Slaving away in the village of Hage as a means of helping the locals deal with the aftermath of something that happened before his time as a magic knight, Griswold was carrying heavy support beams and hauling bricks with the other commoners. Not really possessing any kind of magical tools that could help them in their task, it all came down to physical labor, and he was all for it. Spending so much of his free time doing physical exercises to make up for his still growing magical skill being somewhat sub-par in his opinion, this kind of labor was exactly what he needed. Instead of doing push-ups, playing with dumbbells or going through the annoying process of sit-ups, he was mixing concrete in crude tubs and hauling heavy materials. Though not exactly being the kind of thing he was used to, there was no talking around the fact that he preferred this to just about any task in the royal capital.

This far up north in the forsaken region was where real people were living real lives, doing the best they could just to make it through the day with all of their limbs still attached and putting food on the tables of their loved ones. Back in the city, you had people with more money than they could spend in a lifetime, several in some cases, though they did not think twice about aiding the people that were living in these harsh situations. Barely making any money and having to work ungodly amounts of hours on farmlands, sawmills or orchards, many of them did not even have jobs at all. For Griswold, becoming a magic knight meant helping these people, not focusing on making sure the royal capital and the nobles residing within it was safe. They could fend for themselves, something these people clearly struggled with every single day from dusk until dawn.

When word reached him from some of the workers on one of the nearby sawmills, it seemed that there had yet again been trouble with wolves. After the work he had done to make sure one of the farms would not need to lose livestock to them, Griswold was fairly certain that they would not be having these problems again. However, the orchard workers insisted that wolves had been seen, roaming the outskirts of the orchard. Doubting that it was the same pack on account of the location being targeted, he still felt somewhat responsible for it. Changing out of his workers clothes and back into his regular attire, he hopped onto his broom and made his way over to the orchard from above. Spotting a few wolves moving about, they did not seem all that bothered by his presence as they were likely just watching the land for any easy pickings. Judging by their looks, they would not be that hard to scare off.

The other pack he had sent away needed a bit of unfortunate killing, which was quite sad as the animals were only looking for food after being driven out of their natural habitat by what he believed to have been the now cursed forest. Because of how close it was to here and how much the ecosystem of that particular location had changed, it made sense that any and all wildlife dwelling within had been forced out or killed to act as fertilizer. By all means, it was a local ecological disaster, but one only time could heal now that the main problem had been handled. When his eyes fell on another person in the area, it seemed as though he was actively tracking the wolves for some reason. Not sure why, he decided to make his way down to the floor and address the man based on what he could tell. As he himself was not frequently in the city or the Crimson Lion compound, he was not what one might call a familiar face to most other knights.

“Greetings, the name is Griswold. May I ask what you’re doing out here? Aside from tracking these wolves?”

Speaking in a hushed tone, he held his brook in hand as he spoke to the other man. At first, he wanted to just ask and see what the man had to tell him, but figured there was no point in leaving out the fact that he already knew that this guy was tracking these wolves. Hoping that he had not just bumped into someone who was actively making these wolves more aggressive and siccing them on the locals, Griswold would really be able to use someone who was more aware of this particular situation than he was. Time would certainly tell.

781

The very first thing he noticed was that this guy had a very strange way of talking, leading him to believe the guy was likely to be yet another noble, or something not too far from it. Regardless, the guy clearly had quite a bit of mana to spare, meaning he was probably one of the more seasoned magic knights. Up until now, he had not exactly met a whole lot of those. Up until now, the only magic knights he had really encountered were those who had either passed through the same examination process as him, or had used their noble status as a means of simply enrolling into a magic knight squad without having to go through the trouble he had been put through on account of being both a commoner and an elf. It had always been his experience that nobles were fans of the quick and easy route, which was not exactly how Griswold would choose to go about his business.

“You have a funny way of talking, I like that. And seeing as how we’re likely both here for more or less the same reason, I imagine working together would probably be the best and fastest way of going about this problem, though I would like to ask you for one favor if we’re doing this.”

While it might have seemed strange for a new arrival such as himself to ask a favor of a knight that had been in the field, or had at the very least been active for longer than he personally had, this was for something that meant quite a lot to him. As an elf hailing from the former Shadesinger enclave, he had always been taught to respect nature in all of its forms, and to not go around mindlessly slaughtering or destroying it. Wolves were very much a part of that same nature he was told not to harm unless there was any other way of going about it. In this case, he had been chasing them out so many times, even going as far as culling a few so the rest might be dissuaded from returning that he no longer believed it to be possible to just repel them. Something out in those woods was likely to be scarier than Griswold in the opinion of the wolves, so they’d rather risk facing him than whatever was out there.

“I’ve no doubt that you’re capable enough of dispatching a bunch of wolves, though I have reason to believe that they’re being driven out of their habitat by something they consider to be more scary than… well, people like us. So if you’re going to take out those wolves, do so swiftly without making them suffer. By now, it’s probably the closest thing to mercy they can get.”

Speaking with the weight of someone who had been blessed with knowledge, Griswold had seen up close how malnourished these wolves were, which made them much more susceptible to doing things they would normally not do for no reason. Things like attacking humans. As he pondered on the matter, for just an instant, Gris was certain that he saw something moving past the treeline. It looked like a wolf, except for the fact that it was much larger than the ordinary grey wolf. If his assumptions were correct, just like his senses may or may not have been, this could have been the creature that had driven the ordinary wolves out of their own habitat. Judging by how it glimpsed past the treeline, it moved very similar to a beast that was guarding the perimeter of their territory.

“I’ll be right behind you, feel free to go in first. With a bit of luck, we might even catch a glimpse of the true threat lurking beyond the treeline. They’re the real culprits after all.”

642 (1423)

As everything began unfolding in front of his eyes, he could tell that this man was quite fast at evading attacks, closing the distance between his targets and wielding his sword, which was more or less exactly what he had expected when he saw the crackling of electricity around him. From what he had been told, most lightning magic users had something going on with regards to their speed, mobility and response time. While it was not exactly of the same level he had seen of Lydia Ravencrest, which was something he had really only witnessed once before in his life, it was still quite something. To put it into perspective, it was not something someone like Griswold could pull off, though that much was to be expected. After all, he was a Solar mage first and foremost, so he was not exactly going to be known for his speed or flashy maneuvering.

In the future, it seemed far more likely that he would become known for his ability to rapidly burn down a building or cause a forest fire with the flick of his wrist or the snap of his fingers. But as of right now, all of his training had only borne two specific spells, one which allowed him to heal himself and one that allowed him to shoot small projectiles of flame from the tip of his fingers. So as he watched how the lightning mage was going around his business, Griswold imagined that he would have been able to dispatch a lot more of the wolves in their direct environment, though this did not seem to be the case. Instead, the senior knight had taken out only those that posed a direct threat to them by coming in close enough to actually attack them head on. Just this fact alone proved that these wolves were scared of something, something that was likely still deeper in the woodlands.

What with the wargs he knew he had seen along the treeline, he was starting to question whether it was truly those creatures they feared, or if there was perhaps something far more nefarious still out there, hiding within the dark heart of the forest. In a place where the light from the sun, the moon or the stars might not reach due to the thick foliage and canopy that turned the treetops into a makeshift roof. He had seen one of these places before, not too long ago. The difference between the two was that one of the forests was actually cursed, while this one just seemed really, really old. And due to the fact that it was not located in a nobleman’s backyard, the trees were not exactly being treated and trimmed, meaning the really old trees would likely have blocked out the sky on their own, claiming all of the sunlight for themselves without allowing the smaller plants beneath them any light to grow off of.

By the time the other magic knight had killed off roughly three wolves and was in the process of killing a fourth one, it seemed that the other wolves were quite done with this whole ordeal. Realizing that their flanking maneuvers would not work on them as they worked on other large prey such as stags, boar or oxen, and seeing their own get cut down left and right, most of them were in the process of backing away. Only needing a little push, Griswold extended a hand toward them, randomly bombarding them with fiery projectiles. While the damage they could do was rather mediocre, the notion that most woodland animals truly feared fire was something that had become a proven fact. He had utilized this method before after all when he had chased either a different, or this very same pack back into the forest by using the same method. Hitting one wolf and setting his tail on fire, it cried out and leaped back into the forest to find sanctuary.

After it did, the others followed the example as they too ran into the forest, after which one could hear the clashing howls of both wolves, as well as something bigger. For the time being, Griswold was quite happy with how things had turned out. He did not like having to hurt or kill animals, and it seemed that the other magic knight had actually taken the time to listen to what he said, aiding in the process that would cull some of their numbers while allowing the rest of them to live, just as long as they chose to abandon the path of battle and head back to wherever it was they came from. But just as he had heard a few moments again, another couple of loud howls could be heard that seemingly overruled the noise made by the fleeing wolves. This could really only mean one thing, and that was that the thing Griswold believed to have seen was actually true, and that it was likely coming this way.

“Are you hearing what I’m hearing?”

Although he was stating the obvious, as only those born deaf could have possible not heard the noise made by the approaching wargs, Griswold took a firm stance. What he had heard about wargs was that they were larger, more violent and moved in far smaller packs more akin to a small task force. For a moment, everything went quiet, though the rustling of leaves proved that something was still moving along the treeline. And that’s when they showed themselves, four large wargs that seemed to radiate ferocity. To say that these were the creatures that stood at the natural pinnacle of wolfkind was an understatement, as even Griswold could feel that these were not the kind of creatures one should take lightly. Even the way in which they moved made it seem like they were smarter than your average wolf, maintaining a certain distance that would be hard to bridge with a sword, showing that they had been paying attention when the regular grey wolves had been attacking.

“Those are not your average wolves… they’re wargs. No matter how bad things get, those things will fight to the death, whether it be ours or theirs. So as much as I appreciate you not just going about and murdering all of those wolves, I don’t think we’ve got much of a choice with these guys. Either they die, or we do, so don’t hold back on my account.”

Believing to have made his point clear enough in that they should probably not try to just injure the beasts as that would just put them in extreme pain while they’d just continue trying to fight on account of their own inbred violence, he pointed his other hand at them and released another salvo of burning bullets from the tips of his fingers. Though they would likely not do a whole lot to truly injure them, if one of the cinders might catch fire in one of their furs, that would probably cause at least a little bit of disarray, making it that much easier for the senior knight to dispatch them without risking injury himself. For obvious reasons, now would be the best time to strike. Hopefully for him, the wargs would not get the chance to get too close to him, as just one of them could likely mangle and rough him up quite a bit, especially since his own magical aptitude was so low. A fact he cursed right about now.

1252 (2675)

Though it took him a moment to get ready as the wargs started closing in, Griswold momentarily believed that he would actually need to face them down himself. And as much as he wished to believe that he would be capable of doing such a thing and beat them with his own pair of hands, he knew that the reality of the situation would be quite different. Though he did not for a moment doubt the fact that he might be able to take down a single one of them if it came to a fight, he would more than likely win, if not entirely unscathed. Wolves were nimble and fast, and wargs even more so due to the simple fact that they were merely larger and stronger wolves, which just went to further amplify their capabilities if not making them into a somewhat larger target. This was as much beneficial to them as it was detrimental, as it made it easier for them to take down larger targets, if not also making it that much easier for them to get hit and be harmed.

As it would turn out, that was exactly what the other magic knight was going to be using against them, as he managed to push his body beyond the speed of the wargs. If nothing else, he managed to actually be even faster than he had been a few moments ago when he dispatched several wolves with his lightning abilities. Exceeding his personal expectations as he was having a hard time actually following what was going down by the time the fighting actually started, it would not take him a very long time to figure out who among them was actually winning by the time the first of the wargs dropped with the crackle of electricity still pulsing through it for a moment. Thinking to himself about how this was the kind of power one of the more senior knights of the country had to offer, he was likely going to be better off just doing his thing in the forsaken realm as there was very little he would be able to contribute to anything else.

Activating the healing spell he had been holding off on due to his attempt at conserving his mana, Griswold imagined that doing such a thing would just be an idle thought as there was really no need for such a thing. If he were to step into the fight again, he would really only be getting in the way by now, so he would just do the only thing he could do right now and heal his wounds, not get in the way and not get killed for even attempting to aid the situation. As the fight continued, the fire erupting from his wound as the spell began to work started closing up the wound itself as the pain quickly disappeared and the bleeding stopped. From that point on, it would likely not take him a whole lot of time before the wound he had sustained would only be a memory, though it was not so much the fact that the wound had hurt him that bothered him as much as it was the fact that he had been wounded in the first place.

Just because he had held back and wanted to try and save the life of these wolves by scaring them off, rather than going about actually killing them off to begin with was what had gotten him hurt in the first place. And it wasn’t the first time this had happened either, as his good intentions had ended up biting him in the ass once before. What with the events leading up to his vice-captain stepping in and murdering someone in front of his eyes, it had been his fault that they had been put down to begin with. Because he wanted to try and bring someone in without killing them, he had potentially risked the lives of others as the person he aimed to bring in truly fought to kill. They had given him very little options other than trying to defend himself before going on the offensive and actively work towards bringing down the one that had already blown up a store and killed a man right in front of him.

At the time, he had been warned not to try and save the ones that did not wish to be saved, as it would only end up causing more harm to himself and those around him, that being the harsh reality of this world. Feeling like he should have made an exception because they were dealing with animals that did not know any better, it still did not sit right with him that he had gotten hurt because of it. Still, there was really nothing else he could do about it now aside from waiting for his wounds to heal while the senior lightning mage dispatched all of the wargs one by one. Feeling strangely better about himself when it turned out that the guy had also got bitten by one of the animals they fought, which strangely seemed to unslur his words for a moment, it was not long after that that the guy made short work of the last of them. With that, their actual job here more or less came to an end.

Now that the wargs had all been killed rather violently, if not swiftly, the wolves had no reason to return to this place any time soon, as their own domain was once again their own. Without the influence of the more intelligent and powerful variant getting into the way of their day to day lives, which existed out of lazing around, checking and marking their territory, as well as hunting the local wildlife to feed themselves and their young. As far as Griswold was concerned, the fact that they had been given back their own domain meant that the direct threat to the farmlands, the livestock dwelling and grazing on top of it and the farmers in charge of the place was now gone, thus removing the need of actually going into the woodlands themselves and rooting out every single wolf they encountered in the process. At that point, it would no longer be a knight from a magic knight towards aiding a farming community, it would become something else.

It would become a culling, and that was not something he was going to become part of. Besides, he was not trained for that kind of thing, as sending him in to do that kind of job would just result in the forest burning down due to his only offensive spell being based entirely around the use of fire. Knowing for a fact that there were a lot of trained, skilled hunters out in the forsaken and common realms that were tasked with culling numbers of animals once they reached levels of overpopulation, it would be up to them to determine when a pack of wolves might need to be culled or not. But that was not within the jurisdiction of the magic knights, as they had plenty of others things that they would need to worry about instead of whether there were ten or twenty wolves, deer or boars too many within a certain area. By the time his healing spell was done and the wolf inflicted wound was entirely a thing of the past that would not even leave a scar, Griswold was ready to move on and head back out.

“Since you’re a more senior knight than I am, I can probably count on you to inform the wizard king’s office of our victory here right? I mean, you were here before me, so you most likely already planned on it before I even asked. Regardless, I won’t be doing so myself as there are other issues that I need to tend to out here in the countryside. Thanks for the help though, and thank you for at least making their deaths quick.”

With that, Griswold had said all that he was going to say as he turned his back on the man while holding up his hand as if saying goodbye in a non verbal manner. Given the fact that the both of them were magic knights, they would be running into one another again for sure. Whether it would be sooner or later was something that remained to be seen, though in this line of work, it was pretty much a given that one would not be able to evade other magic knights for too long, which was especially true once one began climbing the ladder up towards the more difficult jobs that required stronger, hardier individuals. And that was exactly what Griswold wished to become. Because now that he had seen what a senior magic knight could do, it just increased the intensity of the fire burning within him, pushing him to become ever stronger.

[END OF THREAD]