Chapter 24

Fortunately, Beowulf did not attack us before we reached the building. Though it was possible that he was observing us from a short distance away.

But right now, we were focused on the structure. The building that we were looking up at was made of stone and in fact, looked like an ancient ruin. Its layered stones were covered in a blanket of ivy. There were no doors in its wide entrance, and it was too dark to see what lay inside.

“This building is huge…”

“Asagi, this is an ancient elven ruin.”

“Huh?”

Ancient Elves?

“My ancestors from ancient times. They were not diverse as our tribes are now, it is said that they were established as a single tribe.”

“So, then you’re not sure…”

“Aye. Some might say that they are long extinct.”

Daniela looked at me and chuckled.

“We are still here, though. We’ve branched out into different groups, but the blood of the ancient elves still runs in our veins.”

I suppose that was true. If the ancient elves really were extinct, than there wouldn’t be elves in this world. This ruin was proof of a history that continued for years.

“Well then, let’s pay your ancestors a visit.”

“Aye, let us see them.”

We give each other a nod and together, enter the ruins left by the ancient elves.

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It was dark inside. Or so I thought at first, but the deeper we went in, the brighter it started to become. Most of the light was from holes in the roof that let in rays of moonlight. This building with its long history, was starting to fall apart. There were fallen doors and collapsed ceilings every once in a while.

“Hmm, it is surprisingly intact.”

“You think so? It looks like a dump to me…”

“Not really. It is said that the ancient elves perished one thousand years from now. And a building from that far away an era is still standing. Perhaps it is still alive.”

“Alive?”

“It is said that the ancient elves lived in a time of advanced magic. So, it is possible that this ruin itself is…”

“An instrument, like a machine?”

“Yes.”

In other words, while the exterior may be that of a sad ruin, the insides could be brimming with technology. In that case, there could be something useful here that would help us destroy that Beowulf creature.

“Good, let us explore then. We may find something that can help us fight him.”

“I was just thinking the same thing. Great, so we…”

“Wait.”

Daniela whispered as she held a finger up to her lips.

“…It seems that he has come.”

“Are you serious…”

I guess we would not be able to leisurely look around. I quickly scan my surroundings. There was an entrance to the far right that led to another room.

“Daniela, over here.”

I lightly tap her shoulder and point to the far right. She nods and we both make our way through the entrance. It was a room, but much larger than the others, though not quite large enough to be called a hall.

“Right… This looks like a good size to contain him while preventing him from running around too much.”

“Nice thinking.”

“I’m sure he’ll catch up with us real quick, but he won’t be able to run wild at a speed we can barely follow if he’s in here.”

We hid in a corner of the room and immediately began to make plans.

“Beowulf is a giant wolf. Regardless of his size, he still runs on four legs, has a sensitive sense of smell and is very fast.”

“How would you fight him, Daniela?”

“I would use earth magic to break the floor under his feet and attack.”

“Then I could use water magic to create mud and stop his movement. If I can, I could use ice magic after that to freeze it.”

My magic would supplement hers. It seemed like it had a better chance of working than wholly relying on a novice’s magic.

“It would be splendid if you could use ice magic, but are you sure of it?”

She asked me with a worried expression.

“I haven’t had much opportunity to use magic… So I’m not sure. If it turns out I can’t partway in, you should ignore me and run.”

“Fool. As if I could do that.”

She glared at me.

“Of course I want us both to make it out of here, but at least one of us should be saved if that’s not possible.”

She was looking at me rather angrily now. I ignore the impulse to look away and glare back at her. Then it was her that looked away. Her cheeks looked a little flushed.

“Fool. We will both make it out alive…”

“Uh, ah…yeah. Well, I’ll lure him over here. You cast the spell when he comes.”

I say as I jump out from the shadows. Daniela was shouting at me to wait, but I ignore her.

It was better this way.

Just then, I could hear the sounds of heavy creaking. I use Presence Detection. I could very clearly sense the presence of the wolf near the entrance now. With determination, I shout in an attempt to provoke it. The battle had begun!

“Come here! I’m over here!!”

The answer was a deafening crash. The stones around the entrance blew away. I covered my face with my arms with just enough space to view ahead of me, but there was so much dust in the air that it was hard to see. But I didn’t have any time to think about it, because something was charging through the dust cloud and then jumped.

“Wha….!”

I felt something blast into my stomach. A blinding pain overtook me. My body had been thrown through the air and against a wall before I crumpled to the floor. All I could see ahead of me was stone. Stones that made up this building. They had flown through the air like cannonballs, and one had caught me in the stomach. Shit. That was my weak spot for rather personal reasons. I breathed in the air which tasted of sand and then coughed up something that tasted like blood. I stood up then. There was a strong wind blowing now, it was pushing away the dust cloud. Daniela. I knew she would think of something.

Now my vision was much clearer. I glare at the enemy in the room.

“Bastard… You got me real good back there…”

In the center of the room stood the giant wolf with silver fur and three tails. It calmly looked down in our direction. Then he answered my outcry with a roar.

“RUOOOOOOOORRRR!!!”

The room began to shudder violently. Beowulf’s legs bent as he prepared to pounce on me. And in that brief moment.

“NOW!!”

The signal to Daniela. In an instant, the ground beneath the giant wolf’s feet crumbled. The wolf was unable to escape, its legs were swallowed up by the hole created through magic. Now it was my turn.

“Imagine…imagine!!”

Easy. It was like discharging a dam. Imagine that going into the hole. It was easy, but the magic depletion was also insane. I could not make precise adjustments, but I could make it rotate in a whirlwind. And so the water combined with the dirt in the hole, creating a tide of mud against Beowulf. Thankfully, some of the larger rocks that he had crushed were inside as well. They rushed speedily in the current and scraped at his flesh. As the mud began to turn dark red with blood, I finally started to think that we could win.

But then I sensed that my magic had run low. An intense fatigue, like after catching a terrible cold overwhelms my body.

“Daniela! I can’t freeze it!”

“Leave it to me!”

Daniela leaped forward. Before I knew it, she had her bow made from the Tree of Life and Death in her hands and was firing arrow after arrow. Beowulf thrashed in a frenzy as the arrows pierced his back and the sides of his stomach.

“Take that…!!”

It was a strong shot that took all of her strength. It must have been the power of wind magic, as the arrow had a glow to it. The arrow flew, enveloped in a tornado as it went straight into Beowulf’s right eye.

“RUWWOOOoooOOOOooOO!!!!!!”

The maddening cry pierced my ears.