In the middle of the great and vast forest, the trio were on their way to a previous spot. Leading the way, Neo is followed by Thanatos and Lia behind her.
Thanatos asked her to take him back to where he fought the Hydra and the Stone Boar. He had plans for the bodies if they were still there. They could be very useful for his plans to take down the Elemental Lion.
Even though it was just a day later, Thanatos was already in fighting shape. The doctor had given him antidotes and healing magic. But in the best case, he estimated a full week of recovery, not a day and a half. I wonder, was my resistance this strong or was I actually getting better at recovering from wounds? He was a Lord of Darkness or whatever, so maybe the longer he lived had some influence on his resistance, like not getting cold by spending the night inside an igloo he made himself.
Lia, on the contrary, was mad at him for going out so soon after he woke up. She tried to keep him resting in the village, but seeing that even his broken arm was mostly healed, the only thing that bothered him a little was some left-over pain. Lia couldn't protest, so she accepted with the condition that she was going to accompany him through this entire mission.
"Here, this is the place where you fought them" Neo extended her hands in a tired gesture.
"Are you sure it's over here?" He asked with doubts about her abilities.
"Yes, I'm sure. Don't get cocky, you weird monster. I know my way around this forest."
"Weird monster?"
"You survived a ton of Hydra venom and you're already up and walking. Only a monster could do something like that. You aren't fooling me." She mocked and pointed her finger at him at the same time.
"What are you, a child?" The unexpected childish attitude of Neo made him uncomfortable, but now he knew why he felt so little trust in her. A child that doesn't get the attention she wants. That's why she is so against me helping her... ah... He sighed inside his mind.
Looking more closely at the site, the bodies of the animals were still here. Some of the smell of decomposition was already apparent, and small animals had taken chunks of the meat, with some flies flying around both. It was perfect, exactly what he had hoped for.
On the side, Lia seemed to be looking for something else. "Mmm, it seems the little boar hasn't returned yet."
"Little boar? Are you talking about the other undead boar that was with us?"
"Yes, I asked him to find help before Neo appeared. It seems that he went very far away since he hadn't returned to look for you, nor was he waiting here."
"Oh, he's not coming back. Someone or probably some animal killed it," He said, not surprised, as he had known for a long time.
"R-really? How do you know? Can you sense it because it is a magic bond?"
"I guess it is something like that. But when I woke up, I could feel that the bond had been severed a while ago, meaning the boar was already dead at that point." It was a bit strange to talk about an already undead animal dying again, but it felt natural for him.
"I see. That explains why he didn't return. If I remember correctly, I sent him to the south. That is the territory of the Elemental Lion." All of them realize that was probably the cause.
"Well dear Shaman, don´t let us waste more time and show us your powers!" Thanatos exclaimed with some forceful enthusiasm.
"UHH what? You're the one who wanted to come back here, not me. If you're planning to use these bodies, then do it quickly. Quick, quick, monster!" She demanded in an even more childish tone. Thanatos was getting irritated but decided to let go and explain himself.
"Neo, according to the Chief, you're a Shaman, right?" She answered, nodding her head, "Well, I'm not sure what that means exactly. Since he referred to my necromancy powers, like shaman skills too, I'm going to use these bodies by reviving them with my magic, but if you need something from them, the time is now before I do something irreversible to the corpses." Thanatos explained himself as clearly as he could, so this grown child could understand him.
"You don't talk to me like some kid. I'm a grown woman. You can do whatever you want with the bodies, it doesn't affect my powers, because the spirits of these beasts are no longer here." She put herself away from Thanatos and took a stance.
Slow breathings and with her eyes close, she seemed to enter some sort of trance. "Spirits of the forest. Please grant me strength to fight against this foe. The one who took your territory, the one that has perturbed the balance of nature. Grant me your powers so I can defeat this terrible foe." The air seemed to swirl around Neo.
Energy began to concentrate inside her, using her as a focal point. Small lights began to appear. The lights grew bigger and bigger until they took on a form. The Hydra and Stone Boar appeared. Not only that, other animals began to form from the light. Wolfes, rats, squirrels, serpents, and some other creatures like a giant crab and a monkey with two heads. The spirits of the forest answered her call. In one motion, they all began to enter her body, filling Neo with even more energy. She shone like a candle, and then it was over.
She opened her eyes and spoke. "Is ready. The spirits of the forest have answered my petition. They will help us with the battle ahead" For the first time since meeting her, Thanatos felt respect for Neo.
She wasn't just boasting some skills. He could sense it. Neo had gotten stronger by using her body as a vessel for the spirits. This was the true power of a shaman. Using the spirits to aid in her needs.
He was very curious and wanted to ask her about this new form of magic. Does she need to ask for permission every time? Can one use the same spirits for other things? Was their strength temporary, or did they give a little to her after they disappeared? Those questions pop up inside his head one after another.
"I'm impressed. You have some nice skills, Neo." He said it with admiration, but Neo didn't care.
"I´m not trying to earn the praise of a monster. I want to save my tribe. That's all there is to it." Neo didn´t give any chance to Thanatos. She shot him down every time. This was because her senses told her that this guy was bad news.
Neo was born from the union of a demi human mother and a human father. Her father abandoned her and her mom immediately after the union, so she never met her father. The tribe and her mom were her family. They raised her with love and care. Her mother died after catching a disease when she was 6 years old. After that, she got lonely and timid.
It wasn't until she discovered her shamanic powers that she began to talk with others again. The spirits help her reconnect with the world around her. She developed instincts to survive, instincts that told her of the dangerous animals and creatures of the forest. Right now, she was loved by all her tribe thanks to her gifts, but she didn't stop believing her instincts.
Those same instincts were screaming at her about Thanatos. This man was a beast, no, more than a beast, a monster. A monster is hidden below the surface, waiting to come out and destroy everything in its path. Her instincts never lied to her; even when Thanatos was unconscious and defenseless, she could still feel the imminent danger of this man. That's why she didn't want to work with him.
Still, the most contradictory thing was not Thanatos, but Lia. She didn't feel any danger from this woman, and yet, she was still willing to throw her life away for this monster. Why? Neo asked herself. Is this woman too dumb to sense the danger of this guy? At the same time, why is this guy also risking his life for Lia? Is it just to keep the mask on and give the impression that he's not a monster? Neo couldn't make sense of it.
"Then it's my turn. I'll show my skills too." Thanatos went first to the Hydra. Its body was burned and was missing several heads. He raised his hand and touched "[Raise the dead]"
The body stopped rotting, like it was frozen in time. The heads started to open their eyes and stand up once again. He did the same thing with the Stone Boar. He was missing chucks of flesh, and his stone skin was less durable, but it was still a formidable servant.
Shaking the flies away, the beasts stood waiting for their master's orders. A Hydra with only three heads and a stone boar without a stomach. It was light, but Thanatos felt better control and connected with the undead. He also spent less mana casting the spell. He was getting better at this.
"Well, we've got some forces for the attack, but we need to discuss our strategy. Neo, I need you to tell me the extent of your abilities." He went straight to the point.
"What? That doesn't matter. You saw me already? I can use my claws and I like to jump around trying to flank my opponent."
"Yes, but that is too vague. Do you possess a special ability or can you cast spells with the help of spirits? This is important so I can make an effective plan against the Elemental Lion. For all we know, it could be a different animal all together. We're going to need to make changes in the middle of the battle. Our coordination as a team is going to decide if we win or lose"
"Grrrhhh..." She was trying to not respond in a bad manner, but her instincts were telling her this guy couldn't be trusted.
"Neo, why don't you trust Thanatos?" Lia spoke what she had been thinking all this time. "You have been wary of Thanatos all this time. Since I met you in this place, and even when you were looking at him unconscious, it's almost like you're scared of him." Lia had struck right on the truth.
"WHAT? SCARED! YOU SAY SOME PRETTY BIG THINGS AFTER YOU WERE CRYING AT HIS SIDE MOST OF THE TIME. I´M NOT SCARED, I DON´T LIKE HIS FACE, THAT´S ALL." She refused to admit her insecurities, which was obvious to both of them.
"If you can't trust him yet, I won't force you." Lia said with compassion. "You already helped save his life, so I can't ask for more. I trust you, Neo, so you know I'm telling you the truth when I say you can trust Thanatos. He is a good person." Lia gave her a warm smile, she had faith in Neo.
"Ah, fine. I can use magic only if the spirits could use it when they were alive. The rest, they just make me stronger and faster. I don't have any special abilities either." Neo said with a defeated voice, she still didn't like Thanatos, but some part of her wanted to be nice to Lia.
"That's plenty. Now we can finally start talking about our plan. I'm asking one last time, Lia, are you sure that you want to participate in this fight?"
"Yes, I won't leave you alone to fight anymore. I don't care what it is, I'll do it. Please trust me!" Lia wasn't going to back down.
Thanatos was still worried, but they didn't lose time and began to discuss the plan to kill the Elemental Lion.