Logan looked back once again, feeling bad for his beast who had to face monsters alone. It was for the best, and he was really not in any danger as Valeria's traps proved they were effective.
They would always be perfectly placed to cause the most damage and cripple the enemy enough to not kill it but perfectly leave them open for his monster to deal the finishing blow.
He was interested in her tactics and was willing to learn them to reduce the damage his tamed beasts would take in the future and make him more useful in battle.
As he got in place, he felt the breath of his beast behind him, starting its flaming ability. The forest smelled of smoke and grilled meat as it hit the first of its prey. The Warks, now fully focused on the Scorchwyrm, charged in wildly, their hunger driving them forward.
Valeria's raven and Logan's Everwind Falcon circled above, keeping an eye on the battlefield. The bombs had caused significant chaos, and the Warks were severely disoriented. As the Scorchwyrm continued to breathe fire, the Warks' numbers began to dwindle. Logan could see the battle was turning in their favor.
As the Warks began to feel the loss in their numbers, they tried escaping. This was met with more traps, making them sitting ducks. The Scorchwyrm now had the confidence to walk forth and burn every single enemy before it, its powerful flames killing even the most fearless of the Warks.
[Ping, Ping, Ping] Logan heard the melody of his level-ups, his body rejuvenating the fatigue and strength he had lost so far. He grinned with satisfaction as his level rose.
"Say, mentor… don't you have any skills you can use? Why do you only use traps?" he questioned, wondering if she also had the capability to use her monsters' powers or any other skills that would be useful for him in the future.
"What do you mean, hero? Having various tamed beasts and learning to harness their skills... wait, if I recall correctly, you should be able to use soul-tamed beasts' skills. Don't tell me you can also use your Scorchwyrm's ability?" Valeria said, looking enviously at Logan. She was almost tempted to shake him by the collar for not telling her earlier.
"After all this, we will be having a long talk. I need to know everything, Logan. Like I said, I want to train you as fast as possible. There is my own territory to maintain, and I can't be here long," she said with a stern voice before continuing.
"Well, now that I know this, we should focus on eliminating the mutations after this battle. I won't have to worry too much about my traps running out."
Just as they were speaking, something happened on the battlefield. The flames whirled around, causing chaos. Logan knew something was happening with his Scorchwyrm, as it had leveled up just before the explosive power surged.
"You should thank the Great Darkness Spirit for the power you were given, Logan. It usually takes a year of training for this to happen normally, you know. At least my guess about your monster's evolution was spot on," Valeria spoke out as she and everyone witnessed the event unfolding before them.
The light from the flame was so strong that no one could tell what was happening within the vortex; they just felt the power and the blessing of the Fire Spirit converge to help the Scorchwyrm transcend.
Finally, all the flames converged on a single point, as if his monster was drawing in the inferno. A great cloud of smoke enveloped the fire beast, concealing it from their sight.
"Kree-rah!" A new beast emerged from the smoke with a powerful jump. It looked fierce as its golden scales shone in the sun, the forest around it turning to ashes.
At first, he did not recognize it, but the colors and texture of its scales made it obvious who it was. The Scorchwyrm, or whatever species it had now become, had grown in size.
[No way I will ever carry you again, Scorch…] Logan muttered, as he went closer to his beast. It stood tall, almost two meters high, and its length was probably seven meters long, with most of it attributed to the large, powerful tail.
[Master, I stronger, look good?]
"A raptor, how to say no to that?" Logan yelled as he hugged his beast, who placed its head on his chest, as gentle-tempered as ever. Despite the transformation, the bond between them remained strong, and Logan felt a surge of pride and affection for his loyal companion.
"Now that is an evolution, I would have never guessed possible. To tell you the truth, I have never seen such a monster. It seems more primal than anything I have ever seen," Valeria said, examining every part of Logan's new beast.
"Instead of you carrying your tame around it will be the opposite, I can already see you using this kid as a mount especially when in this forest." She said with excitement in her voice, "Actually… let's try that, I have an extra saddle for when I need to use Noire to travel quickly through parts of my territory, she is not fond of it so it should work better for you."
Logan nodded, feeling excited at the prospect of not using a carriage again. Valeria retrieved the saddle from her own pocket dimension and handed it to him. It was sturdy, designed to withstand any rough terrain. Logan along with Valeria carefully fitted it onto Scorch, who seemed curious about the new accessory.
With Valeria's guidance, Logan climbed onto his new raptor's back. The beast stood tall and steady, ready to move.
Logan felt somewhat scared just like a kid getting on his first bicycle while he settled into the saddle, his legs gripping the creature's sides.
[Scorch please go slowly I have never done this, just as I know its something new for you too, bud.] Logan commanded while petting his tames radiant scales.
His new raptor began with a few slow steps to get used to his body and the added weight, before launching into a swift run.
[Slowly, slowly Scorch!] Logan communicated while grabbing onto his mount's neck.
[Running, fun, slow never…more] He heard his beast say with joy, but this was not a shared emotion, Logan struggled to keep himself on its back as it rushed forth.
It took a while for his beast to settle but it was enough for Logan to get used to some of its speed, it was not made to walk but to run, this was evident by its powerful legs that could jump ten meters with ease.
"Well that was more than I expected, it's good that you could hang on, but I will advise you to find a good leatherworker to add some straps and fit the saddle for your beast. The Earl should help you with that." Valeria said as Logan returned getting off his new mount while holding on to a tree to help his wobbling legs.
"How long does it take…" Logan said breathlessly, his hair a mess while he trying to remove the feeling of being constantly shaken.
"About a week to get used to the movement, a few months to become a true beginner but that will probably be reduced because of your bond with your beast, after that its just like everything else where you need to place years of dedication and practice." She replied which made Logan hopeful.
"I am not sure you know this, but I can send telepathic signals to my beasts," Logan said, trying to not sound like he was boasting but also not wanting his new mentor to grill him for not saying that earlier.
"I knew it, you were hiding something else. What else can you do? Morph into your creature or something… Why are you kids so strong…" Valeria said as if looking disgusted, she made a big sigh before returning to the new task on hand.
"Now that you won't have to carry your kid, we will start moving fast, there are at least twenty mutations in this forest and now that you don't need as much experience, we will start working on honing your skills. Don't just rely on your tame beasts' instincts, it is fine for the most part, but for unpredictable battles that is dangerous." She warned while sending off her raven and panther off again.
"First off, now that you have your greatest asset, which is this… I don't even know what species it is, but what do you call him?" Valeria questioned.
"His name is Scorch…" Logan said with a timid voice.
"Yeah… Scorch." She looked at him with a knowing gaze before continuing, "Well then, now that you have him, it will be wise to start looking into tactics that you could use for the next battle. I want you to only use him for the first mutation; after that, we should start working on your overall teamwork."
Logan nodded at her suggestion, realizing the importance of developing his leadership skills. To command an army of tamed creatures, he knew he needed to be more strategic and well-prepared.
He then turned his attention to something crucial—checking on his fire beast's stats.