"You five stay at the ship. we should be back before evening."
Uncel Bernd enters the boat at the side of the ship as he gives his final orders.
"Let the boat down."
SPLASH!
The boat along with the 10 people falls on the water. After the people got their bearings, they paddled towards the island. They have only a few hours to dig out the chest.
While the men were paddling hard, Annabeth was very excited and hard to contain.
"Anna please calm down, we are not visiting the park but an unexplored island. There may be unknown dangers lurking there."
Hans was obviously worried. If something happened to Anna, he would never be able to forgive himself.
He wanted to embark on this journey alone from the very beginning. But then Uncle Bernd offered his help and Anna found out about the map.
He had lost control of the situation and that worried him.
"I know Hans."
Anna ignored him as she stared at the island.
"Okay, two people have to watch over the boat. Felix and Tom you two stay here. The others follow me!"
Once on the beach, Hans takes the map in his hand and after a short time, he points in the direction north.
"Okay, people stay together. Miss Anna, you stay right behind me. I was on the island 15 years ago, there are only smaller monsters and many wild animals. However, you should be careful, we only explored the southern part of the island. Remain on guard."
The Group approaches the jungle and groups into a formation so that Annabeth can be safest among them.
"Hans, what do you think your mother left you? Money, jewelry, or an artifact!"
Anna's imagination was limitless.
"My mother didn't mention anything specific, but she said it would change my life."
Before Annabeth could further discuss it, there was a rustling in the bushes in front of them.
"Halt! Sam and Frank go see what is going on."
"Yes!"x2
They both were Aura users at the first stage. It was appropriate to send both of them as scouts to see what was going on ahead of them.
Sam and Frank did not take long to inform the group that it was a pack of Dire Wolves.
"Alright it would take too long to go around them, we only have a few hours. How many are there?"
"Six, Captain!" Sam answers.
" That is the plan, we..."
----------------
Grrrrr!
The Alpha growls at another wolf who crosses its boundaries. The Alpha wolf has the right to eat the most tender and delicious meat of the prey.
He has to show his dominance again and again to keep his position, or he will end up at the bottom of the hierarchy and can be glad to get a bone.
Suddenly he smells something. The scent is very distinctive and different from the many preys the group hunts. Even the other larger and more dangerous predators on the island do not have such a strange smell.
There were the bears, the raptors, the tigers, and other more dangerous predators. But they are all in the north or west and usually remain in their respective territories.
He shakes his head, no matter what, they are intruders.
Before he can give orders, two figures shoot out of the bushes from behind.
The pack senses the threat from behind and turns to face the unannounced intruders.
Only seconds after, before they could complete the full turn, they are attacked from both sides.
With the help of the element of surprise, the attackers cut down the wolves closest to them.
Two wolves are immediately seriously injured and wimps.
The Alpha wolf doesn't have to consider for long, as two of them are not able to fight and he senses three more in the bushes. they are outnumbered. He ordered an immediate retreat.
Wooooo
----------
"Sam and Frank, liberate the two injured wolves. The others keep a lookout for so long."
Annabeth jumps out of the bushes and rushes to the injured wolves.
"The poor things. Why did you attack them? They didn't do anything to us."
Annabeth was heartbroken. It was the first time that she has seen death from so close up.
"I'm sorry Miss Annabeth, but that's the jungle and we have to follow the rules of the jungle. Compassion and empathy only bring death here."
He also wanted to say that this also applies in the human world and not only in the wilderness, but he did not want to destroy her worldview too soon.
"Don't be sad Anna. You were also on the hunt along with your father and his knights."
"Yeah, but he didn't kill an animal. We would just catch them und release them."
"..."
Everyone was speechless.
The goal of the hunt was to catch and kill an animal.
'Anna has probably begged the earl not to kill the animal!'
Hans thought as he shakes his head.
"Uncel Bernd, your men are strong. Are they all Aura masters?"
Hans asks as he wanted to change the subject.
"Yeah, but most are beginners. They are at the lung stage."
Aura masters are people who use mana to strengthen their bodies. In contrast to mages, they can neither sense nor manipulate mana.
For a long time, mages were the only humans who could take on monsters, demons, and the undead.
But one day someone found a method to use the mana in nature without sensing or manipulating it.
Through certain breathing methods, the mana is absorbed into the body through the lungs and distributed in the blood.
Many magicians have studied aura masters and agree that what is in the blood and thus in the whole body is no longer mana that they know, but something completely different.
Some call it bio-energy, Ki, or blood power. But most call it aura.
As a beginner aura master, you must first learn to breathe properly, that is, to absorb the mana into your body.
Only when your whole lung is saturated with mana and produces aura, can call yourself Aura Master. That would put you on the second level.
Most official beginners have only part of their lungs saturated with mana and are not much different than normal humans.
They can hold their breath longer and have more stamina, but they are not particularly stronger or faster.
It is said that grandmasters can jump hundreds of meters and dive for hours. They can destroy rocks as hard as steel with a flick of their wrist.
In many kingdoms they are revered and respected.