25. A New Power and Ally

Victor enters into a dark corridor, and the door shuts behind him. Lights start illuminating the path before him, and he follows.

"There's bound to be traps here."

He feels his foot sink slightly into the ground and moves his head back as a spear flies past his face and smashes into the wall.

"Maybe you shouldn't jimx yourself, young paladin."

"Shut up, Shadow."

He proceeds forward and is met by trap after trap after trap the further in he goes. The last section is long and narrow, with statues standing on both sides.

"Sigh. Better prepare for a fight."

He takes a step forward, and the statues come to life. All of them stand a head and shoulders taller than Victor, who stands at 1.82 meters. He fires off spells at the statues, but they don't deal any damage, and the statues keep coming towards him with swords and spears.

"Damn, what the hell should I do now? I could carry on killing them with my sword, but that would tire me out quickly. There has to be something I'm overlooking."

Victor continues to block and deflect attacks while he thinks what he needs to do. His eyes widen as he sees a crystal in its chest and a memory surfaces from a class he attended.

"Remember, students, whenever you face statues or golems in your adventures, they all have a crystal around their chest area. This will help you identify what type of magic to use because they can only be defeated by magic or attacks of the same element."

"Of course! This is a temple built for the earth's mother, so the only attacks that will work are those with a heavy nature foundation or just plain nature attack spell."

Victor's eyes light up, and he smiles like a lunatic.

"Binding Vines!"

A single point leaf emerges on his hand as vines wrap around the statues trapping them. He clicks his fingers, and the vines tighten, breaking the statues into dust.

"I should be able to make it to the end without exhausting myself doing it this way."

He continues using the spell on all the statues that attack him. The statues show no sign of stopping, and it seems there are more every time he defeats one. He starts panicking as the hoards of statues attack him.

"Dammit, what should I do? There's no end to them, and I'm almost empty."

"Fear not. The end is near."

Victor hears that woman's voice again after months of it being silent. He has no time to talk as he continues blocking attacks and firing off spells.

"I-I can't continue using spells. My magic has been depleted, and my sword is feeling heavy. Dammit, I don't want to give up now..... I can't give up now. Not after coming so far, I must and will continue forward until I reach the end."

Great power surrounds Victor, invigorating him with energy he has never felt before. He uses the same vine spell and immediately feels a big difference.

"That's strange. It feels like this spell is no longer drawing my magic power. It's drawing power from the surroundings. This is a great advantage. Let me see if I can increase its potency."

Victor hits the ground with his hands as a two pointed leaf takes shape on them. When he feels the vines have reached the end, he proceeds to tear the ground apart, causing all the statues to fall into it before closing it up. Dust and silence fill the corridor, and a shining light can be seen i.n the far distance. He makes his way towards it and is enveloped by the shining light. As the light clears, Victor is left shocked, gazing upon a very beautifully crafted statue with a small box below it followed by a deep voice.

"Congratulations to the one who passed the test. You have proven yourself worthy to receive one of our earth mother's sacred treasures. It will give you the power to control everything that is connected to our earth mother. Use it in your coming battles, young Paladin."

The voice dissappears, and Victor opens the box, wondering what it could be. When it's opened, he sees a finely crafted stone with immense magical power embedded in a gold bed tied to a string. He takes it out and puts it on. As he does, he feels a tremendous surge of power flow into him and a kind gentle warmth like the touch of a mother. When he opens his eyes, they flicker with intense magical energy, and he finds himself outside the temple. He turns around at the sound of trees breaking and jumps out of the way as a giant figure lands where he stands.

When the smoke clears he sees a creature ten times the size of any boar, thick black hair covers it's body like a coat, it's eye's gleaming with murderous intent, has the body of a lion and wings of a dragon.

"Be careful, Victor, that's a Griffin it's far more formidable than any creature you've dealt with."

"Seriously, Shadow?"

"Yes. But it's up to you if you want to fight."

"I will fight. I want to test out this new magic power I have received."

Victor closes his eyes as the beast circles him. He builds up magical energy and waits for the Griffin to attack. The Griffin moves with incredible speed, but Victor has dealt with faster opponents.

"Earth Mother's Might!"

Vines shoot out of the ground, binding the Griffin, then the trees fire sharp branches like arrows into the beast injuring it. The beast howls in pain as a thick dark storm cloud gathers over it, and a super charged bolt of lightning strikes the beast burning all of its hair and some of its skin. Everything returns to normal, and Victor approaches the Griffin carefully.

When he reaches it, he starts feeling sad as the beast looks at him with eyes that are suffering. He places his hand on the beast as tears fall down his face.

"Why does this hurt so much??"

"Because having that item has given you a connection to all living creatures that are from the earth mother."

Victor turns around and sees Teia next to him.

"Is it possible for me to heal the Griffin?"

"Yes. You have also been granted high tier healing by the earth mother. It should be easy."

Victor concentrates hid energy into his hands.

"Earth Mothers Healing."

All the wounds on the Griffin begin to heal, and it slowly starts waking up. When all its wounds are healed, Victor steps back and watches the beast. It brings its face close to Victor and then lowers its head to the ground.

"What is it doing, Teia?"

"I can't believe this. It's submitting to you. It wants to pledge its life to you. This has never happened with a guardian beast."

Victor looks at the Griffin and places his hand on its head.

"I accept your pact. Let me call upon you anytime I need help."

Powerful energy surrounds his hand and then dissappears. The Griffin raises its head and looks at Victor.

"Impressive. You're the first creature to ever defeat me outright. I will honor our pact. Feel free to call upon me whenever you need to."

Both Victor and Teia stand shocked, and they both look at each other.

"Did the Griffin just talk?"

"Did the Griffin just talk?"

"Indeed I did. For healing all my wounds, I am most grateful and shall give you the honor of knowing my name. I am Griffin Titen, the guardian of all things that belong to the earth mother."

"Thanks. I guess."

The Griffin turns around and dissappears into the forest, leaving Victor and Teia dumbfounded. Teia then leads Victor back to the entrance of the forbidden forest, and they exchange their goodbyes as Victor makes his way back to the academy to start the new academic year. Unaware of the manipulation that is taking place in the city.