Kapitel 39: Offering and betrayal

Slash.

Hex was fighting against a pack of wolves. Their numbers were great but not even half of the pack was at the demonic stage.

The primary goal of Hex wasn't their crystals. He wouldn't waste them but he was more interested in the hidden cave that served as their nest.

Especially since the nest was located perfectly to mount an ambush. He was certain someone would attack him. They had failed to find the corpses of the traitorous Squires.

They had agreed to act as if nothing had changed. They would continue to scour the surroundings for beasts and treasured herbs.

In search of herbs, Hex had stumbled upon a crevice.

He had been exploring a crevice nearby where he discovered the roots of a plant he believed to be a hundred year old plant bearing dark berries.

If he could get his hands on them, he would easily gain a few hundred points. Killing a few demonic stage wolves in the process wasn't too hard for someone with his strength.

Killing the 'normal' demonic stage wolves didn't require him to activate his glyph. That might change when he fought the alpha though.

The alpha was about two meters high and stared at his figure from atop a boulder. Its murderous intent hung heavy in the air. It was almost tangible.

Right when Hex reached the final row of the pack the alpha howled loudly. It was clearly incensed by the puny human intruding his domain and killing its pack.

The howl seemed to have signaled the others to do a joint attack. The wolves surrounded Hex. He looked around, counting more than five attacking him at once.

From the corner of his eyes Hex noticed the alpha ready itself to pounce at him. Their intent was clear.

'These weaklings are trying to restrain my movement so the alpha can attack from above,' Hex snorted. He didn't wait and activated his glyph.

Red light appeared around his frame, creating a cloak in the shape of a bear. The energy cloak was faint but powerful enough to multiply Hex's abnormal strength even more.

Just when the alpha pounced, Hex swung his sword around him. The sword passed through the wolves like a hot knife through goat cheese.

Grrr!

The alpha landed on Hex, trying to pierce his throat with its fangs. But it couldn't penetrate the cloak. This was the secondary benefit of the cloak. It functioned as a shield.

Clang.

Sparks flew around as the fangs clashed against the cloak. Hex smirked at the alpha as he used his hands to grab the wolf and smash it against the ground.

The alpha's head bled but it survived. It was going crazy in pain and anger. It tried to lunge at Hex, but Hex jumped towards it.

He used his knee to hit the alpha's ribcage. With a 'crack' sound the bones broke, causing his knee to sink even further into its body.

It cried weakly. But Hex used his cloaked hand to smash the head of the alpha. It was not a weak beast but Hex was a monster when cloaked in the bear-shaped Blessing energy.

The surviving wolves, seeing their leader killed, yelped in panic and scurried away. Soon, the area fell silent.

Hex surveyed the area but didn't sense anything else nearby. He withdrew the cloak and stepped inside the cave.

The cave was narrow but seemed to go deep into the mountain. The ground was filled with bones, fur and smaller nests made of twigs and leaves.

'The air is fresh and flows naturally. There should be an exit somewhere,' Hex decided to explore the place after harvesting the dark berries.

He didn't have to search too hard for the berries. After twenty or so steps he saw the roots appear from the cracks of the ground and climb onto the walls.

Following the roots he found the dark berry plant. It was a small plant with leaves dark as the night. Its stalk had countless small thorns growing on them.

The stalk and stems formed a closed net, on the core of which the berries were hanging.

The fruits were small, like pebbles. But each was a valuable ingredient. Hex didn't know their exact use but he knew the merchants would fight over them whenever it was found.

'I need to be careful. These thorns are poisonous.' Every Crevice Hunter learned the risks of each treasure before learning their worth.

With his perfect control over the Blessing energy, Hex activated the glyph, cloaking only his arm this time. It required great focus and precision.

If Hex failed, the cloak would disappear. And although he could re-activate it quickly, his arm would be pricked. With an ambush waiting to happen at any time, Hex would rather not risk it.

'Three, no four…four berries. That is equal to at least eight hundred points,' Hex thought with glee. These four small fruits were equal in points to killing eight Fiends or eighty Demons.

He gathered the fruits and put them in a small jar he brought along to collect valuable herbs and fruits.

The jar was made of special materials to prevent the fruits from deteriorating in quality.

'Now,' he thought after putting the jar away. 'Time to check where this leads to.' Hex followed the flow of air and soon found the exit of the cave.

The exit led him to a narrow piece of flatland, which bordered a chasm. As he surveyed the surroundings he suddenly heard someone running towards his location.

He stepped back into the cave, cautiously. He wanted to observe first.

'Is it someone from the Hawks?' Hex wondered in confusion. He expected a sneak attack, not a loud frontal approach.

Soon, he could see the person running towards him. To his surprise it wasn't someone from the Hawks. It was one of his own. One who he knew very well.

'What is Aran doing?' Hex felt perplexed at the action of his team mate but soon his confusion was cleared.

He saw another figure running, but this one looked like an abomination. Similar to the attacker he had faced a day prior, the person had bone spikes sticking all out of his body.

'This one looks a bit strange,' Hex felt something amiss, but he couldn't wait. The abomination was fast, faster than Aran. Aran seemed so scared he even stumbled on the ground.

ARRGG!

The abomination let out a strange sound. It sounded almost like a wail. But Hex had already run forward.

"Hex. Save me!" Aran cried out in panic as soon as he saw Hex appear from the cave.

"Hide inside," Hex shouted back as he clashed against the abomination. He was cloaked once again within a red light, with a phantom bear around him.

Hex didn't relent. He knew that if he showed mercy, the traitor would try to attack and kill him. They hit each other and rolled over. The fight reached the edge of the ground.

Hex unleashed all the strength inside him and quickly broke all the bone spikes in his path, pushing the sword into the attacker.

Puchi!

The sword penetrated through the abdomen of the person. Somehow his reaction made Hex worry. Contrary to the fierceness of the attacker from yesterday, this one seemed mild. His growls sounded like wails.

Hex took a closer look at the attacker, trying to identify him. He shattered the bones around his face. Soon, he saw the face of a young man with gorilla-like features.

"VITOR!" Hex reeled in shock. He stared in disbelief at the man he had fought against. The same young man who had become his friend.

"Aran, what…"

He turned towards Vitor's best friend, hoping to be mistaken. But before he could turn a sharp push sent him over the edge.

The last thing Hex saw as he was plunged into the darkness was the face of a grinning young man. The man who had betrayed him and killed his best friend.

"O DIVINE LORD. IN THY NAME I OFFER!"