Chapter 19: Before the mission

"Come with everything, you two.", Peter said to Emma and Maeve. "We'll battle a lot today Rhynus.", this was his first try since yesterday blackout. "You'll trade partners and will be going in 'n out."

"But first, boy. Let us kick your ass."

"I beg my pardon on my behaviour, young master, but I'm with Maeve on this.", the wolves were on fire to fight against their wizard and friend.

"Rhynus, keep focus and lets go.", Peter said.

"Familiars.", Ulisses said looking into the battlefield. "Wizards.", he looked at Peter. "Set. Ready. Go."

The Guard Beetle was the faster among the four of the combatants and instantly was in front of his adversaries. Maeve knew this approach and at the same time used a shadow wall blocking all the vision on both wolves. Peter was looking for Emma's flank and a shadow left on his left side view. The boy fastly rose an earth wall but as a shadow it vanished and Emma appeared on the other side lefting Rhynus helpless for her lightning bite on his arm.

"Beat her and knock off the eletricity.", Peter commanded while he was preparing a water incantantion.

"Not today.", Maeve jumped through the shadow wall and bite the beetle another arm.

The wolves were strong and had a tactic for this outcome. Both started attacking him with their elements while biting and binding his movements. Maeve used weapons made of blades while Emma used her lightnings but they were cautious to not overextend and affect each other.

"Now, Rhynus.", the Guard Beetle made his wood armor. "Hydrate.", with this simple incantantion the tree bark started to grow little branches along its length and these started to parry the other party attacks.

Not wasting time both lose their bite and retreat reposicioning. Maeve pulled Rhynus attention to him while Emma was going after Peter. The beetle tried to look after his master but the Shadow Wolf was merciless and attacked every opportunity this would generate.

"Don't try anything funny, brother.", the wolf said to the beetle.

Emma stop her movement making her slide a little across the battlefield and then she was a strict of lightning followed by a thunderous sound happened.

"Thunder Step.", Peter recognized the spell.

Thunder Step is a upper Middle Tier spell. The caster need a lot of affinity with wind, lightning and thunder to move itself at sound speed but normally only one step is made. Naming the spell that way.

She was ready to bite his shoulder and he started to prepare a spell but she was faster. His shoulder were torn a part with her attack and his body exploded in water. The true himself was a little far away from there finishing the true spell.

"Icy wind.", he said finishing it.

Emma was still off ground because of her previous attack and the cold started to come where she was. The water was icing and its speed was increasing leaving her in a improvised prison. But Peter wasn't the type to leave this behind and added water as needed to immobilize her.

While this happened Rhynus was on a attrict warfare against the Shadow Wolf. He was looking for time but his partner lost the battle, Peter thought, but them his mistake was noticed.

"I'm here, Rhynus, but they flanked us."

Eletricity exploded the prison and Emma was free once again. Maeve and she were now pinching their adversaries.

"He is just annoying, my liege."

"He isn't just that.", Peter said. "He is planning going out with all his power against you."

"That's right, boy.", as Maeve said shadows started to jump on him and his body started to change to a demihuman one till he was like a werewolf. "Come on, Rhynus, I feel like you can enjoy me a little."

"Don't go, Rhynus."

"Yes, my liege."

"Lets change opponents.", their backs touched and the flipped to the other side.

"Boy. You don't stand a chance."

"I know but you only changed our sides now.", his talk was about the tactics between the teams.

"Whatever."

Maeve was still slim in this form which could really surprise a person at night. Shadow Wolves transformations were the ones that initiate the rumours about the werewolf till a crazy wizard start to inject it into people and turn them in the true rumour.

The wolf humanoid hybrid was fast and stronger but lacked magical ability. So Peter took care of that and made his opponent suffer from the same tactic of he used, the attrict warfare. The boy used simple incantantions to stop his familiar attacks and sometimes looked on the other side waiting for his support.

Emma were the one pressing Rhynus. Even with his wood armor and hydrate from Peter it was torn a part very easily by the wolf with her lightning bites after the Thunder Steps. She had perfect timing on moving and attacking. Leaving the Guard on his defenses.

Peter knew that Maeve would be troublesome to Rhynus but he didn't think that Emma would be even worse. She baited him on the water clone and he just realized after. First is that she would never hurt him for sure. Second, she didn't use lightning on the initial imprisonment.

"Come on, boy, show off your skills with these circuits of yours."

"Okay.", he clapped and a sound was heard across the battle. This was enough to stop one of Maeve's attacks. "You asked.", he was close enough to snap his fingers close to the familiar's ear. Another loud sound.

Maeve fell making the shadows release his transformations but Peter was almost on the same state as his familiar. Emma saw what happened and started a Thunder Step but Rhynus stomped on the ground and something was off. She didn't know what was at the time and proceeded to attack her master almost defeated.

As her Thunder Step was in motion she noticed the air barrier in the beetle front. It was enough to the thunder sound not propel her and the powerhouse do a punch on her body. Another stomp and a wall lifted to stop her movement. Another great impact on her back.

"End of the battle. Peter and Rhynus won.", Ulisses announced. He was instructed to stop if any of them were in danger of serious injuries.

Peter knew that Rhynus improved a lot on the last instant. The trigger was he became the enemy targets. It was protection and loyalty. These were the requirements for his improvement and magic. He did without thinking. Wind and Earth without incantantions.

But was not right to put yourself in danger to increase the power of a familiar. Peter already took a lot of bad choices and this duel agains Gabe was the last. He promissed to himself that he would put on his focus only in people that cared for him.

"Lets heal a little and them proceed to the next battles.", Peter said. "I contacted the Black Wing and they sent a mission to tomorrow and it is nearby too."

Black Wing was the name of the organization that contracted him. This name was given after the founder which had a Black Phoenix as his familiar. When you became a higher rank you receive the title of Black Feather. His father was one of them.

"What are the mission about, boss?", Ulisses was the next to fight along side Urias.

"Some monster fled to the forest nearby. We need to localize and defeat if possible. Otherwise we need to report to the Black Wing and calls for reinforcements.", Peter told them.

"Who are you bringing with you, young master?"

"The squad will be me, Rhynus, Ulisses and Urias."

"Why Urias, boy?"

"I need to see what Urias can do on a real battle. Along with Luke, Ariel, Theodore and Lucy. They don't have battle experience."

"So she is going to be our support for the mission, boss."

"More like a backup. I still want to see what she is capable of.", he replied. "So try to bring more of it now."

"We will, won't we?", the Season Wolf talked to the Long Dragon.

"Uuuuuurrrrrrrrrr.", she replied.

"You need to learn how to talk.", he complained. "Give me your best, Urias. I'll carry this battle."

While this on the afternoon class.

"So he took his time off to train to battle Gabe?", Cecilia asked Ellen.

"Yeah."

"Why is he going so far on this? It's a friendly battle."

"I don't know. He's obsessed with winning so much that..."

"That what?", the puppies owner was caught by curiosity.

"Nothing.", but Ellen promissed to not tell anyone about his lost of conscious.

"Master, lets battle someone.", Felix appeared.

"Ok. Who?"

"Him.", he pointed to a guy and his familiar sitted on the bench taking notes.

"Why him?", she questioned her familiar choice.

"He looks and feels a lot like Peter. So his familiar must be strong as well."

She looked at the familiar and was a little Dark Fairy. A magic creature known for its magic and not for its physical prowess. It could be a good match. She smiled.

"Lets go.", she announced.