'Look at the size of that mountain!' Alfroth marvels, his eyes fixed on the immense peak in the distance.
'Yeah, but don't get too excited, we're going to search in the forest only,' Mauka says, tempering his enthusiasm.
Alfroth and Mauka stood at the edge of the dense forest. After two days of uneventful traveling, they have finally made it to the base of the finger where the meteorite struck a few days ago. Mauka ties the Molba to a tree nearby and instructs it to be on alert. Molbas in Carmilla's barn have always been trained to be on alert with two claps and to relax with three claps.
'What if someone steals our luggage or, worse, the whole Molba?' Alfroth says, worried about his cute traveling companion.
'Don't worry, people from villages don't come near beasts that are marked to be hunted by a party or a guild, and a Wayran happens to be one of them.'
'Sis, are you sure about this?' Alfroth says, still worried.
'.Of course, I am. I hunted one of them nearly on my own with a bit of help, and the dragon with attitude went down with ease. Most of the time, you just need to be prepared and skilled.'
'Sis, you know a lot about this.'
'Well, I do because I worked in a guild myself at one point.'
'Wait, what?' Alfroth replies, shocked.
'Did I never tell you that?' Mauka questions back.
'You did not. I thought you were in a group.'
'No, you register a group under a guild, you idiot,' she walks towards him. 'Listen, if you get lost and can't find me or wherever you are, if you use a bird to send a message, always make sure that in the corner you have written "O.L.E.D".'
'Why?' Alfroth asks.
'It's a way to let us know that it's you for sure. Don't worry, it's just a code for the family, and Carmilla knows it as well,' Mauka explains as she walks back to the spot where all her items are still scattered.
'Oh, hey, tell me one more thing. Where was I before the day I broke Carmilla's window?' Mauka faces him as she prepares herself, packing medicines, food, and water pouches in her little pockets attached to her waist.
'Don't change the subject, but that night... I found you outside, slowly wandering to the barn, drunk... Sister, maybe you should sto...'
'Aaah, drop it,' Mauka interrupts Alfroth.
A silence settles between the two. Mauka keeps preparing, facing the tree away from Alfroth, ashamed of herself. Alfroth looks at his sister with concern, not just for her but for people around her as well.
'Sis, please list...'
'Shut up and get ready. We will be leaving in just a bit,' Mauka shout, annoyed at her brother.
Alfroth doesn't respond back and starts to prepare himself scared of his sister.
Both of them suffer the silence but continue on after the exchange and prepare for the battle ahead. Alfroth picks his short sword and holds it on his waist on his left side and adjusts the shield on his left hand. 'Somebody's excited for this,' Mauka chuckles, looking at her brother. She picks up the wrapped great sword and places it on her back.
'Are you ready?'.
'Yes'.
As they finish preparing, both of them enter the forest. The towering trees surround them, with a path leading forward towards the Finger. Alfroth worries over the direction and asks Mauka about how they will find the beast. Mauka tells him that they will know when they are close to it. Quietly, Alfroth follows his sister, making sure not to engage with any life they encounter. He sees many different beasts, including double-headed snakes, birds with beaks bigger than he has ever seen before, and many other animals. However, as they go deeper into the forest, more animals disappear, and after some more walking, no animals can be seen.
'Sis, can I fight something before we head to the Wayran?' Alfroth asks Mauka, eager to practice.
Mauka, deep in thought, doesn't respond right away. Alfroth tries again, 'Sis, are you trying to doze off?'
Mauka turns to him with a sleepy expression. 'No, I am just trying to concentrate; this helps me a lot, what did you say again?'
'I said "I need to practice before I face the Wayran",' Alfroth insists.
'You? Face the Wayran?' Mauka chuckles to herself.
'What's so amusing?' Alfroth asks, visibly irritated.
'Oh, don't be absurd. You're not going to fight it; only I am,' Mauka asserts.
'But why?' Alfroth inquires.
'Because you're weak. That's the end of it. Don't bother me again,' Mauka retorts.
'What do you mean...?'
Mauka walks a few steps, expecting another question, when a thud from behind catches her attention. She turns around to see Alfroth on his knees, struggling to get up.
'Tired already? Kids are weak these days,' she teases him, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
A soothing sound emerges from behind, immediately informing her that the majestic beast is near. She rushes to him and tells him to relax his muscles and take deep breaths. Alfroth, visibly struggling, takes her advice and gradually feels the weight on his body being lifted.
'What was that? I felt so heavy all of a sudden,' he asks, steadying his body as he stands.
'It was the Wayran, it's close,' Mauka picks up Alfroth in her arms, his head resting on one hand and his legs on the other, embarrassed; Alfroth shouts 'What are you doing?'. She quickly rushes into the forest with great speed with Alfroth still in her hands, avoiding trees in the way. Alfroth looks to the front seeing a faint blue light becoming brighter and brighter as they rush towards it, suddenly a blue beam of light appears in front of them ,mauka dodging it by a hair and coming to a stop, the mysterious blue light pulsates before them, casting an eerie glow on the surrounding trees.
She lets Alfroth down, scared; he looks towards where the blue light is emanating from and sees a large white figure in front of him, its shiny claws glistening in the faint light. Its massive body partially covered behind its majestic wing, and its large head filled with numerous eyes. A blue gem glows in the center of Wayran's head surrounded by all the eyes, it's skin white as milk. The creature stands before them, exuding an aura of power and purity as the creature might be the embodiment of light itself.
'Sis, are you sure? Let's return home now, to mom and dad,' Alfroth speaks in a calm tone, a sense of urgency creeping into his voice.
'What are you talking about?' she looks back at him, concern evident in her eyes.
Alfroth's eyes half-close, murmuring to himself, 'Sis, I am tired. Can we go home now?'
'open your eyes! Don't listen to its music,' she screams at him, winding her hand back and giving him a tight slap to wake him up.
'What's happening? Why did you hit me?' Alfroth says in shock, confusion clouding his face.
'Listen, think of that thing with blood all across its body. Don't keep it in a good image, or it will put you to sleep. Think of it as evil and not pure,' she keeps shouting at him, desperation tingeing her voice. But Alfroth cannot resist the urge to sleep, the soothing sound pleasing his ears, and the light shining in front reminds him of his time with his mother and father, in a field walking towards their home. Soon, Alfroth starts to drift off again.
Mauka realizes she can't help Alfroth in his current state, she quickly pushes him behind a tree for safety. Looking to her left, she sees the once familiar land now engulfed in pulsing, molten red heat. The trees bear a menacing ring of the same fiery hue, as if consumed by an otherworldly fire.
Mauka inhales deeply, rises to her feet, and walks toward the Wayran. Standing face to face with the majestic beast, she reaches behind her back to draw her sword. As the great blade gleams in the light, she tightens her grip on the hilt and directs it towards the towering creature with one hand.
"I have never fought one this big or with that blue stone embedded in it's face, the size and the beam of light are going to be tricky and with alfroth behind my back it's going to be difficult, i need to direct wayran's attention to it's behind so i can not involve him in it's line of sight." mauka thinks to herself while steadying her feet, out of nowhere, the beast's tails lunge toward her with alarming speed. Mauka swiftly raises her sword, intercepting the attack with her sword, she manages to land a small cut before it retreats, the wayran lets out an unpleasant cry echoing throughout the forest.
All the eyes scattered around its face shift to focus on Mauka. She maintains her stance, ready to dash towards her right. A silence falls between the two as the large beast stares at her and Mauka stares back, focused on each other, focused on each other. She readies her feet, breaking a branch underneath, and the snapping breaks the silence. Mauka dashes towards her right into the trees, and the beast extends one of its arms, sending it straight towards her.
She avoids the blow with ease, still running through the forest. Wayran extends its other arm and slashes it towards her, destroying trees and rocks in its way. Mauka notices the hand coming towards her and slides across the ground, narrowly dodging it. Her sprint comes to an end, managing to divert the Wayran to its back, leaving Alfroth out of harm's way.
Mauka smiles, knowing that for now, Alfroth can remain safe if she keeps the attention of the beast on her. The Wayran uses its tail to swipe the ground, and Mauka leaps high in the air, avoiding the tail swipe. She lands on the ground and immediately dashes towards the beast, extending her arms and swinging the greatsword at the Wayran's leg. The blade connects but doesn't pierce the scales, sending a shock through her body.
With her attack failed, she quickly retreats, 'What?' she says in surprise, regaining her breath, "I should have been able to slash through it, but I am still a bit rusty, I guess," she thinks to herself, preparing for another dash towards the great beast.
She pulls her hands back to her right, preparing for another strike with her full power. She dashes towards the Wayran, but can't seem to find an opening to land a good blow. She jumps around and dodges all the attacks thrown towards her, "If I keep dodging and don't take a hit, then I am good. Soon, it will open up a tiny spot that I can take advantage of," she smirks, knowing she is on an equal term with the Wayran right now.
After dodging and avoiding many blows, the Wayran turns its body towards her to hit her with one of its claws. Mauka realizes this and stops in her tracks immediately, knowing that when the Wayran's turning, it will stop protecting its flesh under the wing for a moment, giving her the opening she has been desperately looking for. With that in mind, she runs to the side of the Wayran, her sword ready to strike.
She reaches the belly of the beast, exposed just for a second with her sword ready to strike knowing that if she doesn't land this and gain advantage over the beast then she and alfroth will be in danger.
Swinging her sword with all her might, Mauka hopes to deal a massive cut, but suddenly the Wayran retracts its wings to the front, blocking the strike. The sword manages to make a small cut but fails to deliver the massive damage she had hoped for. She steps back to retreat to a safe distance, but her face is suddenly met with a blinding white light, and she feels a cushion hitting her face.
The moment of disorientation passes, and she gets blown back with great speed, landing hard against a tree. The cushion she felt was the Wayran's wing, which struck her greatly despite being one of the softest materials in all of the low realm. Injured and with blood dripping from her head, she stands up, clutching her sword despite the pain coursing through her body.
The Wayran lets out a soothing cry, waking Alfroth from his sweet dreams.