The tree began to shake back and forth, causing Anemone and Father to cling to the trunk. The Iron Boar knew something was up in the tree, whether it was food or something else, but it was most likely food. Father looked down at the boar, trying to study it while preparing Water Jet. It was a high-velocity stream of water, barely the width of a bullet, and it was reminiscent of a high-grade laser, though with the magic power of a D-Rank, it would be more similar to a weak one.
Father's eyes narrowed, studying the beast to try to find a weak spot. He steadied his breathing and was ready. The aura surrounding Water Jet was a deep blue; you could feel the power he was building up. Then it launched, aimed at the beast's right side, but it was tough; the water barely made the thing blink, let alone cause damage. But surprisingly, it did; a wound opened in the large boar's side, and blood began to drip onto the ground. Victory began to seem possible.
Then it stopped. The flow stopped, the wound healing itself in front of their very eyes, as if the interaction never happened. A bead of sweat dripped down Father's back as the boar began to step back, readying itself for another charge. Anemone began to feel like this challenge wouldn't be possible.
Boom. The boar collided again with the tree, causing it to shudder as if even it feared this beast.
Anemone's grip tightened on her wand, her heartbeat racing, knowing she would have to use fire magic again for this fight, the first time to use it in actual combat.
'Just one time, one time.'
Anemone thought this, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She conjured Wind Blade, an invisible crescent-shaped blade. It made a whistling sound as it cut through the air. The force was so strong, it caused Anemone's hair to fly backwards. The tree began to shake from the power as the spell collided with the beast, causing tension to form in the air as Father and Anemone hoped this would drop the beast.
The beast was intelligent; it backed away, causing Wind Blade to cut the tusks right off the boar, and a thud as they collided with the ground. The boar then charged again, and finally it worked. The beast forced the tree to fall over. Anemone and Father then stood on the ground, face to face with the boar.
They took cover, breathing heavily as they eyed the boar from behind trees, gripping their wands as if their lives depended on it, cause it does. The beast began to snort, trying to sense their presence. Father cast Water Jet again at the beast, and it began to charge towards him, unknowingly colliding with a sturdy tree. The tree rumbled from deep within, the momentum transferred to Father, and he felt some pain in his backside as if someone shoved him into the tree.
Anemone watched this with worry deep in her heart. She readied another Wind Blade as it seemed to be the only spell the beast was wary of. And she seemed to be right, the Iron Boar tried to dodge, but it was hit, the nape of the neck had a large gash open up, and excitement filled Anemone's heart. She was ready for this victory. But just as earlier, it healed quickly, but this instead fueled her desire to keep trying.
The beast charged at Anemone, colliding with the tree she hid behind. From the beast's point of view, Anemone and Father were chickens for not facing him head-on, but for the two of them, it was life or death. If the boar hit them once, they could die, or at least suffer major injuries. But nonetheless, due to having poor eyesight, the beast could not see what it was charging towards. It just sensed prey or saw a hazy object moving and assumed it could be food; it would think this even if the moving object was a dragon. Survival fuels its desire for food, and the desire for food causes it to become mad from others' point of view. This type of monster was special; the more it consumed, the stronger it would become. It was different from a cheetah, which only ate to survive from starvation; the Iron Boar was similar to the sin of gluttony, as it feasted without respite.
The dazed boar opened up at a crucial moment. Anemone fired Wind Blade for the third time, already using up a portion of her small mana pool.
Mana, it was the biggest struggle for Anemone; it was like wearing shackles your entire life, it restrained her from blossoming. If she could overcome it, she could blossom into a full-fledged mage, maybe even a Savant, or at least she hoped, but for now, she must focus on the present.
The Wind Blade's aiming was off, but it still connected; the ear of the boar was completely cut off, and it didn't heal.
'Maybe the boar only heals key parts of the body.'
They could hope, cause if they got rid of the boar's hearing, all that would be left is their powerful sense of smell. As the Iron Boar grew more powerful, its eyesight got worse in return, but its main sense of smell actually developed. It could smell prey from kilometers away.
Another fire of Wind Blade, this time it collided down the entire right side of the boar, but it didn't cut the flesh of the boar. Instead, it opened a weak spot by removing the thick fur to reveal its skin. Father seized the opening and fired Water Jet again, piercing the boar, causing a pained groan from the beast.
The boar staggered for a moment, trying to think about which one to kill first; both were exceptional opponents compared to its current standing. The boar decided on Father; its smell could indicate that Father was slower, he took less time to conjure magic, but he took longer to move physically, meaning he would be the easier kill. Once one was down, the other would be alone.
Anemone seemed to gauge what the boar was thinking of as it looked towards Father.
'This is the power of a beast with intellect.'
The boar charged towards Father, paying no attention to spells being cast towards it by Anemone. Anemone feared for Father, but Father can take care of himself in his prime; all that changed now is that he is slower. Anemone fired another Wind Blade toward the boar, but its timing was late, missing completely and cutting a tree down past the boar. The boar collided with Father's tree, and it soon fell, leaving Father in the open. He didn't have time to run, and sweat trickled down Father's back as he worried about his next move.
Anemone fired another Wind Blade and could feel her mana draining in real time; she had already used up half her mana during this short encounter so far. The Wind Blade was perfect; it actually cut deep into the back of the boar, it healed only necessary damage, but the healing capabilities of the boar were lackluster compared to when they first hurt him. The wound didn't close entirely, and they finally had the upper hand if Father wasn't in the open.
The boar charged towards Father as Father fired another Water Jet, straight towards the snout of the boar, piercing the thick snout and drawing more blood. The boar groaned in pain as it continued its stampede. Father tried dodging, but the boar reacted. The boar closed the distance; within half a second, he would collide with the prey in front of him.
"Father!" Anemone's cry pierced through the air as she fired Wind Gust.
It is exactly what the name says: Wind Gust is a powerful burst of wind, not meant for offense, but defense. It pushed the boar to the side, causing it to miss Father, not entirely, though. The tusks that were cut off were now blunt, and it rammed directly into Father's side, pushing him to the ground as the boar also lost its balance and fell. Both parties lay there, while Anemone took the initiative.
Anemone fired Wind Blade again at the falling boar, but all she could see was the boar's thick hide covering its back. The Blade this time didn't affect him as her mana reserves were getting low; this caused her magic power to fall dramatically.
Father stood up with his bruised side. It was getting to the point where Father knew Anemone would again have to use fire magic. But he wouldn't force her just yet. He took his stand, hiding behind a tree and using healing magic on himself. In the heat of battle, self-healing isn't as effective compared to healing others.
Father's breathing began to get heavier as the boar stood up, snorting again and brushing its feet against the ground to ready itself. Its gaze soon fell upon Father. Its attacks were so basic that even a kid could grasp what would happen next. It began to charge, slower this time as it lost most of its energy; it actually missed the tree this time; it wasn't its intention, but it actually gave the boar an advantage. The charge missed Father, but it still caused Father to panic.
At this point, the boar began to get excited; it was the first time the prey actually fought back. Father fired Water Jet again, and Anemone used Wind Blade.
'Three more casts left..' Anemone began to worry.
Both spells collided with the boar, causing it to groan in pain. But just as the boar began to weaken, so did both Father and Anemone. Their spells weren't as effective as the very beginning.
An opening appeared as the boar was dazed from the pain. Knowing it would be their last opportunity, they seized it. Anemone fired two more wind blades, cutting off the back left foot of the boar, causing it to fall to the ground in agony. The other cut deep into its stomach, causing it to spew out blood. Father fired Water Jet at the boar lying down, the beam of water burrowed deep into the exposed side, causing a fountain of blood to appear. Father and Anemone hesitated for a moment, trying to comprehend that the foe was finally vanquished.
What was once a powerful enemy just a few minutes ago, that neither of them would have a hope of defeating in a head-on battle, was now pitifully lying in the dirt, its stomach cut open, holes filling the body. The only ounce of strength it had was all being used for breathing. Anemone stood above the body and fired Wind Blade once more, directly at the open neck. It was like a saw that severed perfectly through the neck, and blood poured out, soaking the grass and surrounding life.
Anemone then brought out her bag she had been wearing. She set the backpack down on the ground as Father put his hand on her shoulder, grasping firmly while both breathed heavily.
"Good work, young one. You did fantastic."
Anemone smiled gently, pressing the blade she stored on her hip, and began to saw the base of the tusks until the boar had none. The sawing of the blood rattled Anemone's body as she finished.
"Is there anything else we should gather from the corpse?" she asked, partly dreading the answer.
"The hide, do you know how to skin an animal? Would you like me to teach you?"
"Ewww, Father, that's disgusting."
"Anemone, you will have to learn this eventually. It is a good skill; Hides from beasts like this can sell for more than most quests offer you. It can save you money or earn you money when you need it. Now come here.
Anemone was then forced to learn how to skin an animal. Father focused on the hide covering the back, the toughest part of the animal. After wrapping everything up, they turned their backs to the boar, walking out of the now quiet forest, and began their return to the city.