Ignite the Sun

On the next day the group left the temple at first light, following Leon to the den of Grayfangs.

"So, what exactly are those beasts?" Calen asked.

"I thought it would be obvious from the name and context." Leon raised an eyebrow. "They're corrupted wolves of course – in terms of differences they're roughly twice as big as the non-cortupted version and their saliva is very corrosive."

"They also stink to high hell." Damien added.

"Can they evolve?"

"Fortunately no, they can grow bigger but don't have any additional forms – I think it's because they're still pack animals and refuse to eat each other."

"How many of them are there in a den?"

"Usually between two and three dozen, rarely less, almost never more." Leon stopped and looked and looked at a nearby hill. "We're almost there."

***

The Grayfangs den turned out to be a large hole in the ground, its entrance was surrounded be various bones and other unidentifiable remains.

"You weren't kidding about the smell." Calen recoiled from the stench.

"And we're still outside, it will be several times worse once we go in."

"What's the source of the smell anyway? It's so strong that it can't be natural."

"It's a gas their skin releases – a by-product of the process that makes their spit acidic, according to people who are smarter than me."

"...Is the gas flammable?"

"I believe so, the Tower even experimented with using it for lamps and such, but it turned out to be too unstable and explosive." Leon nodded. "Why do you ask?"

Calen backed up a little to stay clear of the gas, and summoned a small fireball in his palm.

"Tell me, would an explosion of sacred flame kill the Grayfangs?"

"Almost certainly."

"Do we need the corpses to be in good condition for the statue?"

"No, even a single body part is enough for the statue – the kills are simply offerings to prove your deeds, it draws power from somewhere else."

"Then we don't have to go in there." Calen increased the size of the fireball. "Move away from the entrance, I'm not sure how big the explosion will be."

Leon raised an eyebrow as he obediently backed away.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Sure, worst case scenario the gas won't ignite and we'll have to kill them the old fashioned way." He grinned. "Ready? Close your eyes!"

He released the fireball, throwing it directly into the pit.

A Split second later the ground shook violently, and an enormous plume of fire escaped from the hole.

At the same time Calen felt a sudden rush of energy accompanied by a faint burning sensation – the Grayfangs were undoubtedly dead.

The explosion was loud and flashy, but ended quickly – all they had to do now was to collect the charred corpses inside.

"Shouldn't we be worried about drawing the attention of something big with that explosion?" Elira questioned.

"No beast is stupid enough to come to a place where this much of divine energy exploded." Leon explained before entering the hole. "If anything they'll avoid this area for the next few days."

"Huh, now that the gas is gone it doesn't smell too bad." Isara commented as following him inside.

They didn't want to risk exploding in case some of the gas remained, so they opted to use swords covered in aura as a source of light.

Soon enough, all of them disappeared inside.

***

Leon whistled, clearly impressed by the size of the pack they killed.

"Almost forty, I think they were about to split into two groups and go their separate ways."

The multi-chambered underground complex was littered with charred canine corpses, each almost the size of a bear.

"How are we going to transport them?" Calen frowned. "Our dimensional bag is big, but not big enough to fit a small warehouse worth of bodies."

"We got that covered." Leon assured him, and took out a small canteen which was suspiciously ornate.

He uncorked the small container, and a powerful wind started dragging all the corpses inside, completely unbothered by the laws of physics.

Mere seconds later the den was emptied completely.

"I couldn't show off my fighting technique, but at least I get to use this little thing." Leon grinned.

"What is it?"

"An artifact that was stashed in the castle, Nickolas is pretty sure it was used to store alcohol – in my opinion that's just wasting the power of this thing, it could probably store the entire castle inside AND it stops things inside from going bad. Using it for booze is just unfathomable to me."

Calen and Cassian looked at each other.

"Since when is Nickolas an expert on relics? I thought he couldn't read a single rune."

"I don't know, he said that's what was written here in runes." Leon handed him the canteen. "You can check yourself."

Calen accepted the container and began reading the small circle of runes engraved on one side.

As he read his expression became increasingly disappointed.

"So?" Leon prompted. "What's written there?"

"It's a dedication." Calen stated. "This container was a gift from Aurelian the Bright to the lord of the Fortress of Giants, whoever that was in 935. Nothing about alcohol."

"That's only a year after his coronation." Elira pointed out. "Why would he give something like that to some noble in charge of that place? It's an impressive castle, but it's also in the middle of nowhere – it was built as a show of wealth, not as a strategic position."

"No clue." Calen shrugged. "If you don't know then the chances one of us will are rather slim."

"I'll try to find more information about the castle once we get back."

Suddenly the wall around them shook, threatening to collapse.

"I think the explosion might have disrupted the structural stability of this place, we should leave – I don't want to get buried alive." Leon took back the canteen offered by Calen. "Let's go straight for the castle, there's no point in getting back to the temple."

The hunt was much shorter than they expected, but no one was going to complain about that.