Chapter 43: That Damn Snake Has Found Me

Realizing the tide was turning, Raegar's pulse quickened. He spun around, eyes scanning for an escape. The Ghouls were closing in too fast. With a final, brutal slash, he cleaved through a creature's skull and sprinted. His boots pounded the earth as he bolted into the woods, the relentless horde chasing after him, hungry for more. He rushed through the dungeon while avoiding the monster attacks that threatened to bring him down. As he sprinted across a shallow stream, a blur of movement crashed into him, knocking him off balance. Instinct took over, and his blades flashed, stabbing into the creature's flesh before he unleashed a Lightningfire Blast at point-blank range. The explosion sent the beast hurtling backward, but it quickly scrambled to its feet, its hollow eyes locking onto him with predatory hunger. ''Wendigos. They're at the peak of Tier One,'' he muttered, gripping his weapon tighter. His heart pounded, but a smirk tugged at his lips. ''I can take this thing.'' Raegar dashed forward as the Wendigo went to swipe at him, but he skidded under the creature's arm while slicing into its lower leg and brought it to one knee just before he cast Stormfire Bullet at its skull. The monster ducked under the spell and lunged at him while trying to bite his arm. He pulled back and kicked at the creature before casting Enhancement. Raegar felt his body strength, but his mind grew tired. 'Fuck, I've used too much Aether. Only got enough for one more spell,' he thought just before dodging another claw swipe. The Wendigo let out a bloodcurdling screech, its skeletal frame twitching unnaturally as it lunged. Raegar didn't hesitate. He sidestepped the attack, feeling the rush of cold air as the beast's claws barely missed his throat. With a spin, he drove his blade into its ribcage, twisting it deep before ripping it free in a spray of dark blood. The creature staggered, but it wasn't done yet. It lunged again, its jagged teeth snapping inches from his face. Raegar ducked low, channeling the last slither of Aether into his palms and cast Lightningfire Blast. Moments later, crackling flames and electric fury. The spell struck the Wendigo square in the chest, sending it hurtling backward with a shriek that echoed through the night. It writhed on the ground, smoke rising from its charred flesh. Raegar didn't give it a chance to recover. He dashed forward, his blade arcing through the air before cleaving straight through the Wendigo's neck. The severed head hit the forest floor with a dull thud, its lifeless eyes still locked in an eternal hunger. Breathing heavily, Raegar wiped his blade clean and turned toward the forest. He had no time to linger, more creatures lurking nearby. Without another glance at the fallen beast, he sprinted into the shadows, weaving through the towering trees. His body ached, exhaustion creeping in, but he pressed on, scanning for a resting place. Finally, he spotted a hollow beneath the roots of an ancient tree, hidden from view. It wasn't much, but it would do for the night. He collapsed against the trunk, gripping his weapon tightly as his vision blurred with fatigue. ''Just a few hours,'' he muttered to himself, his breath steadying. ''Then I move again.'' Raegar soon fell asleep as the adventurers outside were panicking. *** ''Why hasn't the portal opened?!'' Nymeria exclaimed, frustration laced in her voice. ''The boy is alone. He'll be slaughtered!'' Theodore's face paled as dread settled in his gut. Clenching his fists, he took a sharp breath before barking out an order. ''Roger! Bring me his contract—now!'' A man rushed off from the fortress toward the camp as the Nytherian soldiers rushed around in a panic. Nymeria stood by the entrance as Lycaon approached her. ''Looks like it will be a few days before the dungeon reopens or the boy kills enough monsters,'' he said while cleaning the blood off his sword. ''I know,'' she said while noticing Theodore's became red in the face as he exclaimed. ''Why would the guild allow him to join us as a guard?'' Nymeria and Lycaon grew curious before she asked. ''What's wrong?'' The older man wiped the sweat off his brow and answered. ''He's the grandson of the Dawnfire Lion and guest of the King Vlad Von Carstein.'' When the wolf couple heard this, their eyes widened in shock as Lycaon muttered. ''So he's a noble? He doesn't act like one.'' ''It says he's to be left alone unless it's an emergency,'' Theodore revealed before turning to the dungeon gate. ''Pray that he comes out alive or that demon will kill us all for his death.'' ''My darling,'' Nymeria said while tugging her husband's sleeve. ''We will be the first ones in and you'll drag him out.'' Lycaon nodded. ''You got it, why the sudden interest in the boy?'' he asked with a curious expression.'' The elements gravitate toward him as if they favor him,'' she revealed while rubbing her chin. ''I haven't seen anything like it.'' Following that, the adventurers waited for a few days until the portal started shaking before turning blue once again. Nymeria and Lycaon were the first in, followed by the rest, only to hear explosions followed by rage-filled roars. ''The boy is fighting something stronger,'' the wolf man commented while sniffing the air. ''He's injured and is being beaten in the battle.'' When Nymeria heard, she and her husband rushed toward the scene, with the other adventurers following. What they saw shocked them: Raegar was fighting a massive snake. 'One day this boy will become the strongest Spellblade on Kaldorra,' she thought. *** Raegar woke up hours later and felt slightly better as he checked his Aether Pools which were empty, causing a fatigue to settle across his body. He sat up and shook his head before gathering the surrounding energy. Moments later, it poured into her body like a wave, which slowly felt up the bigger pool before it slowly trickled to the smaller ones. An hour later, each one was full up halfway and couldn't go any higher. ''Good, at least I'll be able to fight the Wendigo's, but my arm is still aching,'' he muttered while stretching his arms. Following that, Raegar jumped out of the branch and landed with a thud while summoning his blades just as a nearby bush rattled. He snapped off a Stormfire Bullet into the creature that lunged at him. The bullet tore through the Wendigo's skull, sending the beast collapsing to the ground with a crash. There was no time to bask in victory as shadows surged forward and more monsters poured from the underbrush, their claws slashing toward him in a whirlwind of death. Sparks erupted in blinding bursts as Raegar deflected each strike, twisting and weaving through the chaos. After dodging one attack, he drove his blade into the nearest creature's face, its shriek cut short as it crumbled. Without hesitation, he unleashed a Lightningfire Blast, a blazing inferno of crackling electricity and searing flame that roared through the battlefield, consuming everything in its path. Raegar moved like a Bramblehare, leaping from tree to tree with uncanny speed, his blade flashing through the dark like a streak of silver lightning. He twisted midair, severing a monster's throat before carving through the rest of the attackers in a dance of death. Then, a thunderous roar split the dungeon, a sound so deep it rattled his bones, causing him to mutter. ''That damn snake has found me.'' There was no time to hesitate. Power surged through his veins as he cast Enhancement, his body igniting with raw energy. In the blink of an eye, he vanished, just as a colossal beast crashed into the spot where he had stood, its impact splitting the ground like a meteor strike. Raegar rushed in while sending fire and lightning to his blades before trying to stab the snake, but he only cracked the scales before using Flash Step to vanish back into the forest just as the snake became enraged. He darted through the dense wilderness, his mind racing as he searched for the perfect place to turn the hunt in his favor. The beast was too strong for a head-on fight. Raegar needed strategy and the element of surprise. For half an hour, he led it through the twisting forest, weaving between trees and leaping over jagged rocks, until he found the perfect battleground. Now, he crouched high above a ravine, his breath steady, his grip tight on his weapons. The monster would have no choice but to pass through this narrow choke point to continue its pursuit. Raegar waited until the ground shook and the snake burst out of the trees and rushed down the ravine. 'Here we go,' he thought while sending fire Aether onto his daggers that burst into flames as the monster passed under him. [Drop some powerstones, comments, and gifts to help the novel grow; I appreciate all the support you can give]