Chapter 4 - The Cave (Part 2)

  The two mercenaries are just about to enter into the cave that is supposedly inhabited by abominations. Sylas began jotting down a mental list of things to bring with him, he was sure that it was going to be dangerous.

  Looking at the therian Sylas recalled what had happened last night around the campfire, the memory filled him with a tiny smidge of confidence knowing he has somewhat improved compared to back then when the slightest sight of sharp features could disturb his mental state.

  He looked at Boris who had removed his coat hanging it on a nearby branch, showing off his bare upper-body as he sat down on a log doing maintenance on his weapon. Sylas couldn’t help but stare at his muscular stature littered with a myriad of old scars with one on his back specifically going across the entire way down making Sylas cringe. He wondered what could have caused that kind of wound.

  Boris now finished sharpening the blade before sheathing it carefully back into the scabbard, Boris turned his face to look at Sylas giving him a smile as if to greet him a good morning.

  Seeing this, Sylas couldn't help but feel a knot in his chest, he looked away and focused on gathering the rest of what he needed, stuffing them in a bag. Finishing up, they picked up their staff and went to confront Boris who was now picking up their coat and strapping on armor for their left shoulder.

  “Oh Sage, you ready?” Boris asked.

  “Ready.” Sylas replied.

  Boris eyed the staff Sylas held with both his hands.

  “Be careful when you start weaving with that staff, you could end up hitting the cave’s walls in some parts.” Boris said to Sylas.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Trust me on this, other weavers I’ve worked with ended up hitting the walls while waving their instruments, but you can be sure I'll keep the abominations from getting too close.” His confidence was so astounding that Sylas sometimes couldn’t tell if it stemmed from experience or pure arrogance.

  “Well then! Let’s get going.”

  Sylas followed behind Boris who grabbed a thick branch wrapped in cloth doused in alcohol and lowered it to meet Sylas.

  “You mind lighting this for me?”

  While it was strange to use a torch when they both had lanterns, Sylas complied. Creating a small flame easily lighting the makeshift torch. “Thanks Sage. Stay behind me.”

  The mouth of the cavern was large, giving enough space to move around in all directions. But as they got deeper, the corridors do get more narrow. Sylas took note of this and adapted accordingly, shrinking his staff to look like a wand instead.

  The two kept quiet until they reached a larger room in the cave filled with a pungent smell.

  “Ugh… what is that sm-” his mouth was suddenly covered by Boris, making him do a slight yelp which echoes through the cave.

  “Sh-!” Sylas looked to the wolf with his ears moving rapidly, and his nose flaring.

  “This is one of the nests, try to keep it down.”

  Just behind the rock something pale crawled out from behind, just barely illuminated by the light, it was hard to see. What Sylas’ could make out was something that resembled a newborn animal stripped of its fur that is yet to grow. It didn’t quite resemble any animal Sylas has seen, its circular head full of unopened eyes, its thin limbs, and its tail with a bulbous tip made it seem so alien.

  “Looks like the parent is gone. Stay here buns.”

  “Wait, what are you doing!?” Sylas whispered.

  “I’m gonna wipe out the spawn, watch my back.” and so he did.

  The wolf snuck around, slowly getting closer to the nest that reeked of the spawns droppings and urine. Slowly picking off each one by one as they all did a screech drowned in a pool of their own blood and fluids.

  Sylas witnessed the scene first hand, fully illuminated by the light the wolf was carrying. His vision blurred while he saw the wolf's once clean mane now stained with crimson red blood. Sylas knew this had to be done to finish the mission, but he never could have imagined having to do something as repulsive as this.

  The lines between reality and the nightmare blurred, the wolf’s silhouette overlapped with the stomach-churning illusion of an all too familiar beast. The noise rang in his ears. He desperately wanted to run, but a sense of responsibility—or perhaps guilt—may have prevented him from doing so.

  The sounds stopped, making Sylas refocus onto the wolf now splattered with sticky ichor and clotting blood from the victims of his slaughter. Boris shook off any loose substance as he returned to Sylas while he wiped off any gunk on his sword. The dim light illuminated by the torch only made the wolf’s appearance worse as he stepped closer.

  “I’m done here.” Boris’ voice was grizzly from exertion. “Let’s head back for now and wait for the broodmother.” He didn’t get a reply as he continued to complain.

  “Ugh, this will take a while to get off.” his claws brushed his mane as it separated his fur matting from the blood.

  “Hey are you ok?” Boris reached for Sylas’ causing them to unconsciously step back and turn their back on them.

  “I-I’m fine. Yeah, let's go back.”

  “Are you sure? You seem a little out of it-”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “I SAID I’M FINE-!” Sylas’ shouted, the voice echoed through the cavern reverberating through its many interconnections. Boris was taken aback, shocked by the sudden change in demeanor his ears turned and flicked rapidly looking behind at back to Sylas his face now darkened with agitation.

  “Shit- s-sorry I didn't mean to.”

  Suddenly Boris grabbed the rabbit, letting out a yelp before Boris covered his mouth with his large hand restraining him completely before jumping behind a rock formation.

  “Mmph-!!” Sylas’ dropped his staff desperate to break free from the wolf’s firm arms.

  “Shh!” Suddenly the wolf shushed him to be silent. The hot breath hitting one of his floppy ears making him shudder. With his back pressed flat against the wolf's body as if being embraced from behind. “Listen… it's here” right on cue, A thud came from beyond their cover as the broodmother came circling its nest riddled with the lifeless corpse of its young.

  Its voice was hoarse accompanied by unsettling rumbling each time it exhaled. “Sage, I need your help with that bulb on its tail.” Unlike its children the broodmother was enormous, its body had dark fur covering it and the bulbous tip at the end of its tail leaked a green viscous substance that hissed when touching the ground.

  “I’m gonna distract it, you get to a blind spot.”

  Without a moment to lose, Sylas quickly tried to recover from his distressed state and assessed the situation.

  “Anything I should know about this thing?”

  “The liquid it spews is quite flammable, so a clean shot with fire at the bulb should stop it long enough for me to take it down.”

  “Ok- give me a second-“

  “Over here!” Boris throws the torch, the light helped to blind the creature sensitive to brightness while the wolf ran circles around it.

  Meanwhile Sylas, surprised by the sudden change in tempo, fumbled to pick up his shrunken staff before finally returning it to its original form and began creating strings of magic.

  They find an angle that leads to the creature's blind spot as they start to grip both hands to their staff. The monster flailed its head and clawed in every direction still disoriented by the light.

  The wolf laughed as their battle hungry eyes seemed to glow with excitement in the dark.”HAHA!” Charging up their attack, they swung hard into one of the creature's front legs.

  The attack connects, giving it a shallow wound as Boris savagely saws the large sword in place. SKREHH-! The creature swung its other claw at the adrenaline filled wolf sending them flying creating a dent in a wall..

  “Boris-!” The monster snaps its body turning on an axis in an instant, eyeballs now locking onto the weaver whose spell dispersed as they ran to escape its relentless attacks.

  “Hck!” The broodmother manages to cut his left leg, rendering him unable to run. “Argh!” They reflexively grab the gushing wound while they fall to the ground. Staff now barely out of reach, they attempt to grab onto it, the adrenaline helping to numb the pain.

  He could hear the creatures chilling footsteps as he could sense its large mouth open from behind him as they finally reached the magical staff. Sylas pointed back and suddenly what he was greeted with wasn’t the mouth of the monster but rather the large back of the wolf.

  “Hrngh!” The wolf struggled to keep his sword hinged in its large mouth, Sylas who was initially shocked quickly shook his head and once again a blazing ball of flames collected at the tip of his staff.

  “Ugh, blood in my eye. Oh-! Haha! Sorry I'm late buns.” The wolf’s grin was baffling for the rabbit as Boris was quite literally drenched in his own blood.

  While Boris struggled to keep the broodmother still he slowly shifted their positions, making sure the monster is no longer looking at the mage as the ball of light reaches its maximum size.

  “Get out of the way!”

  Hearing this, Boris thrusted the sword inside the monster's mouth downwards as hard as he could, planting it stuck on the ground as it aggressively tried digging its legs to pry itself out.

  A piercing high pitched noise shot out of the sphere of energy as a searing hot laser extended, penetrating through the other side of the broodmother’s body cutting it in half while the smell of burnt flesh spread.

  Sylas still catching his breath now drained mentally and physically. He wanted to lie down but was too worried about the wolf who was behind the burnt corpse. They tried to move their tired body to catch a glimpse of what's behind.

  His vision started to wane till he heard a faint voice. Calling out to him in a worried tone, a slight sigh of relief came out when he saw the silhouette of the wolf’s large frame.

  ***

  Sylas’ eyelids flickered as warmth radiated from the campfire. his head rested on something comfortable. Light enters his eyes, at first it was just the starry night sky, but his groggy eyes looked to the figure above him.

  “You’re awake.” The wolf has cleaned himself up quite a bit. A bandage was wrapped on his forehead while they cautiously tended to the rabbit’s bruises. “You were whispering in your sleep.”

  “What have I been saying?” Probably still half-awake Sylas was more compliant than usual.

  “Nothing much really. Would you believe me if I said it was about carrots?” The wolf smiled.

  “... How’s your head?” Sylas’ looked at Boris’ noggin, a feeling of guilt filled his chest.

  “Oh this?” Boris knocked on the wound. “I’ve been through worse! Takes much more than this to hurt me!”

  Something about what he said shook something in Sylas’ heart. He remembered how therians are treated in this kingdom, and along with it the prejudice they face. “Don’t say that, I swear I’ll fix it. You- … suffered enough.” he wanted to say ‘your kind’ in between but a floodgate of emotions opened and overwhelmed him.

  Sylas felt responsible for his family’s actions against therians. He had the chance to at least ease their suffering by inheriting the position as the Hopland’s head using their family’s influence. How ironic that he was also afraid of the very people he wanted to help.

  Tears trickled down his cheeks. “I’m hic- sorry!”

  Boris, shocked from the sudden outburst, tries his best to soothe the rabbit. “Woah! Woah! Is this about my injuries?!? I swear I’m fine!”

  The waterworks kept going completely, putting Boris at a loss, unable to figure out what to do. As a last ditch effort, he carefully guided Sylas’ hands to his bandaged forehead. “Look see- I’m alright, no need to cry.”

  Though not the exact reason Sylas was crying, somewhat it does help as the tears slowly subsided.

  It took a moment for Sylas to realize how close he was to Boris. The rabbit’s head was laid on the wolf’s firm thigh, as the two shared a campfire. A flush of red appeared on his face for a moment. They tried to quickly stand, but a pain on their left leg prevented him from doing so. “OW!”

  “You shouldn’t move. It's fine we leave first thing in the morning. Just sleep sage.”

  Though reluctant, he didn’t exactly have much of a choice, so he hesitantly accepts the generous offer.

  “... Thanks” Sylas looked around for a moment, he spotted his staff leaning against a tree thankfully. As for Boris’ sword… it was nowhere to be found.

  “Where’s your sword?” Sylas asked.

  “... Unimportant, just sleep.” Obviously the sword hinged on the monsters’ mouth that was just seared in half. Of course it couldn’t have been able to survive the flames and of course melted in place leaving the wolf without a weapon for the time being.