Piercing howls echoed through the forest.
Yaaawwwn-
It was enough to wake Elisa up, but not enough for her to open her eyes just yet.
'How long has it even been? Two hours of sleep? Three, at most?'
She let her neck bend from side to side.
'I sooo don't feel like taking care of it. We're too high for most Wolves to even be able to do a thing anyways.'
With the back of each of her hands, Elisa rubbed her sleepy eyes.
'Ugh. Being the one with the sharpest senses is so annoying. Though I guess I could use that as a way to be on the lookout... Yeah. Since I'm on the lookout, I can't go fight. Gotta stay here and warn them. But then... Can I really just tell him to go fight instead? Ughhh... I guess not.'
She opened her eyes, and her back slowly moved away from the tree trunk.
'Hate imagining them sleeping while I-'
Elisa's brows furrowed.
'Huh?'
Snif-
Snif-
'Huh?'
Snif-
"Really?" Elisa whispered.
She had grown used to it, but it wasn't anywhere close to her at the moment.
"It doesn't reek..." Elisa slowly turned around and peeked. "Of Corruption..."
It wasn't there.
The Monster wasn't there.
"I'm guessing..."
Mark wasn't there.
"He couldn't sleep..." Elisa whispered to herself.
She slowly pushed herself off.
"Ugh..."
Elisa stood up on the branch she had been lying on.
'With him gone, I guess I'm less against the idea of going to fight...'
Grumpy, she yawned and remained unmoving for a bit.
A slight smile only appeared on her face once her eyes found the source of light that dimly lit the area.
Elisa turned to face the moon.
She closed her eyes, and bathed in the moonlight for a moment.
The Elven Necklace quivered, and the wind around Elisa started moving.
Numerous currents of air started coming and going in different directions.
Keeping her eyes closed, her pointy nose,
Sniff-
Sniff Sniff-
Her eyes opened as she found it.
'That's...'
The detestable and awful odor of Corruption.
'The direction in which the Wolves-'
A whimper echoed in the distance.
A whimper she could only hear thanks to the Wind that obeyed her every whim.
Elisa was fully aware of that fact.
She lowered her gaze towards the pendant around her neck.
Elven Necklace.
The Item lowered Mana Consumption and increased Wind Magic Affinity.
She stared at it for a bit.
Using it felt like cheating in a way.
She wanted to use the Wind better. To learn how to wield it better.
Elisa wanted to know the Wind better.
It felt like cheating, but at the same time,
Understanding Magic with one's gut means experiencing it-
She had no doubt that getting used to having her Wind Magic Affinity raised, although artificially, would benefit her in the long term.
Would benefit her pursuit.
"Kristaa!" Elisa called out.
A sleeping Lioness groaned.
"Get up, Krista."
Elisa jumped off the tree branch and gracefully landed on the one occupied by the Moonlit Feline.
"I want to sleep it too, but it's better if we keep moving. Plus, we have to go check on-"
Krista's eyes opened wide instantly. She stood up and stared at Elisa.
The white-furred Lioness turned into a white-furred Cat.
"Yeah."
Krista jumped into Elisa's arms.
"Let's go check on him."
***
A distance away, it stood.
The Monster's body was covered by white scales.
Parts of those scales had been turned black.
Two dark lines stretched down from its eyes to its waist.
On its left arm, three dark disks.
One on its shoulder, one on its elbow, and on the back of its hand.
A dark line ran through those disks.
Despite containing the same substance as the other lines on the Monster's body, these disks had grown slightly more translucent.
The Darkness within them wasn't as deep.
Perhaps because a large portion of that Darkness had been used up recently.
Perhaps because the Darkness hadn't been fed for a while.
Growl-
Growl-
Growl-
"That's right..." The Monster muttered.
In front of it, a small Pack made up of several Beasts.
[Common Forest Wolf: [E+] Ranked Monster.]
Six growling Wolves stood a couple of steps away.
Their pelts were brown, which made them slightly harder to keep track of under the dim moonlight.
They growled, as saliva drooped down their fangs and jaws.
"Come at me!" The Monster declared.
The white-scaled Monster stood with its knees slightly bent and its feet far apart.
Its arms were spread apart.
Wide and, almost, welcoming.
Despite its lack of movement, the Pack did not step forward.
An exchange had already taken place after all.
[Your Skill "Purgatory's Undead Troup[B+]" has currently Marked 6 Beasts.]
'Doesn't seem like there's a limit to how many I can Mark at once.'
On each of the Wolves' bodies, a Brand had been deposited by Mark's hand.
One by one, they had been Branded.
A circle that radiated a purple light had been drawn on their bodies by a touch of his hand.
The design wasn't something he had chosen or even thought about.
Which meant that it, probably, had been chosen for him.
By whom, remains a mystery.
Mark brought his spread-apart arms closer.
'Their eyes shine through the darkness. I can't help but think they have better vision here than I do. Still...'
The Monster showcased its fangs, just like the rest of the Beasts were doing.
The main difference though, was probably the sentiment behind that show of fangs.
Mark clapped his hands together, and the Wolves' pelts twitched.
"Come at me!"
Provocation? Wild Beasts knew no such thing.
Still, they heeded the Monster's words.
They obeyed his order.
Whether they had the ability to understand his words or not, Mark did not know.
They were Beasts. He was a Monster.
And so, they ran towards him.
Their fangs, aching for flesh. Their tongues, aching for blood.
The six had practically the same size.
Which, to Mark, meant that there was someone missing.
The stronger one. The strongest one of the Pack.
Its Leader.
'So you're the first one to come for me...' Mark thought.
He moved his feet slightly, in order to angle himself properly.
