“NO!!! I can’t believe I forgot about the meat!” Rumble yelled angrily into the sky.

“Stop shouting! You were just that busy to remember about that,” Darian said irritably.

“I know, but I wish I could’ve remembered to go and get them! We spend so long getting them together! My lunch! My dinner! All gone...!” Rumble wailed helplessly.

“Oh, stop whinging like a three year old, idiot! You forgot! So deal with it! Besides, I’m sure the monster’s already eaten them. It’s probably thanking you right about now,” Darian said with he wore a small smile on his face.

Rumble’s eyes flashed open and he glared at Darian. He looked very angry as his face contorted in rage.

“That monster ate it?! I’m going to kill it! I’m going to tear it apart! I’m gonna...!” Rumble said and he moved his lips silently to avoid saying whatever it was he wanted to shout.

Darian sighed and said “Ignore him. He’s gone into one of those anger zones and will probably take a while before he gets back to normal.”

“O-Oh...” Lakshman said nervously as he watched Rumble uncertainly.

“Anyway, tell me what happened to make him this angry? And who is that man shaking like leaf over there?” Darian asked and he gestured at the man they saved.

Lakshman began telling Darian about all the events that took place in the forest. He told him his magic training plan by hunting monsters, then about the man running away from a chasing big footed monster.

“I see,” Darian said and he nodded his head in understanding. Then he asked “What was that monster? Do you remember what it was like?”

“I...It was large, very large! It had a big head with sharp teeth and those savagery eyes! I... I think Rumble called it... um... Was it... Triaboros? Yeah! I think that’s what Rumble called it when we saw it chasing the man.”

Darian widened his eyes in surprise and asked “Triaboros? Are you sure?”

When Lakshman nodded, he frowned and said “Odd. Most Triaboros don’t attack unless they know they have the advantage. This is really strange...”

He made a face like he was thinking about something. Lakshman watched him curiously and asked “Darian, what is that Triaboros monster?”

“Triaboros is a big two legged monster with a huge mouth and sharp teeth. It also got a huge appetite for any kind of meat. Its love for meat is legendary and it constantly travels around searching for it.”

“Is it difficult to defeat it?”

“No. It’s just a D Rank monster, but it’s highly intelligent compared to most D Rank monsters. While most monsters attack anyone on sight, it makes sure it can win. If it knows it won’t win, it’ll just mind its own business unless you’re stupid enough to anger it.”

“Really? That’s odd because I and Rumble are strong, but it still chased us anyway.”

“The two of you must’ve panicked at seeing it all of a sudden. Because of that, it must’ve gotten the idea that it could win. Always remember to stay cool and act strong. Otherwise, you’ll be on a one way trip to danger!”

After saying that, Darian moved towards where the man was sitting. The man was shaking slightly with a fearful expression on his face. Having been near death must have caused him to become very scared.

When Darian stopped and look at the man, his eyes widened in surprise as he said “Hey! Aren’t you the messenger that came to visit the capital a few days ago?”

The man looked at him and, looking surprised, he said “Ah! You’re Darian Ronald, the Sword King, right? I’m truly grateful that your people came at the right time to save my life.”

“Yes, but why were you being chased by the Triaboros? Did something happen?” Darian asked him as he sat down on the ground.

The man began to tell them what happened. Apparently, he had finished his business with the king and left with his escort. After travelling sometime their group was attacked by a Friaboros.

“A Friaboros?!” Darian exclaimed in surprise. Then he quickly said “Sorry. Please continue.”

The man then said how his escort fought against the monster, but it called for reinforcement. That was when two Triaboros appeared and began their attack on the escort group. During the scuffle, the man broke away, but one of them gave chase which led to his current situation.

When the man finished speaking, he looked down at the ground and muttered “I wonder if my escort are fine.”

Darian smiled and said bracingly “Your escort looked strong, so they should be fine! They are, after all, dealing with a C Rank monster. It would give them a challenge, but it’s not undefeatable.”

“R-Right...!” the man said uncertainly.

As Darian sighed, Lakshman curiously asked “Fribaboros? What’s that? Is it similar to Triaboros?”

“Are they similar? Yes. Both have sharp teeth, two horns on their heads and spikes all over their tail. The only difference between them is that Friaboros is bigger than a Triaboros and it can breathe fire. It’s indicated by the colour of its body.”

Lakshman’s eyes widened in shock and he asked “Breathe fire?”

Darian nodded and said “Triaboros are your average meat hunting reptiles. Then Friaboros which has red body and can breathe fire out of its mouth. Then there’s Thunaboro which has blue body, but shoots lighting strikes at its prey.”

“Wow! One can breathe fire and the other shoots lighting. They are quite strange,” Lakshman remarked with an amazed look on his face.

Darian shrugged his shoulders and said “If you find it a problem, blame the creator of our world. Who knows what he was thinking in making our world like this.”

The moment he finished speaking, a large branch snapped from the tree above him. It fell down and hit him hard on the hard. He shouted out in pain and brushed aside the branch. Then he rubbed his forehead gingerly as the pain subsided.

Darian sighed and said “If you’re going to get angry at the creator, make sure he cannot hear you, okay?”

Lakshman laughed for the first time in a while. While laughing, he realised Darian was talking about the God of Creation. Feeling apologetic, Lakshman put his hands together in a prayer and asked for forgiveness.

After recovering from the fallen branch incident, Darian looked at the man and said “We’ll help you get back to your escort. They’re probably hard in combat with the monster as we speak. We’d better get our stuff ready to head out.”

He rose to his feet and headed towards the house. Lakshman followed and wondered what Darian intended to do in there. He soon found out when Darian entered the house and told Mekalum to stop wherever he was up to.

Mekalum looked surprised and asked him why. Darian told him they will be moving out immediately and asked if the armours were done. Mekalum told him the main engineering of the magic armour was done, but not the full body armour.

“We’ll have to do with what we have, but it should be fine. They are strengthened, right?” Darian asked Mekalum.

“Yes, they are strengthened, but didn’t you want me to make Lakshman full body armour?” Mekalum asked curiously.

“I did, but I realised it will only slow him down. In battle, speed is the most important trait of all the rest. I think you know the advantage you get by being faster than the enemy?”

Mekalum nodded and smiled as he understood Darian’s reasoning. Then he turned around and finished the last touches to the armour.

“It comes down to fifty gold coins,” Mekalum said to Lakshman.

Lakshman nodded and he pulled out the sack of gold he had tucked in his pocket a while ago. He quickly counted the number of coins and handed them over to Mekalum with a word of “Thanks.”

Darian then gathered everyone and told them what was going on. Then he informed them about his plan to escort the messenger to his escort and rescue them if possible. Marilia, Ondine and Tetra were more than amazed at finding out a Friaboros was nearby.

“Attacking it while it breathes fire at us and lashes out with its spiked tail... I think this will be an interesting challenge,” Marilia said with a smile.

“Can’t we just chop its head off to make things simpler?” Ondine asked and Tetra nodded from behind.

“Whatever we’ll do, let’s decide on that when we get there. So let’s get going!” Darian said firmly and he smiled excitedly.

Rumble brought the horse so it can pull the carriage once again. As everyone got into the carriage, Mekalum came over to say goodbye.

“Make sure you guys stay safe and show them hell!” he said and gave them a thumps-up gesture with a big grin on his face.

“We will!” Darian said and he returned the gesture.

Rumble whipped the reins and the horse began pulled the carriage away. He got the horse to make a U-turn and they headed in the direction the messenger told them.

Mekalum wore a bright expression on his face as he watched them leave. Once they left, the forest clearing became very quiet and his expression returned to look dull.

“Now then... time to eat,” he said in a dull voice.

He patted his stomach expectantly as he walked into his house and closed the door shut.