Chapter 19: Forest free-for-all

Gunther stood tall amidst the destruction, rolling his shoulder with a smirk. "Come on, kid. You're actually makin' me work up an appetite." He exhaled a puff of smoke. "I've heard rumors about someone like you-Cavern Dragon Abel, right? Thought you were dead when folks stopped talkin' about ya three years ago."

Abel wiped his mouth, irritation flashing in his eyes. "Alright then, old man. You wanna see what I can do?"

He stomped his foot. The ground rippled beneath him like a living thing, stone shifting and twisting-coiling like a serpent ready to strike.

Gunther's grin widened. "Now that's more like it."

A jagged wall of spikes and dragon heads erupted at Gunther's right side. Instinctively, he shifted all his muscle mass to his arm, swinging his club in a devastating arc. But the moment he committed to the strike-

Pain. Sharp and searing.

His left arm, leg and left side of his abdomen had been impaled by stone spikes.

Gunther's eyes flicked to Abel, who stood firm, watching him with steely focus. A setup.

Then, Gunther started laughing-a deep, guttural cackle. "You're startin' to live up to the rumors, Cavern Dragon."

Abel didn't respond, just steadied his stance. "He's laughing?"

Gunther barely seemed fazed by the spikes embedded in his flesh. His grin stretched wider, wild and hungry, as his muscles twisted beneath his skin.

Then, right in front of Abel's eyes, his muscles moved again.

Then, with an audible pop-pop!, the spikes were forced out. His muscle fibers contracted and reshaped, pushing them free like they were nothing. Blood dripped to the ground, but Gunther didn't even flinch. Instead, his entire frame tensed, power condensing into his core like a coiled spring.

Abel narrowed his eyes. "What now-"

BOOM!

Gunther exploded forward, the ground beneath him shattering.

Abel barely had time to react. He slammed his arms up as layers of stone surged to shield him-

Gunther's fist tore through them all.

The impact sent Abel flying. He skidded across the dirt, rolling until he slammed into a fallen tree. Pain flared in his ribs. His vision blurred for a moment.

Gunther cracked his neck, shaking out his arm. "Heh. Ain't every day someone actually makes me bleed." His grin stretched wider. "You're fun, kid."

Abel grunted, pushing himself up. His ribs ached, but he wasn't done. Not yet. "You talk too much, old man," he muttered.

The ground rumbled again.

This time, it wasn't just spikes.

It was a dragon-massive, stone-forged, its glowing eyes locked onto Gunther as it lunged.

Gunther let out another laugh. "You're just full of surprises, ain't ya, brat?"

The dragon lunged-and Abel charged right behind it.

Gunther shifted all his muscles to his right arm, ready to obliterate the beast in one swing. But Abel was ready.

The moment Gunther's weight shifted to strike, a massive boulder erupted beneath his arm-his club launched from his grip as his own momentum betrayed him.

Gunther's eyes widened.

His trusty weapon-gone.

Abel didn't waste the opening.

With a roar, the stone dragon twisted its body, slamming into Gunther with enough force to send him skidding back. Dust and debris exploded into the air, and for a moment, all Abel could see was the chaos of his own magic.

Then-a blur.

Gunther, battered and bleeding, shot forward, his muscles bulging unnaturally, twisting his body to recover. His hand shot out, aiming to grab Abel by the throat.

Abel barely ducked in time, but Gunther wasn't done. With his remaining strength, he drove his knee into Abel's gut. Pain shot through Abel's body like fire.

But he gritted his teeth. He had one last move.

Using the very force of Gunther's knee strike, Abel allowed himself to be launched back-straight into the ground.

Except, the ground wasn't solid beneath him. It was shifting, moving, controlled.

The moment his back hit the dirt, Abel's magic pulsed. The earth swallowed him up for just a moment, just long enough for him to redirect his position.

Then, from behind Gunther, the ground erupted.

Abel burst out like a missile, his fist encased in solid stone.

Gunther turned too late.

Abel's punch connected squarely with his jaw, the force amplified by the very earth itself.

Gunther's head snapped back, a crack echoing through the battlefield. He swayed-once, twice-before his legs gave out. With a thunderous crash, he hit the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. His cigar rolled from his lips, landing beside him, smoldering in the dirt

Silence.

Abel stood over him, panting, his entire body aching. His vision swam from exhaustion, but he let out a slow breath and smirked.

"Not bad, old man." Abel exhaled, rolling his shoulders before turning to the remaining bandits. His stone-clad fist clenched as he glared. "Who's next?"

For a tense moment, silence hung in the air.

Then-thud.

One by one, weapons hit the ground. The bandits surrendered.

Abel let out a slow breath. "I need to help Kael."

But before he could move, exhaustion crashed over him like a tidal wave. His knees buckled, and he barely caught himself before hitting the dirt.

Luckily, the bandits were too terrified to even consider attacking him-even in his weakened state.

...

Kael ducked beneath a low-hanging branch, twisting his body to avoid a jagged root as he surged forward. The forest was dense, the air thick with the scent of moss and damp earth. Sunlight dappled the ground, flickering between the shifting leaves above, but Kael barely paid it any mind.

"Five normal bandits and a very pissed off poison mage." Kael thought as he propelled himself forward with bursts of black flame.

He needed to separate them. Hughes was dangerous enough on his own-fighting all six at once would be impossible at his level.

With a sharp breath, Kael flicked his wrist, sending a thin, whip-like strand of black fire snapping toward the ground behind him. The flames curled along the forest floor, forming a temporary barrier of heat and smoke.

The bandits hesitated for a moment, that moment of hesitation was all Kael needed. As he spun mid-step, he released a massive stream of black flames at the ground between two of the bandits from his left arm by launching his arm forward in a punch-like motion. The moment the flames reached the ground they increase in size, creating a small explosion.

The explosion of heat sent them stumbling, their balance thrown off by the uneven terrain.

Kael pounced through the flames, his right fist wreathed in black fire. He drove it straight into the closest bandit's gut. Black flames flared on impact, sending the man crumpling to the ground, wheezing.

The second bandit didn't have time to react before Kael grabbed him by the collar and ignited his right leg in black flames and does an upward knee kick. The impact sent him into unconsciousness.

"Two down, this is so much easier than when I had to train with Jesp and Davit." He couldn't help but feel proud of himself as he thought that.

Kael whirled, just in time to see one of the remaining three charging at him with a raised axe.

He smirked. "Exactly my point, you're so much slower than Davit and even less skilled than Jesp."

A burst of flame at his feet launched him backward, just as the axe buried itself into the dirt where he had just stood. Before the bandit could recover, Kael lashed out with a with a left kick, his foot igniting with fire as it crashed into the man's ribs. The bandit howled in pain, toppling over.

Three down.

The remaining two hesitated, gripping their weapons tightly. Hughes, however, wasn't slowing down. Surprisingly he didn't start throwing poison at Kael, instead he was watching Kael with calculating eyes.

Kael exhaled sharply, flexing his fingers. His body was starting to feel the strain, but he couldn't let it show. "Well?" He tilted his head at the two remaining bandits. "You gonna run, or do I have to knock you out too?"

One of them cursed and bolted. The other hesitated for a split second before following.

Kael laughed. "Smart choice.", he then thought "I owe Davit for those trash talking lessons."

Hughes, however, wasn't amused. He rolled his shoulders, his sharp eyes locking onto Kael. "You're just full of tricks, huh?"

Kael shrugged, "You just figuring it out gramps?"

The poison mage sneered, before he flicked 2 balls of his dark green poison at the direction of Kael, which expanded but Kael which Kael managed to dodge them by dashing through them by propelling himself with the black flames once more.

Kael got face to face with Hughes, but just before he could land a hit, Hughes spewed poison onto him.

Kael coughed and staggered back, his vision blurring slightly, his body feeling weak and numb. Hughes took the chance to lunge forward, pulling a small dagger from his belt and aiming for Kael's side.

Kael gritted his teeth as dark green spots and marks appeared all over his body, forcing his body to move despite the creeping numbness spreading through his limbs. "Damn it! How much poison did he just hit me with?!"

Hughes' dagger glinted in the speckled sunlight as it came for Kael's side. He barely had time to react, but his instincts kicked in.

Kael landed in a roll, hitting the ground hard. His limbs felt sluggish-whatever poison Hughes had hit him with was already taking effect.

He forced himself to his feet, wiping at his mouth. A streak of dark green residue stained his sleeve. His breathing was heavy, but he managed to smirk. "Seriously? You spit poison? That's disgusting, man."

Hughes chuckled, twirling the dagger in his fingers. "Y-you sh... sh-should w-worry l-less 'bout h-how it l-l-l-looks... and m-m-more 'bout h-how... l-long y-you... have b-b-b... b-before y-your b-b-body g-g-gives out..."

Kael managed to start laughing despite the poison, "Your mouth has gone completely numb old man AHAHAHAHAHAHA."

Hughes' face twisted in confusion before realization dawned on him. His eyes widened in horror as he touched his lips with trembling fingers.

Kael's laughter only grew louder. "You idiot! You wanted to act like a snake but you poisoned yourself as well!"

Hughes tried to growl, but it came out as a garbled mess. His tongue felt thick, and his words slurred even worse. "Y-you... b-b-bastard..."

Kael wiped a tear from his eye, his shoulders still shaking with laughter, even as his own body was struggling to stay upright. "Oh man… I wish the guys from the guild could've seen this. They would've lost it."

Hughes, furious and humiliated, lunged at Kael with his dagger, but his movements were clumsy due to his anger. The poison had weakened Kael to the point where he nearly collapsed. 

The moment Hughes' dagger was about to touch Kael's skin, Kael's body burst in the black flames, that's when Kael felt a familiar pair of golden eyes staring deep within his soul.

"I can't save you all the time, young Flame." Az said, with his calm godly deminor as always.

Kael heard Az's aetherial voice in his head, he then replied with his thoughts, "Thanks for the save partner," His thoughts felt sluggish, but he pushed through. "You wouldn't happen to have an idea on how to deal with the poison, right?"

Az smiled, or at least Kael assumed so, "I'm not your partner and it should be perfectly clear to you, burn, burn even hotter, let the flames consume you, like I've said before, the flames can't hurt you and they can only burn what you want to burn, so burn the poison that's harming you."

Kael's brow furrowed. "Burn the poison?! Well the god has spoken so who am I to judge?"

he muttered under his breath. His body still felt heavy, sluggish, but he clenched his fists, summoning his flames. The black flames roared to life, licking up his arms, swirling around his chest until they engulfed.

For a split second, pain flared through his body-then it vanished. A rush of heat surged through his veins, searing away the numbness, the weakness. He could feel the poison burning, evaporating within him.

Kael exhaled sharply as the last of the greenish markings on his skin faded. He flexed his fingers, rolling his shoulders.

"Oh my gods, it worked-" Kael exclaimed

The poison mage's eyes widened when he saw Kael completely unharmed. "I-IMPOSSIBLE..." he screamed, staggering back.

Az hummed in approval as his voice slowly faded, "I keep telling you that our flames are not just for destruction, young Flame. Remember that. And remember the technique both of us used to ignite your body."

Kael's breath was still heavy, his heart hammering in his chest from the sheer insanity of what had just happened. He had literally burned the poison out of his body. That was- "Badass," he admitted to himself.

"You..." Hughes stammered, his voice thick and uneven from his own self-inflicted poison. "You should be... dying!"

Kael rubbed the back of his neck as he laughed. "Yeah, sorry about that." Then, with a burst of black fire, he closed the distance in an instant and hitting Hughes with a flaming uppercut to the jaw. The moment his fist connected, black flames erupted on Hughes' skin, sending him flying backward. He hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop with a groan.

Hughes didn't get up.

Kael exhaled sharply, brushing some stray strands of hair from his face. "Great, so now I have to drag those guys back to Abel-"

A large and frightful howl could be heard, followed by 2 screams that cut off instantly.

Kael got alarmed, "Did something happen to Orlae?"

Large running footsteps could be heard, before every inch of Kael's body told him to duck.

At that moment a large beast flied over and missed Kael by a hair's thread, a drop of blood fell on Kael's hand, he then realized who those 2 screams belonged to.

Kael's stomach twisted. A warm drop of blood landed on his hand. His fingers trembled as he stared at it, realization dawning like ice in his veins.

The two bandits who ran.

They were gone.

His head snapped toward the direction the beast had landed. It was a massive horned direwolf, both its height and length were at least 3 meters each. Its hulking figure in the dim forest light, thick fur bristling as it straightened from its pounce. Bright red eyes locked onto Kael, eyes full of hunger, rage and delight?

Despite his inexperience, Kael could tell that, this monster was anything but normal, the way it stood, the way it was looking at Kael, observing him to see what he is gonna do next.

Kael clenched his fists, he knew deep down that he couldn't escape this fight, he was bound there.

A low chuckle echoed in the back of Kael's mind, "You should be honored, young Flame. You've finally caught its interest." said the god.

Kael scowled. "Terrible timing there Az."

...

At the same time, back at Mr. Arves' house, the household was shaken by the distant howls echoing through the morning air.

"What are those fools doing? Enraging the monster?!" Mr. Arves snapped, nearly spilling his coffee.

"James, what is happening?" Mrs. Sharon Arves asked the kind butler, her voice laced with concern.

James, ever composed, finished pouring her usual tea, setting the teapot down with a soft clink. He adjusted his sleeves before responding in his usual calm tone.

"It would appear, Lady Sharon, that young master Abel and young master Kael have engaged the monster."

Mrs. Arves' grip on her teacup tightened. "But that would mean..." She glanced toward the window, worry flickering in her eyes.

Mr. Arves scowled, slamming his mug onto the table. "Those damn useless wizards! They were supposed to slay the monster, not provoke it further!"

James merely inclined his head. "I believe the young masters might be on a good path, Lord Arves."

Mr. Arves scoffed. "And what exactly are you implying, my ever-loyal butler?" His voice dripped with sarcasm.

James bowed slightly. "I simply ask that you place your faith in the two young masters."

Mrs. Sharon exhaled softly, her nerves easing slightly-but she couldn't help but ask, "Why do you have so much faith in those two strange wizard children?"

James hesitated for the briefest moment, then took a quiet breath. He knew he couldn't stop himself from delivering a bitter truth to the people he served.

"Because, Lady Sharon," he said smoothly, "the fire in their eyes is the same as the one young Lady Liana had when she awakened her magic all those years ago."

Silence fell over the room.

Mr. and Mrs. Arves stiffened, their faces twisting in anger and disgust.

... 

Back at the bandit camp, the howl and screams sent the bandits into a frenzy. Panic spread like wildfire as they cowered, unsure whether to flee or beg the injured Abel to save them.

Abel forced himself to stand, his breath ragged. His eyes widened as a terrible thought struck him. "Wait… Orlae was supposed to fight this thing last night. So why the hell is it still alive?" He turned to a nearby bandit and barked, "Hey! Does your leader or that damn poison mage have any mana potions lying around?"

The bandit, shaking, barely managed to stammer, "Y-yeah... I b-believe so..."

Abel's gaze darkened. "Then go get me a few. And if you try to give me poison, I swear-I'll make sure none of you leave this camp alive before I collapse."

The bandit nodded so fast it looked like his head might fall off, then bolted toward Gunther's tent, arms flailing like a headless chicken.

...

On the other side of the forest, amidst the towering trees and tangled undergrowth, a battered druid stirred.

The midday sun filtered through the dense canopy, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow over the forest floor. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and crushed leaves, but beyond it all, a distant, echoing howl rippled through the trees. 

Through sheer will, the druid's eyelids fluttered open. Pain surged through their battered body, but they ignored it. With a breath so faint it barely escaped their lips, they whispered:

"Good luck, young fire saint… and earth dragon."

Their strength gave out, and their body stilled once more.

Soft glows flickered through the undergrowth-tiny figures darting between shafts of sunlight. The fairies gathered around the fallen druid, their wings catching the golden light as they worked tirelessly. Ancient whispers wove through the air as they pressed glowing hands to wounds too deep for mortal healing, their magic wrapping around the druid in a quiet promise:

They would not let them be lost to the forest.

...

The giant horned direwolf crouched low, its muscles coiling like a drawn bowstring. Its claws scraped against the earth, carving deep grooves into the dirt as it fixated on Kael with a feral intensity. The beast's nostrils flared, drinking in the scent of its prey, and then-with a growl that rumbled through the very ground-it lunged.

Kael buried his fear. He had seen what happened to those who hesitated. If he wavered for even a moment, he would end up like the two bandits who fled-dead before they could even realize what happened. His fists clenched. His body tensed. He stood his ground.

The direwolf closed in, its gaping jaws snapping mere inches from his throat. At that moment, with full resolve and a steeled heart, Kael slammed his hands against the earth. A surge of power erupted beneath him, and in an instant, his surroundings ignited in roaring black flames.

The fire raged like a living beast, wild yet elegant, destruction and control woven together in a hypnotic dance. Heatwaves rippled through the air, seemingly warping the space between them. The direwolf snarled, instincts screaming at it to retreat. Just before the fire could swallow it whole, it sprang back, landing a safe distance away.

For a moment, they stood still-watching, calculating.

Both Kael and the wolf now understood the battle ahead wasn't gonna be easy for either of them.