CHAPTER 19
"Hunting time!" He smiled, shifting his weight into a low stance as he braced himself for whatever predator might emerge from the dense foliage.
That was when he heard another guttural growl vibrating from his right.
"Two growls? That means two beasts," Grey mumbled, his tone sharpening with worry as he bided his time, waiting for whatever horror would manifest from either flank.
The sound of splintering wood and breaking trees echoed from both sides simultaneously.
Quickly gripping his Earth dagger in his right hand, Grey channeled his mana to ignite a steady blaze of fire magic in his left, standing ready for the encounter.
Soon enough, a massive creature emerged from the forest on his left.
Upon spotting the human, the beast halted its advance, its eyes narrowed as it examined the intruder.
Grey was busy evaluating it in return.
The monster was as colossal as an elephant of old, sporting massive, curved tusks on its face and a thick coat of fur like a bear's.
Strangely, patches of natural Earth armor seemed to grow directly out of its hide.
The beast's fur was a deep, charcoal grey, and its menacing eyes glowed with a feral intensity as it huffed at the small human standing in its path.
"That is one huge looking beast," Grey gulped loudly.
Just then, another roar erupted from his right, followed by the sound of more trees snapping like twigs.
"C'mon, if it's two of you, then I will be dead soon," Grey muttered, his head darting between the creature in front of him and the shadows where the second beast was approaching.
In a split second, a loud, bone-jarring crack echoed through the clearing.
Something massive was flung through the air, landing with a heavy thud right at Grey's feet.
Looking closely, he realized it was another beast nearly identical to the one standing before him.
"Phew! Good thing it's dead," he sighed in brief relief, turning his attention back to the first monster.
However, a sudden movement beneath his feet forced him to spin around.
The creature that had been thrown was rising unsteadily, its massive body riddled with deep, bleeding injuries.
It let out a pained snarl and glared at Grey, while the first beast prepared to charge from the other side.
"Darn! I'm in trouble!" he muttered.
The small Earth sword in his hand suddenly shifted, the material wrapping around his hand and knuckles until it formed a pair of heavy, jagged Earth gauntlets.
With his other hand still blazing with intense heat, he took a firm stance, meeting the gaze of both predators with a fierce look of his own.
"C'mon, let's dance, you ugly beasts!" he bellowed. As if on cue, the two monsters charged.
The first to reach him was the injured beast that had landed at his feet.
Swiftly, Grey spun and launched a fireball.
The projectile slammed into the creature's Earth armor, though it only succeeded in slightly scorching the rocky surface.
"Crap!" he hissed as the beast thrust its long, sharp tusks toward him. Grey acted instinctively, using his wind magic to lift himself into the air.
He soared over the attacker, causing the beast to stumble directly into the path of its companion.
While still hovering, he raised his Earth-clad gauntlet and aimed it at the wounded monster.
Mumbling a quick incantation, he fired a shard of stone from the gauntlet.
The projectile, looking like a large bullet and wreathed in flames, shrieked through the air toward the beast's skull.
Hearing the whistling noise, the beast jerked its head, using its tusks to intercept the rock bullet.
The tusks shattered into a dozen pieces under the impact, but the creature managed to stop the projectile just in time.
"Darn it!" Grey growled.
He watched as the Earth gauntlet flowed back into its original shape as a short sword.
Grabbing the hilt, he flew straight at the beast like a rocket.
Just as he swung the blade, the second monster intervened, swinging a massive paw that swatted Grey out of the air.
The force sent him crashing through several trees, which snapped entirely under the weight of the impact.
"Ah, shit! That hurts!" he wheezed, slowly pushing himself up.
He winced as he clutched the arm that had taken the brunt of the beast's blow.
Before he could regain his composure, the rhythmic, heavy pounding of paws signaled their return.
Soon, one beast charged into view, with the second trailing slightly behind.
"Ah! Here we go again!" he mumbled.
He quickly slammed his palms toward the ground and called out the command.
"Aerius!" Immediately, a powerful burst of pressurized air erupted from his hands.
The recoil sent Grey flying backward several feet, successfully clearing the path of the beast, which went stumbling into the very trees the mage had been standing in front of moments ago.
As soon as he landed, Grey dropped to one knee, clutching his chest as he gasped for breath.
"Using the elements in quick succession like this is starting to drain my mana too quickly," he mumbled to himself, his vision blurring slightly from the exhaustion.
"I need a break, darn it!" he shouted into the air, just as a loud, rhythmic stomping sound echoed from behind the beasts.
Suddenly, a booming voice rang out through the trees.
"Where did that ugly creature head to? I need to finish the job soon," the voice declared, and a moment later, a figure emerged from the shadows.
Grey raised an eyebrow as he took in the newcomer's appearance. "Why is he so short?" he blurted out.
The short man sharply turned his head toward Grey, his eyes narrowing.
"That was quite rude of you to say, kid. You really shouldn't judge a book by its cover."
Realizing he had spoken his thoughts aloud, Grey quickly covered his mouth with his hands and stared at the man's unusual features.
The stranger stood at the height of an average seven-year-old, but he possessed a sturdy, barrel-chested build.
He was clad in heavy, battle-worn armor with a large sword gripped in his hand.
Fresh injuries marked his face, suggesting he had just stepped out of a fierce skirmish. Most notably, long, rabbit-like ears twitched atop his head.
'Wait, I've seen a being like this somewhere before,' Grey thought, staring intently.
But the moment of contemplation was cut short by another thunderous growl.
"Right, I'm still in a fight."
"Were you fighting against both of these on your own earlier?" the man asked, his voice surprisingly deep for his stature.
Seeing as the question was directed at him, Grey quickly replied,
"Yes, I was."
"Good! That means you must have a significant amount of strength to last so long against two of them. I need you to hold off one on your own while I take care of the other one."
"I will gladly do that," Grey said with a determined smile.
One of his hands erupted in vibrant flames up to his elbow, while his second hand was once again encased in a heavy Earth gauntlet—this time with a lethal, sharp spike protruding from the knuckles.
"What!?! What type of strange power is that?" the man mumbled quietly, his eyes widening in shock.
Then, without warning, the two beasts split up and bolted toward the two humans, who braced themselves for a violent clash.