Kael took a deep breath, he needed a skill upgrade. However, greater beasts weren't bristlehogs. They thought, planned, and fought. And they didn't always go solo. Well, he was going to search for one that went Solo.
By leveraging on his bond with Mara, he could feel the forest from a beast's perspective, that made things easier. He could smell a pack of beasts.
He needed this. Cresthaven wouldn't wait.
They moved slowly across the forest, careful not to make any sound.
He stopped when he saw a faint mark that stretched across the forest.
He found tracks near a ravine—big, clawed, and it was fresh. Mara's ears flattened, she growled silently.
"Easy,"
Kael whispered, crouching. He closed his eye, about to connect with Mara and feel the forest, but he didn't need to. His adversary was here.
The beast emerged slow, like it owned the place: a ridgefang, C-rank, all muscle and razor sharp teeth, its hide was visibly scarred from all the fights it had won.
The Beast prowled around, sniffing the air. Then slowly, it turned in their direction.
Kael's heart skipped a bit. He wasn't very used to this.
Its eyes locked on Mara, dismissing Kael.
Big mistake.
Kael and Mara had the advantage of two, and they had fantastic teamwork too, they weren't deterred easily.
Kael stared at the beast, not breaking eye contact. Then he raised his hand, as if surrendering. But the next moment, a shrill sound escaped his lips.
It was two, one high pitched, one low pitched.
"Go!"
Kael quickly spun to his feet, taking a vantage point. Mara darted left, her claws sparking as she ran.
The ridefang growled, clearly annoyed. This was it's territory, and it had been attacked in its own turf.
It had to pay back thus disrespect.
The ridgefang lunged, even faster than he had guessed. Kael stretched his hand immediately, pointing it at the beast. His palm flared.
"Inferno Spark!"
A fireball roared out, flying even faster and more powerful than before. It slammed into the beast's flank, charring it's fur.
It snarled, pivoting, but Mara was already behind it, her Ember Pulse claws clawing at its leg.
The beast roared, limping. It paused, staring at its leg, clearly surprised. Burns wete spreading from Mara's scratches.
Kael's heart hammered, but he stayed focused—this was his fight.
He whistled—two notes—and Mara feinted right. The ridgefang bit air, and Kael shouted,
"Tag!"
Mana pulled him across the clearing, swapping him with Mara. He landed where she'd been, his fireball already forming.
He swung his hand rapidly, aiming for the beast.
The blast caught the beast's face, blinding it.
This was a C-rank beast, but they were thrashing it so easily, not even giving it a chance to fight back.
Mara pounced again, biting into its neck, and the beast thrashed about, but that wasn't all...
"Tag!"
Kael appeared in front of the beast, his hand blazing with fire. He placed his hand on its skull.
"Die."
***
Ding!
Ridgefang defeated. +200 XP. Skill Upgrade Unlocked: Inferno Spark → Inferno burst (Wider range, +10 damage, 15 SP): Allows Host to have a wider use of fire based abilities, not longer restricting host to only fireballs. Host has been fully attuned to the fire element.
Kael's face lit up. This was totally awesome. He could now make other things with his fire, use it more properly, instead of only firing fireballs from a distance.
Kael panted, wiping the sweat from his face. Mara licked her claws, looking smug as hell.
"Show-off," he said, ruffling her fur.
The System chimed again: Level 11 achieved. +5 HP, +5 SP, +1 AGI, +1 INT.
He felt it—mana was flowing smoother, his body was lighter. A week left.
They were ready.
Time kept slipping. Days melted into hunts, nights into study. Kael's shack became a graveyard of beast meat—trophies, proof he wasn't the runt anymore.
Mara's sync hit 40%, and Kael could smell through her nose sometimes, even without having to concentrate fully, he smelt sharp pine and blood, or hear twigs snap a hundred yards off.
It helped in alerting him of when a beast was close by.
Inferno burst was a beast of its own, casually carving gouges in stone when he practiced.
Lila's book taught him to read Mara's tail—fast flicks meant alert, slow curls meant calm. He didn't tell anyone, He didn't show off.
Cresthaven would see it all.
Four days to the exams, Kael was back in the forest, Mara was sniffing a trail.