Chereads / Akkaihoshi Jigoku e no mon / Chapter 4 - Chapter four: lightening wolf trouble

Chapter 4 - Chapter four: lightening wolf trouble

Hi and Sozin get ready for the quest and purchase some potions from the botanics guild. "I´d like some of those green herbs and some potions for wounds and quicker regeneration!" Sozin asks of the vendor. "Alright coming up! That will be 1 gold coin for 10 herbs and 4 potions!" the vendor tells Sozin and places the items on the counter. "Here you go!" Sozin tells him and gives him the gold coin. "Pleasure doing Businness with you! Please do come again!" the vendor says. "We will!" Sozin tells him. "Are these herbs and potions really that good?" Hi asks him. "They are of course not as potent as healing magic but it can close your wounds and speed up your natural regeneration. It´s a nice alternative for all hunters who don´t have someone with healing magic. We finished our preperations?" Sozin asks him. "Yeah, i´ve got our rations and our equipment is ready to go!" Hi answers. "Alright let´s depart!" Sozin says getting his teleportation stone out. "Grab on!" Sozin tells him, who then grabs his hand. They start glowing blue and teleport out.

When they open their eyes they are somewhere else. A teleportation crystal in the middle of nowhere. There´s a small forest and a path to the nearest village. The region is mountainy with lots of hills and valleys in some valleys you can see farms. "Where are we?" Hi asks Sozin. "In the east. Kinto-country known for their large farmlands and export of rice." Sozin responds. "Where are the lightening wolves?" Hi asks. "That way!" Sozin tells him poining eastwards toward the farmlands currently being ravaged by lightening wolves hunting for game. "How do you know? I can´t see them! Oh i saw some lightening flash there!" Hi says. "Sight isn´t the only way to tell where something is. You can sense mana in the environment and the closer and denser the mana is together most likely there is something that uses it!" Sozin explains to him. "Let me try!" Hi says focusing on sensing mana in the area as if he is absorbing it he can tell that where he saw the lightening wolves there really is more mana. "You´re right master! I never thought of that!" Hi says. "Ain´t your master for nothing but first i´ll need to see you in action to determine how strong you are." Sozin tells him. "First lesson starts now! Try to keep up!" Sozin says dashing off right as he finishes talkin. "Where are you going master? Please wait up!" Hi screams dashing after him. Sozin looks back at Hi to see if he is keeping up and he is pleasantly surprised that Hi can keep up with his leisurly running speed. Hi is struggling to keep up and holding the pace. All of a sudden Sozin stops. "Why did you stop?" Hi asks out of breath. "We are here see them ravaging the fields and eating their prey on it? Those are lightening wolves, you can tell by their white and yellow fur, their horns and their mastery of lightening magic. Due to that they are quite quick. However that guy right there is a greater lightening wolf the leader of the pack. See how his horns are larger and his frame is bigger? These horns are the reason for their lightening magic they can absorb lightening and mana from those and the bigger the horn the stronger the lightening. However they behave strangely compared to normal. They usually live high up in the mountains and have no reason to come all the way down!" Sozin explains carefully. "You really know a lot master how do we proceed?" Hi asks. "Hunt them of course you kill the alpha i wanna see you in action. I´ll take care of the small fry be ready to kill some of those too they surely won´t allow you to attack the alpha." Sozin says.

"All right see you there master!" Hi says charging in with his Tachi. He heads straight for the alpha but some lightening wolves attack Hi, which he cuts down swiftly. However there are more of them who Hi couldn´t quite catch. One comes close to hitting Hi from behind but Sozin took care of it in a fraction of a second. "Don´t worry i got your back!" he says and carries his momentum with the big sword of his he doesn´t stop and makes it look like a dance of fire. "Thanks master nice one!" Hi says moving along to the alpha. He now stands face to face with the beast. The beast howls heavenward and it´s horns start glowing yellow as it howls it summons a storm rain and wind quickly pick up. The clouds are thunder clouds waiting to rain lightening down at the earth. One hits the wolfs horns and charges it up with it´s fur standing up, eyes glowing and body crackling with electricty. Another nearly hits Hi but his quick judgement allowed him to predict it. The greater lightening wolf attacks him with it´s claws and grazes him. Hi closely dodged that one and the lightening magic charges up Hi with a current making his hair stand up. That wasn´t it though as lightening strikes where the beast´s claws hit the ground. "That was close one hit could knock me out flat. Doesn´t help that it´s raining either the water conducts it´s electricity. What sould i do?" Hi says. It flips aiming to hit Hi with it´s tail but Hi blocks it left with no other alternative he is pushed back. It strikes at Hi with it´s claws and Hi tries to intercept the attacks with an attack of his own. However it´s claws break the blade and the blade´s steel conducts the electricty straight to Hi. Now Hi is paralyzed by the shock he gathers his magic to wake his body up Heat starts exuding from enough to vaporise the near rain and dry his clothes. The beast charges at him with it´s horns. Hi now back on his feet jumps over it gracefully. "Now is my chance!" Hi says sheathing his katana in the air and focusing his mana in it strengthening it´s blade and enchanting it with fire magic. Hi does something he never has done before combining his strong fire magic with his katana. The result is a sizzling red blade with which he is able to cut through the horns of the beast. He hits the horns spot on cutting them off while he spins in the air with his sword creating a circular motion that looks like the sun. With the horns off the beast flinches back and yells in pain. Hi uses that opportunity to run down it´s entire length with his sword cutting it in half you can see the line of the cut because of his fire. It burns and falls down whitout being able to process what just happened. Sozin applauds Hi "Well done you are a prodigy just as they said combining your swordmanship with your potent fire magic well done but i fear you didn´t realize what you just did and won´t be able to replicate it if i asked. You used a technique that heats the blade up and improves it´s cutting ability dramatically!" Sozin says. Hi stands there watching his katana melt in front of his eyes. "Why did it melt?" Hi wonders. "You heated it up and the steel melted! You did that unconsciosly in a situation of life and death so focused to kill it you forgot what happened. It is impressive but unfortunately you won´t be able to use that techinque again unless i teach you!" Sozin says. "Oh, yes i did that." Hi says calmly. "Oh another great thing about you in a situation of life and death you stay calm." Sozin tells him. "Good to know. Will you teach me that technique properly now master?" Hi asks. "Later you need some rest wait here while i carve them up and gather their materials!" Sozin tells him. "Then i´ll do that!" Hi says sitting down.

"Hey you there! Did you kill those wolves?!" a farmer asks loudly while approaching Hi and Sozin. "Yes we did! Who are you?" Sozin asks him. "I am the one that owns this field. Let us properly thank you. The village elder will be sure to see you and Thank you in person. As for me i´m truly grateful you killed them before they could ruin my entire field. Upon closer inspection you didn´t spill much of the monsters blood that is truly impressive!" the farmer says. "Yes we´ll talk to your elder of course. Right? Master?" Hi asks Sozin. " Yeah after i am done gathering their materials!" Sozin says. "That reminds me of the materials we probably don´t need all the meat and only the valuable stuff. Can you make use of that meat?" Hi tells the farmer. "We would be overjoyed to have it it´ll be enough to last us until we get the fields going again!" he says. "Alright you can have that but you will have to cook for us!" Hi tells him. "Of course let me get my wagon so we can get it into the village just ahead!" he tells him running off for his wagon. "See you around then!" Hi says. "Done! I heard you arranged a feast for us great work i can´t wait to eat that meat." Sozin says. "Sure no problem wouldn´t have been to eat all that by ourselves!" Hi answers.

The farmer is back with his wagon as well as some friends. "Hey i´ve brought the wagon and some friends to help load the meat!" the farmer says. The people take the materials from them and load it onto the wagon. "Great work killing those wolves!" a guy says. "Our pleasure!" Sozin says smiling. "You aren´t human aren´t you?" he asks. "Why do you ask? I helped you guys doesn´t matter what i am!" Sozin says hurt by those words. "Look don´t ask if he doesnt want to tell you leave him alone!" Hi jumps in. "Just asking!" he answers and gets on the wagon. "Nice one apprentice!" Sozin tells Hi. "No problem!" Hi answers. They get on the wagon as well. "Everyone and everything on board? We are going home!" the farmer says heading off to the village. The sun sets slowly and they approach the village.