Few hours have passed since the couple fell asleep. Jerome was also sleeping before the couple dozed off. While the trio rested bit by bit the wind of the night stopped whistling together with the rustling verdant green leaves of the forest. The night became eerily silent, even the bugs nor animals dared to break this spell of deadly silence. It was too calm, unnatural, one might even say.
As the forest's silence became deafening, suddenly Oliver opened his blue eyes with concern and seriousness written on them.
Around an hour's march away from where Oliver, Sigrid, and Jerome were resting, a muscular man adorned with scars across his body rode atop a black panther-like beast of gargantuan size. Trailing behind him were five cave trolls just like those encountered by Oliver's group earlier in the day. However, these trolls appeared sluggish and lethargic, dragging their bodies along in the wake of the man and his beast. Drool dripped from their mouths, and their lifeless eyes stared ahead with vacant expressions, as if devoid of life and will itself.
Following this eerie group were approximately twenty ferocious gray wolves, their red eyes gleaming with malice and ferociousness which was ready to tear anybody apart. Each wolf was the size of a horse, their presence casting a chilling aura over the silent forest. Not a single forest animal dared to stir, nor did any beast make the slightest sound. Even the very essence of the forest seemed to hold its breath, allowing the group to pass through without encountering the slightest interruption.
The man who sat crossed legged on the black beast slowly opened his mouth. "They should be close… what do you think Kaliyah?" The man asked nonchalantly.
Surprisingly a deep feminine voice strangely came out of the beast even while it kept its jaw shut. "Theron..." The beast called the name of the man atop of his head. "Why did you agree with this… are they worthy of our trust."
The man named Theron just looked ahead resolutely as his hand softly brushed through the thick dark fur of the beast. "Worthy or not? we will know that after we get over this job… But still, the client told me to kill a black skinned mage and gave me the location and time to find him. They were right about the time and place but they did not mention anything about him having support…."
"I advised you... to keep a low profile and take low risk jobs until we have gathered more information about this place… Then we could have tackled more advanced missions. We just have no knowledge about this region and about the mages... "
Theron, still with no change in his expression, rebuked the beast. "We do know now... I saw them fighting."
"They do not seem like just some low grade mages… You saw them, and I saw them. You thought the cave trolls would be more than enough, but we lost all of them because you heavily underestimated them." The black beast Kaliyah argued with its deep magnetic voice.
"You are the right partner. Our target, the black skinned one, used some unusual magic to fight in close combat and that girl… She used interesting dark arts . Not to forget the last one, who was able to control the surrounding nature and lit up the entire forest, what an interesting group..." Theron's voice sounded through the deathly silent forest. "Now I can come up with the client's motives for killing the black skinned mage, not to mention the fact that he is an outsider to this region; he is also quite powerful for his age. What do you think, Kaliyah?" Theron asked with a tinge of curiosity behind his monotone voice.
Kaliyah let out a big breath through the nose as its voice appeared out of nowhere again. "They have traveled far… I would have never expected to see a human of his kind on such a continent... He is probably important to his family and his family probably has overstepped their boundaries in this so-called Guild... Getting rid of him will probably deal a lot of damage to his family."
Theron scratched Kaliyah's head fur in an aggressive manner and spoke to the beast. "I don't care about that, I asked you what you think about his stren..."
Kaliyah quickly shook its huge head making Theron almost fall off and let out another loud breath. "I have not finished speaking yet. Your impatience is your greatest weakness..."
Theron now patted Kaliyah's head gently for a few moments. "Okay, I understand, please just tell me." He tried apologizing yet no emotion was behind his voice.
"He is of great power indeed, he was able to kill the troll's leader by strengthening his body with magic... But you should also not underestimate that girl, she smells dangerous… And we do not know much about the last mage who was able to control nature. But he and the girl have a mixed scent. Meaning that they are partners."
"Partners huh," Theron quietly said to himself. "Well, I don't care whether they are partners or not… after all they will die before the sun rises."
Kaliyah's huge nostrils flared as it began sucking in the surrounding scents, it's dark fur shining under the starlight stood up and its eyes which were silver in color just a moment ago began to morph with reddish gleam spreading through the silver eyes, painting them. In a matter of seconds, the once serene silver eyes now looked like fresh pools of blood with thirst and ferociousness filling them up to a brim looking like it could overflow and dye the night itself in the color of blood.
Kaliyah's jaw slowly parted revealing a menacingly huge maw filled with gleaming sharp teeth and four greatsword-like fangs. The scent entering the beast's nose awakened it, drool began gathering in the mouth signaling the hidden hunger for murder.
Kaliyah's voice appeared again, but now instead of sounding calming and feminine it sounded as if a few rabid beasts were growling at the same time. It was malignant and terrifying, sending chills to anybody who heard it. It was the sound of a pure nightmarish sound. It could not be called a voice anymore.
"I smell… I smell them now… I know exactly where they are... Theron, are we ready?"
"Yes partner, you can go... just don't shred them to pieces instantly… I want to have some fun too," Theron answered with a smile creeping up his scared face.
"Hihihikihikik," a laughter sounding like it came out the depths of hell echoed through the forest together with the quick silent pounces of Kaliyah closing in on its target.
But even this terrifying beast and the scarred man sitting on its head had no clue that they were already spotted.