Chapter 15 - Magical Beasts
The Rando Woods was a forest located between the territories of Rhodnius and Ansem. It was considered one of the 5 largest forests in the world. It was an area rich in natural resources, where many spiritual plants and treasures grew, but it was also the territory of many magical beasts. It had an area similar to that of the Amazons on Earth.
There are countless animals on the continent, many of them being like humans, unable to cultivate and use the Natural Energy of Heaven and Earth. But there are also many beasts that are blessed by EON, and therefore begin to absorb the Natural Energy. This has allowed them to become stronger and stronger, mutating their natural characteristics until they became species capable of devastating everything in their path. At the same time, the natural energy stimulated their brains, so that their intelligence increased until it became similar or even higher to that of humans. In addition, their longevity is also much greater, such that they are capable of living for hundreds or even thousands of years. It is even said that the most powerful of the beasts can change into human form.
The various magical beasts are divided into ranks, ranging from 1 to 9, with the grade 9 beasts being the most powerful in the world, and are called Beast Overlords. Even so, they are rarely encountered outside the forests, mountains and oceans. There, they have formed their own kingdoms and rarely enter into major conflicts with humans. Every part of a magical beast is considered a treasure. Their bones, skin, fangs and claws are among the best tools for building weapons and armour. Their meat is among the best supplement for Warriors and Adepts. Some of them can even be contracted as pets, mounts, and so on.
On the other hand for magical beasts, eating a human being that is skilled in Qi or Mana is the perfect tonic to become stronger and advance in rank and strength.
So it is common to see people organizing hunting parties to capture magical beasts, however, these in turn are often prey for the beasts to further increase their powers. As long as there is no indiscriminate hunting or the relentless pursuit of natural resources, everything is considered fair game, and it is rare for the Beast Overlords to act against the different territories.
....
Once the party of House Corena left the horses, they arrived at the entrance to the woods. Nerun and Elijah carried a sack on their backs with their respective supplies and necessities for the journey into the forest. However, they were surprised that none of the guards seemed to be carrying any luggage and wondered how they were going to make camp, cook and all the other things they would need for the journey. Four of the guards carried a palanquin between their shoulders, with Miss Julieth inside. The steward Menke rode beside her, with an inscrutable look on his face.
Elijah said at that moment, "Gentlemen, Miss. We have arrived at the Rando Woods. If you are willing to heed my advice, it would be best for the Young Lady to stay in the village with some of you. In the forest, more people are not necessarily better, and it is easier for us to attract magical beasts to attack us, and I fear that the Young Miss may suffer some harm on the journey. With an elite group, with only 5 or 7, I am confident I can get the flower you are seeking."
Captain Roger addressed Elijah in a clearly rude and disgruntled tone: "Young Elijah, please don't lecture us on how we should do our job. You need only confine yourself to guiding us to the flower. The Miss's safety is our responsibility".
The truth was that the guards saw Elijah and Nerun as liabilities to the group, and in fact, believed that they did not need them to accomplish their mission. If it wasn't for Menke's insistence that they hire a local to find the flower more easily, and that Menke had already made all the arrangements, they would have fired Elijah and Nerun by making them pay back the money they had received. They were confident that nothing could happen to them in the forest. They were all Qi Masters or above, and believed they had nothing to fear in a small forest on the outskirts of the Kingdom. The reality was that several of them had never entered the forest before, and many believed that beasts of rank 1 or 2 would not pose a threat to them.
Elijah replied: "It seems then that I have overstepped my boundaries. The Green Crystal Flower usually grows about 20 km into the forest. While it is still considered part of the Forest's fringes, I still insist that we be careful. There are several nests of wild beasts around. Most are rank 1 or 2, but there may be some rank 3 and higher. As far as possible try not to attack any beast that does not show immediate hostility to us..."
"Orphan, we warned you not to tell us what to do. Just lead the way," interrupted the sinister-eyed sub-captain. He was looking for any excuse to get rid of Elijah and Nerun.
Menke again tried to calm the situation: "Gentlemen. Elijah was hired with the young Miss's authorisation to facilitate our smooth arrival at the Flower and to minimise the dangers we may encounter here in the forest. I hope you don't underestimate this area, if we run into a nest of grade 1 or 2 beasts, we could all be buried in the Forest."
The guards fell silent, and without another word decided to move on into the forest. Elijah was thinking to himself that there was something strange about the guards' behaviour, but he didn't quite place the focus on what exactly. He told Nerun to accompany him without leaving his side, and they moved slowly into the forest.
They encountered no problems for the first few hours of the journey. However, they made barely two to three kilometres, as Elijah frequently checked the direction and proceeded with great caution through the edges of the Forest. He would frequently stop and make signals to Nerun, who would reply in a low voice, and then they would either continue or choose a new route.
The soldiers were becoming irritated by the slow pace at which they were advancing. Even Julieth in the palanquin was getting fed up with moving so slowly in the forest. She couldn't help but say, "What is the reason for such a delay? At this rate, we won't find the Flower until who knows when. We need to be back in Eonia before long, or Dad's birthday party will be over. I need you to go faster."
"Replying to Miss Julieth, moving faster would be too dangerous. There are many of us, and as we advance into the forest, the path will become more and more difficult. Apart from the fact that in recent years there has been a significant increase in the number of magical beasts, even on the edges of the forest, so even with me and Nerun, we need to frequently check our location and signs to avoid encountering a pack of beasts that could endanger us, so we are not advancing in a straight line towards the Flower, but skirting along a safer path. It may be a bit longer and we are advancing at a slow pace, but it is the safest way to avoid injuries and mishaps. In 5 days we should have the flower and be back in Radem," Elijah replied.
However, Julieth ignored Elijah's advice and commented again, "Captain Roger, you told me we could get the flower in a day, two at the most as soon as we entered the forest. Can you meet that timeframe?"
"Affirmative, Young Lady. I myself am of the opinion that we are proceeding too slowly. My senses are quite acute, given my Qi power and I don't sense any particularly strong magical beasts within a mile or two. Young Elijah, this delay I fear is inexcusable. Guards. With me in the direction of the Flower. Seeing where this so-called guide was leading us, I do not understand why he is taking us so far off the path that we would be forced to stay in the Forest longer than necessary. We are more than prepared for any potential mishap we may encounter."
"But..." Elijah started to say, when he was rudely interrupted.
"No buts. One more word and I'll assume that for some obscure reason, you want us to go into the Woods, far from our original destination. Perhaps you have some friends waiting for us," hinted the Captain. The guards were about to draw again and attack Elijah and Nerun. The latter two, for their part, darkened their faces. True, they had been putting up with the mistreatment to some extent since they had been hired and paid for a service, but the constant threats and insinuations had worn on Elijah's patience. Nerun had long since lost his temper, and if it weren't for Elijah, he would have started hurling insults at the top of his voice by now.
"Perhaps you do not need our services after all," Elijah replied. "Mr Menke, since our recommendations have fallen on deaf ears, I fear that continuing together would be counterproductive, and I do not wish to enter into conflict. The area where the Flower grows is approximately 18 km from here in a north-westerly direction, towards the Karol Mountains, which are visible in the distance. You should find a lake with mist around it inside the woods where reeds grow. Nearby is where the Flower grows. A word of warning, there are two nests of wild beasts near it, one of Shadow Macaques, a grade 2 beast, who usually live and hunt in packs, and their numbers are around 50. The other is a family of Dire Wolves. Most are grade 1, although there are some grade 2, and the alpha male of the pack is a grade 4 beast, a Blizzard Wolf and is the local tyrant of the local lake area. My brother and I will be heading back."
"Young Elijah, we have a contract, and I expect you to honour it, or the consequences could be greater than you can fathom. As for you Captain, I agree that we can go faster, but I would like you to stop being so aggressive with our guide, lest we give him the wrong impression that we want to get rid of him with any excuse. I trust then that you will be able to take charge if we find magical beasts. Let's go in a straight line, Elijah will take the lead as a guide and I only want short detours if there are any nests of beasts nearby. Captain, I want you at young Elijah's side to ensure that there will be no danger while we are in the Forest".
Nerun wanted to open his mouth and refuse the assignment. Going in a straight line with Elijah in the lead was too dangerous since the guards did not want to follow his guidance, and even at his young age, he understood that the captain's company at Elijah's side was not so much for safety as to make sure he would not escape. If he and Elijah decided to run at this point, given their knowledge of the area, they could surely flee and return to the village safe and sound. But Elijah again stopped Nerun. His mind was going into overdrive because he felt something was about to click in his head. The strange behaviour of the guards, what they were saying, the words of Mr Menke, everything was forming a picture in his head that seemed implausible by all accounts, but that seemed to be the truth. He made a quick calculation in his head of his and Nerun's strength, looked at the power of the guards, as well as analyzing the position and the route they would take through the Forest.
"As you wish then. We'll go in a straight line. Nerun, stay with me," Elijah said and began to pick up the pace as they moved deeper into the Forest. Nerun was at his side and while no one noticed them, Elijah gave Nerun several finger signals. Nerun's eyes widened, but he kept quiet and then continued to act as if nothing had happened. The Captain and the rest of the convoy followed at a short distance. Although they were confident of their strength, they remained in formation, protecting the Palanquin in the centre of the convoy, and trying not to leave any blind spots.
They continued to advance for a couple of kilometres and finally encountered a magical beast, a Silver Fox, a level 1 beast, only 25 cm tall. It was still considered an infant for a magical beast, and when it saw all the guards, it instinctively ran away. One of the guards, Francis, the one who wanted to cut off Nerun's hand, ran quickly towards the fox and threw a stone at it, which hit the creature that was about 30 metres away in the back paw. He gleefully approached the fox and grabbed it with one hand by the throat.
"Hahahahahahaha. I've caught a little beast. The supposed danger of this Forest is bullshit," he said sarcastically.
Julieth peered through the opening of the palanquin and was thrilled. The little animal looked absolutely adorable, and she wanted to bring it to her to play with. It was sure to cause envy when she was back in the capital. Francis was walking back towards the group with the fox in his hand without any concern.
Nerun, who was watching the scene, suddenly started shouting: "LOOK OUT!
No sooner had Nerun shouted than a tree branch a short distance away from Francis moved without warning at great speed. Out of nowhere, a large maw with sharp fangs appeared in the air right next to the soldier and closed in on the upper half of the soldier's body.