrenaline.
But he just looked back at the white haired girl now trembling and crying in his arms. Not knowing how to calm her down, neither caring much for it either.
"Yeah, my hand slipped."
Wilsen saw the steaming body of his bodyguard lifelessly lay before him, and he gazed back at the wolfman with fear for his life. Making him stutter violently.
"W..Winter... Why are you with that monster..!?"
While trying to hold back the tears of gratitude and sorroe with all her might, she answered him in a depressed tone.
"This...This is my....savior."
Michael looked over at Wilsen and smiled brightly at him. Not considering the acts he previously committed.
"Hello."
"You must be the one responsible for this! H..How dare you just destroy the jungle?! Do you know what happens when a territory loses its king?!"
"The amount shits I give are as many in number as the hairs on your chest. Lady, where are we going?"
"T...That way.. Michael. Our camp is set up there...." Winter's tears had etched down two thin lines flowing down her face. Only wishing to get this over with.
"Great! I'll leave as soon as you have paid me, Winter Darling." Michael looked down at her still with a joyful smile on his face. Happy that she got straight to the point.
"Please...don't call me darling..." Although anguish and guilt from the knight's death was melting her heart, she still snapped at him with spite. But Michael took no offense. Only focusing his attention towards the direction she had given.
"Sorry darling. Strider's step!"
Wilsen wanted to say something more, but the image of the two suddenly threw itself into the away. Leaving him behind with the excess dust generated from the jump.
He starred into the horizon with a dumbstruck look. Feeling the fear he previously had gradually turn into rage.
His blue eyes almost turned red from it, while his blue wavy hair had already been ruined beyond recognition, making the man look like a crazed scientist.
Wilsen dug his delicate hand into one of his pockets, pulling out something resembling a yarn.
"Hello, this is the main guard squad, over." The voice of a masculine female came through it, however, Wilsen just began to madly shout at her. Igniting the spark of extinction them all.
"THERE IS A BEASTMASTER HEADED IN YOUR DIRECTION!! HE IS HOLDING WINTER AS A HOSTAGE! TAKE HIM OUT WITH ANY MEANS NECESSARY!!"
"..." He impatiently waited for the people on the other end to respond. However, the answer he wished for eventually came.
"Roger that, professor Wilsen Klerant. All available personnel will engage target."