Well, in life not everything goes according to plan , while Azaroth was getting ready , James was called away to resolve some trouble in the capital , so Azaroth decided to head to the forest to check the changes and hunt some beast , the mystical kind, to somewhat saturate his core ,
Path of Wanderer was divided in 8 stages
1st stage - Aimless
2nd stage - Awakened 1st order
3rd stage - Awakened 2nd order
4th stage - Awakened 3rd order
5th stage - Enlighment 1st order
6th stage - Enlightment 2nd order
7th stage - Enlightment 3rd order
8th stage - Enlightment 4th order
After becoming an aimless , a person needs to saturate their core to reach the next stage
this process is repeated until the 4th stage
To reach stage of Enlighment , a person needs to evolve their innate
And each order of Enlightment had a different requirement
To saturate one's core , a person can hunt mystical beasts , kill other Wanderers , kill lost (offical name for broken world inhabitants ) , absorb core gems (found in body of lost ones or inside a broken world) , complete a otherworldly trial
After becoming an Aimless , body of person undergoes enhancement , they exhibit traits of a strength, agility , stamina and all other things on par of a unawakened athelete at his prime
it might not sound like much ,but considering that a Wanderer only get another physical enhancement at 4th stage of Enlightment where they finally become bullet proof (only against non- magical ones and taking a missile to the face is not recommended)
Azaroth grabbed a compound bow from his bow collection, which he had built over the course of 3 years , he previously couldn't use most of the bows due to his inadequate draw strength which now wasn't a problem anymore.
Upon reaching the forest , Azaroth proceeded to headed deeper , towards the known lair of moon wolfs , they should be a little easier to hunt in broad daylight after all , as their name suggests , they get stronger under moonlight increasing their danger rating by a grade
It was always a matter of heavy debate for the researchers and other institutes on how to classify a mystical beast
In the end , it was universally agreeded that a mystical beast should be rated according to their danger level
Size had a different category
while defense was mostly put as note rather than a having a ranking system
Msytical beasts were ranked from Grade "E" to Grade "S" any beast showing firepower above Grade "S" were heavily documented and tracked
A 5th order Enlightened could theoritically fist fight a Grade "A" beast
Azaroth's goal , the moonwolfs were Grade "E" with the pack leader being Grade "D" or in rare cases Grade "C"
Moonwolfs werent known for their defences tho , they are as easy to kill as a normal wolf if you manage to land a hit
Azaroth after walking for 2 hours , detouring
when he found other beasts finally stood atop of a tree , overlooking the den from afar
he raised his compound bow with his left hand, grabing a arrow from his quiver with his right
He nocked the arrow on the bow ,keeping the string at full draw for a few second to fix his aim ,
With a , 'thwack' sound he released the string , the arrow sizziling through the wind
penetrating the neck of a wolf pup who choked on its own blood before dying
Azaroth felt a slight sensation , similar to a drop of water rippling through a calm lake
without wasting time he nocked another arrow aiming for the next pup who stood behind the fresh corpse , now alerted of a intruder lurking in the shadow
Azaroth managed to take out 2 more moonwolf before stoping to change his position
He killed 5 more moonwolfs from afar
Before deciding to head back
He could have hunted more but he rather not damge the ecosystem or make the pack leader who doesn't seem to be at the den for some reason
halfway out of the forest , he noticed that area was a little bit too quiet , he hastened his pace
out of nowhere noise of branches shattering reached his ears
Before he could look up to see what happen
A corpse came crashing in front of him
Azaroth subconcisously focused
[bloodline ability¹ is partially active]
Just as the notification reached his ears
little details which had been overlooked by him
Claw marks up on the trees
Broken branches here and there
it looked like a battle had taken place
Not here, but the participants seemed to have moved towards him while fighting
Now one of them was dead
Looking at the corpse
It was a moonwolf pack leader , female
That left the other one
As he finished his Analysis as if on cue
A shadowy silhouette entered his view
It had a large wingpan , two eyes and three tentacle like tails , sharp claws
His eyes trembled as he realised it was
"C" Grade, borderline "B" at worst
Azaroth started panicking , he wasn't really prepared for this ,
Fighting a "C" grade moonwolf which wasn't in its element and fighting a unidentified bird with unknown element was entirely different thing and he would have been injured on the former
Unbeknownst to him , his pendent was blinking
...
James was mediating be two Enlightened parties when a ring on his pinky glowed,
it was a relic the knight had given him saying it would recorgnize James as the child's guardian and would inform him his the child is in danger
He immediately rushed home ,
He found Elizaebeth in a grocery shop , located two blocks before their house on the way to the capital
"where's Azaroth ", he asked , hoping to gleam some knowledge
"he went to the forest ", she said
"ok", to not worry his wife
James casually walked until Elizabeth faded from the view before he took off sprinting
, nearing the forest , he decided to use his bloodline ability , after all explaining to his son how he knew his whereabouts and his plight wasn't something he was willing to partake in
[Bloodline ability - beast form is active]
His body gradually changes as he heard the sweet voice of arterra
...
Meanwhile
Azaroth was afraid , which was making unable to think properly
He was about to run
Until something changed
He wasn't afraid anymore
[Void has consumed Fear]
[Void Synchronization 1%]
He didn't understand what was being said
but he wasn't afraid anymore , well he was but it was supressed and felt empty as if the fear was hollow
He look up again
Noticing the previous missed details
The bird was injured
one of its wings barely attached
And a claw mark spreading through other
He would have observed more
But his eyes widened and he ducked
A blade of wind went to the place he had been standing , creating a deep wound on the tree behind him
He quickly took serveral arrows from his quiver into his Bow hand and one on his left hand
To quick shoot
in span of seconds he shot multiple arrows
Some missed but most lodged itself in the flesh which was ripped by the moonwolf
He had misjudged the defense of the bird as Non of the arrows pierced through , lodging themselves onto the flesh
He quick changed targets to the eye
Which after mutliple failed attempts
And 3 close calls when dodging the windblade , he got one arrow through
the bird screamed in pain
And dived faster than eye could see
Azaroth was helpless he could trace the silhouette but couldn't react
When suddenly a large serpent grabbed the neck of the bird
Throught both itself and the bird to the side due inertia
Azaroth watched as the two beast fought
Eyeing both of them
The bird was losing, having exhausted its stamina against moonwolf , taking minor injuries from fight against Azaroth and a surprise attack from the beast it is fighting now
Azaroth had a stupid thought
'what if i'
'well if the serpent chases me after this , i am dead anyway might as well try'
He drew his bow , waiting
And the opportunity presented itself
The serpent had bit the chest of the bird
Ripping it and revealing its chest
Azaroth took aim , releasing the string
he ran to exit the forest without looking back
the warm sensation confiming the kill
...
James laughed inwardly at his son's antiques , he had noticed what he was trying to do and decided to play along
He then slithered to exit the forest himself.