Chapter 64: Beast Wave (4)
Achilles and his father had stayed the night within the cave before leaving in the morning, and since they had absolutely no idea where they were going, they just picked a direction and started to head that way. The landscape had changed so much and to such an extreme that the pair could not accurately identify where their other members had gone.
The landscape at this moment was still dangerous and some parts were still bubbling with that weird liquid fire, but Achilles was able to move it out of the way if they couldn't outright avoid it or go around it, so it was fine for the pair.
Perillees was holding his son's rear end off the ground since his back hooves had been completely melted into small nubs due the events of yesterday. Achilles walked with a slight limp but his survival was more important than the pain, and so he chose to try and ignore it the best he could.
The Snake Hornets that were inside the cave also left when they reopened the entrance, however they didn't leave the pair and instead flew above their heads and just continually circled above.
Both Achilles and Perillees couldn't understand why the snake hornets were following them, but Perillees assumed it was because he had given the smallest snake hornet some of their emergency water overnight as Achilles slept. Achilles and his father didn't have a good understanding of these creatures as such things were usually left to the scout to deal with, so they were unsure if this was the true reason, or they were just waiting for a cheap meal.
Either way, the pair continued on their journey to find a safe location, and after much running and a lot of hardship, the duo managed to finally get out of the blast radius. They breathed fresh air that wasn't nearly as tainted with ash and it felt like their lungs couldn't get enough of it. As the two were reveling in the fresh and breathable air, Achilles felt a powerful surge of energy that was slowly and steadily growing stronger.
His eyes narrowed and he turned to his father and asked,"Can you feel that power in the distance father? "
Perillees looked confused and shook his head, saying,"Neigh, I cannot feel this power you speak of." Then he had a worried look as he asked nervously,"Is it a strong beast?"
Achilles cocked his head in confusion as well as he answered with a perplexed face,"I... don't think so? This energy feels very different from the energy that beasts usually give off. I don't quite understand this.."
Perilless, who, while not a genius, was forward thinking enough to take in multiple small pieces of information to form a bigger picture. This was one of the reasons he was a high ranking general within the centaur ranks, despite being of common birth. He quickly made a theory,"Maybe it is another clan like ours? The liquid fire definitely pushed those beasts out of the area as well, so it's possible that this clan is currently fighting those beasts!"
Achilles nodded in seriousness and took his fathers words to heart. His father was very good at what he did, which is why nearly everyone in his herd, including their chief, trusted him with so much responsibility. Achilles knew that his father was probably extremely close or dead on to what was going on.
He then asked aloud,"Do you think if we went and helped them, they would be willing to shelter us for a few days so we can recover?"
Perillees own eyebrows narrowed and his eyes became sharp as slowly replied,"That.. Is a.. Possibility..."
Achilles nodded and said,"Then that is our best bet. Let's go towards it and see if we can help!"
As the pair continued to rush forwards to aid the energy bearer, the air around them got cleaner and cleaner the longer they traveled, greatly easing the injuries they had accumulated and filling their weakened bodies with a surge of nutrients.
After a few minutes, the pair came to a battle that was happening between beasts and some short and hairy creatures.
Achilles' eyes widened and he said, astonished,"There must be over 100 beasts here! Good gods!" His eyes scanned the battlefield and he saw a larger than average creature attacking one of the beasts with a blunt object and another that had a gray object in his hand that seemed too shiny to be stone. Both combatants were heavily injured and seemingly on their last legs.
Achilles noticed that the one giving off that strange energy wasn't any of the awakened that were present, but instead that non-awakened that carried the shiny stone object! Achilles was surprised and he blurted out,"That non-awakener is this strong?!"
Perillees was also shocked at this and gasped. "Really?! How?! How is he this strong!?" He started to gain hope that maybe his strength and might journey was not over yet. Granted he would never be as strong as his son could be, but it was good enough to increase his strength so he could protect himself!
Achilles said,"Father! Let's go and help them kill those beasts!"
Perillees nodded and while carrying his sons back hindquarters, the pair emerged from the forest they were hiding in, making a dash towards the beast's rear.
As soon as Achilles got close to them, three beasts suddenly turned around and shot fire at him! Achilles sneered in disdain, put his hand up and yelled,"Return!"
The flame plume took a 180 degree turn and immediately blasted the three beasts in ashes! The creatures that had been fighting the beasts until this point now noticed the pair, and the wariness in their eyes turned to shock as the pair continued to reverse the fire and kill the beasts.
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