Syl

Chapter 96: Follow the Wolf

I tried communicating with the wolf verbally, and while it seemed to understand me somewhat, it wasn't until I attempted thinking in images and feelings that it fully comprehended me. I gave it the picture of it helping us track the monster, to which it responded with horror, and I saw flashes of massive tusks and trees. It seemed the wolf doubted I could beat the monster, to which I responded by mentally giving it images of the monsters I had killed - starting with the salamander, which was easily my most impressive kill.

I could feel the wolf's uncaring for the salamander; it didn't understand its power, so I continued showing it images of foes. It seemed a little impressed with my killing the bear and badger. Even my mental image of Krutz and Oday wasn't enough for this stubborn canine. I was getting frustrated at how the wolf seemed uncaring; it was too stupid to realize the threats I had faced.

I had thought showing it the wolf I killed would be detrimental, but now I was pissed off. I showed it the Blade Wolf and proudly expressed my feeling of victory over defeating it. I was expecting the wolf to be outraged over me, killing one of its own kind, but surprisingly, it instead sent back feelings of shock and awe. Suddenly, the wolf was sending me images of it declaring me its new alpha, and it was thoroughly impressed. Finally, I requested its aid to find the monster so that I could kill it, and it frantically agreed, and I could feel its sense of pride through the strange communication bond formed from the trait.

When I finally looked up from my intense, silent stare-match with the wolf, the others stared at me with unbridled anticipation. "Well?" Dewi asked.

"It's agreed to help lead us to the monster. Also, I got brief flashes of what I think was the monster; I saw trees and tusks."

"That's half helpful. Tusks probably means a boar-type monster. As for trees... I mean, we are surrounded by them," Roderick replied.

"Well, I'm certainly not afraid of any trees. Trees fear me." Dewi cackled.

Despite their trust in me and the trait, everyone was cautious before we released the wolf. If it so much as snapped at someone aggressively, Whitney was prepared to end it with an instant [Sneak Attack]. Behind the scenes, I had convinced the wolf that the others were part of my pack, and it seemed eager for us to kill the threat in the forest. As the tension mounted, I could see the relief wash over their faces when the wolf flopped onto its legs and shook itself like a wet dog.

"I can't believe this is working," Evan said, shaking his head.

The wolf sent me images of running and following, and I told the group. Then we started running after it deeper into the forest. I felt bad for Roderick, whose armor was clanking with every step, but despite it all, he had a cheesy grin plastered on his face.

"Wait till Harris hears about this." I overheard him chuckling to himself.

'Those extra levels in [Perception] have certainly made a difference.'

We were moving well until the wolf abruptly stopped and started growling. Images of danger and enemies flooded my mind, and I quickly warned the group.

"The wolf senses danger; I'm unsure if it's our target."

Everyone drew their weapons, and Whitney and I activated our respective stealth skills. Meanwhile, Roderick stood in front, directing attention towards himself as he rattled his mace against his shield. Then we spotted what the wolf was snarling at—a giant walking tree!

"Oh, it's a treant!" Dewi cheered. "Syl, debuff it with [Flammable], please!"

I followed through with his request, landing a solid sixty percent fire weakness debuff on the target thanks to [Subtle Afflictions]. If I had empowered it, it would have been almost one hundred!

'I wonder if it goes above one hundred. I hope so; otherwise, I'll have reached the limit at the next level of [Fire Magic].'

"[Fireball]!" Dewi cast, and an explosion of flame erupted from where the walking tree was.

"One shot!" Dewi exclaimed, cackling with delight.

"Talk about overkill..." Whitney muttered, emerging from the shadows.

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"I told you trees fear me! But man, that [Flammable] debuff sure is something else," Dewi said, basking in the smoldering remains of the treant.

"There's a reason some parties have a dedicated support role outside of a healer. The right buffs or debuffs can mean that your five other party members combined far outweigh the potential lost slot," Roderick said.

"Yes, but unfortunately, it can sometimes be a tough sell." Evan pointed out, "Some of the people I've partied up with in the past tried to refuse to split loot with me because I wasn't killing monsters. Killing a monster with a spell has tangible proof, whereas trying to measure the benefit of a buff can be a bit more vague."

"Good thing Syl can do both then!" Dewi said, chuckling, "Although it's a good thing you won't run into that type of shit unless you're partying up with the rust ranks."

"Indeed. Before I joined the guild, a party member refused to pay me because he didn't get injured. He truly believed I would follow him around unpaid until he took a wound."

"Let me guess. You stopped casting shield spells." Whitney said with a giggle.

"You bet. Earned a lot of money healing all his injuries then."

"Never piss off the healer. I wish more people would learn that lesson." Roderick said with a hearty chuckle.

"I certainly will make an effort not to, although I'm glad I got to skip the beginner ranks if it's as bad as you all make it out to be," I replied.

"So, is that quest complete?" Dewi asked.

"Surely one treant didn't cause a stampede," Whitney said, looking around.

I turned to the wolf and questioned it, but it replied that these were part of the monster's pack.

"Nope. The wolf says the treants are part of the true monster's pack."

"Well, that's ominous. Did a dryad spawn? I can't think of much else that could create treants." Evan asked.

"No way. This area has way too little essence flow, even if there was a bottleneck spawn." Dewi pointed out.

"Well, no use wondering; let's follow Syl's pet to the true enemy," Whitney said.

I nodded and gave the order to the wolf, and we resumed heading deeper into the forest. Whitney was the first to notice it and point out that the vegetation was growing more... Untamed. While it was a forest, this level of wilderness was more akin to an ancient forest left completely alone for centuries. Poor Roderick kept getting his armor stuck in branches and vines and nearly tripped over protruding roots.

Shortly after, the wolf warned me of danger, and I could feel its fear. Our target was ahead. I gave it mental feelings of thanks and reassured it that we would be dealing with the monster. It howled and darted off into the forest, and I held out my hand to stop my comrades from following.

"The monster is ahead. I sent the wolf away."

"Thank the Gods, this last leg of the journey hasn't been fun." Roderick sighed before drinking from his canteen.

"It wasn't that bad." Whitney shrugged, looking no worse for wear.

"So. What's the plan?" Evan asked.

"I'm fine with anything, but combining my spells and Syl's debuff seems like a recipe for success." Dewi grinned.

"Right. We ran into one treant, so we can assume more. Dewi and Syl, your first priority will be to take out any treants while I grab the target's attention." Roderick started explaining. "Whitney will deal damage safely from behind while I hold aggro; as soon as you two are done clearing out the minions, you can join us in hopefully finishing the monster."

"I'll give us all a general buff and then focus on avoiding attacks and preventing or healing damage from the target. I'm assuming you two won't need any help with treants," Evan said.

"Nope. We should be able to make short work of them." Dewi said confidently.

"Agreed. Focus on the true threat. I'll also be sure to land at least one debuff on the target; it should help." I said.

"Excellent!" Roderick said with a toothy smile.

Roderick took the front position while Whitney and I faded into the background with our stealth skills. Dewi took the rear, with Evan placed in between. Much to Roderick's relief, the forest suddenly opened up into a spare clearing without a single rooted tree, and the reason became apparent when we gazed in and spotted a platoon of treants guarding an extremely large boar monster.

The boar monster had bark for skin and was a fearsome sight to behold. Its rough, brown exterior resembled an age-worn tree, making it blend in seamlessly with the forest surroundings. Its razor-sharp tusks protruded from its snout, glinting dangerously in the sunlight. The creature was massive, on par with the Bear Matriarch I had fought with the goblins. The boar's bark-like skin looked surprisingly resilient, offering protection against most mundane attacks. Its size, strength, and bizarre appearance made it an intimidating opponent.

"A unique monster," Roderick said in a hushed breath.

"Unique?" I whispered softly.

"It's a pretty rare phenomenon outside of dungeons," Dewi answered. "The buildup of essence has spawned a fully formed monster of a higher tier than normally possible. Usually, monsters follow evolution paths or gain a mutation, but in cases like this, they've crafted a unique being from scratch."

"We're lucky it spawned in such a low-level area; it's had no chance to gain any additional levels since spawning." Evan pointed out.

"True. But just because it's level one, don't underestimate it. It's spawned in with skills and traits at a certain level." Dewi cautioned. "Although another benefit is that it won't have had much time to practice and understand its abilities, it will likely be fueled entirely by instinct, which obviously has its own unpredictability, but at least we won't need to worry about a scheming monster that can plot and deceive."

"Everyone's going to be so jealous," Whitney said happily.

"Aye. This will be a lovely feather in my cap before becoming a Guild Master. I can't wait to rub it in Harris' face." Roderick chuckled.

I was also very excited, and [Dissection] quivered in anticipation; a unique monster meant lots of unique and rare resources, and I couldn't wait to harvest them. The profile would also be tantalizing, although I suspected Nature Affinity would be required judging by the creature's pronounced name.