SSS-Ranked Evolution: Worlds Unbound-Chapter 61: Failed Mission (dont buy)
"Food and water will be very appreciated." all for his partner and when he agreed, she licked his lips, out of the corner, a well-built man came into view and locked eyes with him, Ren knew it was the chief archer he had encountered when he entered the town. He was in loose pants and without a shirt, showing his hardened battle-scarred body. Not saying a word to Ren or even acknowledging him, he moved to the chief to whisper something into her ears.
From her body language, they seemed to be very close. Before their conversation ended, the maiden came to take Ren to his room. However, she was terrified of Luna and the moment Ren was in his room, she bolted. He could understand her fear, Luna was huge and with a smile from her, you could see all the sharp teeth that could end a human life, but she was not violent. He had a feeling the fear ran deeper.
His room was very simple, almost like the one he had back at home but bigger, he appreciated the hospitality and the food that was brought to him later. Luna hoarded most of it and only left a little portion, if he had known she would treat him like this, he would have forced her to stay back. After hours of rest, a shadow emerged at his door and soon later, a knock followed.
"Come in." he gave her permission, the door slid and the gentle image of the chief in her sleepwear became visible. She had a warm smile, but her being was more drawn to Luna who was battling sleep when she came in.
"I hope you are comfortable. I do apologize for the behaviour of my men towards you. You have a...follower...so it was normal they would be alarmed." follower? Was she talking about Luna?
"I am deeply grateful..." Ren paused for a minute. Despite the treatment, Ren noticed the town in a bad shape. The roads, the buildings, the people, he wanted to talk about it, "what happened to Eblan?"
A soft sigh escaped the woman’s lips, and she closed the door behind her, sitting not too far away from Ren, "abandoned by the empire after multiple attacks from the wolves. They refused to help us, we lost so many to the rampages in the past few years. It has been hard rebuilding, but we seem to be getting back on our feet." explaining to him, her eyes held a solemn sadness, "I am Kiyomi Nashida, the last of the Nashida house. And you are?"
"Ren Kobayashi. And this is Luna." bowing a little out of respect, he introduced himself and his partner who mimicked him by placing her head on the floor. Kiyomi smiled at the wolf, feeling a deep connection to the canine, "you said something about wolves attacking." he brought her attention back to their previous conversation.
"Yes. You see, many of us are hunters and warriors. We were well known for our skills on the battlefield and in the forest, the wolves were our partners. They were part of our family. Until a period of time came, and they changed." her eyes dulled, remembering what happened to her own partner when she was younger, "they became dark, corrupted with evil. They no longer listened to our commands, and they wrecked havoc. Killed many children and many adults. They never stopped attacking. I wondered for years what went wrong. I have never been able to solve the piece of the puzzle. But Luna..." slowly Kiyomi stretched her palm to Luna, placed in the middle was a small piece of fish with Luna gently scooped into her mouth and continuously licked her hand to say thank you.
"She wasn’t always like this. She was once how you described the others. But i...saved her." his fingers found her head and gave her a nice head rub, "the wolves are corrupted. A great evil spread across the land, changing the nature of beasts to that of evil. The wolves were not exceptions. The only way to stop them is to cleanse them."
"You are young, yet so wise. Tell me, where does your journey lead?" Kiyomi’s grey hair almost glowed in the moonlight, long and without a single tangle.
"To a forgotten town, north of Eblan." he told her. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
"You mean Karnak? The place is deserted, and dangerous monsters roam the streets..." many thoughts raced through her mind, "and the road to Karnak has been destroyed. However...there is another route but—"
"Anyway I can get there, I will appreciate it." Ren was desperate to fulfil his promise to Reina, he wanted to take them back to their land, and he wasn’t returning without being successful. However, Kiyomi was very uncomfortable with his urge to go to Karnak, nobody had been there in years, and she didn’t believe he would survive if he went there. She didn’t ask any more questions regardless.
"I can help you, but I am also in need of your service. The last attack we had was brutal, but we are in no condition to face the wolves ourselves. You were able to free Luna from her evil state. If you can restore peace to our town, I will help you get to Karnak." she offered him. Ren thought for a while, but it was a no-brainer.
"I will help you." he gave her his word and automatically gained a side quest.
It was the second night in Eblan, the town was slowly but surely going to sleep while Ren on the other hand, was preparing to go into the forest to deal with the wolves Kiyomi had asked for help with. He was given new sets of clothes and his knife was polished as per her request. Luna let out a soft howl, signifying to him that she was ready too.
He walked out of his room and navigated to the exit, where the chief sat in a meditative state. Ren etched closer and that was all she needed to sense him, "you leave now?"
"Yes." his voice stiff, Luna walked to her side to ask for pets and slowly, she rubbed her head with utmost respect.
"The den is east of the town but be cautious, there are many dangerous plants and other beasts that roam it. By the blessing of the moon goddess, you will come back safe and sound." a small smile graced her lips as Ren turned to leave.
"The den is east of the town but be cautious, there are many dangerous plants and other beasts that roam it. By the blessing of the moon goddess, you will come back safe and sound." a small smile graced her lips as Ren turned to leave.
He left Kiyomi’s house and reached the gates of Eblan, she had said east and that was exactly where he was going. He entered the forest again and continued his side quest journey but soon a nagging feeling clawed at him, he should have really asked how many wolves he was dealing with. Since it was a nuisance for the whole town, he knew he was going to have to fight a lot.
Luna was doing the most work of finding the den, her nose permanently glued to the ground, sniffing the path. Sometimes she would stop to sniff for more than three minutes before moving again and sure they were slow, it was necessary. The constant start and stop was getting Ren impatient, and he had almost doubled his movement speed, now ahead of Luna while she was busy trying to actually find the path. Looking up and whining in disapproval, she ran towards him, dragging him by the trousers and pulling him away from a death trap that could have consumed him.
He was almost lashed by what seemed to be a carnivorous vine. It twirled like it was alive, its needles pulsating in disappointment before it curled back into its resting position. Ren had landed on his butt and with a comic sweat dripping down the side of his head, he apologized to Luna multiple times as she barked furiously at him. If she could talk, she would be raining insults.
By then, they had entered their territory.
As they got closer to the cave, they instinctively slowed down, now being able to see wolves moving around, guarding the entrance of the cave. Just like how he had first met Luna, they were corrupted with sparks of deadly energy flying around them. His mind buzzed, he needed a game plan, or he would be their next meal. Crouching, he accidentally stepped on a twig, the snapping sound alerting the canines, now knowing that someone is in the vicinity.
Before Ren could take another step, a lightning strike was hurled at him, forcing him to roll out of his hiding space and into clear view. And Luna was not long to jump into view too. The wolves snarled at them, preparing to attack.
"Well shit." they had been found out.
Luna growled softly in response, sparks of electricity flickering along her silver fur.
The pack charged.
