The Runic Alchemist

They ran and ran, weaving through the soldiers who also sprinted for their lives upon seeing them bringing chaos towards them. After a full minute, the attack finally subsided, giving them a brief moment to catch their breath. In the distance, however, the second rankers were already rallying everyone to attack, advancing toward them with fury evident in their expressions.

The elephant reflected their anger, raising its trunk and letting out a thunderous roar as it lumbered in their direction, intent on crushing them.

"They're only four, and they seem injured. We have a limited window before the elephant's next attack; if two of us can hold off the others…" Kazak said, his gaze fixed on Damian.

They didn't have much of a choice; their plan was similar to this anyway, so they might as well give it a shot. Damian nodded, and Royce followed suit. The mages were the ones who knew how to control the crowd, with Damian acting as both the mage hurtling spells and a defense against any who would come to disrupt their spells-it could be called perfect job for him.

As Kazaka and Mira charged at the two captains, the first-rank beastmen joined them, cutting down anyone who ventured too close or tried to stop them.

Mira, Kazak, and the beastmen were all pugilists, and their strategy was straightforward. Damian refrained from using his spells for now; the soldiers were scattered by the elephant's attack, so numbers weren't overwhelming yet. Seeing the giant monstrosity coming toward them again, most soldiers realized that approaching the enemies was a death sentence. Some ignored their captain's orders and scattered across the valley. It was both clever and foolish—if their captains survived, they'd be hunted down; if they didn't, they'd still be hunted, but at least they'd have a head start.

The three pugilists launched their assault on the Ashenvale captains, three of whom were spellswords and one a fellow pugilist. Mira and the beastman each took on a spellsword, while Kazak faced two opponents.

Meanwhile, Damian and Royce kept fending off loyalists who continued their approach to aide their captains. Damian cut down anyone who got close, while Royce handled distant attackers. The real problem, however, was the elephant. Damian noticed it had paused, its belly glowing with a bright energy. The captains were clearly waiting for an opportunity to retreat and let the beast fight on their behalf.

Behind him, Damian saw bursts of color as Mira and Kazak unleashed the full force of their auras, clashing with the spellswords' aura-coated weapons. The enemy spellswords tried to cast spells, but the speed of the pugilists' attacks kept interrupting them. Damian had to admire Mira's relentless assault. He knew Kazak could handle himself, but Mira gave her opponent no chance to back away or chant, pummeling him mercilessly, especially on his burned side. Her relentless assault worsened his injury, his agonized screams echoing around the river as nearby soldiers, seeing their captains' plight, quickly retreated.

With fewer enemies around, Royce used his unique light spells to assist the pugilist warrior. Damian wanted to copy these spells so badly but he couldn't, as there were still ranged attackers to deal with that were cowardly attacking them from distance and at the same time showed preparation to run away.

Another mana signature vanished as Kazak tore the heart out of the burned spellsword. Surprisingly, the biggest reaction came not from the captains or soldiers, but from the giant beast. It growled, its rage evident, Damian could see the last three captains struggling hard to maintain control, and it took a lot just to keep it out of their being crushed range.. Fortunately, the energy in its belly faded momentarily—only to return with a dangerous hum. This time, it wasn't just a simple attack. Damian saw a massive white runic circle forming in front of the beast's mouth, slowly filling with the elements of fire, light, and chaos.

"Um… Guys, hurry the hell up! That elephant's launching some messed-up spell!" Damian shouted, prompting everyone to glance back at the furious elephant. The soldiers were the first to flee. Damian felt an urge to run himself. He didn't waste a single second as Damian turned and struck down the Ashenvale pugilist captain, finishing off his weakened foe in seconds. Another roar sounded from behind as Damian and the now-freed Kazak swiftly dispatched the last two captains with their lightning fast attacks.

Just as Mira delivered a last killing blow, leaving a gaping hole in her enemy's chest, Damian activated his pre-prepared wormhole spell and leapt through, his companions close behind. Yet a shiver ran down his spine as he felt the gaze of an apex predator fixated on him.

The elephant seemed to sense his presence and had even guessed where his wormhole's other end was, but for some reason, it refrained from redirecting its spell towards them. Instead, it unleashed the laser, five times stronger than before, towards the soldiers, obliterating everyone in Ashenvale colors. The river hissed as the enraged elephant shifted targets again and again, hunting them all down as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Even those who had fled a fair distance weren't safe from its wrath. Damian and his companions watched in horror at the massacre before them from atop the mountain, a little distance from the land below.

"Fuck ! What the hell have we unleashed…?" the beastman warrior muttered, collapsing to his knees, exhausted and injured from the battle.

"It's hunting them down… It remembers…" Royce murmured. Chapter Continue:

"They all did, but only this one has the power to take revenge," Damian added, hastily drawing two more wormhole circles, his mana pool dipping below 20%.

"We need to get the hell out of here. Now," Damian reminded them, snapping them out of their daze. They realized they hadn't escaped but had been spared, a mercy that wouldn't be repeated again.

"We did what we planned. Let's hide somewhere far away and watch how the beast behaves after regaining its freedom..," Kazak suggested.

Damian wanted to leave the valley instantly, but they needed to observe the beast's actions. If it started hunting any beastmen civilians with their lingering scent in the valley, it could turn into everyone's worst nightmare, and they'd have to make a hasty retreat further into the forest towards The Dreaded Lands with all the villagers.