Chapter 09 The Hunt

"Okay! Then it's settled! So the plan goes like this, right? We go out there, find open space or make one, lure the beast to us, and trap it... simple right?"

Derrick comes off the MPFW and asks Jacob, "So you all going out, right? So what do I do? I'm not a fighter, who guards us?"

Jacob stands up, walks to the four-wheeler, takes some items with him, and tells Derrick, "Oh don't worry Derrick these dome walls are about one meter thick, I don't think anyone gonna get in... So... Relax, we gonna come back with your beast."

Suzuka jumps off from wheeler's trunk and asks Jacob, "What if you don't come back? How do we get out?"

Jacob answers the girl and tells his men to move out, "Oh, look! Someone has little faith in us! Don't worry, if I got killed, this dome will crumble to pieces, and you're on your own. Men! Is everyone ready? Let's move out!"

Saying that Jacob opens a hole in the wall and walks outside then closes the hole after them. When they got outside Jacob handed them Some Flashbang crystals to blind the beast and some stunning crystals.

"Okay, men here are some items, if the beast by any chance gets too close use these. And let's keep conversation to a minimum if no questions. let's go in silence for now."

After handing out items, Jacob, Alex, Kane, and Renold started to track the beast. A good clue to track was a bloody trail left by Steve's body dragged on the ground. They started to follow the trail going deeper into the forest but it wasn't as thick as they thought, one can see pretty far so they spread a little bit as they walked. Alex took the front, Jacob was in the middle, Kane walked from the right and Renold walked from the left. Everyone kept their distance from Jacob by about twenty meters. Ten minutes into tracking the bloody trail they found Steve's body impaled on a big tree but no beast in sight. Behind the tree where Steve's body was impaled, they found an opening without trees.

 Jacob in a low voice said, "Oh... guys... this looks like a good spot to lure the beast in."

Alex comes close to Jacob and says while Kane with Renold was on guard. "Yeah... looks good... we have a visual here, a little cover, and a great place to ambush the beast, so what do we do? Picking anything with your scan?"

Before Jacob could answer Alex they heard a noise that resembled someone chopping a wooden log. Jacob sensed with his scan something big but it was almost out of his scan to reach so he told his men.

"Now! Everyone listen! I sense something but it's too far, we need to advance forward. Let's get to the middle of this forest opening."

In good five minutes, going at a slow pace they advanced to the middle of the opening, the noise was louder and sounded like someone was clear-cutting a tree. Jacob started scanning and almost two hundred meters in front of them sensed the beast they were looking for.

 Jacob told men what he sensed, "Okay, men, it's our beast making that sound... can't tell what he's doing but looks like he's sharpening his claws in a tree or something like that. It looks like he didn't notice us just yet."

As Jacob was briefing his men on the situation, the wind shifted and a weak breeze began blowing toward the beast. Once Jacob finished his explanation, Kane asked him a question, "It's good and all but how and who gonna lure the beast, I'm not confident in my legs when it comes to running, just so you know. Make a call fast, the wind direction changed. The beast will smell us soon."

Alex starts talking sarcastically leaving Renold on guard, "Oh... look... Big man Kane, with all his muscles, can't run from a pup? Well, in that case, I will take on that role, I have confidence in my agility."

Hearing him say that Kane lets out a little laugh and says, "If it was only a pup, hahaha... but yeah, thanks, Alex."

The noise that the beast was making stopped, Alex went in front, and Kane hides behind a rock with Jacob and Renold, crouched down in tall grass with stun crystals in his hand. 

Jacob said out loud to Alex, "Alex! Ma man! I think the beast smelled our scent and it's coming this way. Get ready all!"

Didn't take long before the beast appeared.

He cautiously peered out from behind the thick bushes and surveyed the area. A massive creature, possibly three meters tall, with thick muscular arms and legs and huge claws for fingers, emerged from the bushes and halted its movement. The beast was about to attack Alex, but caught the scent of others and quickly retreated back into the thick bushes from which it had come. Alex shouted at the creature, trying to provoke it, but it paid him no attention. 

After his failed attempt at taunting the beast, Alex turned to Jacob and asked, "Hey! What's he doing?! Where did he go?!"

In that instant, the beast burst through the bushes brandishing a pointed log in one hand and hurling it with all its might. The log flew through the open field like an arrow, narrowly missing Alex by a few meters. However, the beast's target wasn't Alex. The thrown log struck Renold in the stomach, impaling him halfway and sending him flying back until he collided with the rocks behind him, approximately twenty meters away.

The beast charged at Alex with momentum, swinging one of its huge claws toward his head. Quickly, Alex ducked and rolled away in the opposite direction of the beast's movement, while throwing flashbangs and stunning crystals in its face. After missing its attack, the beast turns around and lets out a loud roar at Alex. But, Alex closes his eyes as the flashbang crystal explodes, blinding the beast. Then, a stunning crystal followed and cracked, releasing an electric shock that stuns the beast for a second.

 In a matter of seconds, Jacob trapped the werewolf's legs using his earth magic power by encasing them in a cement-like paste and creating large rock blocks that confined the beast's legs. Alex quickly made his escape from the beast and ran to Jacob. Despite being blinded, the beast continued to howl and roar wildly while swinging aimlessly with its claws. However, after a few seconds when the beast's vision returned, it calmed down somewhat.

The beast, upon realizing that no one was around, attempted to free his legs from Jacob's blockade. But his efforts were in vain. When he couldn't pull them out, he began to furiously strike the blocks with his claws. However, the blocks were too sturdy to break. After realizing that he couldn't break free, the beast in a desperate move smashed his own leg bones, and cut his flesh and skin by violently swinging his claws at his legs making blood splash all over the ground.

When he cut his way out, the beast fell down on its back, the bleeding stopped immediately, the wounds closed, and new bones started to grow from the wounds, getting covered by new muscle tissue. But Jacob didn't let the werewolf rest and trapped its arms the same way he did its legs, making the beast even angrier than it already was. However, no matter how hard the beast struggled or tried to bite the blocks, it couldn't break them. Not seeing any other option, the beast just waited, he didn't try to escape by biting its own arms off. After a failed attempt to break loose, it calmed down and waited for its legs to regenerate. 

Judging by the speed at which the bones grew, Jacob said to Kane and Alex, "At this rate, his legs gonna regrow in something like forty minutes... so, you two gonna go and get Derrick with Suzuka."

While covering behind a big rock Alex asks him two questions, "One! What if we run into other monsters or beasts? Two! Why in the hell do you need thou's two here?"

Jacob gets confused for a second after hearing Alex's questions but after a minute answers, "Wait! Did I forget to tell you guys about the plan? You know... we talked about it at the tavern a week ago, right?"

Kane joins the conversation and tells Jacob, "We!... Were!... Drunk!... Goddamit, Jacob!"

Alex smacks Kane on the shoulder and tells him, "Not so loud, man! Keep it down a notch, don't make that magic beast angry again. And Jacob, can you answer my questions?"

Jacob pulls himself together and answers Alex, "Okay! As for monsters, don't worry, this big guy here scared them off, I can't even pick up any animals around all this time."

"Oh, what a relief! Did you hear it, Alex? No monsters to worry about."

"Shut up, Kane! Let Jacob speak."

Jacob continues to speak, "As for Derrick... well shit!... I don't know why he has to be here... probably to record research data. And as for little girl... well... we gonna feed her to the beast."

"The hell Jacob! Hey! Kane do you hear what he's talking or I am hearing things?!"

"No, Alex, you heard him right... he's gonna feed her to this beast."

"Kane! You big drunk, you knew about this?"

"No, Alex, I didn't know... I just figured it out along the way."

Jacob interrupts them talking between themselves, "Hey! Hey! Ma boys! You see... if Derrick is right and I'm pretty sure he is... well he's from MIS and all, so a little girl should survive and gain some, let's say "powers" from the beast. And so that's technically... um... dam I don't know how to explain to you guys just trust me on this one, okay! Now go get them there's no time."

Alex cooled down and say to Jacob, "Oh, whatever! As long I get my promised gold I couldn't care less if it's a girl or ten of them. Oh yeah, by the way, how do we get into the dome? You closed it, shouldn't you come too?"

Kane answers Alex before Jacob could even think of an answer, "Ha! Jokes on you Alex! Oh dam! I always wanted to say that to you. But anyway, don't worry, let's go, Jacob will open the entrance of the dome for us when we get there. It's still in his scan reach so he can open it from here."

Without any delays, Alex and Kane went to get Derrick with Suzuka while Jacob guarded the monster in hiding. After almost ten minutes Alex and Kane reached the dome, Jacob sensed them close to it and opened a hole big enough for the wheeler to come out. 

After entering the dome Derrick runs at Alex and asks, "How did it go?! Wheres Jacob?! Did you get the beast?!"

"Calm your battle tits professor! Everything is set... Kane and I will escort you there, it's not far from here."

Kane walked to the wheeler with Suzuka, got on it, and sit in the driver's seat.

 A girl asked Kane, "So what happened? Where is Jacob?"

Without turning around at her Kane answered, "Oh don't you worry kid, everything is just fine...just fine... we are going to see Jacob now."

Alex got on his wheeler along with Derrick and drive out of the dome. The path wasn't difficult so it took them less than ten minutes to get back to where Jacob was. By that time, the beast's legs almost grow back, and when he saw MPFW started to rampage again. Alex and the rest of them stopped where Jacob was, forty meters away from the beast. Derrick jumped off the wheeler and began to look at the beast while hiding behind a rock that Jacob was hiding. While looking and admiring the beast, Derrick started talking to Jacob with a voice filled with excitement.

"Great Jacob! Very good! Jacob, you did it! Look at this beast, it's simply astounding! Oh, you just look at that, his hide is turning from black to gray. That's my beast, haha! That's the beast alright!"

Magic Beast become really mad and began to bite his arms at the elbow in the hope he could get free. When Jacob wanted to bind him to prevent his escape, Derrick said, "Oh! Jacob no! No! It's fine, let the beast tire himself out... the more he hurts himself the more powers he uses... and oh boy! We want that!"

Jacob readies himself just in case if beast decides to launch a suicidal attack while Derrick looks at the beast. Gazing at the beast he keeps talking, "Just look at that beast, it's like a human wolf just two times bigger, and his claws that like a knife on each finger."

Werewolf sinks his razor-sharp fangs into the flesh of one arm at the elbow biting it off. When one arm was done he sinks his teeth into the other one. He didn't chew it off just cut muscles and skin then pulled as hard as he could and tore it off at the elbow joint. Before the werewolf could even turn around Jacob made a thick wall trapping beast, leaving only his head with his neck and his own bitten-off limbs sticking out. 

Witnessing such a view Derrick tells Jacob, "Oh ho! This is perfect Jacob! Perfect I'm telling you! Hahaha! Now, all we need to do is wait... wait till his fur turns from black to gray. And then we can... ah... let's say 'feed him' hahaha!"