Chapter 10: The ancient wendigo
Tomas immediately recoiled upon realizing they were facing a Wendigo and not a ghoul. Leaping backward, he kept his distance from the creature, his eyes never leaving the Wendigo, awaiting any movement to act.
The Wendigo observed the two, but his red eyes gleamed with curiosity as they rested on Lumien. He tilted his head in an inhuman manner, clicking his tongue. "Tch, barbarian." His voice was hoarse, laden with disdain. Then he turned his attention completely to Lumien, as if Tomas were no more than an insect.
Lumien looked curiously at the Wendigo, who, unlike what he had expected, did not seem to be an irrational creature. "Who... are you?" said Lumien in a curious tone.
The Wendigo tilted his head even further, his red eyes fixed on Lumien. "I am an ancient Wendigo," he replied, in a courteous tone. "But you... what the hell are you? Who are you, boy?"
"My name is Lumien," he replied as if it were natural.
"Lumien..." repeated the Wendigo, almost savoring the name. "Interesting. You change races... How? Why?"
Lumien frowned, trying to find an answer. "I... don't know. It just happens."
"You don't know? Fascinating," said the Wendigo, tilting his head. "And you are here with this barbarian... what is your relationship with him?"
"Tomas... taught me how to fight and gives me food," replied Lumien, still confused about the situation. "He is... my teacher."
The Wendigo smiled slightly, a smile that looked even more terrifying on his skeletal face. "So you are an apprentice... interesting. And what do you seek here with this barbarian?"
Lumien thought for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I want... to learn more... Become stronger."
The answer made the Wendigo pause for a moment. "A pure heart." He murmured, more to himself than to them. "But know that pure hearts are devoured more easily."
Tomas observed the interaction perplexed, until Lumien looked at him and said excitedly, "Look! The monster talks!"
Tomas came to his senses and shouted: "Lumien, stop talking to the monster!" The Wendigo gave him a disdainful look and muttered: "Uncivilized."
Furious, Tomas cast a threatening look at the Wendigo before turning to Lumien. "Lumien, Wendigos absorb the memories and experiences of those they devour. Depending on how strong or 'special' the being they devour is, they evolve and become stronger."
Upon hearing this, Lumien's gaze became unfocused and he found himself in space, facing a silver eye. When he came back to himself, he looked at the Wendigo questioning the information with his eyes. The Wendigo nodded, confirming it was true.
Lumien's eyes gleamed for a moment, a shine that did not go unnoticed by Tomas and the Wendigo. Both felt a shiver down their spine, as if a knife were pressed against their throats. The Wendigo retreated, and Tomas looked at Lumien sweating like a pig at the slaughter. Inside Lumien, a new flame ignited: Greed.
Sensing a bad omen, the Wendigo attacked Lumien without thinking twice. Tomas intercepted the attack and quickly said: "Lumien, intervene if there's an opportunity! Despite everything, you already know a bit of basic martial arts. I am no match for an old Wendigo like this."
The fight began, and Tomas and the Wendigo clashed ferociously. The Wendigo clearly had the upper hand. He threw Tomas from one side to the other, trying to attack Lumien whenever possible. But Tomas intervened, blocking the Wendigo's attacks.
The Wendigo attacked with his sharp claws, aiming at every vital point of Tomas. Tomas, using his mana veins to the maximum, fought with all his strength, but felt he was being overwhelmed. The creature was faster and stronger than him, his gaze fixed on Lumien as if he were a prize to be won.
"You won't... touch him," specified Tomas, blocking another attack and counterattacking with a powerful kick that made the Wendigo stagger backward.
Lumien watched the battle, trying to find an opportunity to help. He saw Tomas being thrown like a toy. Lumien felt irritated seeing the scene, but he stood still, waiting for an opportunity.
"Tomas... are you okay?" said Lumien, checking if Tomas was still in condition to fight.
Tomas got up, panting but determined. "I'm fine... Lumien. Remember... what I said. Wait... for an opportunity."
The Wendigo laughed, his laughter sounding like nails on a chalkboard. "You think you can stop me, Barbarian? I am an ancient Wendigo... I've absorbed the experience of so many beings I've lost count. You have no chance, just stay on the ground like a good dog."
Tomas gritted his teeth, his eyes emitting the killing intent of a veteran mercenary. "Let's see... Monster."
The two resumed fighting. Tomas used all the reinforcement spells he knew and enchanted his blade with fire. He used all the scarce mana he had at his disposal, but the best he could do was equalize the fight a bit. Tomas kicked the Wendigo's leg, unbalancing him while using his sword to cut him from bottom to top, finally landing a blow on the old monster.
"AAAAAARGH," the Wendigo let out a heart-chilling scream, while looking at Tomas as if he were seeing a corpse. "Damn persistent cockroach! Just die!"
Tomas, panting, responded with disdain, "He... this 'barbarian' almost split you in two."
The Wendigo lost all composure, he doubled his size while grabbing Tomas like a doll and throwing him against a tree. The impact was so great that it broke the tree.
"Ugh," Tomas groaned as he lost the strength in his limbs and looked at the Wendigo coming toward him with the greatest killing intent he had ever felt.
The Wendigo walked toward Tomas slowly to enjoy the look of pleading on his face, but despite the situation, Tomas still looked at him with surprising composure. This increased his anger as the wound on his chest healed more slowly than normal.
"Curse! Look at me with fear! Beg for mercy!" the Wendigo shouted as he placed his claws on Tomas's head, who still looked at him without any fear. The Wendigo grew tired of Tomas's persistence, but just as he was about to crush his head, he thought of something and his smile widened.
Approaching Tomas, he whispered in his ear, "You seem very close to that boy. It would be a shame if you saw him being devoured in front of you."
Tomas froze, he looked at the Wendigo with hatred, trying to use the last of his strength to get up, but was stopped with a punch to the stomach from the Wendigo.
The Wendigo's face cracked as his smile widened. He looked at Tomas with amusement, then turned to look at Lumien, but what he saw made him freeze like a deer in the headlights.
He horrified as an absurdly large amount of mana was being concentrated in Lumien's palm.
Lumien looked at his hand as he remembered the spell Tomas had shown him as a demonstration, and tried to replicate it. Pointing his hand at the Wendigo, he transformed into an elf, which Tomas had said had a natural magical system from birth. As he tried to imitate the spell, the pupil of his golden eye changed from a spiral to an eight-pointed star. In the palm of his hand, a small white flame began to form.
Tomas and the Wendigo looked at Lumien's palm in disbelief and said at the same time, "Fuck."