Laura extended her hand and touched the golden sphere. A couple of seconds passed and nothing happened, but then it was slowly overtaken by an orange color starting from the bottom of the sphere until it reached the top covering it completely."Whoa…" As they watched a wave of hot air suddenly washed over everyone in the room. Drake's eyes went wide as he observed what happened. He could feel something from the device, though he couldn't really tell what it was.After a few more seconds the employee watching over the terminal turned to Laura and told her it was fine to take her hand off now. The girl backed away and the association chairman walked over to the terminal. A minute or so later he returned with Laura's tag and a piece of paper in his hand."Congratulations, lady Hellfire." The chairman said, his face practically beaming. "You've passed the first selection." Laura stayed composed for a moment, taking the paper into her hand and looking it over. Then, as if her mind had j
The moment Drake touched the sphere its surface suddenly turned black. A sinister aura wasked over the room making everyone present feel a kind of terror they had forgotten about. The fear of darkness. "What in the world…" the chairman muttered, finally realizing that he might've mistreated the wrong person.The employee operating the terminal was the most horrified. Not only because he was the closest to the source of the dark sinister aura but also because he could see what was causing it. He glanced over at the association chairman, eyes wide and face pale. Despite his fear the old man walked over to the terminal, just then Drake took his hand off the sphere thinking there was no need for him to keep touching it."What's wrong?" Drake asked, having walked back to where the other two were."You…" Laura began, but the words got stuck in her throat.Before he could prob her for any more answers the chairman returned with his tag and the paper showing his status. The nervousness on h
"So in the end we still have to make it to Ouroboros, huh?" Drake said as the other two followed behind him."Well, we technically are in Ouroboros." Laura said. "We have to reach the the capital though, which will be a pain.""Well, since we're already registered there is no need to hurry, right?" Drake replied."No, we have to get there as soon as possible. Arriving early is much better than risking being late."And that's why they headed for the stables. According to the pink haired girl the trip to the capital could be shortened to one day if they go with horses. Drake protested saying he doesn't know how to ride a horse, however Laura was adamant on using this method and it didnt appear like she'd back off alanytime soon. After settling on Drake riding with one of the other two they rented teo horses. Their hunter tags proved useful in this occasion as it granted them such privileges, though with Laura being the daughter of a Nobel and the wealth they'd accumulated recently a ho
After a few more hours on the road Drake was finally able to spot the capital of Ouroboros kingdom."Wow…" Drake couldn't help being surprised. Though it was still aboun an hour away the sheer size of the settlement shocked him to no end. Dragon's Head was completely different from the cities they've passed this far. The walls surrounding it looked to be twnty meters tall made of giant stones. It had four gates pointing at each of the cardinal directions, behind them were the different districts of the city; the south was the commoners' area, the west was the merchants and craftsmen area were most of the inns and taverns would be as well. The east was the upper class quarters were the rich lived away from those they considered beneath them. Then there is the north were the king's castle and the nobles quarters were located.It was impossible to couldn how many buildings were stuffed inside those walls. Most of them were three stories or higher which made them look huge when compared
"This place makes me nervous." Drake said, his eyes moving around nonstop."I should've guessed." Laura smiled wryly. "You came from the lower islands, right? Well, not that everyone from the mainland can afford to eat here."The girl had once again used her family's influence to get them a reservation at one of the most luxurious restaurants in the capital. It was built atop a certain hill that placed it on a higher ground than the rest of the buildings. It had an open roof where the table they were led to was. The scenery from there was stunning with the lamps and torches painting the streets in an orange glow that was pleasant to the eye.A waitress came by to take their orders. As always Drake chose a simple meat dish while Laura ordered some soup first. The good arrived after a few minutes and Drake looked somewhat disappointed with what he got.The steak was clearly high quality made of the best meat available and cooked to perfection. The sauce accompanying it looked decent as
"So, where did you disappear last night?" Drake asked Roland. The tall guy's head was swaying and his face lacked color."Went drinking." Roland said. "I think I went too far." Laura said. "Don't worry about it. The only thing that's bothering me is that I had to drink alone." The three were raiding a carriage down a dirt road. Thick woods surrounded them on both sides with plants Drake had never seen before, although most seemed recognizable at first. Sounds of beasts and animals could be heard in the distance. Birds singed under the sun and cicadas like insects filled the area with their loud and somewhat annoying sounds."You could've tagged along with us then." Drake said, well aware that Roland was feeling lonely now that Loki and Edith had went their own separated ways. It'll take a while for him to get used to the new normal, until then he'll have to drink his alcohol alone."I didn't want to be a third wheel." Roland said glancing at the two.Laura blushed and Drake allowed
The mining town of First Wound. A small settlement to the west of Dragon's Head created at the base of a mountain named First Wound. At first the purpose of its existence was to serve as a base for the miners that came to exploit the rare metal veins discovered in the mountain, however after more and more beasts started appearing it became a popular destination for hunters looking to gather materials, coins and Souls.The mountain got its name from the gash like cave that served as an entrance to a series of tunnels. The moment he heard they'd be going inside the mountai Drake grimaced as some unpleasant memories resurfaced. That said, he wasn't going to let anything get between him and what he came here for so without further hesitation he took the lead and entered the cavern. "This place is cold." Laura said, hugging herself trying to stop the shaking."Your Beast Soul is a fire type, right?" Drake asked. "Is it possible for you to feel cold."The girl's brows twitched into a glar
After a little more experimentation Drake learned a few things about magic. First thing is that it has something called casting time. Unlike skills which can be used instantly magic has to be prepared beforehand. The stronger the magic the more time it takes to prepare. Second is the types. Magic relies on the energy produced by the Beast Soul to create effects, which meant that each Soul had some kind of attribute that decides what magic it could use.Drake's nes Thundercloud was a lightning type and it allowed him to use lightning and electricity based attacks. The spell spark, just as the name suggests, creates an electric spark that could be shot from the hands. It's weak and pretty much useless, however magic is still magic.Lightning Pulse creates an outburst of energy that's capable of stunning the opponent, however apparently it only works on weak beasts. Then there is Lightning Spear. It was the closest to what Drake had thought magic would be. Using it one could create a si