Fenrir reached for the battered door of his house, basket in hand. As the door swung open, he saw Felix sitting at the table, muttering something to himself.
"Hey, I got the green light. We can head out any time", Fenrir exclaimed as he sauntered over to the table.
That snapped Felix out of his cogitation, causing him to look over at Fenrir, his ears twitching as the sound reached them.
"Good, let's head out then", Felix said whilst standing up. He stretched his back and arms before he started moving towards the door.
Just then Fenrir remembered the singular stipulation his mother had given him. Or them.
"Oh, we can't cross the tributary though, whatever that is", Fenrir said casually as he caught up with Felix.
Felix deadpanned at Fenrir. "A tributary is a lake or stream that flows into a larger river or ocean", Felix explained before pausing. "Also, we'll probably have to cross the tributary, the flowers grow deeper in the forest"
"Didn't you say they grew at the river bank?" Fenrir questioned. If he remembered correctly, then Felix was contradicting himself.
"..."
"..."
"Okay, so we have two possible spots for the flowers. Either at the bank of the tributary, or a higher spot, maybe a little hill", Felix decided. He then opened the door and started heading south.
Fenrir sprinted a bit to catch up to him. "... What happens if you're also misremembering the ritual", he asked in a teasing manner.
"I'm not… but if I were, at best I'd just get electrocuted", Felix responded cooly. They took a turn, now there was a straight path southwards.
"And at worst?" Fenrir asked. It would be good to know.
"I'd die", Felix answered. He didn't seem all that bothered though.
"Oh", was all Fenrir could say.
"Good thing I'm not misremembering the ritual", Felix said.
"...Hopefully"
And with that they travelled in silence, onwards towards the southern forest with a name unknown to either of them
…
Slowly the slums faded into ruined, uninhabited buildings, then slowly into untamed wilderness. They had arrived at the edge of the forest. Fenrir carried on walking but Felix stopped him
"Wait", Felix said, stopping Fenrir in his tracks. "What's up?" Fenrir questioned as he turned himself so he would be facing his fox eared friend. Felix looked fine on the surface, but his eyes showed that he was nervous.
"Let's discuss what we know about the forest first, then strategy", Felix said as he sat down on the ground. Fenrir mirrored him, also plopping down on the ground with a thud.
"Alright, from what Layla said, the forest should be safe before we cross the tributary-stream thing", Fenrir said, recalling what his mother had told him. With that he glanced at the basket in his arms. "Also, we gotta gather some herbs for my mom as well", Fenrir added. He had almost forgotten. Good thing the vegetation on his wicker basket reminded him.
Felix nodded, "That shouldn't be a problem". He then turned his head upwards, a clear tell that he was thinking. "From what I remember, the monsters common here would be goblins and… a species of territorial deer. Probably some other creatures too, wouldn't make much sense if only two species existed in a forest".
"What's so bad about deer?" Fenrir questioned, tilting his head.
"They're strong enough to pierce through metal with their antlers if they have ample time to charge up their rush", Felix responded. They wouldn't be that big of a problem if they didn't confront them. Even if they had to, they could dodge out of their way.
"The goblins shouldn't be an issue for me, I'm deceivingly strong. I don't know about you though", Fenrir said, gloating. Felix didn't fall for his bait and just sent a knowing smile his way.
"Goblins have the strength of an adolescent human male, they get their strength from their numbers. If you spot a single goblin, that means there are more coming", Felix explained. The world was populated with a variety of monsters, goblins were very common among them.
Fenrir nodded, listening half heartedly, bad habits do die hard after all. Hopefully this wouldn't affect him later on.
"Alright, for strategy it's gonna be you up front since you have water magic. You're also wolf kin which means you're naturally stronger too", Felix spoke with a neutral expression. Fenrir smirked, "Holy glaze".
Felix smiled and got up, "Yeah yeah". Fenrir jumped up.
"Let's head in, no need to be on guard before we're beyond the tributary"
Fenrir blocked his way and got up in front of him. "Let the strong guy lead the way", he said and started walking.
"It is ladies first after all"
"You look like a woman"
"Stop leering at me you dog"
"Wolf"
"Get moving".
The effect of the memory and personality merge was obvious from the way they were behaving. Like children.
…
As they entered the forest, a lot of the light from the sun was blocked off by the thick green canopy. The entire area was painted a nice dark green, complemented by the earthy colors. The ground was uneven because of the tree roots digging into it.
Ferns and vines grew wildly, solidifying the fact that this place wasn't industrialized in the slightest. Small critters could be seen stuttering about, using the underbrush as cover.
In the distance, two children could be seen navigating the wilderness.
"You reckon I could sniff out what we're looking for?" The wolf eared one asked, looking over at the one with dark hair and fox features.
The aforementioned boy looked at his grey haired friend, his expression a mix of disappointment and amusement. "Do you really wish to lower yourself to the level of a dog?" He questioned.
Fenrir looked scorned, he upturned his nose. "Hey! An advantage is an advantage!" he said.
After that little act, his natural smile found its way back on his face.
"Can't argue with that", Felix responded. He then went quiet, going silent and focusing fully on finding the flowers.
His eyes darted around, hoping to see the yellow blue colors of the star vein. Unluckily, they seemed to be nowhere in sight. That was to be expected though, they weren't near the tributary yet.
Fenrir, though, had luck. He had found a decent amount of flora that Layla had wanted. The wicker basket was already half way full.
After about half an hour of exploration and gathering, Fenrir's ears flicked about. "Yo, I hear running water", he said, getting up from his crouched position, finishing up digging out some plant.
"Really? I don't hear anything", Felix said, focusing his ears. He really didn't hear anything. 'I mean… faintly?', he thought, though it was most likely the placebo effect.
"Nah nah", Fenrir said. He then looked towards where he was hearing the sound from. "I hear it over here", he then started moving in the direction. "Come on!" He exclaimed as he sped up.
"Coming!" Felix said. He picked up his pace, choosing to stay a little bit behind Fenrir.
Surely enough, Fenrir reached a stream. It was a few steps wide, and it flowed with clear water. He heard steps behind him slow down in frequency, signalling that Felix had caught up.
Fenrir turned back and pointed at the stream. "Could we drink the water?" He asked his fox-eared friend.
"Probably, flowing waters are supposed to be fine to drink. I wouldn't risk it though", Felix said.
"We should reinvent the water filter thing"
"We should"
After that little dialogue, the both of them looked around, and surely enough, at the muddy bank of the river was what they were looking for. A single, delicate flower. A beam of light vled through the canopy, highlighting it. The flower was blue in color, with yellow antennae growing from in between its petals.
The scene was awe inducing and beautiful, the bright warm highlight of the flower contrasting perfectly with the toned down colors of the forest in the background.
"That's it isn't it?" Fenrir asked, his eyes locked on the flower, his attention encapsulated by the scene.
Felix grinned, it was a different kind of euphoria to see something you had only imagined before, something you had created. "it does look like it would be used in a ritual right?".
"It really does", Fenrir said. He looked a bit to his right and saw some stepping stones. He jumped on them, using them to cross into the other side. Felix followed in Fenrir's steps.
Fenrir went to pick the flower, only to get stopped by Felix. "Stop! I don't want you accidentally destroying it", he said as he crouched down beside him.
"...You let me pick the other shit up", Fenrir said with a deadpan.
"Those weren't important though", Felix responded.
"Prick"
Felix ignored the last word and carefully dug out the flower. It was fairly easy due to the muddy soil it was growing from. The flower was soft to the touch, yet it was tough. He was worried for nothing.
After inspecting the flower for a second, he put it in the wicker basket which was in Fenrir's hand. It rested atop the rest of the unimportant herbs.
"Alright, let's head deeper in", Fenrir declared. He was already standing up.
"Wait", Felix called out.
"What is it this time?" Fenrir asked, exasperated.
"Give me the basket, we're in dangerous territory now", he said, already grasping at the handle of the basket.
"Alright", Fenrir replied casually, handing over the basket with no issue.
They would follow the plan, Felix was vulnerable for now, so Fenrir would lead the charge.
With that, they headed into the greater forest, branches and fallen leaves crunching beneath their feet.
…
The deeper forest didn't feel any different fundamentally. The trees weren't warped or wicked, no horrible aura in the air. By all means, it was normal. The flora and fauna too, was identical to the pre-stream forest.
They had been walking for minutes now, their heads droning the area for any sign of the magical flower.
They had gone upstream, hoping to find more along the bank as they had before. Since they didn't have any luck, instead of going parallel with the tributary, they went perpendicular, heading deeper.
"You think we're out of luck?" Fenrir asked, fucking beneath a branch as he maneuvered forth.
"That would suck", Felix responded, he paused in speech but not in movement, keeping up with his friend. "I'm hoping it grows on both river banks and higher spots. Like the language thing, both of our thoughts applied so maybe it's the same case here", Felix said, explaining his theory.
"One can hope", Fenrir responded simply. "Indeed", Felix added.
Suddenly, both of their ears twitched as they picked up on a sound.
S h u f f l e
Fenrir grabbed Felix, pulling him into a crouching position behind a bush. He brought a finger to his mouth, signalling the fox to keep quiet.
Both of them peeked up from the bush they were hiding behind, their eyes aimed at the source of the noise.
Beholden before them was a weird, disgusting green looking short thing, snorting to itself as it poked at a dead rabbit. "A goblin!" Fenrir whispered excitedly, a grin on his face.
"Yes, a goblin scout. If there's one, there's more", Felix added hushedly. They couldn't risk alerting the monster. They had to be cautious.
Fenrir stayed silent for only a moment until his expression shifted. "I wanna fight it", he declared.
Felix looked at him, shocked. "Are you crazy!? Why risk it?" He questioned, confused by the irrationality displayed by Fenrir.
"Because I know I can take it", he said. Felix took a closer look at him, and saw a sort of feral look on his face. 'Oh, wolf kin instincts. That was the drawback I wrote in in turn for them being stronger than the other races physically'
Felix was about to convince Fenrir to reconsider again, but it was too late. Fenrir took a slow step forward and then—
C R A C K
He stepped on a branch.
The goblins' heads darted in their directions. It made a few gnarly noises before pulling out some sort of horn. It blew into it. A heavy, reverberating noise blurted out from it.
"...and that's a warhorn", Felix said, the ears resting atop his head drooping. "...it's not that bad. Tides edge is plenty destructive, we can destroy a small group of goblins easily", he said, trying to find a silver lining in the situation.
Fenrir, who looked to be sane again, was silent for a second before he inhaled deeply. He then turned to Felix. "... I might've passed out the last and first time I used the spell".
Felix looked over at Fenrir with a look that could only be described as hateful, scorned and disappointed.
Before Felix could curse Fenrir and his bloodline, their ears picked up the sound of many thudding footsteps.
Felix felt a pang of fear in his chest, his heart rate ramping up. He turned tail and started running in a random direction. Fenrir was quick to follow.
"Fuck you fuck you fuck you, you piece of shit!" Felix screamed at the idiot who was trying to get him killed.
Said idiot stumbled over roots and into low hanging branches, taking scratches as he ran. "I'm sorry! I dunno why I did that!" He exclaimed, taking a harsh right.
"We're running away from fucking goblins, god we're pathetic", Felix said, slowing down trying to hear if the goblins were near or not.
"Yeah—", "shut the fuck up 'Water Mage'. Why didn't you think of telling me about the fun fact of your dogshit mana capacity!?" He yelled, his arms flailing about wildly.
Once again, they heard a dreadful sound. Snarling, clattering and the pitter patter of many footsteps. The goblins had trailed them.
"We don't want to be captured by goblins, the little fuckers like torturing anyone they get their hands on. They're one of the vilest monsters on the land", Fenrir said. "So stop screaming at me for a second and try and think of something", he added.
Felix looked exasperated and angry, he was about to scream, but instead he took a deep breath and steeled himself. "Unlike you, I can't just conjure up a fucking miracle". The noise drew closer, catching Felix's attention as he looked in its direction. "Get moving!".
The two of them started running again. The goblins would keep trailing them. There was a reason they thrived in places like these. Their tracking skills were adequate.
They moved frantically, pulling each other along each time one fell behind. Thorns scratched at them but they weren't bothered, they were focused on the bigger picture for now.
Felix gasped for breath, he wasn't as endurable as his fellow beast kin. He wasn't good at thinking in high pressure situations. Matter of fact, he hated making decisions at all. He's always been afraid of making the wrong choice and having to shoulder the blame for it. He was a fickle person.
It was up to Fenrir now, and to his credit, his mind was working quickly. 'Okay okay, can't risk using magic, might pass out. Can't run forever, they're gonna catch up eventually, we need to fight them off, but we can't risk getting outnumbered. If only we had more people…"
S H I N G
A shoddy spear flew past them, barely missing Fenrir. Felix god surprised and tripped over a stray root. Fenrir quickly helped him up. Looking at Felix, he recalled the deer, the one that Felix had told him about. The one that could gore through metal.
"Felix! The deer! If we can find one we can pit it and the goblins against each other!" He exclaimed, pulling him along with him.
Felix's eyes widened, he quickly thought it over and gave his response. "That could work, look around for signs of shredded bark!"
With that, they sped up, keeping their eyes peeled for a sign of the deers presence.
The forest grew thicker, they were heading deeper in.
…
Felix's lungs burned, he couldn't keep this up for much longer. Fenrir was practically dragging him along with him.
The goblins were catching up, they were relentless. All they wanted was to kill them. For sport, not for survival. Goblins should not be sympathized with in the slightest.
Suddenly, Fenrir saw it. A deep gash in the trunk of a tree. His eyes darted to the floor and surely enough, footsteps arranged in the pattern of four hooves.
Felix had seen it too, so he pushed forwards. "Follow the trail!" He yelled before heaving.
"Obviously!"
They followed the trail until they were lewd into a clearing. Fenrir looked straight, and then he saw it. The light which bled through the canopy didn't illuminate what was in front of them, but the dark figure in front of them was large, at least two heads larger than Fenrir.
Felix thought it was a statue until it moved, right into a beam of light. Light bounced off of its majestic antlers, its dark blue fur had a sheen to them. Fenrir looked at it in the eyes, and what he saw was a pure, milky white. Not milky as in beasts that had rabies, but milky as in flowing.
Fenrir froze.
The massive stag stared back at him, head held high, its antlers curved like twin blades pointed to the heavens. Its breath came out in short, sharp huffs, kicking up mist in the warm air.
Felix caught up and immediately understood the situation.
"It's the deer—a cresthorn," he breathed, recognition flashing through his wide eyes.
The crashing sounds of the goblins behind them grew louder.
Fenrir clenched his fists. "Perfect."
Without a second thought, he bent down, grabbed a rock, and hurled it with all his strength at the deer.
Thunk!
The rock bounced harmlessly off the Cresthorn's flank.
It turned slowly, its huge body tense, muscles rippling under its sleek fur.
Then it lowered its head.
And bellowed.
The roar shook the trees, vibrating through the ground beneath them.
"Move!" Felix shouted, pulling Fenrir behind a tree just as the Cresthorn charged, tearing through the clearing like a living battering ram.
But the deer wasn't only after them.
The goblins poured into the clearing, shrieking and waving their crude weapons.
The Cresthorn barreled into them with terrifying speed. Goblins were tossed into the air like ragdolls, impaled, crushed underhoof, smashed against trees.
Fenrir and Felix crouched low behind the brush, watching wide-eyed as the plan unfolded.
"It worked," Fenrir said, almost reverently.
"Yeah," Felix muttered. "Holy shit is that thing fierce..."
The clearing became a war zone, filled with goblin screams and the heavy stomps of the enraged beast.
Fenrir grabbed Felix's sleeve. "Come on, while they're busy!"
They moved quickly, sticking to the treeline, giving the bloody brawl a wide berth.
They had to get out of there quickly. So they ran using what little stamina they had left.
Before they could escape the clearing, Fenrir's eyes caught a flash of blue with hints of yellow.
His eyes moved over to it, moving the image from his peripheral to his center. Surely enough, atop a mossy hill rested what they had come here for. A star vein flower.
"Look!" Fenrir bellowed, gesturing towards the point of interest.
Felix followed his gaze, once he saw the flower, he nodded.
He ran towards the hill, ripped the flower out from the ground and then slid down the other way all in one smooth motion, exhibiting the dexterity of a fox kin. Fenrir looked fairly awed, but didn't stop. He didn't want to get skewered by the monstrous deer-stag-moose thing.
Felix caught up to him, he saw two paths ahead. One with the same footsteps that had led them here, and the other unmarred. They quickly chose to take the unmarred path.
They ran, following the path—
Right into another group of goblins. Six this time. Their eyes gleamed with savage glee, promising pain.
Fenrir's earlier relaxed expression dropped
Felix's ears drooped, showing his cowardly nature. "... We need to fucking run", he said in a low voice.
His grip on the basked tightened, he really didn't want to be in this situation.
"No", Fenrir responded too calmly.
"What do you mean no!?" Felix exclaimed
"Fuck it", he said
"Huh!?" was all that he could muster up
"I said fuck it, carry me back if I pass out", he elaborated.
"You're insane!"
Fenrir grinned, fangs bared. He took a deep breath, and with it, mana densened in the air around them.
The goblins panicked, noticing the change in atmosphere.
He then chanted, "Surge forth—", they turned tail, attempting to retreat.
"Tides Edge!"
Water formed in the air, coalescing into gleaming blades which slashed forwards in wide arcs.
The goblins were eviscerated, some were split clean in half, whereas others were left in more than two pieces.
Felix watched on in awe, witnessing magic for the first time ever. Destructive, powerful and beautiful magic.
The strength of the spell was undeniable, was this the might of a person who had a patron god?
Fenrir swayed on his feet slightly, but he didn't collapse. "Damn, I feel lightheaded", he said, way too casually for a person who had just performed what would be considered a miracle back in the old world. Hell, even in the slums.
He then tripped. Felix swept in quickly, offering the now confirmed water mage a shoulder. "That was cool as fuck", he said, throwing formality and his speaking mannerisms into the wind.
"I know right!?" He responded, his frenzied smile now turned normal.
"Let's get outta here"
"... We'll get the other flowers sometime else", Felix decided. He was disappointed, but he didn't want to risk either of them dying.
With that, they started moving.