Chapter 15: Captured

The battle between Millus and the Lunar Wolf raged on, their battle shook the mountain to its very core. Series of sounds and powerful explosions echoed across the mountain, created by the collision of devastating magic and brute physical force.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Millus leapt to avoid a massive surge of lightning that came from a magic circle above, the lightning struck the ground beneath him exploding into fragments of residual electricity that crawled over the earth. He countered by summoning shadow lances that pierced through the air, but the Lunar Wolf dodged it with ease, her agility to maneuver was unmatched.

'What is this feeling?' Millus thought about the strange sensation he felt as he dodged her attacks, his movements were instinctive yet it was precise. 'Why do I feel… excited?'

His body emanated with energy, the thrill of the fight was coursing through his veins. Even the feeling of pain that radiated from his injuries that immediately healed was fleeting, he found himself strangely exhilarated. 

'I can still feel the pain… but it's like my body is automatically ignoring it. Sometimes it even feels… good?...what the hell?' A shudder ran through him at the thought.

Their fists flew toward each other, both of them were aiming for a decisive blow. Bang! Each of their fists collided mid-air, but Millus grimaced, his punch didn't reach her face, while hers connected with his. Her longer reach gave her the advantage in close combat.

The Lunar Wolf growled, her voice sounded sharp and commanding. "You despicable fiend. I will not allow you to take my blood and desecrate these lands!"

Millus stumbled backwards, he was caught off guard by her words. "What? Blood?"

They momentarily disengaged, both of them leaping back to create distance between them. Millus raised his hands as a gesture of surrender, then he spoke, his voice sound firm and calm.

"Alright, please listen to me okay, let me explain. I didn't come here to fight you, and I definitely didn't come here for your blood," he said, while keeping his eyes locked on hers. "I don't even know what you're talking about in the first place, and about being a leader of some race or group? What does that even mean?"

The Lunar Wolf didn't respond immediately to his answer, her golden eyes narrowing as she studied him from top to bottom. But her body remained tense, she's ready to strike at a moment's notice. But after a few moments, she finally relaxed her posture.

"...It seems you're telling the truth," she said at last, her voice sounded less hostile than earlier. "The elemental spirits would not remain near you if your intentions were malicious from the start. And the shadow spirit… is especially fond of you somehow."

Millus blinked his eyes in confusion, he slightly lowered his guard. 'Spirits? What is she talking about?'

Veda replied 'it is the elemental spirits that is also born from nature'

Though the Lunar Wolf's words eased the immediate tension, he could still feel the weight of her lingering suspicion on him. 'She's holding back, I can feel it from her attacks,' he thought, sensing the restraint in her attacks. 'She could've gone all out, but she didn't…'

The silence stretched between them for some time, the only sound being the faint crackle of residual magic in the air and the distant rumble of earth. Then Millus took a cautious step forward while choosing his next words carefully.

"Look," he said, his tone steady. "I don't know what brought me here. I don't even know how this body works yet. But one thing I'm certain of is that I don't want to fight you."

The Lunar Wolf tilted her head slightly, her sharp gaze softening just a small fraction. "Then, If that is true, prove it."

Millus frowned from her words. "Prove it how?"

She didn't answer right away. But instead, she sniffed the air, her ears twitched. "Your aura is strange… It smells unfamiliar. You reek of both life and death. I do not trust it."

He sighed while scratching the back of his head. "Great. That makes two of us then."

Her lips twitched slightly, almost forming a smirk on her serious face. "Very well, fiend. I shall observe you for now. But know this, I will not hesitate to strike you down if you show even a hint of malice towards my mountain or its inhabitants."

"Alright, fair enough," he said while raising his hands. "But can we stop with the 'fiend' thing? I have a name, and it's Millus."

The Lunar Wolf's ears flicked, her expression was unreadable. "...You may call me Kaela."

Millus nodded, taking a mental note of her. "Alright, that's settled, Kaela. Then I guess we're not going to punch each other in the face anymore, right?. That counts as progress."

Kaela huffed, her tail swishing behind her. "Do not test my patience, fie-Ehem!-Millus. I am still deciding whether or not you deserve to remain here."

"Alright alright, I already got it," he said with a wry smile.

Though the tension between them somewhat eased, the crater showed the scars of their brief but fierce battle. The earth around the craters was cracked and scorched and the was air heavy with the remnants of their magic. Millus glanced around as if he was looking for someone, his gaze then drifted to the edge of the crater where he had first seen Lina.

"By the way," he said, turning back to Kaela. "There's someone with you earlier, where'd you sent her?"

Kaela's eyes narrowed slightly. "She is under my protection. Why are you asking about her? What do you need from her?"

"I don't know. She brought me food and water, didn't she? I just want to thank her for that," Millus said. "That's all."

Kaela looked at him for a long moment, her golden eyes searching his face for any sign of deceit. Then finally, she nodded. "Very well. But you will have to keep your distance from the child."

"Alright that's a deal," he said, though his mind lingered on Lina's mysterious actions from the start.

As Millus and Kaela clashed head to head inside the crater, their immense power was evident as their battle shook the mountain, their fight had sent tremors rippling through the earth. Amid the chaos, Kaela focused a fraction of her energy on ensuring Lina's safety. Using the natural mana around her, she commanded the spirit of wind to carry Lina away from the mountain's dangerous peak.

The wind howled softly as it encircled Lina while lifting her gently into the air. She gasped as she was clutching at her sides as the invisible force cradled her and carried her down the mountain. And moments later, the wind gently let her down on solid ground before vanishing as swiftly as it had appeared.

Lina steadied herself, her heart pounding from what she had experienced. "…Why is the Great Mountain Guardian acting like this?" she wondered aloud. But her thoughts were interrupted as the sounds of explosions echoed through the air, shaking the ground beneath her feet.

"I can still feel the faint tremors of their fight even here," she murmured, looking back toward the mountain's peak where two powerful entities fought. With a heavy sigh, she resolved herself, 'I should go back to the camp and wait for them to stop fighting. Hopefully, none of them get hurt.'

Turning around she planned to head toward her camp, thus Lina began walking, her thoughts were messy and full with worry. But before she could get far, she was suddenly surrounded by a group of Bear Wolf tribesmen.

"Finally!" a loud and familiar voice came behind her. Lina turned to see Gabo marching towards her, his face twisted with anger. "You bastard! I've finally found you!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the trees.

Lina froze in place as she was struck with fear..

"Do you know what we went through to find you?" Gabo continued with his accusatory tone. "Not only did you run away, but you also stole the ancestral knife of the tribe, my birthright!"

Lina opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She clenched her fists as she was unable to refute Gabo's claims. She hadn't stolen the knife, it had been tucked away in the tent she'd taken, but explaining that to Gabo was pointless.

"You've even made us climb this sacred mountain and anger the Mountain Deity!" Gabo roared, pointing toward the direction of the battle. "Can you hear those sounds? That's the deity's anger manifesting because of you!"

Lina shrank under Gabo's choice of words, her legs already trembling.

"And now that we've caught you," Gabo said coldly, "you'll be immediately offered to the Forest Deity to appease its anger and lift the bad omen you've brought upon the tribe ever since you came!"

Lina's chest tightened, fear gripping her tightly. She looked around desperately, then her eyes landed on Bak-am.

'Bak-am…'

He was the only person who had shown her kindness, he's also the one who had rescued her years ago when goblins attacked her and her mother which brought them near the forest's edge. He then brought her and her mother back to the village, and for a time, she had thought of him as a protector. But now, even he seemed powerless to help.

Bak-am also met her gaze briefly, but his expression conflicted. Lina saw the faint shimmer of tears in the corners of his eyes before he looked away, staring below. His silence said everything, he couldn't act against the tribe, not when the ancestral knife was involved.

Lina's heart sank even further. 'Even Bak-am won't help me…'

The sounds of explosions continued to echo from the mountain's peak, but the Bear Wolf hunters just dismissed them as natural occurrences. Gabo shouted orders to the group, and they began descending the mountain, Gabo dragged Lina behind him with her hands bound.

By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, the group arrived at the Living Bridge where they were greeted by the waiting Lizardfolk that guarded the bridge. Padtok stood at the forefront, his sharp eyes scanning the group as they approached.

"We've accomplished our purpose," Gabo announced smugly. "We'll be returning to our village now, farewell fellow heir."

Padtok's gaze shifted at the tied girl, his narrowed eyes landed on Lina. He immediately recognized her, the silhouette overlapping with her except without the bag. 

His eyes flickered, 'It's her,' he thought, his memory racing back to the figure that had escaped him at the bridge. Her body matches the proportions of the manling who slipped through my grasp.

His inverted eyes hardened, but he said nothing, choosing instead to silently observe them instead, he vigilantly watched as the Bear Wolf hunters passed by with their captive in tow.

The tribes exchanged no more words as the Bear Wolf group crossed the bridge and continued on their way back towards their home village.

Padtok's gaze lingered for a while, as he watched them until they disappeared into the distance.

End of chapter