8 Chapter 7: Lone Wolf

Black smoke filled the sky as a pile of dead bodies began to burn. The stench of cooked human flesh floated around, emanating a nauseous smell. No one wanted to be there but, out of respect for those who have been lost, everyone stood tall as they sent their brothers and sisters off.

Elaine stood at the front with Melv at her side. Melv was pouring magic into the pile fueling the fire. With Vedious on top of the mound of humans, it was hard to stomach the scene. Not only were so many lost but, even more had died without leaving anything behind.

"Make sure they're burned completely."

Elaine gave Melv an order and left the scene. The once dry dirt at the bottom of the canyon was now the consistency of mud. The reasoning… was obvious.

"If only I had a clear shot…"

Elaine gritted her teeth as she muttered under her breath. She was suppose to be the backup and yet, she could barely do anything. Couldn't stop Vedious from being instantly killed. Couldn't stop Ava from being fatally injured. Couldn't help Zef finish him off.

"How could there have been no openings…"

The Wolf's movement was swift. Every step he took gave him cover. The best she could do was try to predict where he would be.

"He matched the movements with the other knights… maybe I should've just taken the shot."

She continued walking through the camp, muttering to herself all of the things she should've or could've done. Occasionally, she would look around her surroundings only to see the faces of complete defeat and terror on the soldiers.

"No one would've guessed he could summon that… thing."

[Cataclysm], or so he called it according to Zef, was that black sphere that turned everything on its head.

(How can he be good at both melee combat and magic… years and years of hard work and dedication to even master one of them and he had mastered both?)

"Impossible…"

She couldn't help but not believe what was in front of her. It wasn't unheard of that such cases have appeared. Stories of those able to use high level magic from the past or having high physical capabilities have reached her often. Yet, it was nothing like the stories she had heard.

Walking over to the healing tent, Elaine called for the healers.

"What is Ava's condition?"

"Yes General! Ava's condition is... -"

"Out with it already, I'm not in the mood right now."

"Y-yes! Of Course! You see… we don't know what's wrong with her…"

"What. Do. You. Mean?"

The coldness of Elaine's voice did not match the smile she showed him. A chill ran down the spine of the mage as he stuttered his way through his words.

"S-s-see, w-we healed h-her wounds and l-looking at her physical condition...sh-she should be fine!"

"If you want to make this conversation as difficult as pulling teeth, that can be arranged. So tell, me, for the last time. What is the problem?"

"B-black aura!"

"Black aura?"

"Yes! The black aura around her… it's subsided greatly compared to earlier but, there's a powerful energy coming from her and we think it's the aura."

"And that's what's making her not wake up?"

"We're.. We're not sure but it's the only thing that would make sense."

Elaine's face twisted. These mages were under Melv. Specializing in healing, if they couldn't figure something out, they could only rely on their research team back in the kingdom.

"I'll have to ask Melv once we go back.."

Walking out of the tent, Elaine could only look up at the sky as fatigue began to wash over her.

---

Zef sat around the camp with the other adventurers. His other party members were not around as he wasn't expecting to even be here. His party was asked by the King to help clear the final dungeon near the the Kingdom of Yvnahal but, with the conquering of dungeons, adventurers wouldn't have as many jobs to do. So they declined.

Zef was later contacted by one of the nobles. He requested for Zef to kill The Wolf by assisting the kingdom. Apparently the kingdom had already planned on eliminating him despite his allegiance. They would have used him as much as they could then gotten rid of him. But the Kingdom was interested in the safety of the people over profit. This meant that more and more dungeons outside of the areas near the Yvnahal Kingdom would fall.

Being offered a generous sum, Zef accepted the job. He figured with the help of the Kingdom as well as himself, he may not even need to assist much. An easy job.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

(Monster…)

His movements were too fast. His decision making was too accurate. Even when he touched the blade coated in poison, most people would've screamed from the immediate eating of flesh but he kept pushing on.

(Useless knights. They gave him too much cover and that useless bitch wouldn't even take the shot).

The mug of alcohol in his hand crushed under the strength of his grip and spilt all over the ground.

"I was weak…"

Stronger.

A smile slowly spread across Zef's face.

(Magic that's never been seen before. Strength and speed that's nearly unmatchable. I wonder what else the little wolf has yet to show..)

The grin on Zef's face completely exposed his canines. The fire in his eyes hungry for the next time he encounters his meal.

Around him were a group of adventurers lying on the ground. Unable to stay conscious under the pressure of his aura, they fainted.

---

There were four people seated around a table.

"According to the information I've received, they were unable to get rid of him." (1)

The one to speak first was a skinny man with a cold voice. He looked at the other three people present as he continued.

"Even Zef was unable to finish the job and apparently he nearly died too." (1)

The tension grew thick. Zef was supposed to be there just in case. He was insurance. Even though they were paying him a large sum, they never thought he'd actually need to do something.

"I told you, we should've hired the mercenaries instead." (2)

The next to speak up was a large man. His golden hair being complimented well with the coordination of all the jewelry he wore.

(How did he find a necklace that can go around his fat neck..?) (3)

A younger looking man looked towards the person who made a comment. He could just barely hold in his look of disgust as he glared at the pig sitting across from him.

"I assume you're referring to the special mercenaries from the guild?" (4)

The Mercenary Guild. Different from the Adventurer Guild as they mainly focused in combat. More specifically combat with other people. They were often used for wars with other kingdoms or as bodyguards however, there was a special division that only very few people knew about. Assassins. Not only were the assassins good at eliminating their targets, they were also known for gathering information that most would consider to be impossible to get.

"And how do you expect them to be able to go unseen with an entire battalion in their way you fa-.. Cough with an entire battalion in their way." (3)

Everyone in the room couldn't help but roll their eyes.

(This boy can't even hold his emotions back in a civil discussion. His family is going to be ruined.) (4)

"Had he accepted the Kingdom's invitation we would have killed him regardless. We just took a gamble from what we knew of his personality that he would decline and thus the fight would break out." (2)

The blonde haired noble spoke again. He wasn't wrong. Although the Kingdom would rather have The Wolf under their control, they also wouldn't make a deal if he were to be eliminated altogether.

"Do we know where he is now?" (1)

"We have people trying to figure out where he teleported to. Apparently he spends a lot of time in the Unknown Forest. We're sending scouts to go as deep as they can." (4)

"That's why I'm telling you all. Just send the mercenaries. Especially if it's in that forest they'll be the best suited for it." (2)

Everyone sat on his words. It's true that the mercenaries would more than likely be the best suited for such a task. On top of the possibility of going beyond what's been explored in the forest, it wasn't worth risking their own men.

"What about Zef? Knowing his personality, he'll probably want to have another go at him" (3)

"Let's have him visit that place." (1)

"What do you mean?" (4)

"Apparently The Wolf's from a small remote village called Tahtil. I assume that's the place you're referring to." (2)

"It is. We'll have him visit there and see what he can find. See which noble is in control of the village. Compensate him heavily. Hopefully we'll get some information or even encounter him there." (1)

"What if the villagers won't speak or claim they don't know?" (4)

"Since he said he's from there it's unlikely we'll get nothing. Therefore if they won't speak, we'll just give them a light push. If it just so happens he lied about being from there, we can say that he traded innocents for his own life." (1)

The room went silent. A small village no one cared about was a small price to pay compared to the amount of money they made from the materials of beasts and monsters. It was something that must be done to, at the very least, lure him out.

"But, what if he doesn't clear anything anymore?" (3)

(Why is he here…) (1)

The young man who made the comment had a smug look on his face. From looking at how the other Noble Lords reacted to his comment, he knew.

(Ha, these old idiots. If I wasn't here they'd be wasting a lot more resources on this one person. What if he doesn't even clear them anymore? Then everyone wins and we don't have to risk anything else. Looks like making our family the biggest noble house will be a lot easier than I thought…)

"You don't get as stupid as that now do you?" (2)

"What did you say you fat fucking pig?!" (3)

"Shut up and sit down. And you, if you're going to call someone stupid you need to explain it to them. He won't know why you called him that unless you explain it. That's common sense." (1)

"Hahaha, of course. That was foolish of me to think he would understand why it was stupid. Did you see the look on his face after he said it? To have the confidence after saying such a thing… I wouldn't be able to show my face in public." (2)

"You're all a bunch of idiots I swear…" (4)

"Why is my idea so stupid then huh?! Explain it so I can understand it since I'm such a stupid guy." (3)

"I'm glad we're on the same page then. I'll be happy to explain why what you said was completely stupid." (2)

The room waited for him to continue. The only disturbance was a giant vein that looked to pop at any moment.

"If we let him go, he'll more than likely end up going to another kingdom. Should that happen, either he continues to make a living off of materials, which would continue to ruin business here for us at Yvnahal, or worst case scenario, he helps another kingdom wage a war against us." (2)

It was still a bit of a stretch, but the risks were too high. Should he even slightly want to take revenge against Yvnahal, kingdoms like Khajel would jump at the chance. Especially when they find out how strong he is.

The mood changed from its earlier one. Everyone, aside from perhaps one other, knew that wasn't a risk worth taking. They needed to get rid of him and fast. The best course of action would be the assassins. Just in case that fails, using the village as leverage is a safe insurance. Whether it's to lure him out or use him to become the enemy of citizens. He wouldn't be accepted by any kingdom easily.

"We need to decide quickly. I think we all agree that he needs to be dealt with in some way." (1)

"I'm getting the mercenaries to do it already since it's something we should've done in the beginning. Someone else should contact Zef to check out the village, the other find out who the Noble Lord is for that village." (2)

"I'll find the Lord and give him a generous compensation. Considering we barely know anything about the village, it can't be worth much. I'm sure he'll be more than willing to accept the offer." (4)

"You, contact Zef and tell him what's happening. I have the information of where the town is located so relay that to him." (1)

Everyone stood up getting ready to leave.

"The lone wolf dies." (1)