Judging from the position of the two suns in the sky, Mares judged that it was around midday, probably. Either way, he was sure his guess wasn't too far.
The others were eating the rations that were left, as they walked at a fast pace. From time-to-time Mares would stop them and would proceed to increase, even if only a bit, their reserves of Astral Energy. It was slowing them down, even if just a little, but it seemed to be worth it. The third time Luo received that, he felt that the difference was starting to become relevant.
If anything, it could increase their chances of succeeding ever so slightly.
Any Void Beasts they encountered through their path were quickly dealt with by Mares, Lhian, Luo, Winna, and Clest. Everything that happened before the attack wasn't wasted as they were more experienced in dealing with the beasts than they were before entering the forest.
During their whole walk, Calon messed around with their guns. According to him, he was making them so that they would be useful. Lhian added that was messing with sensitive parts that maybe he shouldn't have, but she stopped there and simply put some distance between her and the technician.
The fact that the rest of the delinquent group did the same as the silver-blue haired showed that her concerns were not unfounded.
At least nothing exploded yet.
Calon wasn't the only one doing extensive preparations.
Next to his group Venissino was holding his four hands together, a faint layer of sweat covered his forehead.
"Is he preparing more poison?"
Mares asked.
"Yup." Clest replied. "Ven can store and create new poison inside himself. He is probably preparing stronger and thicker stuff to throw at the other beasts and take them down with his nasty liquids."
The group blinked in synchrony and ignored her words, much to Clest amusement.
"Will this be enough to affect the beasts we will have to fight?"
The long-haired asked, to be sure.
"Heh, give Ven enough time and he can make something to take out a star devourer."
Luo said, obviously boasting, but proud of his friend.
'Star Devourer?'
'An unofficial rank for Void Beasts that are big enough to devourer…. Well, you get it.'
Esen's explanation made Mares whistle, but for the group, it sounded as if he bought what Luo had said.
They kept walking until both Calon and Venissino stopped, while their friends were just a few steps ahead.
Three Void Beasts showed up in front of them.
They walked in four long legs and had a body that was covered in scales, the upper part being red and the lower part losing color and becoming gray. Their teeth were white and sharp, while their fangs were just as sharp but also larger.
All three beasts were at the peak of the second rank, almost reaching the third.
The three growled to the students plus Mares, only to get no reaction from the six.
"Let's get this done with."
Lhian said, starting to form crystals around her.
"Yeah, make your thing hard to stick it on them."
Clest said, smiling unproperly.
Lhian almost stopped her attack, but ignored the triclopes and went on, even with a faint blush on her cheeks.
"Why are you like this?"
They could hear Winna's whisper.
"I am going."
Looking for a change of subjects, Luo released his claws as his body grow slightly. He was about to attack when he heard Mares.
"Don't kill them, I think they can be useful."
Except for Calon and Venissino that were focused on their own things, the others looked at him weirdly before seeming to figure out his intentions.
"Do you want to use them as steeds?"
Winna asked surprised.
"Do you know any taming techniques?"
Clest sounded skeptical as she asked.
"I will figure something out."
He was nonchalant, with arms crossed and no signs of worries.
"Well, I guess it doesn't hurt to try."
While Lhian said that, she did feel some optimism. Seeing Mares doing something so fundamentally impossible as just giving his Astral Energy to help them increase their reserves just broke her sense of what is and isn't possible to be done by him.
Taming a few beasts didn't seem farfetched.
"Wanna bet?"
Luo asked his colleagues.
"Sure, but what?"
"Who is going to pay for our meals when we get back."
"Accepted."
After everything that happened Lhian was now just as part of the group as everyone else, hence she didn't blink before taking part in the bet as well.
Luo was the first to move, he was faster than the beasts, and as soon as he reached one, he punched it in the face, pushing it away. At that moment the claws on the beast's paws extended, allowing it to fix itself on the ground so it doesn't go too far.
The beast growled at Luo, showing its sharp claws to the wolf.
The other two went to attack him but were met with an explosive crystal and a sharp cut respectively, making them change directions, as Lhian and Clest appeared in front of both.
In Lhian's hands, two sharp crystals formed on her wrists covering the dorsal side of her hands and extending at least for more than five centimeters, ending in a sharp point.
Clest had her two knives ready, and now some electric arcs were coming out of it, courtesy of Calon. It wasn't a lot that he added, but it gave a bit more pain to her enemies.
The beast attacked Luo, which let his curiosity win. He wanted to see which claws were sharper his, or of the monster he was fighting against. The two sharp attacks meet, as Luo manages to perfectly synchronize his move, and sparks were resulted from the encounter.
As a result, there were now cuts in the beast's claws, while Luo was fine as before.
"Hehe, not much, huh?"
The beast seemed to understand the provocation, as it growled at him and jumped to attack.
With Lhian, the beast did not even manage to approach Qiulei's student.
With her projected weapon she was creating various projected slashes of Astral Energy, and while her footwork was amateurish, it was enough to keep avoiding the beast, while she constantly hit it.
Her acquired experiences allowed Lhian to predict the beast's moves, she was always at least three steps ahead of it.
And Clest was having an even easier time, since even with its enhanced senses, the beast just could not follow her. She was simply playing with it, sometimes faking a slower attack to scare it, but most times hitting and making cuts through the monster.
Of course, none of them were allowing themselves to hit too heavy, as Mares voiced his intentions before. They were just hitting enough so that they can't run.
The first to solve the issue was Lhian, that manage to surround the beast with crystals, making an improved cage.
Followed by her, Luo got his one on a deadlock, rendering it immobile.
"Any help?"
Only Clest, because of her fighting style and weapons, lacked the means to stop the beast. But she had already done a good enough job.
"My turn."
With the beast focused on Clest, and with the huge difference between them, Mares had no trouble just appearing near the beast, and holding it by its neck. At that moment, it stopped completely, its instincts warning to not move no matter what.
"Smart."
He commented, looking at the beast, trying to figure out what to do.
'Any suggestions little bunny?'
He had his hands tied in this matter, so looked for help with the only one that had both the knowledge and the means to help him.
'I do have a few. As you did with them, let your Astral Energy flow into the Karrap, but this time will be adding my mental energy as well.'
Without hesitating, he did just as Esen suggested.
The energy flowed into the beast, and differently from his previous attempts, he could still feel it, thanks to the input of Esen's mental energy.
With her mental energy inside the Karrap, something that shouldn't be so easy to do as they were doing now, it was only a question of Esen exercising some of her capabilities, and in a matter of seconds, the beast was under their control.
Mares let it go, and everyone watched astonished as the Karrap simply sit on the ground, waiting for the silver-eyed orders.
"At least he isn't a mage… so he can't do everything… I think."
Winna was speaking with herself, not sounding very convinced with herself.
"He just holds the thing's neck! How the fuck does that even work?"
Allowing himself to stop and getting distracted for a moment, Calon commented in disbelief.
Mares just shrugged at them and went to Luo, doing the same thing and finally proceeding to the one Lhian locked, once more doing the same with no hindrance.
'That's tiring… but I guess it will be a good exercise…'
Even being only a soul that coexists inside Mares, the act of using her mental energy, especially after a long time of not actively using it, made the white-haired tired, at least mentally tired. What, without a body, was quite a weird feeling.
'I know, right?'
Mares replied to her, shaking his head.
"Are you ok?"
Lhian asked, noticing that Mares' breathing was ragged and he was looking down at the ground.
"I will be."
He said, not letting space for doubt.
"There are only three of them, but there are seven of us. How are we going to do this?"
Winna pointed out, looking around at the group.
"Simple. You and Luo, the two nerds there together." Clest speaks, referring to Callon and Venissino. "Boss, me and Lhian on the bigger one."
It was remarkable that both were so concentrated in what they were doing, that they didn't pay attention to Clest's remarks.
Hearing who she would be with, Winna had no complaints, and neither did Luo.
"Do I have any say on the matter?"
Having asked the question, Lhian already knew the answer.
"No."
If anything, the synchrony in which most of the delinquent group said that was amazing.
And while not sure, Lhian did feel that Mares seemed amused with that scene.
…
The suns were gone as the mons and stars looked down on the planet.
The temperature was colder than during by a great difference, but at least on that part of the planet there were only Void Beasts, and currently the students and Mares.
The group had finally arrived, but the Karraps had slowed after sensing something.
"No way this is not the right place."
Having finished his preparations, Callon was looking around, gulping.
In front of them was a large hill, with different elevations in it.
The six students might not have the same senses as the Void Beasts or Mares, but they didn't need to. Being there, looking at it, it was all they needed to have their confirmation.
The pressure they felt from the top of the hill was not something they ever felt before.
It was something they knew on a fundamental level that, if they fought it as they currently are, it would kill them faster than the blink of an eye.
For better or for worse, their whole hunting would end this night.