"Halt! Identify yourself!" A guard yelled from the top of a stone wall.
"Roy Hadberg, Captain of the 31st Guard Regiment of Valewaren City," Roy said, flashing a golden badge to the man, "And these three are my personal guards," He said, motioning to the people behind him.
"Another guard, eh? Alright, come on in, but don't start no trouble. We've had more outsiders in the last two days than I'd like to see in a year," The man said with a scoff, signaling to somebody below him.
The large wooden gates slowly swung open and Roy stepped onto the cobble path. Behind him, three hooded mages with red robes followed.
After walking a couple dozen meters and checking to make sure that no townsfolk were within ear-shot, Roy spun around and spoke to the mages, "Alright, spread out and ask around for a pair of newcomers: One with red hair, another with a hood. We meet back up here in two hours. Got it?"
The three mages nodded and dispersed throughout the town.
Roy began to systematically enter each of the shops along the main road, questioning the store owners as well as their customers for information. You'd need more than one pair of hands to count the amount of times he'd been kicked to the curb by irate shopkeepers.
"These damn people! Why are they so damn impudent?!" Roy muttered to himself.
Roy sighed while continuing his investigation on the main road. He really could not get anywhere in his search due the town's discrimination against him.
As Roy walked up to the next shop, he read its sign, "Melinda's Healing & Cures, huh? Let's hope she doesn't have a stick up her ass like everyone else."
Roy pushed open the shop's door, ringing the overhead bell and informing the old woman behind the counter of his arrival.
"Welcome to my shop! Do you need healing? A cure for poison? Or maybe you need to rid a curse, perhaps?" Melinda said with a smile while spreading her hands to gesture to the items around the room.
"Rid a curse? Haha, nothing like that. Actually, I was wondering if you could tell me if you met any newcomers recently?" Roy asked, walking up to the counter and resting his hands on in.
"I get a few new people coming in everyday, young man. You're gonna have to be more specific than that."
"A pair: A woman with red hair, and another with a hood," Roy said, his gaze narrowing on the woman's expression, watching for the slightest change.
"Haha! You don't need to look at me like that, young man! I'm not harboring some fugitives in my floor boards!" Melinda said with an amused expression, "The two you're talking about came in yesterday. Why are you looking for them anyhow?"
Roy's gaze relaxed and he sighed a breath of relief. He'd finally found some sort of lead.
"Can you tell me why they were here?" Roy asked, ignoring her question.
"No can do. I won't ruin my dealings with a future customer to answer some man who can't be bothered to return the favor," Melinda said with a snort.
"I'm a guard from Valewaren. The hooded individual is a suspect in a case I'm working on," Roy relented, "Now can you tell me anything you know?"
"Hmm, I won't tell you why they were here, but I can tell you where they went."
"And that is?"
"Silver Wolf guild house."
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"Solitary, at last…" Zulu muttered to himself as he left the open prairie and stepped between a pair of tall trees with yellow leaves. Shortly after leaving Noelenwood, he'd found a grouping of large rocks in which to hide while transforming back to his fox form. From there, he sprinted low through the grass nonstop until he reached the end of the prairie.
Zulu had just entered the Reinheld Woodland, a few miles north of Noelenwood.
The Reinheld Woodland, also known as the Golden Forest, was comprised of a certain species of tree that had golden-colored leaves. The trees' leaves fell to the earth, blanketing the ground in a layer of mesmerizing gold. The sun's golden rays shown dazzlingly through their upper branches, accentuating the forest's natural brilliance.
Wandering through the forest, Zulu couldn't help but become distracted by the forest's golden scenery. No matter where he looked, he was in a trance. The forest made him feel warm and cozy. He felt as though he never wanted to leave.
'This will be my home,' Zulu inwardly declared. He had never been so stricken by nature.
'After I finish removing the curse, this is where I'll go,' Zulu decided.
Zulu blindly ran through the forest, searching for signs of a Rank 3 creature. Truth be told, he was just looking for anything at all. He didn't even know where to begin when it came to hunting a Rank 3.
'Maybe I should try to find a cave? A Rank 3 would probably have their own den or something like that, right? Yeah, I'll do that.'
At that thought, Zulu began inspecting the terrain for any signs of cave formation. The terrain itself was relatively flat and filled with trees, though, there were the occasional hills; Those were what he focused his attention on.
After nearly three hours of searching and as the sun was nearing its end in the sky, Zulu's sensitive fox nose twitched.
'I smell creatures. Many. It seems like I've found a pack of some kind. Just to be safe, I should cover my scent. I don't know what type of creature I'm approaching here.'
Thinking that, Zulu cast [Olfactory Confusion], replacing his scent with one of dirt.
Zulu followed the scent for a couple hundred meters until he arrived in front of a small grassy hill. In the center of the hill was a jagged cave that was only a few meters wide.
Surveying the inside with his [Night Vision], Zulu's sense of smell proved its worth when he saw seven silver wolves sleeping peacefully.
'You hunt at night, do you? What a poor decision, Mr. Wolves. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to break that habit of yours,' Zulu thought, 'Well, I'm just here for a Rank 3. I can't tell how strong any of these guys are other than by way of their size. Most of them seem to be around my size, except for that guy.'
Zulu was referring to the wolf who slept in the middle of the pack. It was twice the size of the others and had silver fur with a black leopard-like pattern across its face and back.
'If any of these wolves is a Rank 3, it's definitely that guy. It's like a wolf, but the size of a grizzly bear. How do I even fight something like that…' Zulu thought, but then his face contorted with a wide grin, 'With magic, of course! HAHAHA! Dumb wolves, get ready to experience the superiority of foxes!'
Zulu mentally cast [Fireball] and a ball of flame began to form in front of his jaws before quickly expanding in size. It launched forward towards the unsuspecting wolves.
The large wolf was the first to sense the rapid increase in temperature and its jade eyes shot open. Seeing the incoming fireball, it jumped to the front of the still-sleeping pack to absorb the damage. It didn't think twice before sacrificing its body to protect its kin.
'Oh? It seems to be quite the noble one. Then burn you dumb beast!' Zulu thought.
The fireball crashed into the wolf's massive frame, discharging a wave of flame throughout the entrance of the cave. As the smoke cleared, a large wolf stood unfazed in the quickly fading inferno. Zulu's grin disappeared at this sight.
The Leader was bewildered by the sudden attack. Not once had his authority been questioned in his territory; Not by his pack, nor by any other beast. The insolent creature who dared to challenge him would become his pack's meal.
'It has fire resistance! I might've chosen the wrong opponent,' Zulu thought, watching his opponent warily.
The smaller six wolves woke at the sound of the explosion and quickly surrounded their leader. As a unit, they marched out of the cave to confront the attacker. The seven wolves glared at Zulu hatefully as they bared their teeth and growled with malice.
'Oh, hey guys… I think we got off on the wrong foot… uh- Is it too late to say I'm sorry?' Zulu thought, backing up a few steps. If his fire magic was useless against the wolf pack, then he could only run for his life. He was not the juggernaut.
'Unless…'
The seven wolves began to encircle around Zulu, however, he was not dumb enough to sit and let it happen.
Zulu immediately cast another [Fireball] before launching it at the left-most wolf. The pack leader again tried to take the brunt of the impact, but it could not reach the wolf in time; This was why Zulu had aimed for the one farthest from the leader.
The wolf tried to evade the fireball, however, it soon detonated beside him; Even if it could avoid the fireball itself, it could not escape the blast radius. The fireball simply moved too fast, and Zulu was too close.
The edge of the fireball's explosion torched the wolf's fur and it yelped for assistance, but it was too late. The fire quickly consumed the entire left half of its body and it writhed on the ground in pain. After a few moments of desperate rolling, the dirt and mud on the forest floor managed to smother the wolf's burning body; However, the damage it incurred was not negligible. The wolf would be incapacitated for some time until it fully recovered through the expenditure of Essence.
Zulu used that opening to escape the encirclement.
Witnessing their prey breaking their formation with magic, the Leader howled and the other wolves regrouped at his call. He would have to kill the magic-wielding beast on his own if he didn't want his kin to be horrifically scorched.
The Leader charged at Zulu, utterly incensed. He couldn't stand the sight of his pack members suffering at the hands of some unknown orange creature.
However, Zulu only grinned at this outcome.
'Maybe I don't need to run after all. It's just as I thought. Only the big wolf has fire resistance. If it's some sort of innate ability, then it hasn't seemed to unlock yet for the smaller wolves. That's why the large wolf has the job of protecting the other pack members. I can do this,' Zulu thought, preparing for the large wolf's attack.
The wolf leader jumped at Zulu, brandishing its long claws and sharp fangs. At that moment, Zulu triggered [Dash] and dodged out of the way. As the wolf leader crashed into his previous position, he rushed at the other pack members. His speed was still his greatest attribute at the end of the day.
'Eliminate the grunts, then solo the elite, if all goes well…'
The wolves were stunned by Zulu's decision to ignore their leader's attack. Any beast would have accepted its challenge in direct combat. Why were they being charged? However, their instincts took over and they pounced at the incoming Zulu.
As the five wolves neared, Zulu cast [Fireball] and released it towards the frenzied wolves. The fireball connected with the middle wolf's head and detonated, blowing it to smithereens while severely injuring the four wolves around it. The four scorched wolves hastily scattered to escape the flames, separating into two pairs.
The minor amount of fire that accumulated on the wolves' bodies was snuffed out by the wind that brushed up against them; Their swift movement had made the small flames unsustainable.
'Well, fuck. One will have to do,' Zulu thought.
Immediately after releasing his fireball, Zulu cast two [Fire Snake]s in quick succession. The fire snakes formed in a coiled manner around his body before firing outward from his snoot. The first fire snake chased one pair of wolves, while the second chased another pair.
The slower of the two wolves in each pair were quickly consumed by flaming maws, being set fully ablaze under howls of pain. Their comrades could only watch as they were singed black by the snake's fiery assault. In the blink of an eye, two more wolves had been killed.
'I'm nearly out of mana,' Zulu thought, 'I only have one more trick up my sleeve.'
The Leader had only just turned around when he saw his kin being massacred by flames. Rage ignited within his heart as he bolted at the orange creature, who had its back turned. He would rip the small beast apart.
To the Leader's surprise, the orange creature did not run away again; Instead, it only spun around and observed him with an eerie grin.
Suddenly, the Leader heard the all-too familiar sound of writhing flames rapidly approaching from the side. It would surely be another one of those destructive balls of red fire that the orange creature had used before. Now he understood why the creature had such a grin. It thought that he would be caught unaware by its spell; However, he was not so easy to catch off guard.
The Leader ceased his charge and turned, planting his feet and preparing to tank the hit using his natural resistance. However, what he saw astonished him; That is to say, it was nothing at all! His ears had lied to him!
Zulu's grin widened when he saw the pack leader fall victim to his deception.
[Auditory Confusion] was truly frightening when properly used in combat; Even a single second of distraction could mean death in battle.
Zulu activated [Dash] and appeared under the pack leader's throat before leaping upward and latching onto it with his [Razor Teeth]. His jaws clamped shut with incredible force as he activated [Bite]. The wolf howled under the agonizing assault.
The wolf desperately tried to retaliate, reaching for Zulu with its front paw. However, only one of its nails managed to slash Zulu's hind leg before it began to lose strength due to blood loss.
The Leader realized that it had been tricked. The orange creature had used some kind of magic to deceive him. However, there was nothing he could do. His exposed neck was not shielded by some armor or shell, only fur. Soon his jugular was crushed and blood gushed from the wound like a broken dam. He could only whimper and howl, giving his two remaining pack members one final order before collapsing in his own blood.
Zulu fell a couple feet before landing gracefully beside the deceased wolf. He turned his attention to the last two wolves and discovered that they were running away. It seemed they understood that they were no match for his might.
'Trying to run? Unfortunately for you, speed is my specialty,' Zulu thought, bolting after the two fleeing wolves.
The two wolves were unable to make it far before Zulu caught them from behind one by one, pinning them to the ground by their necks with his jaws and crunching. Like that, the two wolves were dispatched.
'So weak. These wolves are definitely Rank 1 beasts, and the pack leader was probably a Rank 2; Its defense was unable to prevent my [Bite], so I doubt it's of a higher rank,' Zulu concluded, 'Now I just need to deal with that last one.'
Zulu approached the incapacitated wolf who he nearly killed with a [Fireball] and broke its neck with his jaws. It was glowing white, trying to recover from its burns, but it was too late; Its wounds were too extensive to heal in time in order to prevent its demise.
'Ahh, dinner time. Finally.'
Thinking that, Zulu dragged the remains of the wolf pack together before chowing down.
After an hour, the wolves were reduced to skeletons.
'I'm getting faster at this. It won't be long before magical creatures are like fast food to me,' Zulu inwardly mused
By this point, the sun had disappeared behind the horizon; Darkness had spread throughout the land like a plague, eliminating the golden radiance of the forest.
'I will search for a few more hours, then I'll sleep.'
Zulu departed from the mound of bones and crept into the now-gloomy forest. However, just as he left, he noticed something rustle the bushes in front of him.
'I'm being watched?' Zulu wondered.
Zulu quickly charged up a [Fireball] before blasting the bush into charred bits of twigs. After he did so, he leaped forward, ready to battle the new foe. Though he quickly found that his stalker had disappeared into the dark.
Zulu gave chase and ran after the mysterious creature; He wouldn't let go of the possibility of Essence.
After ten minutes of pursuit, Zulu halted his movement. The creature had suddenly vanished into a large crack in the side of a hill.
'Another den?'
Zulu moved forward cautiously, though, he didn't employ [Olfactory Illusion]; He was still trying to replenish his mana after all.
Peeking inside the crack, Zulu scrutinized the inside of the cave.
The cave was about half of the size of a basketball court. Huddled in the middle were three adorable baby bears. One of them seemed aggravated and was hurriedly pressing its paws into the other two, who were soundly asleep.
'Baby bears? They're kind of cute. Won't stop me from eating them, though,' Zulu thought, approaching the trio of fluffy brown bears.
However, before Zulu could get close enough to enjoy his free meal, a deafening roar interrupted him from behind.
'Ahh… Fuck.'
--------------------------------
"Damn, just where did she run off to? One moment she was there, then she wasn't," Raya muttered to herself with annoyance.
"Was there a portal in between those rocks or something?" Raya asked sarcastically.
Raya had tried following Zulu, to no avail. Almost immediately after leaving Noelenwood, she lost track of him. All she knew was that he was heading to Reinheld Forest, so that's where she went.
"And she left her clothes as well…" Raya murmured, observing the pair of clothes that were clutched in her grip, "It's all just so strange."
Raya had heard what sounded like explosions deep in the forest, but it was far and faded. The echo made it almost impossible to discern its origin. She could only wander in the general direction of the blasts.
'I've been searching for hours, and yet there's no sign of her. I should probably call it for the ni-' Raya paused her inner monologue as a massive pile of white entered her field of vision, standing out among the darkness of the night.
"Bones?" Raya muttered, inspecting the skeletal remains.
'This is exactly like the goblin encampment! Zulu is definitely behind this. Am I getting close?' Raya wondered.
As Raya questioned whether or not to continue, a powerful roar reverberated throughout the forest.