Several more wolves emerged, encircling the two Templars and the girl. Sol and Jared stood back to back, defending their damsel in distress from both sides.
Power enveloping him, Sol brandished his weapon boldly. His shield caught the moonlight, shining like a beacon in the darkness.
"Bring it!" He shouted as the wolves charged at him.
Although Jared and Sol had barely fought as a team, they let their years of witcher training take over, sending them into a battle trance. They swung their swords feverishly, weaving through the wolves like needles through silk.
"Not bad, Jared," Sol remarked. "A little more training and you might just be able to keep up with me!"
"Watch your words, rookie," Jared replied, a wild grin plastered on his face. "You may have received better scores as an apprentice, but I am not your senior in rank for nothing!"
Twirling their swords above their heads, they pirouetted in sync, switching positions with one another. At this point, the forest floor was laden with wolf corpses, with only a handful left alive. The survivors, having realised that they were fighting a losing battle, kept their distance, snarling angrily.
Just then, a low bellowing growl echoed through the trees. Almost immediately, the wolves seemed to be overcome by fear, losing all motivation to fight. Yelping in terror, they bolted back into the depths of the forest with their tails between their legs.
"What's going on?" Sol wondered. "Could there be another stronger predator, feared even by the wolves?"
His question was promptly answered when a large, hairy four-legged beast burst through the thickets. It looked much like a grizzly bear, except larger and more muscular. Its hide also appeared much tougher than the hide of any bear Sol had ever seen, displaying an almost rock-like consistency.
"Damn, its a dire bear! Those things are relentless!" Jared swore as he sized up their new foe.
With a deafening roar, the bear charged straight at the group with alarming speed. Sol's enhanced strength fuelled his urge to face the beast head-on, but he decided this was a bad time to test his limits. Grabbing the girl, he made a run for the trees.
Narrowly avoiding the bear's headlong charge, Sol helped the girl up into a large tree before scrambling up himself. The bear, being unable to climb, began to body slam the tree repeatedly.
"What now?" Sol cried as the tree began to shake forcefully. "That bear's hide looks strong as steel. Our weapons will have no chance against it!"
Clinging on to the branch beside him, the girl gasped, as if realising something.
"Give me your sword! I have an idea." The girl stuck her hand out towards Sol. He wasn't too keen on risking the loss of his sword again, but he decided that anything would be better than being devoured by a dire bear. He stretched out his arm, handing the girl his precious weapon.
The girl once again dug through her pouch, this time producing a bottle of silvery liquid. With practised strokes, she applied the solution to Sol's blade. The sword now seemed to glow with a faint silver light, and appeared sharper and more deadly than before.
"Here, this should work," The girl said, returning the weapon to Sol.
"Wait, you're telling me you want me to go down there and fight it?!" Sol yelled in protest. "Are you insane?"
"We're out of options! You just have to trust me!" The girl replied.
Doubt was still swirling in Sol's mind, but the look of pure earnestness in the girl's eyes was enough to make him believe her mysterious concoction would work.
"Here goes nothing!" He leaped off the tree, aiming his sword straight down at the bear's large back. To his surprise, the blade sank deep into its hard stony skin, and he hardly felt any resistance at all.
"Man, these potions are something else!"
The bear roared in pain as it tried to buck Sol off. Sol withdrew his sword and backflipped through the air, making a perfect three point landing. He bent his knees, launching himself once more off the ground and straight at his opponent.
The bear towered over Sol, swiping madly with its large claws, while Sol deflected its attacks with ease. He soon found a opening in the bear's offense, ducking underneath its massive paw and slashing his blade across the beast's torso, leaving a metre wide gash in its chest.
The bear roared in pain, its eyes clouding over with rage. It turned to launch its counterattack, but by then it was too late. In one swift motion, Sol spun around, swinging his blade with the force of a great typhoon. The blade connected, slicing through the beast's thick neck and severing its head cleanly from its body. The bear fell to the ground, dead.
Moments later, the exhuastion started to set in. Sol felt lightheaded, as if all the blood was being drained from his body. He collapsed to one knee, panting hard.
"Sol, are you alright?" Jared, emerging from his hiding place in another tree, approached his companion.
"Yeah, I'm good. Just need a few moments to... catch my breath." Sol replied, practically gasping for air.
"I do apologise for this. My potions are quite strong and the after-effects might prove rather overwhelming for the unaccustomed," the young girl stepped carefully over the sea of animal corpses, joining the two Knights. The moonlight was bright, and as the light streamed in through the trees they were finally able to catch a glimpse of their damsel in distress.
The girl's petite features were framed by a messy head of blonde hair, but most of it was hidden under her large aviator cap. Her well-seasoned leather armor sported several peculiar looking stains in various bright hues, and other than a standard-looking witcher's satchel she carried no other gear save for the large leather pouch hanging from her belt. She adjusted the sophisticated-looking pair of goggles on her forehead before she continued to speak.
"Oh, but where are my manners? I am ever so thankful that you rescued me. My name is Mallory, and I am a member of the Wild Hunters Guild."
Like the Templar Order, the Wild Hunters were the second officially recognised guild of witchers, the third being the Harbingers of Darkness. However, unlike the Templars, who relied mainly on military-style martial combat and holy magic, the Hunters employed a variety of gadgets and magic items as well as unconventional fighting styles in their battles against witches.
"Think nothing of it, my lady. We were merely doing our duty," Jared replied with a slight bow.
"Must you always put on this act when you talk to girls?" Sol chided jokingly.
"Tis not an act, Sol! Women must be treated with respect!" Jared asserted, placing his hands on his hips.
"You guys are pretty funny." Mallory began to giggle, despite herself.
Tension dissipated, Sol dusted himself off before offering a hand to his fellow witcher.
"I'm Sol. As you've already heard, we're from the Templar Order."
"Pleased to meet you, Sol. And you are..."
"Call me Jared. D Rank witcher of the Knights Templar, at your service." Jared shook Mallory's hand in turn. "A rather poor night to be out in the forest alone. Would you like to seek shelter at our campsite for the time being?"
As day began to break, they rested around a smoldering campfire, engaging in friendly conversation.
"I actually came here with my party member," Mallory confessed sheepishly. "I'm not sure if I'm allowed to tell you this, but we're searching in the forest for treasure."
The Wild Hunters did not limit their job scope to witch hunting. Adventurers at heart, they also performed miscellaneous quests for civilians and ventured into unknown lands to search for relics and precious treasures.
"Treasure, you say?" Jared's interest was piqued.
"It was rumored that there was a mysterious underground maze that recently appeared in Caligula Forest," Mallory explained. "We sent a couple of scouts ahead, but we haven't from them in a while. Me and my partner came to investigate the situation."
"And what did you find?" Sol prompted.
"We actually did find the entrance to the maze, but my partner triggered a trap, and we got separated. I managed to backtrack my way out, but he's still stuck somewhere in there."
"Why don't you go back for him?"
"As you might've guessed, I don't really have any combat abilities to speak of. My only talent is brewing potions, and I have to rely entirely on my teammate in a fight." Mallory explained, hanging her head sadly "Without someone to make use of my potions, I'm pretty much powerless."
She looked up at Jared and Sol with pleading eyes.
"I know it's a lot to ask, but could you possibly help me look for my partner? I couldn't live with myself if I simply left him alone in that maze."
A plan began to brew in Sol's mind. If he could earn Mallory's favor, he could use her potions to give himself a much better chance of defeating a witch alone. This was the perfect opportunity!
"Well, what are we waiting for?" He said, making a beeline for his horse. "Let's go find your friend!"
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT