Summoner's Second Chance

Chapter 28

"We have confirmed the seal. You may pass." Fang was showing the guard the proof that he had taken a gathering request, and was let through. Trace, Liu and Gilbert stood only a short distance away from him, and when he finally got clearance, the three approached Fang. "Nothing went wrong, I assume?" Fang nodded, and smiled at Trace. "Yes. Although I do have a bit of a problem with the weapon you gave me." Trace had given him a small crossbow, half the size of the usual one. It is lighter, faster, but doesn't have much power. "The key to survival when you are out alone is mobility. You have no need for weapons that weighs you down. Besides, I coated the tip of the bolts I gave you with paralyzing poison enough to stop a red-skinned boar in their tracks." Fang laughed, and nodded. "Then I'll be going."

Fang embarked on his quest, leaving his friends behind. Just as the guard was about to close the gate, Fang can hear a voice coming from it. "Come back safe! I will not forgive you otherwise!" Fang turned around, as the voice of the girl was familiar to him. He saw Rose waving her arms in the air furiously, with a smile on her face. Fang grinned, and raised a thumb at her. The gate closes behind him, and he took a deep breath. "Alright, my destination is the forest just north from here."

Fang felt like he was worried over nothing, for the quest was truly as easy as gathering Red Flowers. There were some monsters here and there, but most of them are docile and wouldn't attack if they are not threatened. He only have to deal with several blue-armed monkeys, something that even a student can handle alone. He rested his back against a tree, and sighed. He looked to the side, where he dropped his bag from exhaustion. "Gathering request isn't that much of a problem... it's just tedious." In his mind, he can see Trace laughing in an exaggerated manner to try and annoy him. He scratched the back of his head as he smiled, and stood up.

Fang was able to gather all the necessary items he needed quickly, and went back to the city at noon. He already imagined relaxing in one of the eatery, and he even planned to have himself a feast, when he heard the sounds of battle. He quickly readied his crossbow, and walked as quickly and quietly as he could. Not far from where he was is a battle between a group of people, and four stone-fanged wolf. Normal wolf might not be that much of a problem, but stone-fanged wolf are three times bigger than normal wolves, and their fangs can easily chew through armor.

"Okay, deep breath..." Fang aimed, and shot the wolves with his crossbow. The bolt landed right on one of the wolf's neck, and it immediately fell down, unable to move. The group of people was bewildered, by they took the chance to finish it off nonetheless. Fang quickly took down the next three, saving the group from what seems to be certain doom. After confirming that there are no more wolves coming, Fang sighed, stored his crossbow, and approached the group of people.

Fang slowly approached the group, and when someone noticed him, Fang smiled in a friendly manner, and bowed slightly. "Hello there! Are you all unharmed?" Their hands was already at their weapons, but seeing Fang's friendliness, they relaxed, and returned his smile. One man, clothed differently from the others, came closer to him, and returned his greetings in a friendly manner.  "Greetings, young man! Were you the one that shot the wolves down?" Fang nodded, still smiling. The man nodded, and put a hand on his chest. "Thank you for saving me and my caravan. I wouldn't have anything left if you hadn't come to our rescue." Trace raised one of his eyebrows. "Caravan?" The man nodded, and pointed at his group with his arm. "Yes. Although we do not use horse for the sake of convenience, we do bring some wares from across the mountains."

Fang's eyes went wide in shock. For a moment, he almost forgot to breathe, as the information the man gave him was something he never heard of before. "I know that there are a kingdom south-west from where we reside, but from across the mountain? I have never heard of that!" The man laughed, and nodded knowingly a few times. "I suppose that is normal. The mountains was teeming with snow giants, and even we dreaded it. But recently, the amount of snow giants have been decreasing mysteriously, and although we are grateful for it, we are also afraid of meeting with whatever it is that has been killing them off."