"What the fuck is going on here...?" Klaus muttered with a gulp, "What's wrong with this moose? Is it infected...? Is it some kind of parasite?"
Evan exposed his sword, preparing to fight, "Never mind. Earlier you said the bear cub would die alone, and it almost did. However, fate itself has brought us here. What's more, the moose's hide must be worth a lot, right?"
Then, Evan glanced to the side, " And we have an unexpected ally, though a temporary one."
"Agh...?" Klaus was puzzled.
The wolf that had been serenely drinking water before had prepared for battle. Apparently, he no longer considered moose as one of the beasts, for only monsters, the craziest of them all, could behave like that.
Whoooooooosh.
The wolf tore forward, dashing through the bear cub and pouncing on the moose. His sharp claws were out, and it seemed that even the moose's tough hide couldn't take it.
As a predator and a proud beast, the wolf had his duties to those who were weaker than him, to those in the food chain who were his prey - a strange and ironic bond, yet not without nobility.
If another beast became insane, capable of causing unnecessary deaths then the wolf had to deal with it, protecting his home from extinction.
"RRRRRRGH!!!" Moose wheezed angrily, exhaled a voluminous steam through its nostrils, and rushed at the wolf, piercing the wolf's chest with its sharp horns.
The wolf's eyes filled with pain, but he was ready for it as he jerked his head forward sharply, opening his maw wide.
The fangs clenched, crushing the left horn into shards, practically ripping it out of the moose's head.
The moose howled in pain, allowing the wolf to take advantage of this and scurry away to a safe distance. He was lucky, the sharp tips of the horns were unable to pierce through his ribcage and reach his organs, however, another attack like that could be critical.
It was unlikely the wolf could defeat the moose, especially because of the strange parasite in its eyes. However, the wolf had allies - the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Two shadows appeared beside the moose, one of which swung its rapier in a sweeping motion, severely wounding the moose's hind leg.
The moose roared in pain but was unable to keep balance. Its massive, heavy body needed all of its limbs to maintain its center of gravity.
"Good job!" Evan exclaimed, looking at the fallen moose, twitching its thick-necked head violently.
Without hesitation, Evan swung his sword, from top to bottom, allowing the wide and sharp blade to pass through the moose's flesh.
Whoooooooosh.
The head with one long horn flew off to the side, with a spray of blood covering the innocent snow that had witnessed these atrocities.
"Well, well, we work better every time. I didn't even have to say anything this time." Evan grinned contentedly, placing the sword on his shoulder.
Klaus shook it off his pants and said with a slight smile, "Your point is true. But... It's all kind of weird... What was that parasite in the first place? I wasn't the only one who saw it, was I?"
Evan shrugged, "Doesn't matter. The important thing is that it's dead now and we can get a nice, undamaged hide!"
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
For no reason, the wolf started growling, as if trying to say something to Evan and Klaus. However, it was unlikely that humans and beasts could understand each other so easily.
"Hmm? What's going on?" Klaus raised an eyebrow in puzzlement, looking at the wolf.
At the same moment, from the moose's severed head, something long and gruesome emerged, a true abomination that quickly bound the head and body together with a rope of flesh.
Evan's pupils narrowed as he prepared to bring his sword down to cut the rope, however, just as his hands tightened around the hilt, several bloody clots flew out of the rope.
The blood clots, the size of fists, plunged into their bellies, throwing Evan and Klaus aside. Two more clots flew straight at the wolf and the bear cub, who couldn't even move from his seat out of fear.
The wolf rushed past the bear cub, grabbing him by the scruff and saving him at the last moment.
The only one who wasn't attacked by the parasite was Hana, it seemed that it wasn't an accident but had a certain meaning.
"What the fuck...?" Evan spat out blood, rising from the ground with his face contorted in pain.
"RRRRRRRRRRKKKKKGGG!!!"
Eerie sounds, of cracking bones and growing flesh spread from the moose, whose head had already joined its body. Several ghastly growths with blade-sharp tips spread across the moose's torso as well as another pair of bloodshot eyes with vertical pupils.
From the moose's knees came several bony ridges, crooked and thick, but sharp enough to pierce human flesh. Three long tails emerged from the moose's back, actively curling like a living organism searching for its prey.
Half of the moose's head was completely disfigured with chaotically growing flesh covering it like a plague. The moose's jaw had become a ghastly maw with four petals, each covered in tiny teeth following deep into the throat where sharp fangs, in several rows, waited for any opportunity to set this crusher in motion.
"Fucking hell..." Klaus muttered with a frightened pale face, then he looked at Evan and shouted with all his might, "This monster is definitely stronger than Astrid Einrich! Do everything you can to kill it! I'll help you!"
At the same moment, Klaus pulled out the black amulet that he had gotten from Arcanum.
Things in Arcanum were valuable treasures, so they could rarely have only one passive function, something Evan obviously didn't know about yet.
The red crystal of the amulet cracked, and a wide magical circle with many ancient runes appeared under the moose. Then, dozens of chains twisted each of its limbs as well as its growths, pinning them to its body and preventing it from moving.
"ROOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRR!!!"
However, the moose's strength was so great that one by one, the chains broke, shattering into links. With each passing second, the moose was getting closer to freedom, which to the others meant only one thing - death.
Evan's brain was working at its maximum capability, calculating the best options. The last thing he wanted to do was conjure the demon one more time in such a short period, but he quickly realized that neither his sword, Klaus's rapier, nor Hana's cursed eye could help them get out of this nasty situation.
"Tsk. Whatever. Better to shorten a life than to lose it altogether." Evan growled, before slashing his fingers against the sword blade and quickly drawing a bloody sigil across his chest.
Moose had already destroyed most of the chains.
Evan exclaimed -
"70th Lord - Prince Seere - summon!"
At the furious roar of the moose's release from the chains, Evan's eyes shone brightly as the world stopped, frozen to all but his mind.
Once again, finding himself in a vast and empty white space, Evan heard the clatter of hooves that made him raise his head.
From above, like a rider from heaven, a man riding a white-winged horse descended toward him as if it had escaped from a fairy tale.
The man was handsome, even the higher creatures would be envious of his facial features. His long silver hair and eyes as blue as a lonely ocean could mesmerize anyone, while his smile gave happiness to whoever saw it.
"Good afternoon, young caster. What can I do for you? I am ready to hear you!" Seere uttered, radiating benevolence and nobility like a knight of light.