Spirit Taming

Chapter 396: Icy Children

"So there are beasts that can make traps? I didn't think they would do this just for fun, right?' Isa had heard of certain beasts that were prone to trickery. That alone was just something people who lived near the wilderness had to worry about. Most of the time, these were just stories to people.

"It seems like a beast practicing to make magic rune formations. I think it's a skill that some beasts can use to manipulate the energy they have. I know it's the same as some blacksmiths or enchanters do with their beasts. I just should have realized that beasts probably learn it naturally in some cases." Clark was still enlightened by it.

Especially seeing the spikes of ice that were now breaking apart due to lack of energy on the wall.

"That means that I might be able to learn how to do that. Ralph can make whatever he can in a forge, then I can try and enchant things? That would be good, right?" Grace saw the potential to learn something unique. It would also help her gain a skill that didn't require her to go out in to the world to hunt beasts or fight often.

"Unfortunately, you need the energy to make specific runes. That means you need beasts with fire energy for fire runes, ice for ice, and the like for the others." Ella knew that she was throwing water on Grace's fire but that was just the fact of runes. She had also tried to experiment with them but decided that they were too far from her research to focus on. Her wisps didn't need runes.

"But I can figure it out. Runes will be runes. If I can make them with metal and fire energy then I will just find people that will work with me to make them otherwise." Ralph's stubbornness didn't seem to be affected at all by the tune potentials of armor or weapons that would have better effects. This was too tempting for many people to resist. Knowledge was always that way.

"We can figure that all out at a later time. I have heard of beasts that can make runes without any energy or people that can carve runes without using their own energy. We can learn that or find a beast to raise that knows that. For now, we should keep moving." Reese was the one to say this. He had decided that he wanted to know what was ahead.

However, Reese was also stuck on the fact that Clark had easily joined a battle with throwing needles before. His mind had been stuck on the fact that when it came to battle. Clark had always shown that he was a spear user and that was really all. Yet here they were, under a massive ice castle where only a short while before, Clark had used a secondary weapon better than Reese could use his sword.

His partner. The only way to catch up to that level of skill was to get more real battle experience.

"I agree, we can worry about things like how we will get runes for the group later. I want to move ahead as well. We can still get stronger." Brad seemed to be sharing the feelings that Reese was having. Both of them were ready to move.

"There are healing runes too. I would like to learn them one day. Maybe on our stop to the glow sting jellyfish dungeon." Maria made a plan for the future out loud as the group pushed forward.

It was good that they had changed their thoughts as they moved on. The simple reason being that they were starting to see the true depths of the castle. "The entire mountain must be caves of the castle. Passageways that we might not be able to study perfectly." Isa would love to spend weeks studying it all but that wasn't possible. They would never be able to take everything valuable away from here.

"I am making a map as we go. It will be incomplete but valuable to Nebula in the future." Maria had been focused most of the time but the reason she was quieter than usual was now understood by everyone. Ella had not been the only one making notes.

"Wait." Clark felt the ground shake ever so slightly. Then again and again. The thuds were from larger footsteps coming their way. "Down this side passageway. We can hide there for a comment." The side passageways seemed to all be connected to the one they were in. The icy blue light of it was enough to cause strange deep blue lights and shadows around.

The smaller side passageways were definitely made by smaller beasts.

The smaller beasts had to avoid the larger beasts somehow, especially if they were the children of such beasts. This entire castle had been carved exactly as it was supposed to be used. A perfect creation. However, that was not what Clark was watching. He was instead watching larger beast come down the passageway that now stretched many feet over their heads.

It would be easier to say that this passage was made as a massive underground hall.

A scaly head showed up in the distance passageway. It was similarly shaped to a wolf's head but the normal fur it would have all over its body was just pieces here and there traveling along the tops of its legs and back. The scales were a dark blue, almost black. It had reptilian eyes and appeared to have just eaten something, the blood dripping from the scaled snout as proof of this.

'Wyrm wolf- ultra rare

The wyrm wolf is a very rare beast that come from a dragon bloodline beast breeding with a Fenrir or other powerful wolf beast with the same elemental energy as it. This wyrm wolf is an ice wyrm wolf that has a powerful dragon bloodline. It is able to control ice and also resist the coldest of temperature.

As a wyrm wolf grows it will not gain wings to be able to fly, but it will grow tougher and gain a better use of its innate elemental affinity. It may not have another form and rarely able to find a mate or pack, but they are more solitary by nature due to the dragon blood it possesses.

The wyrm wolf will likely ignore beings it thinks are too weak, however, if it is angered, it will kill whatever has angered it. Pride in wolves and dragons is a very strong motivator for their species regardless of elemental affinity…'

"That's a wyrm wolf. It has dragon blood so it might be one of the ice dragon's children. We should let it pass. Even if it notices us here it will most likely ignore us because we are too weak for it to care about." This sounded very harsh but that was the reality of things.

They were just too weak right now and knew that they would be seeing powerful beasts here that they wouldn't even be able to scratch if they tried.

The wyrm wolf's footsteps caused some of the ice beneath it to crack. This alone showed off the power it had in even a single step. The muscles that it had from holding some of the dragon bloodline were used. But it was also very telling. Clark had dragon energy influencing his body. A very unique dragon energy that was from a slime dragon.

A very moldable species of dragon.

That wasn't on anyone's mind though. They watched as the wyrm wolf slowly moved passed them, it sniffed the air slightly but didn't even look their way. It just huffed slightly as it continued toward the opposite direction the group was heading.

"Now we move." Jerold pushed ahead and started to look down the side passageways. The entire passageway seemed quieter than before. However, the reason Jerold had wanted to push ahead was simple. "I think there will be beasts that try to run from this area now that this thing passed by. It means we java things to hunt on our way. Or it left whatever it just attacked behind."

As if to support what Jerold was saying, everyone looked down to spot the blood drops that were leading the way they were going. Following it and hearing the sudden scratching at ice around was more proof. "There are a few white rats. They must have been hiding." Grace spotted a white rat rushing away. The group ignored it because they were too small to hunt.

However, the blood was more than a drop here and there. Ahead there was a thicker trail.

"I will have Devi check the area and return." Clark allowed Devi to move ahead of him again but immediately found that Devi returned after just five minutes. He had found the hunting site where the wyrm wolf had beaten its prey. The slight nervous feeling from devi proved that their group were not the only ones that had the idea to check out what might be left from the wyrm wolf's hunt.