Chapter 36: The Dragon and the Bear

Chapter 36: The Dragon and the Bear

The sounds that followed were all too familiar to them.

That was the roar of a dragon, though some Dragon Beasts could make similar sounds too.

In any case, their strength was impressive and quite a hassle, no doubt about it.

On top of that, there was also the bear roar from earlier.

From the sound, it was clear that it wasn’t a weak chicken-type bear but belonged to a rather strong kind.

It seemed these two monsters had crossed paths.

A colossal showdown was about to unfold between them.

With two mighty roars echoing, all the nearby birds and beasts were startled and instinctively scurried away from the area.

Airael and Axi exchanged glances, retracting their gaze from the fleeing creatures.

“Should we keep moving?”

Airael asked.

“Keep moving!”

Axi replied without hesitation.

Behind them were the pursuing Orcs, and although there were two formidable foes ahead, they just needed to tread carefully and avoid alarming them.

Airael nodded and the two continued onward with heightened caution.

Danger was lurking nearby.

Any noise could potentially provoke either of those beasts.

If that happened, they’d be asking for trouble.

It wasn’t that Airael and Axi were afraid of these two, but there were the Orcs hot on their heels. If the beasts slowed them down and exhausted their energy, by the time the Orcs caught up, they wouldn’t have much fight left in them.

So, ideally, they wouldn’t disturb the two monsters.

As Airael and Axi stealthily maneuvered, they soon spotted an open area where the two giant beasts were each toughing it out.

One was a grounded Dragon Beast and the other was a Giant Bear.

Both towering over eight to nine meters, these beasts glared at each other, eager for a fight yet strangely cautious.

Even though they had been locked in a stare-off for a while, the battle had yet to commence.

Despite being beasts, as magical creatures, they did possess a level of intelligence.

Beasts of their caliber were no dummies.

They understood each other was powerful, and should they engage, it wouldn’t only be a clash of equals, but it would attract lurking enemies waiting for the opportunity.

At that point, they could very well become the prey themselves.

“ROAR!”

Growing impatient with the Dragon Beast’s inactivity, the Giant Bear let out another furious roar.

This clash was essentially the Dragon Beast’s fault.

This territory had always been the Giant Bear’s domain.

But today? A Dragon Beast showed up, a beast not to be trifled with.

“ROAR!”

In response, the Dragon Beast retorted angrily.

“You think I’ll just walk away because you roared at me? Not a chance!”

That was pretty much the sentiment behind its roar.

As Airael and Axi moved forward, they caught sight of the colossal figures.

Airael instinctively held her breath, not daring to make a sound.

Especially Axi, who was clad in armor that could easily create noise.

Get fighting already, don’t just stand there!

Airael was anxious; if they started brawling, they’d stop paying attention to their surroundings.

That would surely ease things up for her and Axi, allowing them to breathe a little easier.

Axi, eyeing the two giants, furrowed his brow slightly.

Unlike Airael, his thoughts were different.

He wondered if they could somehow leverage these two beasts to help deal with the Orcs chasing after them.

If these two went head-to-head with the Orcs, even if they might not win, they would undoubtedly drain the Orcs’ strength.

Then Airael and Axi could swoop in like profit-hunters and handle the Orcs chasing them.

Otherwise, being perpetually chased by them wasn’t going to work out.

The more Axi thought about it, the more he felt this was the plan to make.

With his resolve firm, Axi gently tapped Airael’s shoulder.

Airael looked at him, puzzled.

Axi began gesturing, meaning to indicate that he had something to discuss.

He then moved to the left, stopping his forward march to signal Airael to follow.

Confused but understanding Axi’s hint, Airael followed him, her mind boggled by what Axi was planning to do at such a time.

After moving a safe distance away from the two beasts, Axi halted.

So deep in her thoughts, Airael didn’t notice Axi had stopped and bumped right into him.

The hard armor sent a jolt of pain to her.

“Ouch…”

Airael winced, rubbing her nose with a delicate whimper.

Turning around, Axi glanced at her, feeling a mix of exasperation and relief.

She hadn’t made too much noise.

Although they were at a safe distance from the beasts, any noise could still alert them.

As the pain faded significantly, Airael looked at him with a slight frown. “Don’t worry; I know how to keep quiet. You, however, stopping all of a sudden made me bump into you! That really hurt!”

Seeing Airael pin the blame entirely on him, Axi felt speechless.

But he didn’t want to dwell on that; they had more pressing matters at hand.

Both the giant beasts and the Orcs chasing them posed significant threats.

Fortunately, they weren’t in cahoots.

This opened the door for strategy.

They could use one side against the other, and when the chaos reached a peak, they would strike to finish them both off.

Therefore, Axi said, “Ailia, let’s put aside who’s right or wrong about that bump. I have something more important to discuss, and you need to pay attention.”

“What is it?”

Seeing Axi’s serious demeanor, Airael recognized the moment and showed she was ready to listen.

Pleased with her response, Axi felt satisfied.

Though he was somewhat of a troublesome, wild beast, Airael proved she could be of help.

He then shared his thoughts with Airael.

Upon hearing his plan, Airael’s eyes lit up.

Then she felt a pang of regret: Why hadn’t she thought of this brilliant idea first? Now Axi had stolen her thunder!

“Ailia, what do you think about this plan?”

Noticing Airael’s mixed reactions, Axi asked curiously.

“Ahem!” Clearing her throat to hide her embarrassment, Airael replied, “I think it’s a great idea! But how do we implement it?”

At Airael’s question, Axi frowned slightly.

He had considered it but hadn’t figured out the specifics.

Noticing his uncertainty, Airael smiled. “Actually, I have an idea.”

“What is it?”

Axi quickly replied.

“Axi, you’ve heard of hypnosis, right?”

Axi nodded.

“While I can’t fully hypnotize those two beasts, I can use magic to somewhat meddle with their thoughts,” Airael continued.

“Ailia, how effective can you be?”

Axi’s eyes sparkled with interest.

In response, Airael explained her method: “Right now, both are on high alert, extremely sensitive to their surroundings. When the Orcs rush over, their numbers will create quite a racket, catching the beasts’ attention.”

“And since the Orcs won’t be friendly either, they’ll be on guard against each other.”

“That’s when I can quietly throw a wrench into things and make them fight.”

After listening, Axi understood the overall feasibility of her plan.

He contemplated thoroughly and finally said, “Ailia, let’s do it your way.”

“Executing this will be a piece of cake for me, but first, we need to do something else.”

“What else?” Axi looked puzzled.

“Of course, we need to hide ourselves. Didn’t you say those riding wolves have a keen sense of smell?”

“If the Orcs spot us, how can we remain incognito to reap the benefits later?”

Axi’s face lit up with realization.

But then he felt uneasy.

How were they going to hide from those keen-nosed wolves?

Noting Axi’s puzzled expression, Airael blushed slightly and said, “I have a way to help us hide.”

“What way?”

Axi asked eagerly.

Airael replied, “This cloak I’m wearing can mask my scent. As long as I’m in it, those riding wolves won’t be able to sniff me out!”