Paschot led everyone off the path they'd trod through the grass in an effort to circle around the approaching beasts. The group would stop frequently checking the map until the wolf symbol was right beside them.
"I'll go see what they are," Paschot said. "Wait here."
Paschot disappeared from view again, but Tars was able to easily see the path he walked through the grass until the golden stalks flowed back into position.
Reppicio, Doster, Frint, and Tars watched the map to see if anything changed. Even the deer poked its head in, trying to be part of the group.
Paschot returned a minute later. "It's a group of Lesser Ubolclaw, they look like small Sabercats but act more like scavengers than real predators," he whispered. The Rogue then looked at Tars. "These would probably be a decent fight for you, not too strong or aggressive. What do you need to do for your quest? Kill something?"
Tars nodded his head slightly, "It says I need 'a fight to the death', so I need to help kill one, I think."
"Well, the problem is this grass hides them too well, we need to flatten it first, too much can go wrong if we fight them there."
"I can do that, if you want," Reppicio volunteered, "but it won't be quiet."
"As long as it isn't too loud, we don't want to scare them away," Paschot replied.
Reppicio stepped forward drawing his axe and taking a wide stance. Tars saw the mana flowing around the Ironbark Splitter as he charged up some skill. A few seconds later he swung his axe in a wide arc, creating a 25-foot-long crescent in front of him. The grass was cut from about a foot above the ground and it sent the other two feet or so of grass flying up and out, over the uncut yellow stalks.
Tars had seen a nearly invisible grayish aura in the swing, it was the same Martial Energy his 'Lunge' had made. Reppicio faced towards the sides and then behind the group a bit to repeat the skill, creating a circle with nearly a 25-foot radius to fight in without those Lesser Ubolclaws being able to sneak up on them or disappear in the middle of the fight. Having some angry cat chasing the group through tall grass sounded like a complication they did not need!
While Reppicio was clearing the area, Paschot told Frint to come with him but to leave the deer.
Frint turned to his brother, "Doster, keep an eye on this one, I'll be right back." Then Frint took a minute to get the deer to stay with Doster before he was able to leave without the deer trying to follow.
Tars had his sword out, ready to use his Radiant Beam as soon as he had a target. Reppicio stayed beside Tars to protect him while still giving him a chance to fight.
A few minutes later there was the sound of running and the crunch of breaking grass as Frint dashed back into the clearing with Paschot right behind him. Frint's face was flushed and he looked both excited and scared as he ran towards Tars and Doster. Paschot did his disappearing trick again, last being seen against the edge of the newly formed clearing.
Only seconds later more rustling sounds were heard as three cats that stood about waist height to Tars rushed in after Frint. The beasts had large fangs and claws that seemed a bit oversized, as if it were a cub with the claws of an adult. Upon seeing the group arrayed in front of them the Lesser Ubolclaws came to a sudden stop.
Before they could do anything else, Tars used his Radiant Beam on one of them. It took only a couple seconds to position himself and fire the beam, but his aim was off and the Ubolclaw jumped to the side, merely getting his fur singed on one flank.
An arrow came zipping by at the same time with one of the other cats being struck on the shoulder. Tars hadn't noticed at first, but that cat already had an arrow protruding from its side, blood matting it's fur as it trailed down.
Tars had enough mana to use Radiant Beam again, but he wasn't sure what skills he might discover so he chose to only use 'Lunge' unless there was an emergency.
Reppicio seemed to be holding back to let the less experienced ones get a chance to fight first, but the ubolclaws were hesitant, getting ready to run.
It was time to be aggressive and count on Paschot and Reppicio if things went poorly. Tars dashed towards the Lesser Ubolclaw he'd used his Radiant Beam against and when he was a few feet away he started gathering mana for his Lunge skill.
Tars heard someone else moving on his right but didn't check who it was. Instead, he focused on the cat in front of him that was hissing threateningly.
It only took a second for the skill to be ready and Tars thrust his sword forward and activated 'Lunge'. This time the results were far better. The cat jumped backwards, thinking it was out of range but didn't realize the 'Lunge' skill added a few extra feet. The Lesser Ubolclaw's leap meant instead of the martial energy piercing it's head the Sword Art stabbed into its chest.
The cat yowled in pain and stumbled to the side, blood pouring from the hole at the base of its neck. Tars was unsure if the wound was fatal, but he took no chances, moving forward again and swiping his sword wildly at the beast. Despite its wound, the creature managed to avoid a few swings before Tars got a good slash in. This time the lesser ubolclaw slumped to the ground making a gurgling sound.
Looking to the right, he saw Doster trading blows with the second cat monster. Doster had a scratch on one arm that was bleeding a bit, but it should be fine with a few bandages. The cat however was moving on three paws, its left arm dangling uselessly.
The third cat was trying to run but kept being blocked by Paschot, who would jump in front of it whenever it tried to run. Meanwhile, Frint was loosing arrows at the frightened cat.
Tars felt a tingling from his instincts and he paused as it started making his body move. It only lasted a split second before the feeling faded and nothing happened. He couldn't think about it too long before he saw the cat fighting Doster make a leap at the Lumberjack, trying to bite him.
Tars rushed to the Lumberjack's aid. Doster got his axe up and in the way of the cat, but the weight and momentum knocked Doster off his feet. Tars swung at the snarling cat, his sword biting deep into the ubolclaw's side. Already having a useless arm, the cat couldn't do anything to protect itself and was sent rolling away from Doster. It tried to get back to its three working limbs, but the blood loss and pain seemed to be affecting its balance.
The third beast was now lying beside Paschot and Frint panting in pain and exhaustion. Frint was petting the cat gently and rubbing a strange paste into what looked like the wound from an arrow.
By then, Doster got back to his feet and stepped towards the second cat. He brought down his axe and the ubolclaw moved no more.
"Not too bad, for rookies," Reppicio said with a laugh.
"Yes, you all did well," Paschot said with an encouraging smile. "For now, we'll rest a few minutes, then we'll bring these back. Frint, keep your new friends calm. I don't know how they'll react to one another."
It was as Tars had guessed, Frint had used his taming skill to befriend the wounded ubolclaw. Depending on the abilities of the Tamer class, that ubolclaw could be very useful for Frint.
Doster got some bandages from Reppicio and Tars got a lesson on properly bandaging wounds. It was a simple concept, but it could mean the difference between life and death when there was no healer or potions around. Tars didn't learn a skill from it, but he was told it wouldn't take long, a couple more tries, probably.
The deer seemed wary of the cat, but otherwise there were no problems and the group started back on their way to the caravan. The deer pranced beside Frint and the young archer carried the cat in his arms.
"Tars, take a turn carrying the ubolclaw so Frint can rest," Paschot said a half hour later. "Consider it a part of your training."
Tars didn't complain, seeing how tired Frint looked and knowing he needed stats more than anyone else there. The cat creature didn't want to be held by Tars, but a few minutes of soothing from its new master had it relaxed again.
So it went for an hour, switching the cat back and forth a couple more times until they reached the rear wagon.
Tars had gotten a stat point for Strength and Vitality from the exhausting walk back, but he still had more training to do before he could relax too much. Doster, Frint, and the two new pets went to find Frint's parents and get some rest. Reppicio went with Paschot to update the Chief on their mission. Before they left, Tars gave the quiver containing the map to Paschot to give to Chief Kinton. Since he'd made his Vow earlier Tars felt he could trust him with that much.
Tars went with Doster to find Miussa for healing. Normally, the Lumberjack would have just bandaged it every day and let it heal on its own, as his Vitality was one of his strongest stats, he'd told Tars. But Paschot had been instructed by the Chief to have any injuries healed while Miussa was able. This would keep any possible caravan guards in top condition and also give Miussa more chances to practice her Life Magic. Paschot said the Chief was trying to come up with better ways to do this, but for now everyone was to get treated to the best of their ability.
Tars tagged along with Doster, hoping another chance to view the Healing Light skill at work could unlock something, even if he was doubtful. Still, he felt more exposure was necessary.
When Tars approached the wagon that Miussa was driving he saw Ponter and Feerestia walking outside of it as caravan guards. Feerestia seemed to be controlling many of the nearby motes of blue mana, which Tars assumed was Water Mana.
Leaving Feerestia to her practice, Tars followed Doster to talk with the Tailor.
"Miussa, I was told to come to you for healing," Doster said, still unsure whether she should be bothered with such a minor injury. "I can just keep it bandaged if it's too much trouble."
"Nonsense," the woman answered with a smile. "Chief Kinton already explained everything to me and I will do my part for this trip! And I'm guessing you'd like to watch, Tars? One moment then."
She then asked Ponter to drive her wagon for a few minutes, as she said he'd done once before. Tars felt it might be a good idea to have some more space made and get her an assistant. If there was a real emergency there might not be time to stop and find a driver. Tars decided to mention it to the Chief the next time they spoke.
A couple minutes later the group of three were beside the caravan as it slowly went on and Miussa began explaining what she was doing.
"Now, Life Magic is sometimes thought of as Nature Magic and Light Magic combined," Miussa taught the Protector. "While this isn't true, I'm told they do feel similar. Nature is the combination of Earth and Water Magics, and Light is its own element. I'm not going to try to explain it, there are scholars that have studied the elements for years and still can't agree on anything."
"What I will say, is that Life Magic is the magic of growth and renewal." She paused there while she started unwrapping the bandages. "All living things will try to heal themselves and Life Magic helps it to do so even faster."
Tars felt mana pooling on Miussa's hand as she held it over the exposed injury. Her hand began to glow a brilliant white, less yellow than the sun, but just as blinding. Looking under her glowing hand, Tars saw the deep scratches slowly become more shallow and less wide. It was like watching his arm magically knit itself together in seconds what normally would take days on someone with a low Vitality.
"There you are, dear," Miussa said to Doster, tapping his arm gently. "All good as new!"
Doster thanked her before heading back to his family. Miussa then called Tars to sit beside her in the wagon. "I'll tell you about 'Healing Light' and what I know of Life Magic. Besides, you look about ready to fall over if you don't sit down!"
Feerestia moved a little closer when she saw Tars climbing into the wagon. Then Miussa showed him her skill and told him what to feel for, what it should do, and what to be careful of. Feerestia chimed in on occasion, especially when they decided to teach him 'Meditation' so he could practice his skills more.
For the next several hours until the sun was about to set, and the Chief called a halt for the day, Tars' two teachers took turns explaining their respective elements.