The participants who arrived alongside Franko raised their weapons, but only Maria stood there, visibly conflicted.
“What is the meaning of this?!” Maximus roared, raising his staff and positioning himself before the wolf, with Sprout in his devourer puppet joining as well, standing fiercely at his side, whipping at the ground.
Silex observed the wolf’s state and then gazed upon Maximus’s firm stance, nodding approvingly as he too turned against Franko and the rest, snapping his maw in warning.
Embi, on the other hand, meekly floated onto Silex’s head, having spent too much energy in the prior fight and now needing to rest.
“We need to defeat that wolf for the quest, and it has already killed many of us. Please understand, I am still very grateful to you for all your help, but…” Franko said, his face growing colder with resolve.
“Let it be, Franko, we owe him that much. Maybe the quest can be fulfilled this way as well?” Maria cut in, her voice strained yet firm.
“Well, the danger has passed, and nothing is happening. I’m afraid that we still have to kill it!” Franko said seriously as he steadied and aimed his rifle.
“Then you leave me no choice.” Maximus sighed, and Spore Cloud burst from his location like a misty wave, silently enveloping everyone. As the wave settled, Maximus released Entangle as well, binding the paralyzed group in writhing roots.
But just when he thought he had resolved the situation, Maria’s body shone like a rising lunar star, and she shattered the roots binding her, leaping in front of Maximus with her swords raised in a battle stance. “Unfortunately for you, crowd control skills do not work on me.” She said with a confident smirk.
“Please go and leave them be. You don’t want the whole village hunting you down now, do you?” Maria threatened, her tone sharp.
“I understand that they want to avenge their friends, but he was not in control of himself. I also understand the need to finish a quest, but I’m asking you to let him go, just this once.” Maximus urged.
“I’ll make sure they do nothing about it. I owe you after all, and your friends. The quest will fail after one more day anyway.” Maria added.
Maximus sighed. Those two might’ve been partially right. Maximus sighed again, more deeply this time. “You are a poor excuse for a leader. Survive the horde without my help, good luck!” Maximus spat, before turning to Maria. “Remember what I told you, make sure that he is the one you truly want to give your time and life to. If you ask me, he isn’t worth it.” Maximus added coldly.
He rushed forward and picked up two small pouches where Brock and Amy had fallen, alongside a set of daggers and a skill stone that appeared as Amy exhaled her last breath.
He then cast Rejuvenation once more on the wolf and had Silex help him carry the wounded beast, but not without protest.
He stored Sprout’s puppet and recalled Embi to rest, then muttered one last thing to Maria.
“If I see them following me, I will not be merciful again. We have no enmity otherwise; let it remain that way.” He added, morphing into Cat Form, and departed as fast as Silex could run with the heavy beast on his back.
***
Minutes later, as the spores faded and Franko was finally able to speak, he shouted, fuming, “What the fuck, Maria?! All those rewards, and you just let him escape? We have barely gotten a couple of levels from all of this, and no skill stones or anything, due to them being fucking summons! For fuck’s sake, why are you always so damn stubborn?!” Franko shouted, still bound tightly by the roots. Actually, all of them were still bound; it seemed that the group that came was physically very weak.
“He helped us fend off the mad beast and the Skill Hunters, you fucking idiots had four, FOUR fucking Skill Hunters in the village and had no idea about it. We barely fought them off. If it wasn’t for him, not only would we be dealing with the wolf, but those bastards would’ve attacked us from behind.” Maria shouted back, completely done holding anything back.
“Mighty leader thinks he is all that. You know what, fuck you.” She kicked dirt into his face and turned, heading back into the village, the monster horde set to arrive later that day, and she needed to recover.
“Hey, Maria, dear, I didn’t know, okay? Come back, please, just let me loose.” Franko begged, his anger cracking into desperation, but she didn’t even slow her pace.
“Well, dear leader, we fucked up royally, didn’t we?” George sighed and activated Burning Barrier, the flames licking outward as they burned the roots off his skinny body.
He then launched fireballs to burn away the remaining bindings, freeing the rest of the group. “So, what now? Do we chase after the druid, or after your woman?” He asked, exhausted, rubbing his arms.
“Go back. We’re spent, and the horde will strike today, no time for chasing someone as dangerous as that guy. Fuck…” Franko cursed, wiping dirt from his face as his jaw tightened, and the group hurried after Maria.
***
Andre lay behind Toby, recovering, as the phantom white snake carried them close to the Wildlands before dispersing like smoke, leaving the two to hide within the woods that grew thicker the closer they came to the Wildlands.
As Andre finally came to, he completely lost it. “What the fuck, Toby? You were absolutely useless. I thought that you being the boss meant that you could actually do something. But nothing? Not a single fucking thing, you just fainted like a little girl?” Andre shouted, whatever respect he once held for their mysterious leader now completely gone.
“Shut up!” Toby snapped as he surged forward and grabbed Andre by the throat. “Do you think you are stronger than me just because of all of this?” He squeezed harder, making Andre gasp for air and claw desperately at his grip, but to no avail; it felt as though he had been caught by a predator that had no intention of letting go of its prey.
“Let… Go…” Andre rasped, his vision beginning to blur.
Toby scoffed and tossed him aside like trash. “I was forbidden from attacking him due to certain reasons, and my own spell backfired on me. That’s why I couldn’t do anything,” Toby replied coldly, before his expression twisted and he shouted almost manically, “But if you think you can talk to me like that, you’ve got it all wrong!”
Andre knelt on the ground, silent, yet his mind churned violently. I’ll get you for this, you nepo fucker.
***
Maximus and his ragtag party moved for over an hour before arriving at the river that cut through the First Plane, the very same river that split off into the swamp Silex came from.
Maximus transformed back into his human form and gently lowered the wolf onto the ground, while Silex slid eagerly into the waters, overjoyed, and even Sprout jumped off Maximus and sank into the shallow waters near the bank, letting its roots drink in the plentiful water numina.
Maximus cast Rejuvenation once again on the wolf and carefully forced him to drink some of the potion before taking out the troll’s corpse and cutting off an arm, then returning the rest to storage.
“Here, eat this, you must be hungry, and the blood within should help speed up your healing,” Maximus said gently.
The wolf raised his scarred head, staring at Maximus intently for a long moment before lowering it and taking a bite of the massive arm.
Quest Completed!You have successfully tamed the mad beast and helped it regain its reason. Due to your actions and display of overwhelming strength, the wolf has chosen to trust and follow you.
Rewards Earned: Class Trait Unlocked + 2 Extra Levels
Quest Completed!Your actions have caused the Skill Hunters of the First Plane to halt their merciless hunts. Many perished, while deep mistrust has been sown in the hearts of the survivors.
Rewards Earned: 20 Talent Points, 1x Armor Selection Ticket (C)
Battle Tokens earned: 3000
Oh, my heavens, I had completely forgotten about this quest after everything that had happened. This is more than I expected, and the talent points even doubled like usual. I have more than enough to purchase new skills and strengthen others if needed, good… Very good. Well then, let’s start with this.
“Wolf, my new friend, do you have a name I could call you? I’m not about to keep calling you Blood King.” Maximus said with a teasing smile.
The wolf raised his scarred head, half an arm still clenched between his fangs, and slowly shook it.
“Hmmm, well then… Let me think.”
Maximus tapped his chin thoughtfully, then shifted closer to the wolf, his hand sinking into its matted, blood-stained fur. “What do you think of Vesper?” He murmured. “A moment where two opposing forces exist at once. One who walks the line between life and death…”
He hesitated, his eyes drifting toward the distant sky as his heart tightened with an old, lingering memory.
“A quiet moment after loss,” Maximus continued softly. “A whisper in the dark that refuses to fade.”
The wolf raised its head. One massive paw reached forward and tapped Maximus’s leg with deliberate care.
Dark golden eyes met his, steady and unblinking. Then, slowly, the wolf blinked once with quiet approval.
Maximus smiled faintly. “Good, then it’s settled. Vesper, welcome to the family, or rather… Our pack of misfits.” Maximus chuckled softly. “Eat and recover, we still have a long road ahead, but first let me check these rewards, I have a feeling this might be the last time I’ll get the chance to do so peacefully.” Maximus sighed before opening the notifications.
***
Alert: You have received an option to choose your next Class Trait.
Class Traits available at your current level: [Tongue of the Wild (E)], [Dryadic Blessing (C)]
[Tongue of the Wild (E)] – Allows the user to communicate with tamed beasts and neutral critters. Connection with tamed beasts will grow stronger due to increased understanding. With levels, communication with other wild beasts will be unlocked. Strengthens the Shapeshifter and Beast paths.
[Dryadic Blessing (C)] – Attunes your body to the ways of nature, increasing spirit regeneration and the strength of nature-attuned skills. Moves the user toward the Dryad path, a being that represents nature in its primal form, a being of vegetation and pure spirit energy.
The choice is obvious. The second trait is stronger, but it locks me out of mana completely. I cannot walk a single path again. This time, I will walk the path of chaos, the path of all three energies. Maximus reassured himself as he selected the first trait.
Class Trait Unlocked: [Tongue of the Wild (E)]
Conditions fulfilled for Class Trait evolution.
Merging [Friend of the Wild (E) Level Max] & [Tongue of the Wild (E) Lv. 1]
Class Trait Unlocked: [Call of the Wild (C) Lv. 1]
[Call of the Wild (C)] – The boundary between your soul and the untamed world has blurred. You now carry the presence of an apex predator; neutral beasts will not initiate combat unless directly provoked.
Chance for your taming skills to affect higher-level beasts increased by 36%.
Tamed companions within your vicinity receive 25%, and when apart, 15% boost to their overall physical power.
Allows the user to communicate with tamed beasts and neutral critters. With further levels, communication with hostile wild beasts will be unlocked.
You retain full linguistic capability while transformed, allowing you to coordinate with your pack and command beasts without breaking your shifted form, further strengthening your bestial bond.
Adds 5 beast slots.
----
Maximus smiled and turned to Vesper. “It would seem that I can understand you now. What do you say, old beast?”
Vesper’s eyes widened in shock as a deep, commanding voice echoed within Maximus’s mind. “Boss… I can understand you now! How is this possible? Are you truly human?”
“Oho, so it works like that. That’s even more useful.” Maximus’s smile deepened. “Yes, I am human now, but I was not always. It is a long story… Perhaps I will tell it one day.” His gaze darkened with quiet depth.
“Boss, I must thank you. The hunger, the madness, ever since you cast that light upon me, it has faded. I cannot remember how long it has been since I could think clearly… Since hunger and sorrow were not the only things in my mind.” Vesper spoke with deep respect.
“Call me Max. We are companions now, not master and servant.” Maximus said gently. “I hope I can give you the chance to forget that pain, and perhaps, one day, to build a new pack. A living one.”
“You defeated me and saved me. You are the Boss, that is how it should be,” Vesper replied firmly.
Maximus chuckled. “Understood. We all have our ways. Such is the nature of all living things; we live by our own rules.” He nodded calmly.
“Boss… Why do I feel that you are older than I am?” Vesper asked.
“Haha, you are perceptive.” Maximus smiled faintly. “I have lived for thousands of years, though not in this body. As I said, that is a story for another time.”
Just then, Silex swam back onto the shore, whistling happily. “That was a nice swim. Oh, how I missed that. Not like this damn smelly Max understands the needs of such a perfect being as I. Humph, why did I let myself get dragged away from my beautiful swamp?” Silex muttered.
Maximus burst into laughter. “Well, my apologies, oh Crown Princess of the Royal Court. I truly apologize for failing to understand the needs of such a perfect being as yourself.” He stood, hands on his hips, grinning mockingly.
Silex froze, his jaw dropping open. “You can understand me?! Wait… I can fully understand you now as well?” A raspy voice gasped in disbelief.
“I can hear you as well, lizard,” Vesper added calmly before returning to his meal, completely ignoring the stunned crocodile.