NOVEL NEXT Chapter 63: The Basilisk Hunt 8
"I am saying this again, but that is an enormous bear. Might even be a spirit beast—this is too dangerous." One of the Baron's boys, the recent addition to their group, warned them again.
Even after hearing their unfortunate story, the plan had not changed. The Earl's sons, who seemed like the de facto leaders, had decided to continue on.
And the decision was right, to be honest—if four people with simple animal summons could injure the bear, the thirteen of them could surely kill it somehow.
"This is the only way we can find others.." Lionel Vashil said as they continued to move forward in a group.
Magnus Thornfield was scanning their path for any sign of the bear, but the trees covered most of the forest, and catching a glimpse would be difficult if the bear was injured and resting somewhere. If they could avoid it, that would be better—but facing a bear shouldn't pose a problem for their group either.
Auren was walking at the very back of the group, behind the two young Vashil siblings. The two sword-wielding Cornvell brothers dealt with most issues, switching positions with Lionel and the newly added Baron's offspring at times. Among the four new people, only one boy had a sword. Another had a small dagger.
Suddenly, Auren noticed some stones falling in the mostly silent valley, some distance from them. The sound of it was drowned out among the birds' chirping and insect noises. Auren did, however, see the stone break and fall down into the river. His feet stopped on their own, and the Vashil siblings noticed—stopping as well and following his gaze.
"Stop!" Auren said, just loud enough to alert their group.
No one was stupid enough to ask what was going on and simply followed his gaze, trying to find the unknown threat. Soon, a few more stones fell from the middle of the steel-sided valley. These were noticed by everyone, hands automatically reaching for their swords. As if they were watching some horrible play unfold, the unnecessary suspense was making them all unnerved. Then, a few very long seconds later, their fear came true in the form of a rocky, granite-skinned Basilisk with deep red, glowing, crystalized eyes.
Somewhere in the middle of the valley's right steep dirt wall—some six or seven hundred meters away from them—it emerged, breaking through the dirt layer. Its giant fork-like tongue made Auren feel goosebumps.
None of them moved an inch. Even their breathing had gone silent.
The Basilisk slid out of the hole, its belly glowing slightly dark orange. Fortunately, it did not look down at all—just making a turn and entering the dirt wall again. Inches from its head, there seemed to be a sort of light-orange forcefield, angled like a bullet train's nose with a sharp, pointy tip. That was the thing creating perfect circular pathways for the Basilisk underground.
They kept staring until the entire Basilisk came out from one hole and entered another. The thing that made Auren blink twice to confirm was that, once the Basilisk was gone, the holes seemed to collapse on their own. The older hole, from where the Basilisk had emerged, was now completely undetectable to their eyes. If they had not seen the Basilisk with their own eyes, none of them would have believed such a thing possible.
"It covers its tracks.." Auren murmured.
That seemed to break everyone out of their stupor. The eagle of Magnus took off from the trees once again—Auren had not noticed the bird hiding there before at all.
"Which one was that?" Petricia asked.
"I have no idea.." Oswin Cornvell replied.
"The smaller one," Auren answered. His eyes were still scanning the walls of the valley in which they were trapped.
"How do you know that?" Althea asked.
"The older one is much bigger, and the eyes weren't as glowing red," Auren replied.
The little lady and her brother stared at him until they heard the younger Cornvell brother's words from behind them:
"It's a sign that we are not that far from the place we fell—but the signs are two giant Basilisks. Nothing we can face against."
"We have to move forward," Althea said.
Auren wasn't so sure if it was still a good idea, but unless they were going back, forward was the only way. If it got too dangerous and people didn't listen to reason, he would grab one Screaming Stone and leave.
They hardened their hearts and moved on. Their eyes stayed more on the walls than on the way forward now. Once a few of them stumbled, they finally had to assign the job of keeping watch to a few, while the others paid more attention below.
As if they were cursed today by the little animals they had hunted for food, in just a couple of hours the bear was blocking their path. Magnus informed them of the big grizzly eating fish upriver. The obvious thing to do was go around the creature—but the bear still caught onto them. It looked pissed and was actively coming toward them.
Auren looked back—the way was clear. In case they had to retreat, it wouldn't be an issue. The ones with swords pulled them out, summoning their companions to prepare for the upcoming battle. He was not among them.
The bear came within fifty meters. The six youngsters also charged forward. The bear's target was the four people who had injured it before. A still-red gash was visible on the bear's left arm, forcing it to slow down a little. One of them was already engaging the beast—distracting it shouldn't be hard.
Auren, with Althea, her brother, and the others, watched the battle unfold as animals and swords slowly cut through the thick bear hide. The beast was not an easy opponent—it was indeed larger than Auren had thought any bear could possibly be. The roar of it was the worst thing; their hearts raced every time the beast roared in challenge or pain. There was always the possibility of the Basilisk coming down into the valley in search of food.