The massive mountain shaped like a dragon's head loomed over the large clearing, casting a shadow that stretched over the vast majority of the clearing.

Drake, Chad, and Mike stood within its shadow, looking up at the massive dragon head. They were trying to determine what direction to head. The trail going up the mountain was not shown on the map. They had to find the trail themselves at the base of the mountain; they just didn't know which way to try first.

Drake pulled out the map, studying the roads leading to the mountain. One of them led to the mountain's left, the other, the right. It encircled the entire mountain. It didn't really matter which way they went; they would eventually find what they were looking for, but they wanted to find the trail as soon as possible.

Noticing a small marking on the map, Drake hoped it was the beginning of the trail. In the end, he chose to walk straight between the two roads toward the mountain, bypassing both of them. He was heading to the exact center between the two roads, aiming for the small mark on the map.

Walking forward, he replaced the map in his cuff. He didn't want it to get damaged if they were forced to fight.

Renn walked closely behind them, scanning the area for dangers. All three boys had their eyes glowing softly as they watched for beasts, bandits, and other dangers. They looked for clues to where the staff might be inside the mountain as they traveled. It remained dark; they could see nothing within the mountain and its caves.

"Why are we going this way?" It was Chad. He looked between the roads, wondering why they were not traveling on either of them. His long blond hair blew in the wind as he spoke, forcing him to push it out of his face.

The wind whistled through the clearing, causing the long grass and bushes to sway violently as gusts swept through the area.

Drake, still walking, pointed in front of him. "There was a mark on the map that I wanted to check out. It might be the trail we're looking for." The wind didn't bother him; he had swept his own long hair back into a man bun. He didn't want his vision obstructed if they had to fight something or someone on the way there. Mike didn't have that issue; he kept his cut short.

"What if it's a waste of time and turns out to be a rock or something?" Mike asked. There was a bit of humor in his tone. It would be their luck to get all the way there to find that the marking on the map was just a decoration.

Drake chuckled. "Does it matter? We have to get to the mountain regardless of which road we use. Then you have to think…what if the trail is kind of hidden? Most would follow the road, not finding the trail. Why would someone not use the road unless they had a specific reason? We're on a quest…the chances of that little mark on the map being what we're looking for are pretty high. It's not guaranteed, but the chances are still high."

"Yet, Mayor Ivan knew of the trail," Mike cut it. It was one of the things that Ivan had told them. He even said that it only went a couple of feet up the mountain and then stopped completely. "It has to be off one of the roads."

"I don't care," Drake shrugged. "I still want to check it out. Besides, it's the shortest path to the mountain."

Chad was scanning the area, seeing a level five beast heading their way. "Hey, umm… Drake? There's a level 5 beast heading our way. Do you want to try to add it to your collection or kill it?"

Drake turned to Chad, seeing where he was looking. He grinned widely. "Let's play it by ear. If the beast attacks, we kill it. If not, we see if we can add it to our cohort."

Renn turned toward the direction of the incoming beast. Her head was held low. A soft growl came from deep in her throat. It looked like the beast's fate had already been decided.

Chad removed the strap on his sword and raised his bow.

Mike already had his sword glowing brightly, tightly gripped in his gauntlet-covered hands.

Drake removed the strap on his sword, uncoiled his whip, and started to form a spell in his free palm. He didn't want to take chances with a level five beast. "Don't die," he told his cohort.

Drake and his friends had their eyes glowing brightly as they watched the beast charge toward them. It was clearly a level five beast. Its glowing purple eyes shone like bright orbs as the beast came closer.

Glowing violet saliva dripped from its massive fangs. It was a wolf beast, just like all the others. Drake wondered if that was the only kind of beast in the dimension.

Purple streaks of fur glowed through its pitch-black fur. Long, taloned claws tore through the ground as it ran toward them. Even from the distance they were in, they could see glowing purple veins pulsing brightly running through its long claws.

The beast leaped in the air, its sharp jaws wide open, ready to bite down on its first victim. Drake shot an explosive whirlwind towards the beast's chest as it leaped. It exploded on contact, tearing a hole through its thick hide.

The beast roared in pain. Its glowing eye flashed as it landed on the ground, then quickly turned to face its foes.

Drake slashed his whip, two slashed, one ethereal, the other metallic, at the angry beast. It slashed through its hide easily. Cutting through flesh. It only made the beast angrier.

Chad shot an arrow, aiming for the eye; It was a weak spot. If it could go far enough in, it would shoot through its brain. The arrow hit; it was a flawless aim. The beast roared as the energy arrow dissipated. It turned to face Chad, who notched a second arrow, shooting it swiftly.

The beast charged. Mike jumped in the way, slashing with his sword. The purple pulsing through its fur crackled as lightning pulsed through the beast. The beast growled as it fought through the pain of the electrical current.

While it was distracted, Mike slashed his glowing sword, cutting through the soft flesh of the beast's neck. It didn't go very far; the thick muscles tensed, stopping the blade. Mike yanked out his sword and stabbed. The beast twisted, swinging its massive rat tail, throwing Mike several feet back, blood pouring out of his mouth.

"Heal Mike," Drake ordered Chad, as he swung his glowing whip at the beast. At the same time, Renn leaped in, tearing the rat-like tail and detaching it from its owner; The sound of ripping echoed through the clearing. Renn, keeping her prize, chomped down on it as if it were a snack.

Drake's whip double-slashed, hitting the beast's giant head twice, causing blood to pour down its face. Before the second slash had hit, he had already shot an energy beam, while he filled his whip with energy again.

The beast was relentless.

Renn, finished with her snack, leaped on the beast, holding on with her sharp claws. Her sharp, fanged teeth sank into the beast's back, making it howl. With the beast distracted as it was trying to force Renn off its back, Drake ran forward, pulling his sword, and stabbed right through the heart. The beast exploded into a cloud of light particles, causing Renn to fall to the ground.

{You have slain a level 5 beast}

{You have received level 5 beast armor}

Drake put his sword back in his sheath and walked toward the armor. Immediately, he could tell that it was for his familiar. It was a massive set of chainmail and black armor, with green runes, carved in beautiful patterns in the elegant metal. "Come, Renn," he told her. "I have something for you."

Renn walked up to her master, sitting proudly. She had helped Drake kill the powerful beast. Drake draped the glossy chainmail over her head, sliding it into place, then added the runed, elegant black armor. As soon as the pieces were all in place, the runes glowed green, as if overjoyed by being used by a new master. The runes faded, barely glowing.

Chad was still hunched over, next to Mike, with the healing sword glowing brightly. When he was satisfied, he replaced his sword and helped Mike stand.

Renn walked up to Mike and nuzzled his side with her massive head. He nearly fell over. Chad had to grasp him tightly, preventing him from falling. She didn't like that he had been injured in the fight.

"Renn received armor, showing she can be a bit more protected," Drake said, smiling as he walked toward Mike. He studied his friend, scanning for injuries. He wanted to make sure that he was alright. He was glad that at least one of them had a healing ability.

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