Chapter 24
Fortunately, Beowulf did not attack us before we reached the building . Though it was possible that he was observing us from a short distance away .
But right now, we were focused on the structure . The building that we were looking up at was made of stone and in fact, looked like an ancient ruin . Its layered stones were covered in a blanket of ivy . There were no doors in its wide entrance, and it was too dark to see what lay inside .
“This building is huge…”
“Asagi, this is an ancient elven ruin . ”
“Huh?”
Ancient Elves?
“My ancestors from ancient times . They were not diverse as our tribes are now, it is said that they were established as a single tribe . ”
“So, then you’re not sure…”
“Aye . Some might say that they are long extinct . ”
Daniela looked at me and chuckled .
“We are still here, though . We’ve branched out into different groups, but the blood of the ancient elves still runs in our veins . ”
I suppose that was true . If the ancient elves really were extinct, than there wouldn’t be elves in this world . This ruin was proof of a history that continued for years .
“Well then, let’s pay your ancestors a visit . ”
“Aye, let us see them . ”
We give each other a nod and together, enter the ruins left by the ancient elves .
It was dark inside . Or so I thought at first, but the deeper we went in, the brighter it started to become . Most of the light was from holes in the roof that let in rays of moonlight . This building with its long history, was starting to fall apart . There were fallen doors and collapsed ceilings every once in a while .
“Hmm, it is surprisingly intact . ”
“You think so? It looks like a dump to me…”
“Not really . It is said that the ancient elves perished one thousand years from now . And a building from that far away an era is still standing . Perhaps it is still alive . ”
“Alive?”
“It is said that the ancient elves lived in a time of advanced magic . So, it is possible that this ruin itself is…”
“An instrument, like a machine?”
“Yes . ”
In other words, while the exterior may be that of a sad ruin, the insides could be br.i.m.m.i.n.g with technology . In that case, there could be something useful here that would help us destroy that Beowulf creature .
“Good, let us explore then . We may find something that can help us fight him . ”
“I was just thinking the same thing . Great, so we…”
“Wait . ”
Daniela whispered as she held a finger up to her lips .
“…It seems that he has come . ”
“Are you serious…”
I guess we would not be able to leisurely look around . I quickly scan my surroundings . There was an entrance to the far right that led to another room .
“Daniela, over here . ”
I lightly tap her shoulder and point to the far right . She nods and we both make our way through the entrance . It was a room, but much larger than the others, though not quite large enough to be called a hall .
“Right… This looks like a good size to contain him while preventing him from running around too much . ”
“Nice thinking . ”
“I’m sure he’ll catch up with us real quick, but he won’t be able to run wild at a speed we can barely follow if he’s in here . ”
“I’m sure he’ll catch up with us real quick, but he won’t be able to run wild at a speed we can barely follow if he’s in here . ”
We hid in a corner of the room and immediately began to make plans .
“Beowulf is a giant wolf . Regardless of his size, he still runs on four legs, has a sensitive sense of smell and is very fast . ”
“How would you fight him, Daniela?”
“I would use earth magic to break the floor under his feet and attack . ”
“Then I could use water magic to create mud and stop his movement . If I can, I could use ice magic after that to freeze it . ”
My magic would supplement hers . It seemed like it had a better chance of working than wholly relying on a novice’s magic .
“It would be splendid if you could use ice magic, but are you sure of it?”
She asked me with a worried expression .
“I haven’t had much opportunity to use magic… So I’m not sure . If it turns out I can’t partway in, you should ignore me and run . ”
“Fool . As if I could do that . ”
She glared at me .
“Of course I want us both to make it out of here, but at least one of us should be saved if that’s not possible . ”
She was looking at me rather angrily now . I ignore the impulse to look away and glare back at her . Then it was her that looked away . Her cheeks looked a little flushed .
She was looking at me rather angrily now . I ignore the impulse to look away and glare back at her . Then it was her that looked away . Her cheeks looked a little flushed .
“Fool . We will both make it out alive…”
“Uh, ah…yeah . Well, I’ll lure him over here . You cast the spell when he comes . ”
I say as I jump out from the shadows . Daniela was shouting at me to wait, but I ignore her .
It was better this way .
Just then, I could hear the sounds of heavy creaking . I use Presence Detection . I could very clearly sense the presence of the wolf near the entrance now . With determination, I shout in an attempt to provoke it . The battle had begun!
“Come here! I’m over here!!”
The answer was a deafening crash . The stones around the entrance blew away . I covered my face with my arms with just enough s.p.a.ce to view ahead of me, but there was so much dust in the air that it was hard to see . But I didn’t have any time to think about it, because something was charging through the dust cloud and then jumped .
“Wha… . !”
I felt something blast into my stomach . A blinding pain overtook me . My body had been thrown through the air and against a wall before I crumpled to the floor . All I could see ahead of me was stone . Stones that made up this building . They had flown through the air like cannonb.a.l.l.s, and one had caught me in the stomach . s.h.i.t . That was my weak spot for rather personal reasons . I breathed in the air which tasted of sand and then coughed up something that tasted like blood . I stood up then . There was a strong wind blowing now, it was pushing away the dust cloud . Daniela . I knew she would think of something .
Now my vision was much clearer . I glare at the enemy in the room .
“b.a.s.t.a.r.d… You got me real good back there…”
In the center of the room stood the giant wolf with silver fur and three tails . It calmly looked down in our direction . Then he answered my outcry with a roar .
“RUOOOOOOOORRRR!!!”
The room began to shudder violently . Beowulf’s legs bent as he prepared to pounce on me . And in that brief moment .
The room began to shudder violently . Beowulf’s legs bent as he prepared to pounce on me . And in that brief moment .
“NOW!!”
The signal to Daniela . In an instant, the ground beneath the giant wolf’s feet crumbled . The wolf was unable to escape, its legs were swallowed up by the hole created through magic . Now it was my turn .
“Imagine…imagine!!”
Easy . It was like discharging a dam . Imagine that going into the hole . It was easy, but the magic depletion was also insane . I could not make precise adjustments, but I could make it rotate in a whirlwind . And so the water combined with the dirt in the hole, creating a tide of mud against Beowulf . Thankfully, some of the larger rocks that he had crushed were inside as well . They rushed speedily in the current and sc.r.a.ped at his flesh . As the mud began to turn dark red with blood, I finally started to think that we could win .
But then I sensed that my magic had run low . An intense fatigue, like after catching a terrible cold overwhelms my body .
“Daniela! I can’t freeze it!”
“Leave it to me!”
Daniela leaped forward . Before I knew it, she had her bow made from the Tree of Life and Death in her hands and was firing arrow after arrow . Beowulf thrashed in a frenzy as the arrows pierced his back and the sides of his stomach .
“Take that…!!”
It was a strong shot that took all of her strength . It must have been the power of wind magic, as the arrow had a glow to it . The arrow flew, enveloped in a tornado as it went straight into Beowulf’s right eye .
“RUWWOOOoooOOOOooOO!!!!!!”
The maddening cry pierced my ears .
Fortunately, Beowulf did not attack us before we reached the building . Though it was possible that he was observing us from a short distance away . But right now, we were focused on the structure . The building that we were looking up at was made of stone and in fact, looked like an ancient ruin . Its layered stones were covered in a blanket of ivy . There were no doors in its wide entrance, and it was too dark to see what lay inside . This building is huge Asagi, this is an ancient elven ruin . Huh Ancient Elves My ancestors from ancient times . They were not diverse as our tribes are now, it is said that they were established as a single tribe . So, then you re not sure Aye . Some might say that they are long extinct . Daniela looked at me and chuckled . We are still here, though . We ve branched out into different groups, but the blood of the ancient elves still runs in our veins . I suppose that was true . If the ancient elves really were extinct, than there wouldn t be elves in this world . This ruin was proof of a history that continued for years . Well then, let s pay your ancestors a visit . Aye, let us see them . We give each other a nod and together, enter the ruins left by the ancient elves . It was dark inside . Or so I thought at first, but the deeper we went in, the brighter it started to become . Most of the light was from holes in the roof that let in rays of moonlight . This building with its long history, was starting to fall apart . There were fallen doors and collapsed ceilings every once in a while . Hmm, it is surprisingly intact . You think so It looks like a dump to me Not really . It is said that the ancient elves perished one thousand years from now . And a building from that far away an era is still standing . Perhaps it is still alive . Alive It is said that the ancient elves lived in a time of advanced magic . So, it is possible that this ruin itself is An instrument, like a machine Yes . In other words, while the exterior may be that of a sad ruin, the insides could be br.i.m.m.i.n.g with technology . In that case, there could be something useful here that would help us destroy that Beowulf creature . Good, let us explore then . We may find something that can help us fight him . I was just thinking the same thing . Great, so we Wait . Daniela whispered as she held a finger up to her lips . It seems that he has come . Are you serious I guess we would not be able to leisurely look around . I quickly scan my surroundings . There was an entrance to the far right that led to another room . Daniela, over here . I lightly tap her shoulder and point to the far right . She nods and we both make our way through the entrance . It was a room, but much larger than the others, though not quite large enough to be called a hall . Right This looks like a good size to contain him while preventing him from running around too much . Nice thinking . I m sure he ll catch up with us real quick, but he won t be able to run wild at a speed we can barely follow if he s in here . We hid in a corner of the room and immediately began to make plans . Beowulf is a giant wolf . Regardless of his size, he still runs on four legs, has a sensitive sense of smell and is very fast . How would you fight him, Daniela I would use earth magic to break the floor under his feet and attack . Then I could use water magic to create mud and stop his movement . If I can, I could use ice magic after that to freeze it . My magic would supplement hers . It seemed like it had a better chance of working than wholly relying on a novice s magic . It would be splendid if you could use ice magic, but are you sure of it She asked me with a worried expression . I haven t had much opportunity to use magic So I m not sure . If it turns out I can t partway in, you should ignore me and run . Fool . As if I could do that . She glared at me . Of course I want us both to make it out of here, but at least one of us should be saved if that s not possible . She was looking at me rather angrily now . I ignore the impulse to look away and glare back at her . Then it was her that looked away . Her cheeks looked a little flushed . Fool . We will both make it out alive Uh, ah yeah . Well, I ll lure him over here . You cast the spell when he comes . I say as I jump out from the shadows . Daniela was shouting at me to wait, but I ignore her . It was better this way . Just then, I could hear the sounds of heavy creaking . I use Presence Detection . I could very clearly sense the presence of the wolf near the entrance now . With determination, I shout in an attempt to provoke it . The battle had begun Come here I m over here The answer was a deafening crash . The stones around the entrance blew away . I covered my face with my arms with just enough s.p.a.ce to view ahead of me, but there was so much dust in the air that it was hard to see . But I didn t have any time to think about it, because something was charging through the dust cloud and then jumped . Wha . I felt something blast into my stomach . A blinding pain overtook me . My body had been thrown through the air and against a wall before I crumpled to the floor . All I could see ahead of me was stone . Stones that made up this building . They had flown through the air like cannonb.a.l.l.s, and one had caught me in the stomach . s.h.i.t . That was my weak spot for rather personal reasons . I breathed in the air which tasted of sand and then coughed up something that tasted like blood . I stood up then . There was a strong wind blowing now, it was pushing away the dust cloud . Daniela . I knew she would think of something . Now my vision was much clearer . I glare at the enemy in the room . b.a.s.t.a.r.d You got me real good back there In the center of the room stood the giant wolf with silver fur and three tails . It calmly looked down in our direction . Then he answered my outcry with a roar . RUOOOOOOOORRRR The room began to shudder violently . Beowulf s legs bent as he prepared to pounce on me . And in that brief moment . NOW The signal to Daniela . In an instant, the ground beneath the giant wolf s feet crumbled . The wolf was unable to escape, its legs were swallowed up by the hole created through magic . Now it was my turn . Imagine imagine Easy . It was like discharging a dam . Imagine that going into the hole . It was easy, but the magic depletion was also insane . I could not make precise adjustments, but I could make it rotate in a whirlwind . And so the water combined with the dirt in the hole, creating a tide of mud against Beowulf . Thankfully, some of the larger rocks that he had crushed were inside as well . They rushed speedily in the current and sc.r.a.ped at his flesh . As the mud began to turn dark red with blood, I finally started to think that we could win . But then I sensed that my magic had run low . An intense fatigue, like after catching a terrible cold overwhelms my body . Daniela I can t freeze it Leave it to me Daniela leaped forward . Before I knew it, she had her bow made from the Tree of Life and Death in her hands and was firing arrow after arrow . Beowulf thrashed in a frenzy as the arrows pierced his back and the sides of his stomach . Take that It was a strong shot that took all of her strength . It must have been the power of wind magic, as the arrow had a glow to it . The arrow flew, enveloped in a tornado as it went straight into Beowulf s right eye . RUWWOOOoooOOOOooOO The maddening cry pierced my ears .