23 An Offer

The horses' hooves pounded against the dirt road. The carriage shook violently from side to side, threatening to throw all the supplies overboard. Avic and Custos held on tightly in the back, trying to prevent themselves from falling off. Bolting towards them at overwhelming speeds was the 5m alpha Razor Hound. Its red eyes glowed, locking onto them like a sniper ready to assassinate its target.

"Shit! We aren't going fast enough! We're going to get caught at this rate!" Shouted Avic.

Custos hissed as he looked at the oncoming Razor Hound. A thick black ball made of Hemo Energy was being formed at the front of its mouth as it ran.

"Damn it..! This is just what we needed! It's going to blow us to smithereens with its Bloodline Art!" Warned Custos.

"But if it does that then nothing will be left of us! Isn't it trying to kill us for food?!"

"I think it's mad we killed so many of its pack members... It's doing this out of a grudge!"

"Bullshit!"

With the sound of a first-grade military cannon, the Razor Hound shot the black ball of Hemo Energy towards them. It ripped the road to pieces as if it was nothing more than a piece of paper as it came flying towards them. If they were hit then there was no doubt in their minds that they'd be erased from existence.

"Custos! We're gonna die!!"

"Tsk! Avic, create some ice around my waist and leg to keep me upright!"

Avic didn't know what Custos was planning but he didn't have time to ask. Custos then planted his right foot forward and moved his left leg to the back. He then brought his sword back and began charging the blade with Hemo Energy.

Aiding him with keeping his balance, Avic quickly used Hemo Energy to create ice around Custos' lower body, keeping him glued to the spot. Custos shuddered from the cold but he couldn't allow himself to falter.

The black ball of powerful Hemo Energy was nearly upon them. It was now or never.

"Bloodline Art: Plasma Divide!!"

With a powerful shout, Custos swung his blade forward. It was coated in plasma that caused the air around it to vibrate like a swarm of honey bees. Even the ice Avic had placed around him was instantly shattered like glass. Finally, with a bright flash, the plasma left his blade and took the shape of a crescent moon before slamming into the Razor Hound's Bloodline Art. This resulted in a powerful explosion that sent shockwaves rippling through the air.

Avic and Custos had to hit the floor of the carriage and cover their heads to prevent themselves from being hit by debris. Dust and smoke zoomed into the air as if a bomb had exploded. Even Eliisabet, and the merchant and his family had to look behind them to see what had happened.

"What was that?!" Exclaimed Eliisabet.

"Two Bloodline Arts clashed is all. It's nothing serious..." Answered Custos as he picked himself up.

"Does that mean the Razor Hound is dead then?" Asked the merchant hopefully.

"I can't say but even if it didn't, it had to slow down after a blast of that magnitude. Hopefully, it'll give up and stop chasing us for now. But if it doesn't, we at least have some time to catch our breath."

"Okay, that's good to hear. The horses need to rest anyway. They've been through a lot since they left Initium so I'm going to pull over."

Custos then nodded and took a deep breath to settle his anxiety. This is when he noticed that Avic was staring at him intently as if he had done something wrong.

"Avic..? What is it..?" He asked cautiously.

"Just now, that attack of yours wasn't normal."

Custos laughed to quell Avic's suspicion, "Come on, Avic. Why so serious? It was just a Bloodline Art."

"Just a Bloodline Art? You're supposed to be an amateur like me and Eliisabet. Why was your attack that powerful? That wasn't the attack of any amateur. I may be an idiot but I can tell when something's off. You're my friend, Custos. You know you can tell me stuff, right..?"

"Avic... I..."

"It's because he's hiding a secret, Avic!" Suddenly interjected Eliisabet.

Avic quickly turned around to see that Eliisabet had been listening in on their conversation the entire time.

"A secret?"

"Yup! Sorry we kept you in the dark about it, but Custos is actually pretty special..! He's a Kato..!"

Avic's eyes widened with shock.

"Wait, what..? Custos is... a Kato?"

"Ha... Yeah, sorry I didn't tell you. It just never seemed all that important until now..."

"That's so cool, Custos! You're a Kato! I never would have imagined! So what's a Kato now?"

"What?! You don't know?!!"

Avic rubbed his head with a look of guilt on his face.

"Yeah, sorry... I have no idea what that is."

"Sigh... Well, never mind that for now. It seems the merchant is pulling to a stop anyway. We should get out and talk with him."

To Custos' and Eliisabet's surprise, instead of exiting the carriage, Avic slumped himself on the floor, ready to take a quick nap.

"You guys go ahead. I think I'll go ahead and catch some shut-eye in the meantime."

"Avic, you do realize this isn't your carriage, right? You can't just expect to fall asleep in someone's carriage without their permission!" Argued Eliisabet.

"Come on... What's the big deal? We stopped the merchant and his family from turning into dog food, didn't we? The least they could do is let us sleep here for a while."

"Sigh... you're hopeless."

"Sleep is healthy. You should try it more often. Besides, I'm sure you guys can convince him to take us to Discite."

Eliisabet and Custos froze. They had completely forgotten about Discite due to everything that had happened in the short time.

"I guess you have a point there. Fine then. We'll go talk with the merchant. Just stay here and don't cause any trouble," warned Custos.

"Yeah, yeah... Go on already. The god of sleep is calling me."

Custos and Eliisabet then quickly exited the carriage before going up toward the merchant who was taking care of the horses at the front. He quickly greeted them with thanks.

"You two! I thank you so much for all your help! My life, family, and business would have been done for if it weren't for your help!"

"We're just happy we could help," answered Eliisabet.

"Is there anything I could do to make it up to you for this? I could offer you supplies since you're traveling through here. Finding food in the Wilderness can be very difficult."

"Well, there is one thing you could help us with," agreed Custos. "We need to get to the City of Discite in a little less than two days. I was wondering if you and your carriage could bring us there?"

The merchant then gave a depressing sigh, signifying that something was wrong.

"I wish I could but I'm not heading to Discite right now. One of the two horses you see here is very sick. She's suffering from Syncope which causes her to suddenly lose consciousness. I shouldn't be pressuring her right now but I don't have a choice or I'm going to take a huge loss in business. So I was heading to an old Witch Doctor a few miles west of here to see if I could get her treated as quickly as possible."

"I see... So that's the reason it took you so long to get your carriage moving when you were being attacked by those Razor Hounds..."

"It was. Fortunately, she regained consciousness and we were able to quickly move off. Of course, that took its toll on her which is why we had to stop again."

"Damn it though... What are we going to do? All things considered, it's impossible to get to Discite in just two days on foot."

"Wait, I think I might be able to help you. But I'll need a favor first before I can do so."

"I'm listening."

"Okay, so as you should know, merchants like myself usually hire a bodyguard or some kind of Sicarius to protect us while passing through the Wilderness. However, due to the cost of seeing the Witch Doctor, we can't afford to pay for protection right now. But I saw your skills just now and I believe you two and your other friend might be able to offer us the protection we need. Are you all Sicarius by any chance?"

"Well, we aren't Sicarius yet. But that's the reason we're heading to Discite to enroll in the School Of Sicarius."

"Hmm... I see... Well, if that's the best I got then I'll take it. So listen up then because this is the deal. You three can offer us the protection we need to get through the Wilderness and once we get to the Witch Doctor, I'll have someone bring you with them to Discite for no charge."

Eliisabet and Custos then exchanged a look between themselves before turning back toward the merchant.

"We'll do it," agreed Eliisabet.

"Great then because the horses might not be able to move for a while so we'll probably be stuck here till morning. We'll need your help getting through the night. Night in the Wilderness can be just as bad as walking through Purgatory so we'll need your assistance in staying alive."