Chương 132: Chapter 127. Cutting ears

When Rayne had decided to buy potions from Casper, he had done so knowing she had explosive potions on her person. With her fire spells, she didn't need one, but still carried in case of emergencies, and to sell them for extra coin. They were fragile, simple potions at a glance, sealed in thin glass and carried in special pouches for safety, but the moment they broke, the contents ignited in a violent burst. They were dangerous to use, but with the plan Rayne had in mind, they were perfect.

The pits had never been meant to trap the lycans alone. They were meant to hold the fire. Each hole had been lined with those potions, layered carefully so that once something fell in, there would be no climbing out, no chance to recover. The moment the alpha dropped in, the trap had done exactly what it was supposed to do. The first explosion had only been the beginning. A second blast followed almost immediately from the same pit, then another, the chain reaction tearing through the confined space.

At the same time, smaller explosions erupted from the surrounding holes as more lycans fell into them, their weight and movement triggering the traps hidden beneath. Fire burst upward in multiple places across the forest floor. The air filled with heat and smoke, and then came the screams. They were sharp, broken, and filled with panic as the lycans caught fire. Their fur ignited quickly, flames spreading across their bodies in seconds.

Some tried to climb out, claws scraping uselessly against the walls of the pits, while others thrashed wildly, only making the fire spread faster. The smell of burning fur and flesh filled the clearing. Rayne's party did not stand still, and moved immediately. Kesh and Nate stepped closer to the smaller pits, throwing down daggers and knives with practiced aim, ending the struggling lycans before they could prolong their suffering.

Jason and Heins kicked back those near the edges, finishing off any that had managed to avoid the worst of the explosions. Rayne only briefly glanced at them, simply stepping towards the pit in front of him and peeking down. The alpha was still alive. It clung to the edge of the pit, its massive body partially burned, flames licking across its fur. One of its arms was gone, torn apart by the explosion, and the rest of its body was blackened in places, the red fur now soaked in blood and ash.

It writhed in pain, letting out low, broken growls as it tried to hold itself up. Casper had been right—Lycan fur burned easily. Rayne raised his blade, pushing what little mana he had left into it. The edge trembled as always as the energy gathered, and he prepared to end it with one clean strike to the throat. But just as he did that, the alpha looked up. Through the flames, through the pain, its eyes locked onto his. Rayne saw no fear in them.

Even with its body burning, even with one arm gone and blood pouring from its wounds, the alpha still looked at him like a predator. There was no hesitation, no surrender, only a deep, unbroken intent to rise and tear him apart if it could. For a brief second, Rayne almost wanted it to try. It wasn't often that he came across something like this, a beast so close to death yet still holding on to its instincts so fiercely. There was something almost admirable in it. But that thought passed quickly.

Every second it stayed alive was another second of pain for it. Rayne wasn't cruel to drag it out. Hence, he stepped forward and swung. His blade cut through the air, carrying a weak [Death Strike] with it. There wasn't much mana left behind it, only a faint trace compared to what he had used before, but it was enough. The attack struck cleanly at the alpha's neck. The creature reacted on instinct, its remaining arm rising to grab at the blade, but it was too late. The strike had already gone through.

Blood burst out in heavy spurts, far too much for it to survive. Rayne watched as the strength left its body after a final short growl. The burning, the tension, the stubborn will in its gaze—all of it faded within seconds. The alpha's grip loosened, its body slipping slightly as it stopped moving entirely. It was finally over. A notification buzzed faintly in Rayne's mind, confirming the kill, but he didn't focus on it immediately. Instead, he looked around. The battlefield had gone quiet.

The fires burned in the pits, and the smell lingered heavily in the air, but the screams were gone. His party stood where they were, catching their breath, weapons still in hand. None of them looked critically injured. There were cuts and bruises, and a few signs of exhaustion, but nothing lethal. That alone was a victory. Still, that wasn't what Rayne wanted to focus on right away. He stepped back from the pit, lowering his blade slightly as his attention turned inward.

The faint buzz of notifications lingered at the back of his mind, and he moved to bring them forward, wanting to see if all of this had been worth it, if he had gotten what he came for. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. But before he could focus, he heard a rustle of leaves. Rayne's head snapped to the side just as movement exploded from the trees. A lycan leapt at him.

It came from his right, claws extended and aimed straight for his throat, its movement sudden and fast enough that he barely had time to react. His body moved on instinct, raising his sword to block, though he knew he might be just a bit too slow this time. But before the claws could land, an arrow cut through the air, and hit the lycan directly in the face. The force slammed it back mid-air, its body dropping hard onto the ground at Rayne's feet.

The shaft had pierced straight through its skull, killing it instantly before it could even finish its attack. Rayne stared at it for a moment, watching as blood slowly spread across the ground and touched the edge of his boots. Then he looked up, scanning the forest. His grip tightened slightly as his eyes moved from tree to tree, searching for any other signs of movement, any other hidden threats that might still be waiting. Only when a familiar voice spoke did he relax.

"Don't worry," Bran said.

"That was the last of them." Rayne turned towards him jumping off a branch, and gave him a short nod of appreciation.

"I barely saw it." Bran lowered his bow slightly, returning the nod with a faint shrug.

"Me too," the veteran replied.

"It hid itself well, and I was taking care of a few others that were hiding." His gaze shifted briefly toward the trees before coming back.

"But it turned out well. Doubt it could have hurt you much anyway." Rayne didn't argue against that. At best, the lycan might have managed to gouge into his shoulders if its claws were strong enough to break through his armor, and even then, it wouldn't have been anything he couldn't handle. With [Lesser Regeneration], the damage would have healed soon enough. Still, he didn't say anything more.

Instead, he turned his attention back to the pits that still gave out smoke as the smell of charred flesh spread everywhere. His party sat scattered nearby, catching their breath, wiping blood off their weapons, or simply taking in what they had just done. Rayne let his gaze pass over all of it one last time before deciding to check his notifications after he felt a bit safer. In the end, not like he could change whatever outcome there would be.

"We should go check out their cave," he said after thinking a bit.

"The quest also wanted us to know what happened to the two men they took from the wheat fields." Kesh frowned at that, dragging his blade against a piece of cloth to clean off the blood.

"Do you really want us to go down there?" he asked.

"What if there are more?" Jason shook his head before Rayne could respond.

"I don't think so," he said, adjusting his grip on his axe.

"We already fought more than what the guild said there would be. It should be safe enough." No one argued after that. After all, if anything else had been left, it would have shown itself by now. So, they began moving back toward the cave. With most of the lycans burned in the pits, Rayne doubted any other monsters would be eager to approach the area anytime soon. The smell alone would keep scavengers away for a while.

Though, before they left the clearing entirely, Nate and Jason climbed down the pits where the fire had died enough, pulling out their knives as they worked through the bodies. One by one, they cut off the ears of the lycans and dropped them into a pouch. It was unpleasant work, but proof was necessary. The more they bought back, the better their rewards would be. Once they were done, the group regrouped and moved toward the cave. When they reached it again, the entrance looked even darker than before.

This time, Rayne and Heins stayed behind at the entrance. The rest of the group, led by Bran, moved inside to find the bodies. Rayne wasn't worried. Lycans weren't known to set traps, and with Bran ahead, they would be able to handle anything inside, if there was anything left that is. Instead, he focused on the bodies outside. It was more tiring than he expected. Cutting off ears from so many corpses was not difficult, but it was repetitive, and the smell made it worse.

Still, he settled into the motion soon enough, working alongside Heins without speaking much. After a while, it became automatic. By the time nearly twenty minutes had passed, they had gone through most of the bodies. Rayne straightened slightly, flexing his fingers as he wiped his knife clean. That was when he heard footsteps from inside the cave. The others emerged soon after, carrying three bodies with them. Rayne's gaze lingered on them as they were laid down on the ground. The first two were easy to identify.

They were farmers, likely the ones taken from the wheat fields. Their clothes were simple, torn in places, and stained with dirt and blood. Their bodies showed signs of struggle, with deep bite marks and claw wounds that had clearly ended their lives. The third body, however, was different. It belonged to a younger man, dressed in slightly better clothing, though it was just as torn and bloodied now. There were no signs of armor, but his build suggested he wasn't just a farmer.

His face was pale, his expression frozen in what looked like fear rather than resistance. None of them seemed to be eaten up, so maybe the lycans were storing them for later, but he still hadn't expected one more corpse to carry back. He briefly wondered whether the guild would pay more for bringing back one extra corpse, but that was something he would only know once they returned to the city. He straightened and lifted his head, turning toward Bran.

"What else did you find in there?" he asked. Before the veteran could reply, Nate clicked his tongue from the side.

"No coin," he said with a faint shake of his head.

"Just more corpses." Rayne raised an eyebrow.

"How many?" Bran answered this time, his tone calm as always.

"Five more," he said.

"But they were eaten. Two only had heads left. It was not something we wanted to carry back." He paused briefly before adding, "Other than that, there was nothing much. The whole pack is done." Rayne nodded at that, a quiet sense of relief settling in him. That was good. He had already done more than enough fighting for one day, and the thought of dealing with anything else right now was not something he welcomed. Clapping his hands once to gather attention, he spoke again.

"We rest for ten minutes, and then start our march back. We should be back by night. I don't fancy spending a night out of the city." Moreover, he was certain that staying out longer than necessary might attract unwanted attention. There were already enough eyes on him, and the last thing he needed was for someone to start throwing around labels like runaway. His party nodded in agreement without argument.

One by one, they sat down where they were, taking out waterskins, wiping their faces, or drinking small amounts of health potions to steady themselves after the fight. Rayne moved toward the cave wall and leaned against it, letting out a slow breath as the tension in his body began to ease. After making sure no one needed him immediately and that Bran was keeping watch, he closed his eyes. It was finally time to see if everything they had done had been worth it.

To see whether he had gained the skill he had been looking for.

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