That was a really rough thing to do, smashing his brothers’ knee. He adjusted the power but that didn’t make it any less graphic than using a stone on a smaller boy. Their father would be livid when he knew.
Unbeknownst to Niko, the boys could fix their joint.
Perhaps, having soft bones and flexible joints was a good deal.
Things were put back in their place, but that spell did a number on their bones. It hurt every time they moved.
Gowen limped toward the broken branch. Breaking away the unwanted length, they finally got a weapon double as a walking cane.
They looked forward. There were only trees and bushes. Their brother’s spirit was lost due to the distance.
No. Even if Niko was closer, it would be difficult to track him. Niko like a wild beast actively suppressed his spirit to avoid detection.
While Gowen in charge of the walking, Ren reflected on their encounter with Niko. They didn’t understand why their brother could have been so cruel. Could he truly hate them that much?
“Shit!” Gowen’s voice awoke Ren.
They have already inside a bush. Through the leaves, he saw a group of nine wolves dragging the corpses of several elves and a horse away.
They couldn’t recognise the elves. Those victims must belong to the caravan.
Among the wolves, one caught their attention. Its fur had more grey, and the outline felt aged. Of the three that were pulling the horse, it was the one that did the most work. Probably due to its exertion of strength, its spirit was not well-hidden.
The thing they mistakenly described as magic when they first met the spirit cat was actually spirit. This world is different from their own.
In their old world, spirit and soul were the same thing. It was what supplies the mana to use magic.
In this one, spirit is the lifeforce of the body while the soul is the information about one’s body and mind. Mana isn’t bound to the soul or the spirit, but to the body and the mind.
The greater the spirit, the more vigorous one’s lifeforce.
Only keen ones can see other’s lifeforce. Spirit animals usually rely on this method to detect the presence of preys and predators. Older spirit animals learn to hide the spirit. Only when the body requires extra help that the spirit was exposed. The graver the situation, the more spirit the body let loose.
They didn’t know how old that wolf is, but it didn’t feel like a century old.
They could only hope that they made a mistake, and that wolf was truly a hundred years old. Otherwise, it means this pack has multiple spirit wolves.
Their father is several hundreds of years old. He is much older than these wolves, but he did say he has been living in comfort for too long. He told them to be careful with spirit animals. Those that survived out there in nature harbour more power than those within the embrace of civilisation.
If this pack truly has multiple spirit wolves, it could prove disastrous.
A check on the direction, they believed the wolves were pulling the food back to their dwelling which was somewhere in the west.
To the southeast was their city.
The main road travels north northwest from the city.
If they wanted to meet their father, the best way would be to detour the east then going north.
Ren told Gowen his plan, but his brother disagreed. The detour only works if they know how large the area the wolves have spread out to hunt stragglers. In a blind situation like this one, it was impractical to circumvent around the wolves.
Moreover, it would be hard to pin-point the location of their father doing it that way.
Time was the essence. They couldn’t afford to dangle around.
Whatever plan they wanted to take would have to wait until the wolves left. Spirit wolf has keener sense than normal wolf on top of being more experienced.
OWOOOOOOOOO!
The spirit wolf dropped the horse leg and turned to the direction of the howl. It barked at another wolf. The two of them sped toward the howling source.
The other wolves sluggishly continued their work.
The twins didn’t know what the reason was, but they were lucky.
They didn’t encounter any wolf, only dragging tracks.
Everything was alright so far not counting their leg. It hurt like hell.
The boys decided to take turn.
Every few minutes, one would control their body while the other went to rest.
Taking the first rest, Ren tried to relax with the pain assaulted every step. Sweat trickled down his face. It was not summer, but his body was burning.
Gowen was no better. He gnashed his teeth while struggling with the injured leg. The knowledge that pain would return every time he put it down was discouraging. The boy quietly convinced his body that it was just one day. After today, he would have all the resting he needs.
As the boys getting tired both mentally and physically, mistake was inevitable.
Something flew out from behind and hit them.
It was a wolf.
They didn’t see it coming.
The beast has its jaws on their right arm. The teeth pointy like spikes sunk onto the victim’s flesh.
It began thrashing its head violently. The shaking would disorient the victim while widening the wound. The subsequent effects would be more bleeding and then tearing flesh.
Luckily, they had an entire lifetime of getting bit like this.
The boys strengthened their arm muscle. What they aimed for was to reduce the shaking movement.
When their arm and, with it, their target was fixed in one place, they smashed their newly acquired club onto the wolf’s head. It was a position that they couldn’t generate much strength, so they repeated with the second hit immediately.
The wolf let go of the boys. It whimpered in pain.
Not good. They were a little slow in response to that bite.
Ren checked the wound. The bleeding was really bad. They might die due to blood loss before they could see their father.
No. They need to focus on this fight first, else they wouldn’t live long enough to bleed to death.
The wolf growled with a closing eye. Their hit must have landed on the soft spot.
The boys took their stance. Four eyes observed the wild enemy.
This wolf species is small. Those they saw, the adult wolves, were 40 something cm from the ground to their shoulder. This young one is not even 40 in shoulder height.
The boys were thankful. At least, this fight wouldn’t be very difficult.
They stepped forth.
The wolf retaliated with a barrage of barking. It warned the two-headed.
The twins took another step.
Seeing the two-headed has invaded too deep into its safe space, the wolf opened its jaws.
Sound of solid wood breaking into bones silenced the barking noise.
The first hit landed on the wolf’s left cheek.
Before the wolf could recover, another landed on the same jaws. This time, blood and teeth came flying.
The first rule of using bludgeon: Dull your enemy’s weapon.
The wolf staggered. Its legs unconsciously retreated a step. The next feeling it knew was a terrible migraine on its forehead.
The fourth rule of using bludgeon: If possible, aim for a critical hit.
The wolf’s legs have now left the ground. Its body fell to the left side. It was still conscious, just couldn’t keep its balance.
Its instinct ordered the body to kick its legs in an attempt to run. Its snout made a miserable sound.
Now the boys got to decide their next move. There are only two choices that they saw were possible. The first one, they leave this wolf and continue moving. The second, they observe whether it has truly given up. If it still wants some more, beat it to submission. Killing may be sensible but in their current stage it was wasteful of their stamina.
Grr!
The boys’ high alert stage saved them in time.
Another wolf ambushed them from behind, but its teeth and fangs were too late, only latched onto the branch on the boys’ hands. Its momentum was still strong enough to knock the boys down.
Wolves hunt in pack, don’t they? They sneered at the vicious animal who was now on top.
The wolf bit, shook, did whatever it could to get through the made-shift club to no avail.
The boys slowly released their grip’s strength letting the club being weight down by the animal. At the sufficient range, they let go of the club entirely and choke the wolf’s neck.
A sharp pain assaulted the animal’s face causing it to jolt out of the boys.
Ren and Gowen had opened their mouth. Ren targeted the nose while Gowen searched for its neck. The fur proved to be a good defense against those with short teeth like elves, but the nose is always exposed.
It was minimal damage, but they forced the animal to back down.
With the club in their hands and their feet above ground again, their position returned to a few moments ago.
The other wolf hasn’t regained its fighting will, so it would still be 1v1.
…or that was what the boys were thinking before the third one snatched their right shoulder.
It tossed them around like ragdoll widening the shoulder’s injury. It was seriously bad.
The second wolf was approaching.
The twins knew what it was going to do. They flailed their feet around, making it more difficult for the wolf to get a hold. Each movement caused more damage to the wound on the other end, but they got no choice. If that wolf seized their leg, these four-legs fuckers would begin ripping them apart.
While Gowen was kicking, Ren worked on their shoulder.
His hands couldn’t do it. The right side suffered two injuries on the arm and the shoulder. The left side while unharmed was just children’s hand. Punching in this position can’t generate enough power, while the branch was too awkward to use. He needed something smaller. His eyes franticly looked for a rock of good size. Ren’s pupils soon laid upon a fist-size rock about several hands away. He stretched his hand toward it. Suddenly, his leg hurt.
Fuck. You!
It was the same leg that Niko blasted at.
No. Maybe it was better this way. Having one perfectly healthy leg is a good thing.
Ren struggled to reach for the rock.
Meanwhile, the wolf that they beat had returned. It made its way toward them, still cautious after all the beating.
FUCK!
They forwent the rock and located the snout of the wolf on the back. The twins sought to open its jaws with their bare hands. Even in desperation, their strength was not enough. Ren attempted to bite the wolf but was just shy by an inch.
The twins could feel their flesh being stretched. The accompanying pains were getting unbearable.
“WE WILL NOT BE YOUR FOOD!” They gorged at the eyes of the third wolf.
Just when their shoulder was set free, the first wolf lunged forward.
With no hesitation, they let the wolf have their injured arm. Sustaining all these wounds, the right arm was wrecked. This dominant arm could only be used as shield for the better arm.
They intended to throw a punch at the wolf that was gnawing at their arm.
“AHH!” Gowen cried out. His left ear was snapped by the third wolf.
They didn’t gorge it hard enough so its eyes could still see.
If only they killed the fucker instead of waiting it out. They chastised.
Why did they forget that they would travel in number. They cursed.
When all seemed hopeless, something unexpected happened.
CRACK!
It was the sound of something breaking.
A familiar feeling spread from their body. This is their mana. Their mana was being ignited.
Three circles made of unintelligible symbols hang vertically on thin air behind the first wolf.
A figure rapidly materialised from the legs up. The frame belongs to a boy their age. His body was covered in leather armour. A sword fit his size hanged neatly around the waist. Its cloth scabbard was grey and clean. The boy opened his azure eyes.
It’s a human. They whispered.
Without warning, the boy unsheathed his sword. His target was the wolf that was biting the twins’ arm.
The perfect attack with all his might caused a bone-cracking sound.
For a strike from a training sword, the wolf fell fast. It must have been empowered with magic.
The wolf moaned. It tossed its body around like mad. Then, it dashed into the wood without turning back.
The boy got on his ready stance. Arms held tightly onto his blade.
The other wolves dropped the twins immediately. They stared at the newcomer’s intimidating gaze then made their escape.
The boy hurried to the twins’ side. His voice was worried. “Master.” He kneeled before them. “Please forgive me for being late.”
Whatever came out of the strange boy’s mouth left a large question mark in their head.
First of all, this boy is their mortal enemy. It is not because of his race. It’s true that human was their archnemesis in their previous life, but this is not because this boy is human.
The colour of the hair, the skin, the facial features… as if they could forget. The one in front of them right now is without a doubt the human hero Rand.
A thousand and some centuries before their time in the old world, the human hero Rand led his elite party and successfully infiltrated the impregnable Kremlin. Tsarina Monasque II of the Gremlin Empire along with her family was assassinated. The Goddess launched her angels in the surprise attack. Without their leader, the gremlins were slow to respond, and their empire collapsed. That was just one of the crimes perpetrated by the accursed Rand.
To the other races, he is the most condemned war criminal. To the human, Rand is their most famous champion.
Ren and Gowen wouldn’t have come to know Rand so thoroughly if the humans weren’t so damnable as cloning Rand and creating an entire clone army. The atrocities that were committed by the army bearing this face seared into their memory.
Nothing was more glorious or satisfying to them and the Twelve Heroes than the total annihilation of that clone army at the Battle of Death Grip.
To think that their past appeared in front of their eyes and even claimed them as its master, what deranged fate were they having.
“You call us, master.”
“Would you prefer to be addressed differently, my lord?”
The politeness and formality in that sentence rubbed them really wrong. Rand probably was sincere in his response, but it still came off as pretentious.
“We are not asking about how you call us.” “Why are you calling us, master?” “Are we your master?”
Rand appeared to be in a difficult spot. “Uhm. Of course, master. You are my master. We are born to serve you. That’s what I am created for.”
“Then cut off your left ear.”
“My…?!”
“To prove your loyalty.”
Rand hesitated, nevertheless he pulled out a short knife from his pocket. The young boy shivered as he brought the knife closer to his left ear.
The twins were observant of Rand’s every move. They had no idea where or how this human came from. They weren’t even sure how they could trust this one. If this human was doing anything funny, they would quickly take over the knife and ended his life.
The boy made his first cut. His face wrinkled in pain. At first, red blood trickled in drops then turned into stream. His breath was heavy. The corner of his eyes was wet with tears.
The twins, however, were oblivious to the boy’s suffering. Their head was simulating possibilities of a fight, they had no care for the fearful face the boy was showing.
Rand has made half the way down. It hurt. He didn’t like this. He didn’t want this, but it was master’s order.
He grinded his teeth slicing through the last meat. The ear came off. He accomplished his master’s order. Rand presented the bloody ear in his trembling palm. Holding a human body part for the first time made him wanted to puke.
“Now cut off the other ear. This time, do it quickly. We have no use for a disobedient servant.”
A cruel order… was still an order.
Rand’s body told him to stop, his self-reservation instinct told him to stop.
The boy dug the fingernails on his left hand onto his thigh.
He ordered his body to stop shivering. He ordered his body to want to do this. He ordered his body to be happy to do this. It was his master’s order. It was his purpose.
Rand moved to the other ear. His breath was much calmer now. He still hated pain, but his expression was more resolved.
By the time the right ear dropped its first blood, the twins stopped him.
The fear, the pain, and the expression were that of a first timer. This boy was a young servant first time served his master. They could confirm he had no ulterior motive.
“Sorry. We made such immoral order.” Despite his arm and leg, the twins got on all four. They bowed deeply, dirtying their hair with dust and brown leaves.
Rand was bashful. He begged the twins to get up.
“Master. Let me tend to your wound. You are in a very bad shape.”
“Do your first.”
“B-“
“That’s my order.”
“Yes, master.”
Rand put his palms onto the wound on his left.
“Close Wound.”
He repeated the same thing on the right ear.
Ren and Gowen didn’t know this spell. They wondered if that was a spell only human would know.
“What is that spell?”
“I… I don’t know. I only know that it could be used to stop bleeding. It is the only first aid spell I know. Please forgive this worthless servant.”
“Stop apologising.” “And stop calling us master. I am Gowen. This is Ren. You will call us by name from now on.”
“Bu-”
“Also stop addressing yourself as a servant. It made us sick to the stomach.”
“Then… I will call you, Ren and Gowen. Then, please let me take care of your wounds.”
While getting themselves fixed, the twins had some enquiries for Rand.
“Where are you from?” “Why are you becoming our servant?”
“I didn’t see it, but I know I was created by you. I was created, borrowing from you…”
Borrowing what from us?
“…When I addressed you as master, and lowered myself before you, it just feels right…”
There shouldn’t be any spell that could do this that I know of. Ren probably didn’t know either.
“…When you gave me order, I was afraid. When I carried your order, it was painful… but I am also filled with happiness. My being was full of joy as I obey your order...”
It’s confirmed. Gowen doesn’t know spell like this and me too.
“…Thinking about it made me so ashamed that I was afraid.”
“Ok. Stop there. You say you are happy to be our servant?”
“Yes, m- Ren.” The human boy flustered. “Please at least allow me to use honorific when addressing you. It feels so weird.”
“Request, denied.” Gowen was quick with his words. “You will treat us as equal. No debate.”
“O-k…” Dejected by his master’s reply, the boy’s expression slumped down.
“So that settled it. You will call us, Ren and Gowen. We will call you, Rand.”
The human boy suddenly brightened up.
“What’s wrong?” Ren asked with a concerning eye.
“M- Ren graced me with a name.” Rand’s dazzling smile caused the twins to squint.
“Name? But your name is Rand, is it not?” Gowen puzzled.
“Eh? I don’t know. I know myself as human, trainee, 5 years old, male, but no name.”
What the heck is going on?
“Let’s put it later. We have stuff to do.”
“Ok. Then, Rand, what other magic can you use?”
“Beside Close Wound, I can only use Blunt Force.”
Trump told them about this spell before. After using it on a weapon, the power of your attack become much stronger. However, it reduced the slash damage heavily. It was good for trainee during sword training since the blade was dull.
“Can you use it on our stick?”
“Yes, ma- Gowen.”
Rand touched the other end of the branch. After 3 seconds, he exclaimed. “It’s finished…”
“You were about to say “master”, weren’t you?”
“Sorry.”
“Forget it. Tell me about the duration of this spell. Also, can you make it faster?” “How far away can you use this spell?”
“I think the effect won’t last longer than 3 seconds, and that was the fastest I can. I can try to practice more. Finally, I need to touch it to use the spell on it.”
That means this spell is better used on his own weapon. No matter, we got extra hands.
“Rand. What we will do next is extremely dangerous. You could lose your life. If you don’t want to, we won’t force you.”
The boy shook his head.
“If it’s something you think is necessary, then I will obey.”
“Good!”
