As Lein was getting some much needed sleep, I explored the cave. Crossing the water proved to be easier than I though, as the fear of water cats have doesn't seems to be because of their unability to swim. On the other sides of the lake were some small empty emerged areas. As my master was still sleeping, i choose to get out of the cave and watch the entrance. Once outside the quiet moonlit forest was the only thing left, the goblin village was gone, only ashes were left for the wind to sweep.

As I waited, I used my skills a bit more to get some proficiency. Gigantification is only at 10% of level 1, i won't be able to level it up any soon. On the other hand my skills are increasing steadily, stealth and cat's eye are level 2 already. A normal cat would have even stronger skill, but mine didn't have the time to develop compared to my level, that's the main problem with power leveling, skills aren't upgraded with job level. I kept training for the rest of the night until, when sunlight was starting to pierce the trees's foliage, Lein walked to the cave's entrance.

Sleeping should have helped but she still has a large wound, we need to get back to town and get it treated. Lein is thinking the same, she is already grabbing whatever she can before leaving. The cave didn't hold many valuables, so she just took back her bear traps and the goblin shaman's crude gown. We left toward the city at noon.

The way back was completely eventless, no monster attack, no forest curiosity, just trees. Not that I mind, Lein is in no shape to fight anyways. We should reach the city soon.

There is a faint smell of burnt wood in the air. Is it a forest fire? I should get Lein out of the first as fast as i can, we won't be able to escape the flames once we see them. I pushed Lein's leg to make her move faster.

"Why are you in such a hurry? Hey calm down my wound still hurt!"

Sorry for the wound but we are not safe here. I can see the edge of the forest from here, just have to cross a few bushes, i can relax.

Lein froze. She stood still in the middle of the bushes, mouth agape, eyes wide open. Why is she like that?

I took a few steps to see. The smell is surprisingly stronger here, I can even see ashes being carried by the wind. In front of me a large pillar of smoke is erupting from the town. Now that i think about it i can also smell charred flesh. The flames are still dancing atop the town's roofs.

The city is burning. And judging by the scent of blood, no one is going to stop the flames from swalowing it whole.

Lein ran. As fast as possible. I could barely follow her.

As we got closer, we noticed the holes in the stone wall and the guards corpses lying around the breaches.Lein stoped, she watched the bodies with a mix of fear and disbelief.

Once we were inside her approach changed, she was silently prowling, looking for any kind of ennemy. It didn't take long for her to find one, or three actually. Three men in large red robes, hiding their heads with pointy red hoods. A large coat of arms depicting a black hand holding a dagger as if it was going to stab someone adorned their clothes. Their weapons are long halberds with sickles-like blades. Which is strange considering they have weapons but no armor. Cloth isn't the best armor for city sieges.

Anger flared in Lein's face as she whispered:"Cult of Araneir"

I have no clue who they are but I'm pretty confident when i say they are the bad guys. Lein didn't move, a wise choice. Even with the two of us, killing three armed men without any of them alerting their allies was impossible.

We made our way in the rubble, burning houses and intact backstreets. The number of patrols we encountered on the way kept increasing as we approached the center of the city. All were three men squads, all had the same weapons. When we reached the center, we had to hide every two minutes to escape a patrol. As we reached a pile of rubble that was a house next to the central plaza once, Lein hid behind it and pulled a pair of binoculars from her pack.

I couldn't see as well as her but I'm not sure i wanted to. I could already see enough, the lunatics that invaded the city were crucifing peoples in front of the temple of order.

Lein kept scaning the cruesome show for something. She found it.

"Granpa. . . no. . .no no no no NOO"

The last shout alerted nearby cultists. Lein didn't care, she dashed toward the temple. Not a good strategy if you ask me. She didn't though, so i ran after her. Nine of the cultists were after us.

When she was close enough, Lein threw a dagger at the man responsible for this bloody diplay. The projectile pierced his leg. Lein ran toward the cross where Divan was and deperately tried to get him down from there. His eyes are already empty, I wish I could stop her, bu I can't.

I think I'm sad. I never really felt this kind of feeling, as if I lost something I could never get back. I never felt like this. I didn't know this man for long, but he was good to me, he even saved my life. A tear ran on my cheek. I didn't have anything before, no companions, no allies, no friends. And now i know what it mean to lose one. It hurts. Probably even more for Lein.

During what felt like an eternity, I stared at Lein desperate struggle against fate. I don't know what to do. I'm lost, I was ready to die myself, but i wasn't prepared for everyone else to die, expecialy so soon.

A shout pulled me out of my delusions, Divan's maid was calling us. Lein didn't react. No choice then. I violently bit her ankle and she snapped out of it. The cultists started to encircle us. I tripped one with telekinesis.

Your target suffer 24 blunt damage.

My master dashed through the opening. Before following her, I pushed off course the blade that one of the cultists swinged at her. When we reached the house, the maid let us in and close the door right behind us. The two women then proceded to drop as much furniture behind the door as possible.

Once the improvised barricade was done, we went upstair, in what looks like the high priest's room.

"My lady you have to use it. Your grandfather was caught before he could."

"There is no way I can use such an item, I have no spells that work with it."

"This is our only way of fighting them, expecialy their leader"

"I can't, I'll just waste it"

"Then do so! A treasure like that can't fall into their hands"

A deafening shout came from outside:"Come out you infidels!"

I checked the situation through the window.

The house was surrounded by hordes of cultists, some of them carrying a battering ram to the door. Behind the mob of red robed men, the elite of their ranks was staring at the house. One women in leather armor carrying two scimitars, one man in a heavy plated armor carrying a warhammer and the leader, a priest wearing the clean and ornate version of the cultist's robes. He wispered in an ancient language as a massive meteor fell from the sky toward the house.

The maid pushed Lein down right before the impact. A loud crash echoed through the city as piles of rubble were sent into the air.

Once she got up, the maid helped Lein do the same.

"Please my lady, i can't open the vault, you must do it. If that man get the elixir we are lost."

Lein hesitated she seemed tormented by doubt. Until she asked this:"Say Fenrir, you turning big when we fought the goblins, can you do it again?"

I nodded.

"Does it use mana all the time or gets stronger if you use more?"

I nodded again.

"Then whe may have a chance."

A mad grin appeared on her face, the kind that only brings problems. Not for us this time though.

She rummaged through the rubble and found a golden cube. She cut her finger and droped blood on the golden storage that opened instantly. The top of the cube retracted inside the rest of the mechanical box and Lein grabbed the vial of blue liquid inside. In one fluid motion she opened it, grabbed my mouth and poured everything inside.

Elixir of boundless magic used. You will receive 1000mp each second for 10 minutes.

Oh my, this is going to be fun. I ignored the pain that coursed through my body because of the sudden influx that broke through my mana cap. Gigantification triggered, my body growing larger and larger as time went on.

The cultist outside first made fun of me:"Look the kitten is growing, so cute!".Even their leader was confident:"You think a cat will stop me?".

Lein and the maid didn't answer, they just jumped on my pack and held tightly on my fur. I grew more, some of the cultists started throwing worried stares at me. Then i became larger than the house.

The man in armor shouted:"Ha you think this is enough, I've killed dragons larger than that!" Then nodded toward the priest and charged, the woman followd behind. They jumped on the house's second floor.

I meowed loudly in an intentionally high pitch, they had to cover up their ears, which slowed them down. I was now the size of the house, the floor below me cracked and collapsed under the weight. I checked that my riders were holding on and jumped out of the house. My gigantic body allowed me to travel through twenty meters in a single jump.

As i grew larger and larger, the mana flow stabilized, making a more efficient use of the elixir's power, making me even larger. The mob of cultist chased me around the temple.

There was no way they would catch a gigantic cat like me though, I can now cross thirty meters in one jump. Forty. Fifty.Seventy. About a hundred. My paws now leave large holes in the stone plaza under me. I am now tall enough to headbutt the top of the temple's spire. The confident look in both the warriors and the cultists are now filled with fear, some of them are already running away. The high priest summoned another meteor. I swated it away like a pebble.

It was my turn to attack. I jumped on the red army in front of me. A symphony of crushed bones erupted from under my claws as the poor survivors ran away screaming. Even the two warriors choose retreat. I pulled out my paws from the pool of blood I created and sweeped them. They were sent flying toward a crushed house.

When i was chasing the survivors in the streets like mice in a warehouse, the priest blew in a horn. At the sound, legions of extra cultists, warriors and priest came back from the streets. They charged at me with fear in their eyes.

When the potion effect ended, I turned back into a small cat. In the middle of a trashed plaza filled with pools of blood, paw-shaped craters and broken houses.

Heavy mana usage drawback is triggering. You are now paralyzed for 10 seconds. Mana won't be regenerated for the next 12 hours.

"I've got you now" I heard behind me. It seems the women in leather armor from before survived. She pulled her sword, coughed blood and limped toward me. As she was about to be in reach to behead me, her legs froze and Lein smiled behind her.

"If you think I'm going to let you hurt my little Fenrir you are sorely mistaken! Oh and don't go dying on me yet."She knoked the sword out of her hand with an ice projectile.

"I've got a lot of questions to ask, and you are going to answer them dear!"