60 Episode 16

"We have to go back into the forest" Aiyla declared the next morning.

"Why?" Ilan asked, putting down the cup in his hands.

"We've got information that the dragon musk flower and the blind eagle king reside in one of the mountains deep in the forest. I'm sorry but we absolutely need to go"

"Alright. We can come with" Lesker says.

"No. Absolutely not. I cannot allow any of you to be hurt during such a dangerous mission"

"Aiyla, let us come with. I want to document it"

"You'll do it when we come back. I would not accept any of you to come with. Are we clear?"

"Yes" he said dejectedly.

"Let's go Bruon"

Bruon hooked a hand around Aiyla's waist, nodded at them and they both disappeared in a blur.

"So, what do we do today?" Quella asked, looking at the dejected men.

"I'll go see if we could sell some books to the adventurers in the inn" Lesker replied and left with Yuli.

"I guess I'll rest. It's been a hectic few days" Ilan says and relaxes on his chair.

"Ilan, can I...can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead"

"Did you get a good look at the Soujin you were hunting?"

Ilan sat back up and stared at Quella. Her face seemed apathetic as usual but he could see the hints of curiosity in her eyes.

"Yes, I did"

"Could you describe it for me?"

"Yes. It was like a huge white serpent, its scales all glimmering like diamonds. Its eyes were milky white like it was blind and it had a single wiggly antenna on its body. It was both beautiful and deadly"

"...Interesting. Could it talk?"

Hearing this, Ilan stopped answering and stared long and hard at her. Her face was cryptic, not betraying her inner emotions. However, as seconds passed, Ilan could sense a hint of.....impatience?

"Yes, it could talk. It referred to itself as the Great lord Saw"

From Quella, Ilan could sense relief, and her highly strung and tightly guarded mind deflated like a popped balloon. It made him very suspicious but it wasn't like she would answer if she was asked. If there's one thing he knew about her from the day they met, it's that she's very evasive.

"If you'd excuse me, I have something very important to do" with that said, she just disappeared. Ilan's eyes narrowed. One must remember, on the outside, they were the same level. For her to disappear in front of him without him being to detect her anymore showed that she was very powerful, even more than she portrayed.

Ilan immediately went to find Lesker. As for the two S-Class adventurers that had left earlier, they were traveling at tremendous speed towards the inner boundary of the forest where the fauna and flora were extremely dangerous.

They soon reached their destination and stopped. The cave was located closer to the peak of the mountain. The wind howled around them incessantly but was shut out by their barrier. An enchanting smell drifted from inside the cave and stimulated their olfactory lobes.

Bruon's usually unperturbed eyes reddened and he had already begun to take large strides into the cave. Aiyla saw it and took out a small strip of dirty yellow paper. She bit her finger with her sharp canine and dripped the blood on the small strip. It flashed with yellow light and died down shortly.

A large golden chain extended from her hand to Bruon's neck. It stopped his movement when she tugged on it. A low growl emitted from Bruon's throat, one which caused the hairs on her neck to stand on end. It was a good thing she was well prepared for it.

Not saying anything, Aiyla led Bruon with the chain deeper into the cave. It wasn't like she hadn't smelt the enchanting scent but she was more resistant to it than he was. She was human but he was a heavenly beast. The allure the dragon musk flower held for him was greater than it held for him.

The beasts in Terria were divided into

-Celestial beasts which were the dragons, the siren and the nine-tailed fox

-Heavenly beasts which were the servants of the celestial beasts but they were more than just three

-Mythical beasts which were lower than heavenly beasts

-Demonic beasts

-Magical beasts

-Mortal beasts

The ones at the top of the caste were obviously stronger with a pure bloodline but it didn't mean they could just suppress anyone. If the opponent was a lower level but had more magi than the one at the higher level, then the lower one could truly kill the one at the higher level. But, if the two were at the same level, the one with the purer bloodline would be stronger no matter what. However simple it might sound, the beasts with the purer bloodline would let their descendants be killed easily.

Bruon species was called the rainbow-striped liger. Their natural size was well over two kilometers but they could shrink their size to adapt in battle. Their hide, claws, and fangs were nothing to scoff at either. If it weren't for the servants of the three celestials, they would be the strongest heavenly beasts.

For humans and beasts, a contract could be formed. However, it was only easy for magical beasts and mortal beasts. As for the level above, only a formation could be used. That is because from demonic beast above, they all had intelligence. They were living beings also. They were classified as another race.

The strong formation would wipe their intelligence and form a one-sided contract where the effects were only apparent in the beast. Weaker formation meant fragile contracts which could be shattered at any time and the backlash was immense. They were also forbidden so not many people would dare do it.

The next best thing was a partnership. It was similar to a contract but with much equal terms. This one was not easy too because not many beasts would be willing to enter a partnership with ambitious humans. Therefore, talismans were created. They could restrain a beast and force them into a temporary contract. The only downside was that talismans were refined by beasts. So if you wanted to restrain a beast, it had to be willingly from the beast side.

This kind of talisman was what Aiyla used to restrain Bruon from rampaging in the cave. The two walked into the dark and damp cave, closer to their main objective.