About 13 minutes later...
Dom sighs as he moves through the forest with hands in his jean pockets. "I really really hate that guy." He grumbled as he jumps across a fallen tree trunk and moves forward.
"Even though they were closer, they couldn't sense that other's guy's magic. Maybe sensing other people's magic is my special ability." He chuckled before looking up to find a tall tree filled with apples.
"Well, since I can't prove that they didn't cheat. I just have to do it." He rolls up his sleeves and begins to climb the tree. "Besides, proudly facing villains like Matt is what a Great Magic Knight would do." He pulls himself to the top and begins to pluck the fresh fruits.
"Maybe I'll bring everybody each two or three apples just to show how awesome I am." He chuckled as he reaches for another fruit but stops as his body flinches.
In that moment, some birds cheep loudly as they suddenly flew out from the trees around, causing Dom to look around cautiously.
Dom drops the apples and begins to climb back down.
"I don't care what they say, I'm not going to die because of some stupid bet or worse… let Pops kill me once he finds out."
Halfway down the tree, Dom senses an incoming attack and turns with a gasp as a gust of wind slams into him, knocking him down to the ground with a thud.
"Ow. Ow. Ow." Dom grumbled as he sits up, rubbing his back in pain before glaring once he hears a familiar annoying laugh.
"Come on, Snow white. I thought Apple picking was your speciality." Matt chuckled with his lackeys laughing beside him.
"Seriously?! What's your problem?!" Dom shouted as he got to his feet. "You pick on me. Then you cheat and now you won't even let me work in peace. What did I ever do to you?"
"I can't stand you." Matt said with a sneer on his face. "Even though you have no magic affinity and you're poor. Everyone likes you. And even though I have everything you don't, nobody wants to be my friend."
"Seriously? That's what this is about? Some stupid jealousy?" Dom's glare turns into a mocking smirk. "You really are a royal dumbass." Dom chuckled and Matt clicks his tongue.
"That's it. I'm tired of you always running your dirty mouth." Matt said as he holds up his hands, creating a gust of wind around his body with his magic while his lackeys also activate their magic too. "I'll show you what magic really is. Maybe that will shut your mouth once and for all."
Dom grits his teeth as he looks between the four guys about to attack him.
"Sounds like fun. Can I join in?" The cloaked man asked and the three boys finally turn in shock to find him standing behind them.
"Who are you?" Matt asked.
"Just a humbled observer." The man said with a creepy smile on his face. As the boys stare in confusion, Dom shakily steps back with his eyes still widened.
"Whatever weirdo. You just stay away from me or I'll tell my dad. He's the Chief." Matt said with confidence with his lackeys nodding in agreement but the man just sighs.
"I'd love to but unfortunately, I've not gotten a chance to eat since last night and I'm really hungry right now." The man places a hand on his stomach. "And to be honest I've always wondered what young mages taste like." He licks his lips.
"This guy is giving me the creeps, Matt." The first lackey said and the other nods.
Matt glare deepens as he holds up an arm. "Don't!" Dom shouted.
"I said go away!" Matt shouted as he fires a wind blast into the man who doesn't budge even as the wind violently shakes the trees around him. "No way." Matt grumbled as the wind blows off his cloak, revealing his dark skin covered with tattoos and his tattered clothes which had dry blood stains on them.
"Wind magic. Just like me." The man said as he looks up, revealing his emerald green glowing eyes. "My turn." The man releases his own mana which easily overshadows theirs and swings his arm out.
Instantly, some drops of blood splash on Dom's face and his mouth widens once he realizes along with the others that Matt was now staring at his left arm… which was now severed at the elbow while the rest of his arm lands with a thud in front of the first lackey.
Matt suddenly lets out a pained shriek, gripping his heavily bleeding wound on his knees. "My hand! My hand!" He kept shouting with tears in his eyes.
Whether it was driven by fear or loyalty, the second lackey conjures a rock from his palm and tries to attack the man with it but with another swing of his arm, the boy's attacking hand along with his head was sliced clean off with the remaining wind slashing through the trees behind him.
"No!" The first lackey shouted in terror as he watches his friend fall lifelessly. He then looks between the mage and the still crying Matt before deciding to run. "Mummy!" He cried out while the man smirks.
He sends another attack that vertically slices the boy in two with the two halves dropping lifelessly on the ground. "It's always nice to watch your prey run." The man said with another lick of his lips before turning back to Matt still crying.
"Daddy! It hurts! It hurts!" Matt cried out and the man smiles before frowning once he realizes that Dom was gone.
"At least one of them knows how to put up a good chase." He chuckled before clicking his tongue once Matt's cries intensify. "You're annoying." He grumbled with another swing of his hand that rips Matt's body apart, silencing him.
Meanwhile, Dom now hiding behind a large tree several meters away, pants deeply with a hand on his heaving chest and his forehead covered in sweat.
His eyes widen in realization. "The wild animal…" He whispers to himself before shaking his head in fear. "I… I need to go. If I stay here, I'll… I'll die."
As Dom gets up, he senses the attack and instinctively jumps to the side… just as a large wind slash rips through the hard tree bark, causing it to tilt and fall to the ground with a resounding thud that shakes the ground.
Dom stares at it in shock, not even realizing that a long slanted cut had been made on his left cheek which already begins to bleed out.
"I knew you were special." A familiar voice echoed and Dom gasps as the wind mage emerges from the sliced bushes. "Not only do you move fast, you also managed to sense and dodge my attack. Not that I was being serious but still…"
He paused as he licks his hand which Dom now realizes was covered in blood. "I only had time to taste those boys but I'm disappointed." He lowers his hand which drips from the excess blood.
"Their mana tasted like poorly cooked fish. But yours… something is telling me that its taste…" He paused as he gazed deeply at Dom, his eyes fixed on Dom's terrified but still mesmerizing blue aura. "… will be nothing like I've ever tasted before."
Dom's eyes water in fear as he shifts back on the floor. "I don't want to die." He mumbled but the mage smiles evilly.
"I bet that's what the goats and cows always say when they're about to die. But you still kill and eat them in the end, right?" He licks his blood stained lips and Dom trembles in horror. "That's just nature, my beautiful prey. The never ending circle of life."
He crouches like a beast about to pounce and Dom gets up, ready to run just as the mage vanishes with a gust of wind which smashes into Dom. Dom instinctively closes his eyes and raises his arms to guard.
"You can't escape." The mage's voice echoed and Dom gasps with now widened eyes once he senses a hand reaching for him from behind.
The mage groans as he jumps away, his right hand burnt to a crisp before sliding to a stop. "Who's there?!" The mage said in anger as he stares at the end of the fiery path… where the ball of red-yellow flame disperse, revealing Dom who opens his eyes and realizes that someone was carrying him.
"Are you okay?" His saviour asked with a deep voice and Dom looks up at him.
The saviour was a 55 year old, 7 feet tall muscular man with warm beige skin, his blonde-grey hair tied into a pony tail and a neat full beard. He wore the famous black coloured uniform with blue outlines belonging to the Royal Army along with a long white coat designed with flame patterns over it.
He gives Dom another shake, causing Dom to notice his rose red-glowing eyes. Still paralyzed by fear, Dom only manages to nod and the fire mage sighs in relief.
"You've got some nerve interrupting my hunt." The wind mage grumbled and the fire mage slowly lets Dom down.
"Elon Kruger. The Mage Cannibal." The fire mage said as he turns around. "You were being transported to the Capital for your execution… but your suppressor cuffs failed and you escaped."
"Judging by your uniform, I can tell you're a Magic Knight. So who the hell are you supposed to be?" Elon asked and the fire mage slowly walks forward.
"A man who happened to be around." The fire mage responded as he stops a couple feet away from Elon just as a gust of wind blows into them, lifting up the mage's coat which drew Dom's attention.
His blue eyes widen once he finally sees the black beast symbol on the back of the coat with the number 3 boldly written underneath it.
"It doesn't matter who you are. You interrupted my hunt and for that, you'll die. At least…" Elon paused with a lick of his lips. "… you look like someone with a strong taste."
The fire mage lifts his head up, his eyes closed with fists tightly clenched at his sides. "When I heard you'd escape, I moved as fast as I could. But not only had you already devoured your escorts along with two hunters in this town… I also found what seemed to have been three boys some distance from here."
Dom frown deepens at the thought of the scene before looking back at the fire mage whose red aura began to leak out of his body. "Judging by their sizes, I'd say they were about this boy's age. They've probably never even gotten their first girl and yet," His fists tighten to the point that blood drips out. "They were slaughtered like animals."
"We are animals." Elon raises his working hand with his palm facing up. "Say all you want but all I did was abide by the law of nature." He closes his hand, creating a spiral of wind around his fist. "I got hungry, I found my prey and hunted them. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Is that how much value a human life holds to you?" The fire mage asked.
Elon furrows his brows in confusion. "What do you mean? I see human life as the greatest gift by nature." He looks at his blood stained hand and a demonic grin forms on his face. "Not only do their meat taste better, their uniquely refined mana adds a certain taste which varies per person. It's a truly amazing phenomenon."
A vein protrudes on the fire mage's forehead once he heard Elon's words. "The Capital just ordered me to capture you but after hearing that bullshit," He stares directly at Elon, his red eyes glowing menacingly. "… I'm personally sending you to hell."