Amira let her two enormous wings drape back to her sides while the Elder Chari and four of the surviving newborns disappeared beyond the stairs, leaving the Chari pack leader alone to gaze after their retreated forms.

That was rather unpleasant to preside over, Amira stated as she nipped the wing of an overly enthused chick that had started wandering after the Chari. I’ll spare you the long explanation as I’m not quite in the mood for chatting. This ceremony occurs every cycle with the hatching of our young, and it serves to weed out the weaker of our kin while strengthening those strong enough to survive. The island and its domain have finite resources, and the weak would only drain those resources before providing them to enemies of our nest as a plump meal. As we and the Chari are on friendly terms, it is in our best interest to give both our future generations their greatest chance at survival.

Leo thought about her words for a moment. The situation still felt rather barbaric, but he couldn’t exactly hold his morals from Earth against the inhabitants of Asylum. As far as he could remember, over there the most he had to worry about was an entitled customer and paying rent. Daily survival wasn’t an everyday struggle. He decided to move on to his next question, sensing Amira’s impatience to be away from the ceremonial grounds. What about what happened with the Elder Chari? What did you mean by me being found ‘worthy’?

The massive bird turned an eye toward him and cocked her head in confusion. Zeld didn’t inform you? No, of course he didn’t. Typical of him to just throw you outside in the middle of all this. This ceremony is made of two parts, the skirmish and the duel. The overall winner of those two categories, which was us on both fronts, by the way, is granted hunting rights to the Valley of Erreth during the new cycle.

In recompense, the winner must also give up the strongest member of their hatch to the representative of Erreth whose nation allows us access to their lands. The losing tribe also has the option to support the nation if they find the representative worthy enough. Amira’s emotions were all over the place in what he assumed must be typical Thunder Roc behavior. One moment she was exasperated over Zeld, the next she was feeling smug over her tribe’s win, and both were still tied together with a hint of sadness from the recent loss of her young.

But I’m not a representative of Erreth… The automatic reply slipped out accidentally, and he was suddenly afraid of what the consequences might be for spoiling the ceremony. Hadn’t Zeld also mentioned Erreth “used to be a nation?” Why would they still pay tribute to a fallen civilization?

Of course you are. Zeld took you under his wing and vouched for you.

Leo was going to need to have a long talk with that old man when he got back. He was beginning to suspect that Zeld had saved him with more than just kindness at heart.

Now per the ancient accords, as the winner we gift you Sparky to better assist in the development of Erreth…My, what a terrible name, did you really have to call her that? It’s like calling a fire dragon Flamey. She bristled her neck feathers at his lack of taste. Leo looked over at the bird in question. True to her name, she was busily sharing friendly zaps with other members of her flock.

I don’t know if I feel right about taking-, he started, feeling apprehensive about taking the overgrown chick away from her own kind when Amira interrupted him.

Finally! There they are! she complained in impatience, clearly ignoring his concerns.

Six more shapes descended from the dark storm clouds above. None of them flew down with the grandeur of Amira’s entrance, but just the sheer presence of the beings made the storm around them roil and rumble. They glided over on powerful wings of crackling yellow energy, each of different sizes but all slightly smaller than Amira. Fast as one would expect from a bird of prey, each dived down and wrapped its massive talons around one of the surviving chicks, providing cradles for the confused yet excited newborns in their claws before shooting back the way they came.

Within moments, the only creatures remaining on the mountaintop were Sparky, the Chari pack leader, Amira and another hatchling. Amira studied Sparky for a moment before giving the chick a light zap, then she gathered the remaining hatchling in her claws and launched into the air with several powerful flaps of her mighty wings. Do take care of her. she warned before the connection severed as she flew out of range.

Leo watched her retreating form disappear among the storm front, somehow feeling like he had drawn the short end of the stick in this whole ordeal. He looked over at the two beasts that had been assigned to his care. The Chari had wandered over after Amira left, but had its head tilted away, refusing to even look at Sparky or him. The Thunder Roc in turn was practically hopping up and down on its non-injured talon, clearly excited with its endless pool of energy, but occasionally glaring daggers at the pompous Chari next to it.

Leo took in the lingering hostility between the two, thinking of how much work would be required in taking care of the two literal monsters. Then he turned around and walked away from the situation.

Unfortunately, the monsters followed.

* * *

“Will you two cut it out!” Leo exclaimed at the two beasts. It hadn’t been more than ten minutes since they started back down the canyon pass, but already the creatures were driving him insane.

Of course it had been Sparky who had sparked this whole confrontation. After getting tired of being ignored by the Chari, she had nipped the feline’s tail with her beak. The Chari, acting in much the same manner as any normal housecat would when their tail gets pulled, let out an almost imperceptible squeak, jumped high in the air, then lashed back at its aggressor with a gravity blade while floating.

That led Leo to where he was now, standing in the middle of the two deadly beasts and trying to prevent a rematch of their last battle. Sparky puffed up her neck feathers in displeasure but continued trudging down the slope. The Chari, still refusing to even look at him, let the streams of energy coalescing on its blade dissipate before settling to just above ground level with its head and tails held high.

They followed the ancient river bed unmolested—if the presence of two threat beasts wasn’t enough of a natural deterrent, then Sparky sulking and tossing lightning at everything that caught her eye certainly was. Leo was just glad those strikes weren’t aimed at him this time. Now that they were level seven, he wasn’t sure if he could survive a single hit from either of his forced-together companions.

The early morning sun had fully risen by the time they made it to the forest’s edge, leaving fried monsters and scorched canyon walls behind them. The lush green leaves of the undergrowth sparkled like emeralds with the early morning dew, and Leo had never felt so glad to feel the kiss of the sun’s warmth on his back.

It had been a long night and he felt ready to sleep for a week. He and his motley companions were halfway to the pond when Sparky swiveled her head to the right and let out an urgent chirp before darting off into a wall of nearby bushes.

“Where are you going?!” Leo yelled after the sporadic bird, unsure if he should follow the creature or take the opportunity to ditch the endless ball of energy. “What do you think, should we go after her?” he asked the Chari. It let out a small sniff and if it was possible, looked even more pompous as it promptly ignored his question.

“You’re right. I wouldn’t want to be stuck alone with you either.” Leo complained to the stuck-up feline, which brought him an annoyed twitch of its ear in response. With a sigh he hurried into the brush after Sparky, pushing through the dense leaves and sharp prodding twigs. It wasn’t hard to follow the trail blazed through the thicket by the overgrown bird, and he soon heard the familiar crackle of electricity ahead inside a copse of pines. Howls of pain sounded quickly afterwards, encouraging Leo to increase his pace with a sinking feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.

By the time he slid through the dense circle of trees, he had several shallow lacerations across the exposed parts of his arms and legs from the sharp tips of branches. Hidden inside the grove was a large, grassy clearing that led up to several rundown and ruined buildings that nature had started to reclaim.

Vines and moss climbed up the stone walls still standing, wooden roofs that weren’t collapsed were covered in leaves and branches, and the paved street had been mostly swallowed up by the earth. There were eight of these ruined structures built in two neat rows that formed a pathway leading to the only two-story structure in the abandoned village.

You have entered Fallwreath Ruins.

Four-legged, brown-furred forms were pouring out of the buildings and racing across the clearing; the familiar sight made Leo’s heart quiver. Forest wolves! he thought in panic as he watched the swarm of canines run to the still body of a Thunder Roc.

They approached the body warily, none of the canines wanting to be the first one to greet the creature standing protectively over the corpse. Already the bodies of half a dozen overeager wolves lay smoking in the grass. Sparky stood over the form of her fallen kin, glaring fiercely at the swarm of hostile monsters around her while electricity danced amongst her feathers.

The young wolves’ levels all ranged from two to five, but the sheer number of them made Leo wary. There were over twenty of the common monsters surrounding and baring their fangs at the intruder who dared to set foot here. A massive wolf standing twice as tall as some of its fellows prowled to the forefront of his brethren, eyeing Sparky with its one remaining eye, his presence seeming to heighten the aggressiveness of the rest of the pack.

“This world just wants to kill me,” Leo muttered sullenly upon reading The Hunter’s description. Its foreboding name coupled with the creature’s backstory and high level were enough to send alarm bells ringing in his head about the danger.

There was clearly no avoiding the coming fight; he could leave Sparky to fight for herself or he could join in. He let out a sigh and drew Aveth from its sheath—leaving the bird to her death was never really an option, but it eased his nerves to think he had a choice in the matter. Maybe there was something he could do to give them the edge while the pack was busy working themselves into a frenzy.

He looked behind him for the Chari, knowing how much he was going to need the help of both his new companions, but the feline was nowhere in sight. He let out a silent curse, ready to jump in until something soft brushed against his neck. The sudden feeling almost made him jump out of hiding, before he looked up to see the glowing red eyes of the Chari staring down at him through its thick white fur.

“You’re going to help out right?” he whispered to the annoying creature.

The Chari ignored his question and began grooming one of its paws. It licked and rubbed the paw against its horn, giving a clear sign of how much this situation meant to it. “Some help you are,” Leo muttered at the self-absorbed cat.

He focused on the surrounded bird and activated his new skill, Beast Communication. Immediately a roiling sea of emotions and new sensations flooded into his mind. He didn’t have time to explore the new connection as the wolves had finally worked themselves up enough to find their nerve.

They growled and barked at Sparky as they slowly closed in on the bird from all sides. He shoved aside all the foreign feelings and tried to express through the connection the importance of what he wanted the bird to do, and after a brief sense of surprise, he thought he felt a vague acknowledgment. Sparky’s feathers puffed up and swirled with a familiar energy, and Leo readied himself for the opportunity he knew would be coming.

With a thundering cry, the Thunder Roc released the same explosion of electricity she had used to knock the Chari from the sky. The wolves surrounding the bird let out a brief yip as the closest ones were flung backward in smoldering heaps and the others were sent toppling to the ground. Leo leapt out of cover and charged at the closest prone form that was still breathing just as Sparky did the same, running in his direction. They would have a better chance if they fought covering each other’s flanks.

A wave of fatigue flowed over Leo through his open connection with the bird right as he reached the closest disoriented wolf. The attack had drained most of Sparky’s energy and he could tell she wouldn’t recover in time to perform it again. He slashed down with his sword at the prone form as the pack began to pick themselves up, Aveth easily cutting through the creature’s neck and lopping its exposed head clean off.

You have killed Forest Wolf (Level 4). You gain 233 Exp.

Leo turned off his notifications with a thought, not wanting to get distracted during the fight. He felt Sparky rake her talons into the exposed underside of another stunned creature, snuffing out its life as well just as the largest wolves found their feet.

Only the lower-level wolves or the ones closest to the epicenter had been stunned or killed outright. The scent of spilled blood drove the ones still standing into a frenzy and they charged the two invaders with a snarl, all caution forgotten.

Leo conjured an Arc Bolt at the largest one of three approaching from his right. The spell crashed into the drooling maw of the blood-thirsty canine, eliciting a pained yelp. He had expected to send the beast tumbling to the ground, but the wolf only faltered before regaining its footing.

Beside him, Sparky depleted near the last of her mana. Two trunk-size bolts of electricity were let loose with a flap of her wings, arcing away from her to collide with the unlucky pair of wolves approaching from her left. Leo felt a sense of pity for the beasts as their smoking carcasses collapsed into the tall grass, never to rise again.

Blue arcs of energy trickled to life in his left hand as he held an Arc Bolt at the ready. He used a trick he had learned in his earlier training to hold the lightning in place instead of firing it, not wanting to waste his limited mana.

The higher-level wolves couldn’t be compared to the ones he had fought on his first day here. These came up to his shoulders in height, reminding him of the dire wolves of prehistoric times back on Earth. Their bodies bulged with muscles not found on their smaller kin, as they rushed toward him.

Swinging Aveth just below chest height, he unleashed the blade with a thought. The runes on the sword glowed a bright green as the segments of the blade unlocked from one another. It darted forward in a low arc, looking to catch the creatures at the legs.

One of the wolves ducked low, letting the weapon’s deadly edge whisk overhead. The other two attempted to leap over it. The first made it unobstructed but right as the other went to leap, a tail drifted down to obscure the beast’s vision. The wolf faltered, causing its back legs to get sliced cleanly off by Aveth’s keen edge.

Leo looked up in shock to see the Chari lying curled up above the battlefield, a bored expression on its face as it let its tails continue to harass the bleeding-out and whimpering canine on the ground. The wolf that had ducked the strike noticed the cat tormenting its dying kin and went to shred the Chari’s tails with a powerful bite. The lazy feline didn’t even flinch as it calmly moved the tail targeted up a few inches just in time to avoid the snapping wolf, before letting it dangle back down in a teasing manner.

Considering what he knew the creature could do, he wasn’t sure whether he should curse or thank the egotistical monster for its participation. He called the sword’s name again just as the last wolf made it to him. Not having enough time for his sword to retract, he tried to punch the beast with the readied Arc Bolt, hoping direct contact would be enough to stun it.

He sent his fist straight for the side of the wolf’s mouth, but the powerful canine dug its feet into the ground with a spray of dirt, and nimbly changed its direction to avoid his strike. It circled his wide swing, making sure to keep its body on the opposite side of the retracting sword, and slammed into his legs using its weight and powerful muscles to throw him into the air.

Leo landed hard on his shoulder, and desperately tried to roll to his feet while not impaling himself with his thankfully now-straightened sword he had barely managed to hold onto. He made it to his knees, the world refocusing just in time for him to see brown fur and slobbering jaws. He released the pent-up lightning out of reflex.

Blue electricity shot away just as the jaws attempting to rip out his throat started to close. Sharp canine fangs lightly breached the skin of his neck before they were thrown back with the crackle of electricity. Seeing his opening, he desperately thrust Aveth at the now-exposed wolf. The blade easily skewered the beast, piercing its tough hide like paper.

He kicked the creature off his sword, letting its body slump onto the grass. That had been entirely too close for comfort. His hand moved to feel the portion of his neck the wolf had almost clamped down on. If he had reacted a moment later, it would’ve been too late.

His attention was forced back to the present as a pair of powerful jaws revealed themselves by crunching through the bracers of his right hand. With a cry of pain, Aveth was torn from his grasp, the spasming muscles unable to hold onto the heavy blade. A thick bolt of electricity rocketed into his vision and blasted into the side of his attacker, eliciting a yelp and forcing the wolf to let go as it was pushed back by the blow.

A quick glance told him that was probably the only help Sparky was able to spare. She was busy dealing with five wolves of her own, using the last of her mana to increase her speed and reaction time.

The Chari had likewise stepped up her ‘participation’. The cat had garnered the attention of three others and was playfully fishing with all the enraged beasts just out of their reach. At least one of us is enjoying ourselves, Leo thought sullenly as the feline continued to amuse herself.

The muscles in his right hand had trouble closing, so he scooped up Aveth in his left and awkwardly held the sword out between him and his new opponent. The Hunter silently snarled at Leo, hostility and rage seething through the wolf’s demeanor as it circled him just outside of reach. He thought about using Aveth at range, but he wasn’t nearly confident in being able to defend himself with the lengthened blade if the wolf got in close.

He took a few shallow breaths, trying to steady his breathing while ignoring the throbbing pain in his injured forearm. He kept Aveth between himself and the massive canine, while attempting to circle to the monster’s blind spot. With his injured arm, he reached down and pulled out Chilly from its small sheath. It was agony but he managed to clutch the dagger with his right arm as if his life depended on it, which to be fair it probably did.

The weapon helped numb and slow his bleeding as the cold enchantment seeped into his arm. A glance at his health told him the bite that had ripped his bracers to shreds still managed to do eight points of damage. He’d be at death’s door and probably missing an arm without his prior increase to Constitution.

The Hunter looked at the new blade warily, eyes gleaming with an intelligence and understanding that outstripped the other wolves he had fought. Then the fur on the wolf fluidly changed color and the beast vanished. Leo’s breath caught at the sudden development. He desperately searched for any sign of the beast, terrified at watching such a large predator disappear.

A flicker of motion was all he perceived as the canine struck out low on his left leg. Its teeth managed to once more break through and crush his leather armor before the wolf jumped back and vanished once more into thin air. Leo let out a wordless cry as he swung Aveth at the already retreated form and tried his best to push down the fresh wave of agony.

Panic started to swell in his chest as he leaned heavily on his one good leg. He was down to under half his health and he had no idea how to fight this beast. His only saving grace was that Sparky had already injured it; otherwise, he’d be just another corpse in the field by now. To make matters worse, he noticed the few wolves that had been stunned were slowly starting to stir.

A slight shimmer caught his searching eye, the subtle shifting of color as the massive creature darted in to take out his other leg. Luckily, Leo had predicted where the beast was going to strike next. His prior experience fighting these creatures had told him the wolf would aim to bring him to the ground before finishing him off.

He swung his right hand down, driving the dagger into the beast’s shoulder as it clamped its jaws around his remaining leg. He fell to his knees, no longer able to support his own weight as The Hunter retreated once more, the dagger still protruding from its shoulder.

It seemed that whatever stealth skill the massive beast had didn’t apply to foreign objects as the hilt of his dagger continued to float in the air, marking the beast’s retreat. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, he flung Aveth at the creature’s invisible form, hoping to take the beast by surprise. The sword sped toward where his dagger had marked his foe, causing a red streak to appear as it cut into the beast’s side with a pained yip.

Realizing that its ability wasn’t working, the wolf dropped its stealth and charged at Leo. Just as he had been waiting for the wolf’s previous attack, so too had the beast been waiting for him to overextend his deadly blade. The ice that had formed over its right shoulder cracked as the wolf worked its powerful limbs, racing forward to its now defenseless quarry.

Leo’s mind raced. He didn’t have enough mana to summon another Arc Bolt, and Sparky was too far away and equally dried up to be of any help. I hope I taste bad, was the only curse he could think of as the beast leapt at him, its massive jaws unhinged and frothing in anticipation at another successful kill.

The air blurred around Leo and suddenly a force slammed the creature down to the grass a foot from him. He looked over at the Chari in gratitude. The feline’s eyes were narrowed on the massive canine, its body rigid with strain.

Aveth’s form snapped back together and Leo quickly crawled on his hands and knees over to the helplessly struggling canine. Not knowing how long the Chari could hold the beast, he immediately plunged the blade into the bulk of the monster.

There was a soft whimper of pain from the dying beast as he ripped the blade out, Aveth’s barbed edge ripping through the entrails and organs in a spray of gore. The wolf was still not dead, so Leo repeated the action, sinking the blade in again and again until on the third thrust, The Hunter’s whimpering went silent. A familiar golden light exploded from the beast to envelop him with a soft chime, the energy washing away his pain like a blessed breeze.

As it diminished, he rose shakily to his feet, his body still uncomfortable at the sudden repair of his flesh and muscle. “Thanks…” he breathed out to the Chari, who had apparently grown bored of the five wolves beneath it. It turned its head proudly away from him before rapidly sending out several gravity slashes that turned the poor creatures beneath to mush.

Leo looked over to see how Sparky was faring. She had managed to slay three of the five attacking her but was currently sporting a limp and a bleeding wing. With his mana now full, Leo cast Arc Bolt twice more in rapid succession to repay the helping hand the bird had given him earlier.

The bolts of energy slammed into the Thunder Roc, supercharging the bird just as it had when Sparky had first dragged him out of the canyon. The wolves, sensing the change, attempted to flee from the terrifying glowing chick. They barely made it three steps before an excited chirp heralded their doom. Two massive bolts of energy fried the fur off their bodies and dropped the poor creatures as they joined the rest of their pack on the grisly killing field.

Leo glanced around. Four more wolves that had been put in a stunned state from Sparky’s initial blast had managed to regain their senses. Each one of them was smaller than the ones they had just faced, and they slowly looked around at the bodies of their larger kin and pack leader with frightened eyes. They let out low whimpers and pressed their muzzles to the ground, no doubt having seen what had happened to the last pair that had tried to run. The Chari looked down on the beasts with contempt, energies once more swirling into the blade on its head.

“Wait!” Leo cried out right as the feline lifted its head to strike. Surprisingly, the proud creature listened and the air currents around its horn stopped visibly flowing. Sparky tilted her head and Leo could feel confusion seep through their link on why they weren’t finishing off their enemies.

“Just wait a moment…” he sighed, his mind exhausted and numb from all the fighting. He wanted to confirm a suspicion about what the ruins really held.