After finishing the wild ride, Logan dismounted with Valeria's assistance and eagerly checked his tamed monster's updated stats. He couldn't wait to see the extent of its newfound strength.
[Name: Scorch / Species: Infernal Raptor / Level: 16 / Blood Mark: Neck / Loyalty: 36/100]
Str: 18 / Agi: 16 / Dex: 13 / Con: 14 / Int: 15 / Char: 8
Flame Breath: Unleashes a powerful stream of fire capable of incinerating foes.
Molten Scales: Scales radiate intense heat, burning anything that comes into contact with them.
Searing Whip: Whips its tail releasing a blazing slash on its path.
Inferno Burst: Unleashes a powerful burst of flames, dealing massive fire damage to enemies in a wide area.
Flame Aura: Surrounds itself with an aura of fire, reducing damage taken and burning any enemies that come close.]
As he finished reading his tamed beast's stats, Logan noticed the significant changes in his beast. Previously, it had low strength and high intelligence. Now, its strength had risen exponentially while its intelligence remained high. It was a substantial improvement, one he welcomed with satisfaction.
Scorch seemed like a completely different creature. Before, it had been lazy and kept to itself, but now it had gained the confidence to walk around and even interact with Logan's fox. It made the first move to nuzzle up to Logan, showing affection—something it rarely did before.
[Small creature, I stronger, I'm best] Scorch communicated to Luna, whose fur stood on end.
[Grrrr, wait, master, I stronger, soon] Luna growled in response, her eyes blazing with a competitive but very cute spirit.
Scorch's intelligence was not enough to make him speak properly, but it did get a bit more fluid.
Logan watched the exchange between Scorch and Luna with amusement. It was fascinating to see how his creatures interacted, even if it was a bit rough around the edges.
"I know you are having fun, Logan, but I need to remind you that we need to keep training. There is more to learn about tactics, especially now that you have a new tamed beast," Valeria said.
"You're right, we wasted too much time. Where should we head next?" Logan asked, switching to his serious demeanor. He did not want to waste more time, seeing how much things had changed with proper help.
"We will have your Scorch start training. I want to see how much he has improved," Valeria said. She then called for her tamed beasts, expert trackers, to lead the way. They would hunt the mutated creatures first before giving the normal beasts a try.
Within minutes, both tamed creatures found monsters but in opposite directions. Without giving Logan time to decide, Valeria quickly instructed his Falcon to follow her Raven. Meanwhile, the rest of Logan's team and Valeria were guided by the panther, who had returned to lead them.
"It's weird, but this forest is even more infected than I originally thought," Valeria remarked.
"Something strange is happening. The vile demons' movements may have been rushed to cause problems for your summoned creatures. Good thing we learned about this before a stampede could occur. It was crucial that you found the Forest Guardian on time. Now, let's go—we have no time to waste."
Valeria rushed forth, hopping on her large cat. Logan chased behind, his tames perched on top of his raptor. His goblin clung to his back, and his fox held on for its dear life as the mount ran to keep up with the black beast.
"Good to know you're getting better at riding your beast. It's a good sign," Valeria said, glancing back.
Logan nodded, gripping the harness. The pointed scales on the back of his tamed creature provided something to hold on to, helping him steady himself.
As they ran forth, they witnessed Valeria swiftly dealing with the minor enemies. Those she could kill in a few hits were taken down by the strange black magic that her panther unleashed with a swipe or by the crossbow she wielded, causing the bodies to explode upon impact.
Most of the beasts easily dealt with were no larger than a wolf. Many were probably normal animals that had been infected. None of them posed a significant threat, so Valeria saw no need to stop and have Logan hunt them.
As they reached a particular area, they noticed trees on the ground, and a moss-covered monster whose body showed signs of corruption. It struggled to hold on to its sanity, with most of its leaves appearing dead and its skin barely containing color.
"What have they done to you, poor creature?" Valeria called out. The monster, trying to maintain its original gentle demeanor, stomped near their direction as if to tell them to stay away.
"Chex techu," Logan's goblin called out in a sorrowful voice, one hand extended as if it knew the creature.
[Tis, a forest keeper,] she tried to communicate, pain evident in her voice.
"What is a forest keeper?" Logan called out to Valeria, trying to figure out his tamed beast's intentions.
"It's one of the guards placed by the Guardian of the Forest. Without it, the monsters could run amok. It's an important part of this area; it keeps the mana stable enough so that not all animals turn into magical beasts," Valeria explained, concern evident in her voice.
"We need to try something. Look for a shard or stone around it. It's not fully infected, so maybe we can overturn the mutation if we remove it," Valeria suggested.
Logan began to search one side while Valeria checked the other. The massive beast was at least three meters high, but its most impressive feature was its long body, which stretched at least eight meters like a giant snake. It had two arms it used to move and two antlers that resembled tree branches.
It was challenging to inspect each part, so Logan decided to enlist his monsters for assistance, cautioning them against touching anything directly.
"There should be a pattern. Some leaves are withered, but how is it that it's spread all over its body?" Logan mumbled, trying to decipher the mutation process.
[Scorch, jump over the beast. Maybe you could spot something from a higher position,] Logan communicated while being careful of the great beast's hands, which began to try pushing them away.
The guardian made low grumbles as it tried to maintain its sanity, struggling as it raised its hands to hold its head.
"Scorch, do you see anything?" Logan called out, anxiously awaiting a response.
"Logan, it should be in its stomach. Tell your creature to stop jumping; we need to figure out how to make this beast turn over," Valeria called from the other side.
Logan quickly moved to join her, his tames sensing his worry and remaining hidden in the forest.
"Come kid, get some of these bombs. They're some of my ones, so set them apart carefully. We need to make this beast flip to its side and hurry to remove the jewel. Also, call back your Fox and have it freeze the floor—make it fast. The guardian isn't moving to let us help, but once it gets fully mutated, it will start trying to kill us," Valeria instructed.
Without hesitation, Logan rushed through his task. His Fox, already instructed, caused ice to cover the floor. Everything was done as quickly as possible, and within seconds, everyone was in position.
Logan, Scorch, and Valeria took their places on one side, while the Fox and Goblin, who had no major role, were on the other side hiding behind trees and shrubs, ready to assist if needed.
As the great monster held its head, it had no time to ponder what was about to happen. Valeria signaled with her fingers, activating a string with mana. The bombs detonated, causing an explosion that pushed the beast to the side.
"Now hurry!" Valeria shouted, rushing forward as they both searched for any signs of the gem. As soon as he got two meters below the creature, Logan felt the source.
"There, hurry! It's about to roll back!" he yelled, urgency clear in his voice.
Valeria, having no time to think, pulled out a sword and plunged it into the decaying part of the beast, causing it to roar in pain.
Before it had a chance to whip her away, her panther jumped in, and Scorch, sensing his master's worry, used his powerful legs to push the beast to the side.
Blood spattered, luckily still red, along with a jewel that was cut away with parts of the great beast's skin. The monster roared in anger, but it started to feel better, at least with the mental confusion that had kept it half-berserk beginning to fade.
"Let's retreat. He should go back to normal if he didn't absorb too much of that negative energy, but if in ten minutes he starts to act up, we need to kill him. So prepare," Valeria yelled, causing everyone to relocate to a safe location.
Logan used this time to get on Scorch's back and return to his other two tames, which were defenseless in this situation.