The way to the Fire-Feather Minerals mine was quite lengthy, and they had to traverse a handful of forests to get there. Crossing wooded areas was much different from walking through plains, so it slowed down the journey. Eventually, night fell, so they had to set up camp in the middle of the woods.
Both Edrick and Mumin looked a bit worse for wear than they did before, having encountered a few more beasts on the way here--Namely, two Earth-Carrying Boars, who, just like the first one Anoteros had encountered, proved to be aggressive on sight.
Then, they had the misfortune--Or perhaps fortune--Of running into two baby Flame-Maw Bears, much like regular bears. Their young were abnormally adorable, but also just like their mundane counterparts, being within proximity of cubs meant that you were also near a pissed off mother.
Since she was in much better health than the giant bear, even if regular-sized, she proved much harder to deal with. But Edrick’s and Mumin’s teamwork proved solid, and they eventually left two orphaned cubs.
They didn’t know what to do about them. Even if smaller, they still had value as corpses, but they weren’t worth that much.
Mumin was rather resistant to the idea of killing two adorable creatures. She would rather carry them along, claiming that they would make for formidable companions when tamed and grown up.
She wasn’t wrong, and frankly, having pet bears was a rather attractive idea to Edrick as well, but he could get some later thanks to the Lodestone he had in his possession. Besides, carrying two cubs around would slow them down, not to mention that it might be counted as harvesting resources as well.
Anoteros had an inkling that the red guardian would not like that very much.
“Don’t worry. I promise you that in the future, I’ll get you a Flame-Maw Bear cub, just for you, but we have to leave those two here” he eventually said. Although Mumin understood his points, she didn’t want to kill them. Even if unlikely, she preferred to at least give them a chance to survive.
They weren’t very valuable anyway, and Edrick saw it as a good way to increase the favourability she had for him, though it did not escape him that she glanced in his direction a bit more often than was normal.
Having met her a couple of times before, she had never done that, but this was the first time they were alone, so naturally, she must be getting ideas…
Although the bear encounter was notable, it actually wasn’t what had made them look so worn out. The mother bear was aggressive and powerful, but she had been alone. With Mumin’s proficiency in causing heavy bleeding and Edrick’s incredible strength, defeating her had been relatively easy.
They encountered another beast... One that was not on the list Edrick had. It was considered rare and elusive enough that his family didn’t believe that it was right to ask any amount of that creature from him.
And indeed, Edrick and Mumin did not even land a single blow on it, for it swiftly ran away.
That beast was a Laughing Fox. In appearance, it looked like a regular fox, same size, same colours... This one had orange and white fur, but they could be black or grey as well.
In any case, the fox poked its head from behind a tree, looked them dead in the eye, and opened its maw- To laugh.
Foxes were known to have rather bizarre cries, but it was indeed accurate to call this laughing. It even looked like it was smiling while doing it.
The Laughing Fox did nothing more than that. It just laughed and then darted away. But both of the humans instantly went on guard.
Mumin manifested both of her Flying Claws, and Edrick brought out his Kanabo, ready to trigger his transformation ability at a moment’s notice if necessary.
Indeed, encountering a Laughing Fox was, ironically, no laughing matter at all.
Their combat power was weak, even if rumoured to eventually grow into monstrous entities. They had the nasty habit of seeking to cause the death of anything they laughed at. There was no point to it. They didn’t seek to eat the scraps that would be left. They just did it… Because they found it funny.
Now, that was a creature that would suit Edrick as a pet.
The laugh of the fox enraged and attracted the attention of a whole pack of Nature-Blessed Wolves. Amongst the beasts Edrick was tasked with gathering, they were without a doubt the most dangerous.
They moved in groups and coordinated with one another. Although there was no ‘alpha’ as they were wild wolves, the leader, or father of the pack, was typically a bit larger than the rest.
Their fur was green like grass with hints of grey, and they were larger than your typical wolf, too.
Whilst not as physically imposing as Flame-Maw Bears or as resilient as Earth-Carrying Boars, they were known to win disputes with the former, and to hunt the latter for food.
The strength of teamwork was not to be underestimated, and their affinity with nature made them especially fearsome, as it complemented the instincts of a wolf.
It was simple. They could use the natural energy within their bodies to heal themselves and their fellow pack members. Healing was a rare ability, and the fact that they used the nature element to do it was especially rare, as it was an element that was especially gentle, and being healed by it was said to allow one to become closer to the natural world.
With numbers, teamwork, and healing on their side, a pack of Nature-Blessed Wolves was an incredibly dangerous encounter.
Normally, they wouldn’t fight a human to the death. They were inherently fearful of the hairless apes, but when called upon by a Laughing Fox, it was as though they lost all reason, as if they believed that there was no other choice but to kill the enemy--Or die trying.
Laughing Foxes could call upon many of the beasts of this realm to do the dirty work for them, which was why encountering one was a concerning matter…
Soon enough, Edrick and Mumin were surrounded by a pack. There were ten wolves amidst them. The leader was barely noticeable, still young and not that different from the rest.
But Anoteros knew which one it was because the leader always stepped forward first.
The wolves circled their prey, not rushing to attack.
“Mumin”
“Yes?”
“Cover your ears”
“Mmh?” she did as he said, despite not understanding why.
Anoteros sprang into action. The wolves sensed danger, but were incapable of fleeing like they normally would. They simply backed off, not daring to strike yet.
And thus, Edrick was unimpeded.