"His injuries are serious. We have to return to the village," Elder recommended after examining Danish's situation. " I wasn't expecting such a crude style of fighting...."
"So this is how you have been training in that formation, isn't it, " interjected Kaito. " Seeing Danish respond with a smile, " I see, so this is the reason you exhausted at such great speed." A flash of admiration passed in Kaito's eyes.
"As for the returning part, elder, that is not necessary anymore. This idiot went this far for a well-known reason. Isn't it you jerk." Malik began to look for something in his bag.
"What is that?"
"This, our deal elder, is a magic." As Malik took out a small box. "This is a smaller version of the Lifeflow Matrix that Lili made on the island," Malik brought out the small formation.
Leila came forward as she was a better medium for the healing elements. Soon, intricate patterns of formations were drawn on Danish injuries. With a bit of essence, Leila activated the formations as the healing process commenced.
At a visible rate, the injuries began to heal, and soon, all his wounds became scares until only faded marks were visible.
"This is incredible!" Blurted the Elder.
"isn't elder," Danish responded with a smile.
"Still, that is not how you should have fought," reprimanded Malik from the side, collecting the items from before in the bag.
"So you have chosen to stick to your principles, huh." Kaito stared at Danish.
"Always," responded Danish. "Besides, a man should be known by his principles, not position."
"Fine, as you wish."
//////////
Chief Kamal Khan, Elder Amina, and Elder Majid sat around the table, discussing recent reports presented to them.
"So what are your thoughts," Kamal Khan asked Elder Majid, who was busy eating pudding.
With a spoonful in his mouth, Elder Majid responded, "Everything seems fine to me. What do you say, Amina." He returned to his plate.
"For the time being. Let's expand our activities to the nearby town too. Brookside is the closest and offers generous rewards if we want to take them."
"That is what Majid suggested to me a few days ago. I believe it is time we secure a place in the bigger markets now." Kamal Khan also took the glass in front of him and sipped the contents with some relief.
"As our trade with the Bayshore, Silvercrest, and Sunset Hills is already stabilized, we can utilize these markets to influence some say in the Brookside market. It won't be a bad idea to tap into a town's market after having a good monopoly of these three villages. At the least, we can gain some experience if not more." Majid took on a serious tone.
//////////
The group observed a young Sylvan bear, sitting under a tree, munching on melons, from a tree branch, above the ground.
"How about you take that cub."
Elder Ravi suggested that Leila should deal with this one. "What do you say?"
"I don't know. I thought, I think I should fight the fox or the dog." Laila was nervous after witnessing the previous fight.
"You can do it, Leila."
Seeing Turan supporting her, Leila mused some courage and agreed to fight the beast.
The Rapier shone brightly as the rays fell on it. The intricate designs and gems embedded on the handle glimmered as she carried the beautiful sword in her left hand.
The bear did not respond to Leila as she approached it. It remained in a passive state watching Leila come closer.
"What is it thinking?" grumbled Turan as he watched the bear busy eating the fruits.
As vigilant as Leila was, her hair stood on the edge, sensing danger, as nearby bushes jolted violently from the sudden pouncing of a huge Sylvan mother bear. It stood in front of the cub and roared at Leila.
An overwhelming fear overcame Laila as her knees went numb, she lost any ability to react to the mother bear.
Seeing that the threat did not back away from the warning, the mother bear roared a second time as it walked in Leila's direction.
"What is she doing!" Turan was alarmed.
"She is terrified. Her brain has shut itself down," added Malik.
"Go!" before the elder could finish a figure had rushed to the rescue of the fragile little girl.
With a third angry roar, the bear rushed at Leila as it felt threatened by the person in front of them.
A female Sylvan bear was larger than the male counterpart, making them the dominating and commanding among the bears. And, as for a female who underwent pregnancy, she would become even more dangerous from the metamorphoses that occurred during the process prior to birth, making the females accumulate more mass and muscles.
As the mother bear charged toward Leila, the thumping sound resonated, and the muscles on her limbs and shoulders rippled and bulged after every step she took in her direction.
A huge figure blurred in the fuzzy vision of Leila as she stood watching the beast making its way for her. A brilliant glow flinched her eyes as the sharp blades shone in the sun. She closed her eyes, there was whiteness everywhere as her eyes were shut. As her brain began to process things and the situation she was in, she regained some of the control over her body.
When the whiteness subsided in her vision, and she half opened her eyes, a thunderous clang of huge axe and the horns assaulted her ears as a strong wind blew her hair locks to the back.
A mild numbing sensation crept up Turan's arm from the powerful impact as he tumbled a few steps back. 'She is strong,' Turan's grip tightened on the handle of the axe as he observed the mother's next actions.
Not expecting a surprise attack, the mother became more aggressive and felt more threatened as there were now two assailants in front of her. She roared a fourth time and pawed after, fuming from the nose.
With an initial thrust, Turan pushed dust and rubble off the ground as he charged at the mother. With a side swing, the axe came down on the forelimb of the mother. The blade clashed with the resilient horns, pushing the mother's neck at an odd angle, and making an opening. Another swing came, targeting the shoulder of the mother. As the axe slashed through the air, producing strong wind in its wake, it clashed with another pair of horns as the cub had interfered, finding her mother at a disadvantage.
The strike hurled the cub a meter from the mother, skidding and tumbling on the ground. The cub screeched and jolted from the pain. Darkness began to replace the cub's consciousness as dizziness took over.
See her cub in pain, the mother roared, fuming from the nose, her eyes turned crimson red. She charged at Turan with all her might, intending to crush the human in front of her.
Her whole body jiggled as she pressed to hasten her charge on the target.
Seeing the mother's rage, Turan became vigilant as he gripped the handle harder. 'Don't get cocky you fat ass,' Turan too charged at the beast. He planned to answer strength with strength.
The mother and Turan collided once more, and the battle shocks rumbled and resonated far and wide.
"What a collision!" Danish complimented.