Beastbound: Awakening the Hunter

Necromancers, due to the taboo nature of their magic, are generally more powerful than their peers of the same rank. The Silver Circle’s necromantic priest behind this plot is likely no exception, and might even be of the orange-tier, a level that sends a shiver down Oliver's spine.

He never imagined that their quiet little town could harbor such a powerful enemy.

"Is there any way we can send a message to Professor Arcanus and have him come back sooner?" Oliver couldn't help but ask.

"The situation isn’t that simple," Hector replied, his tone dark. "If you were a member of the Silver Circle, would you let a simple letter ruin your plans?"

Intercepting owls or ravens carrying messages was far too easy. The odds were against them—there was a high chance that their letter wouldn't even get out. Even if it did, the cult might have ways of holding Arcanus back, preventing him from returning.

"So, what do we do now?" Violanda asked, clearly frustrated.

"We need to find a way to eliminate Kramar, the creature under the Silver Circle's control, before they have the chance to slaughter more innocents and create more of those abominations." Hector’s voice grew darker, his resolve firm.

"Just the three of us?" Oliver shook his head. "We’re too few."

True, Hector and Violanda together could easily take down an adult Kramar, but how many Kramar were there really?

"There are others in town, hidden supernaturals," Violanda said, standing up to make her move.

Hector stopped her with a firm hand. "Don’t rush. Arcanus only left recently. They’re probably not going to act too quickly. The Kramar we saw earlier was likely just an accident. Let’s open Professor Arcanus’s vault and grab some potions and scrolls for protection."

"Good idea," Violanda agreed, nodding as she gripped a key made of secret silver tightly in her hand.

Moments later, the table in the living room was filled with precious magical items—attack scrolls, defense scrolls, enchantment scrolls, speed scrolls—over ten in total. There were also more than a dozen healing potions.

Each of them took a handful of items.

In addition to the scrolls and potions, Oliver was given a set of enchanted leather armor. The armor could, at a critical moment, activate a spell similar to Stone Skin, making it as tough as rock, impervious to blades, and greatly enhancing its resistance to magic.

"Ha, if Arcanus comes back suddenly and sees all this, he’ll think we’re planning to steal his treasures and leave the academy!" Violanda laughed as she handed Oliver a selection of wands. "Here, Oliver, pick one. Your magic skills are impressive, so a wand could help, right?"

The wands were made of walnut wood, some embedded with secret silver—clearly expensive.

"Do any of these wands have Arcane Weapons?" Oliver asked curiously.

"Ha! Arcane Weapons? Do you think those are easy to find? Even I don’t have one!" Violanda said with a scoff.

"If that’s the case, I’ll pass. I already have an Arcane Weapons-grade staff."

Oliver grinned. "It should be ready by now. "

I’ll pick it up from Andre later. Just in time to deal with the Kramar monsters!

"You're one to talk about being picky... Wait, really? You have an Arcane Weapons staff?" Violanda blinked in disbelief. She had never met a magic apprentice who owned such a weapon, and even among full-fledged mages, it was an incredibly rare sight.Now she was absolutely jealous.

"Let’s go," Hector said, shaking his head and laughing. "We’ve got a few more supernaturals to recruit from the town."

Equipped with their new gear, the trio headed out into the streets once more. The dawn was breaking, and the town was eerily silent.

As they walked, Oliver realized the path they were taking was oddly familiar.

They eventually stopped in front of the forge.

"Are the hidden supernaturals really here?" Oliver wondered aloud.

It made sense. A forge that did business with mages and knights, especially those on the black market, would need some protection. Without a few high-level individuals overseeing things, there’d be too much risk of robbery.

Even though it was early morning, the forge’s hearth was still burning, radiating warmth.

Inside, they found Andre, the blacksmith, napping by the rail. He woke with a start at their entrance.

"Two mages from the academy? What brings you here?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. He seemed vaguely familiar with Oliver, though he couldn’t quite place him. Oliver always disguised himself whenever he came to the forge, so it was no surprise Andre didn’t recognize him.

"We do have business with you," Hector said with a smile.

"Oliver, this is Andre, one of the hidden supernaturals I mentioned. He’s a red-tier knight, and his strength is... well, impressive." Violanda explained, gesturing to the stout, older man.

So Andre was a red-tier knight. That wasn’t unexpected.

After explaining the situation, Andre’s face shifted slightly. "The Silver Circle? That’s a notorious cult. Their higher-ups are powerful. I don’t know if I want to take them on."

"What do you mean, don’t want to? Just because you’re scared doesn’t mean they’ll let you off. We’ve already told you what’s at stake. As a red-tier knight, your war core is a huge draw for Kramar. If they breed more, do you think you’ll survive?" Violanda’s voice was cold, cutting through the air.

Andre’s face paled at her words. After a long moment, he nodded grimly. "Alright. I’ll join you. Let’s put an end to this."

"Don’t look so grim," Hector said, his voice light. "If we can stop the Silver Circle, we’ll have the backing of Glensorne’s lord. There will be rewards, and the Mage’s Tower will likely take notice. We could even gain favor from the higher nobles!"

At this, Andre’s expression grew complex, as the mention of rewards from the lord and possibly the Mage’s Tower certainly held a strong allure.