Lance looked up at Wellyn waiting for the suggestions with apt attention and quaking nerves. “ Only way they live I can think of with your time window, you're gonna have to cook enough food for a few levels. And hope that putting points in Physique will give them a chance. Go back to the forest and gather a leaf of a special tree called Hymnin. It's a dark red and purple barked fir. Leaves and sap if possible. We're fightin fire with fire. Hymnin when boiled will create a special Dwarven brew my father used to make. Perfect for fightin illness or adding to a mead that's gone a bit too long barreled. In large quantities of concentrate it'll literally burn your pals up with an inner heat, they'll get delirious and hopefully ruin the spores. After they will certainly need a bath, it'll make’m leak some fierce mucus. But if they live there is a benefit, amongst also becomin immune to Red Mycergotism, they’ll be harder to down from weaker poisons.” Lance took it all in with agitated breath finally sighing. “ But ladd, its not gonna be easy, and I can't say for certain it'll be the cure. We should tell’m”

  Lance looked down at the kabbit. He wrapped it back up then walked out front with Wellyn. Wellyn then broke the news, to no surprise to everyone else. Each of them had been feeling a bit off since the encounter, and although things weren't as bad as back then they knew they weren't feeling all that right.

  “ I’ve seen the trees he's talking about. They are on the far side of the floor by the way out to the fourth level. Courage let me see the map.” Bam said to some relief amongst the group. He pointed to a spot on the map that luckily was well drawn, a section on the far right, the opposite direction from where they last sat at checkpoint. Lance moved to put the kabbit away, Wellyn made them clear their bags out, setting things on the table for more space for food. They all agreed it was worth pushing back in even with their clock half eaten. They quickly set out afterwards.

  They appeared at the same checkpoint they popped out from. Everyone felt the pressure to get a move on. They checked the map for accuracy, afterwards moving out in a quick jog, an eerie silence among them. The forest held a chilling breeze the wind had picked up. The dark wooded trees waved above them all, luckily the canopy held most of the winds at bay but the crosswind carried their scent deep into the forest. Bam went full howl and every so often sniffed the air, stopping and changing course avoiding any marked territory as often as possible. Only after ten or so minutes did they slow, not by choice but the roars of distant animal combat and snapping tree limbs bounced off the trees loud enough to be heard over the rustle of leaves around them. They all stopped and hunkered near a large tree off the path they’d been on.

  “ Guys I'm a little out of breath, and I think more than necessary from the running.” Courage said winded, through his huffing.

  Reilly looked pale, a cold sweat on her forehead. She nodded to him, fanning the top of her robe open. Bam still in his wolfen form, kept quiet. His ear darted back and fourth around them picking up on sounds still to distant to be heard by the others, but Lance noticed a slight quiver in his paws like someone pushing though an inner weakness. Lance felt a burning anger well up within him.

  “ We can walk from here, but no more sidestepping combats. Ill take point Reilly behind me, Courage hold her shoulder and send Screech up and watch with his senses. Bam take the rear, One bark for enemies, growl for us to stop. Reilly give me the poker.” Lance said, stepping forward. They all proceeded toward the sound of combat in front of them.

  It didn't take long for the party to identify what was happening in front of them. A teen aged bear seemed to have killed a wolf but was currently surrounded by three more. They paced around him slowly snarling. The bear had a large pair of gashes that ran along its hind legs and it tried its best to barely stand on, using its front paws to swipe at the wolfs while it pivoted in place above the lone wolf it had slain. They were still a good distance from the small clearing the fight was taking place in, roughly 80 feet. Courage relayed the scene as he watched it through Screeches eyes, who circled above through the trees.

  Courage released his connection with Screech. “Guys, the bear”

  “ Not right now man i get it, but we cant waste your strength like that. If anything it's a good diversion for the wolves, We take them out and maybe, but have you figured anything else out about your skill? That last attempt did not look easy and the bear will probably slap through that temporary health with one swipe.” Lance said knowing the moment he said a bear was involved he interjected, the plan earlier was for him to call a bear and tame that, instead the kabbit had shown up.

  Courage had tested a few methods with his ability by this point. Firstly it didn't seem to work on the goblins whatsoever. After a few attempts he gave up, deeming anything intelligent likely not considered “Beast” enough, regardless of their ruthlessness. He tried it with creatures on death's door. With every bat and spider was a failure in that scenario, realizing another concept, distrust. The creatures intelligent enough to know which opponent harmed them were less fazed by his Psychic cage ability. He had more success with bats he hadn't attacked, but still failed coming to his second to last realization. The older the animal was the more set in its ways it was, it did not care how he approached, he was prey or predator, either being met with scorn. This was how he ended up with Screech near the end of the second level when playing with Reilly and Valora. Who all opted to take on the second level as a trio, which to their surprise after entering, resulted in the amount of difficulty seemingly lowered. Courage had tried to understand his skill further in his training room back at his Circus tent after obtaining Screech. It did not apply to a tamed creature which to his dismay left him disheartened after receiving that prompt. However stealing someone's pet didn’t sit right with him anyways, but it did spark the idea of trying it on himself. Surprisingly though while trapping the baby Screech and himself inside, who clung to his cloak, it seemed to be a way to train his beast. Firstly a small health pool populated based off the total health of the creature and its mental state, which he noticed by throwing Screech into the air, startling his bat, and activating it another time making sure he could cage a creature if it wasn't stuck to him, but within the eight by eight foot cage that appeared around him. When trying his ability in this method with the kabbit he gambled. He was hoping for something new, another path, he didn't want to only tame beasts from a baby. Luckily the gamble paid off. Upon caging the kabbit, he received another prompt.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  Compete for the following

  -Dominate the Kabbit Level 6 - Tamed.

  -Declare “Untameable” - Retaliation.

  This appeared while the kabbit ran circles around him in the cage. A timer of 30 seconds appeared, though what resulted happened in less than twenty.

  “ I have an idea, but I'll need help. Think you guys can handle the wolves alone? Screech saw something and I need to grab it before I show up to the fight. I’ll be fine, but give me a minute” Courage replied, his heart began to thump with newfound determination.

  Lance looked around at, receiving nods he gave his approval to Courage who then ran to the left. Bam sniffed the air in the direction he ran and then looked at Lance with a low growl. Reilly pulled out her wand and took a deep breath. They began to walk forward.

  The wolves took a swipe at the bear every few seconds, but any attempt by them to attain a position to its rear was met with a fierce roar and snap of jaws. The wolves weren't confident enough to approach the bear individually, which left them all in a snarling forward posture contest of fangs. It was eat or be eaten, and every mark left on the bear was of equal measure. The snarling roars of the animals slowed to an eerie silence as another creature stepped from the bushes near the rear of the bear. The wolves all perked up and began to bark as bam slowly crept near the bear, obviously warning that this was meant to be their food. The bear rather than turn around leaped forward at a wolf on its right, catching its head in its jaws. The bear pivoted quickly as the wolves all moved to the side barking angrily whilst an unmistakable crunch put one more wolf dead on the ground in front of them. Bam did his best to imitate the barking at the bear in unison with the wolves. Who neither moved closer to Bam or the bear at this point, nearly turning to leave.

  “Parralel” Reilly yelled out from the side of the treeline. Lance appeared a moment later stabbing out his Firepit poker. One wolf met it with its ribcage, yelping out. It quickly snapped back at Lance who lifted the poker.

  “URRRgh!” Lance tossed the wolf off the poker towards the other. The wolves were the size of fullgrown mastiffs and easily had enough strength to make them close to 130 pounds. The wounded wolf fell over atop the second wolf knocking them both over. Bam turned and kicked dirt in their eyes and ran back to the treeline leaving Lance standing between the bear and the fumbling wolves. Reilly began to cast another spell.

  Lance stabbed out again catching the wolf again on its side, as the bear roared, swiping the air behind him. The second wolf scrambled to its feet and lunged at Lance's feet snarling madly. He quickly dropped the poker and rolled to the side, dodging its snapping maw. Just as he tucked from the edge of his vision a large paw grew.

  “Shi-”

  Bam had reverted to human form and activated Wild paw, causing his hands and feet to become like that of an ursine, but with longer nails. Reilly finished arcing her wand, “Smoulder!”

  She touched the shortsword she drew from her hip. The pair turned to see Lance take a bear paw right to the head and then fly at least ten meters away crashing like a bag of rocks into a tree. The flicker of low health present on him. A wounded wolf yelped and flailed on the ground unable to get up while another, meeting their gaze and the panting breath of a bear tucked tail to run. Bam stomped forward behind the fleeing wolf to assure its retreat. Reilly observed the bear. Its mouth drooling with blood while dry panting. Its eyes were pinned but it limped in place pivoting atop a large pool of blood. Two, now three wolves perished of the assailants, as she pulled her blade from the last wolf ending its suffering.

  “GUYS! READY!” Courage yelled, charging into the small clearing. His eyes wide at the scene of carnage.

  *REEEEEEEEEEEEE* the angered boars squealed behind him rushing tusks forward.