Rebirth Of The Bastard Spirit Summoner

It was a cold night. The wind was not as gentle as usual. A bit stormier than normal, it caused the trees to gently sway and the dried leaves to drift through the air.

Like a sea of diamonds, the sky was alit with stars, the slender crescent moon appearing like a god's hook, in a vain attempt to fish them out.

Huddled in one of these bushes were two knights.

The first was a familiar face, the man who had been unnecessarily rude to the old merchant some hours back.

At that time, it was as though he looked mere minutes away from suffering heat stress, but now he looked vaguely calm, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

And next to him was a younger knight, a squire sent out to dirty his hands, although this could not be said to be his first time.

As they lay belly down on the dirt, the young man yawned and accidentally brushed his elbow against the older man's face.

"Keep your hands to yourself, fool!" the older knight barked.

"Come on, Gabriel, I'm getting sleepy. How long do we have to wait?!"

Gabriel glared at the young man. "You will wait as long as I tell you to, Samuel! Now shut up and observe."

With an angry sideways glance, Samuel rose to his feet.

"Where are you going?"

The young man sighed. "I need to drain my dragon."

He moved deeper into the forest, barely sparing his environment a glance. Then, when he arrived at a large tree, he unbuckled his belt and began relieving himself.

That was when he saw something in the corner of his vision.

Something was watching him take a piss…

'Is that a goat?!'

Immediately he turned, the goat disappeared.

"Hmmm…"

He turned back his attention to the tree, watching from the corner of his eyes.

There was a small rustling sound, and out came the goat once more, a strangely ethereal blue goat.

Samuel dashed towards the animal.

'Gotcha!'

But when he pulled the bushes apart, there was nothing in sight.

Samuel returned to the camp with a scowl on his face, and once he crawled underneath the bush, he tapped Gabriel.

"What?!"

It was hard to say, but he said it anyway.

"I saw something in the forest."

Gabriel immediately sat upright. "Our targets? Don't tell me they are going to travel at night?!"

He sighed. According to Lord Stagheart's orders, they were meant to eliminate the merchant's group.

Yet they were hiding here because Gabriel was too scared to take them on. He was waiting for them to fall asleep so that he could sneak up on them.

"Of course not. You made us stay too far from their camp," Samuel said.

"It was just a precautionary measure! Uhum… so what did you see?"

"A goat."

Gabriel's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You saw a goat in the forest…"

The young knight nodded.

Thwack!

Gabriel smacked him on the head and seethed. "There are no goats in this forest!"

"Don't just go hitting home like that! I saw a goat with my own two eyes!!"

The older knight crawled back underneath the bush. "If there really was a goat there, I will shine your boots for a week."

"Then consider it a deal!" Samuel pulled his sword and jogged back into the forest, seething with rage.

'I'll find that fucking goat.'

The forest was calm, save for the rustle of his footsteps each time he would step on the carpet of leaves.

He proceeded quietly, going back to where he had seen the goat the first time.

This time, he waited patiently, not bothering to even glance at the bush, and just as he had expected

Pop!

The goat's head popped out of the foliage. No other part of its body, just its head alone.

Like a crazed hunter, Samuel leaped at the animal, grabbing it and rolling through the leaves.

"I caught it! I finally got it—huh?"

Samuel froze.

There was something very wrong with this goat. First, it was see-through, and second, it had the build of a bodybuilder.

It even had hands!

Samuel practically tossed the goat man away and jumped back, only to slam into something, or rather, someone…

…Because when he turned to look, he saw a tall man with a black dagger in his hands looking down at him.

And on his head was a sack with two eye holes carved in it.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

• • •

Gabriel stood up immediately when he heard the scream.

'What is that idiot doing?!'

He unsheathed his sword and dashed in the direction the young knight had gone, caution in every step.

By then, even after walking for a minute, he had not seen his partner.

"Did something really happen?"

Pop!

There was a flash of blue.

Gabriel ignored it.

Pop Pop Pop

Something was coming in and out of the bush, obviously trying to gain his attention, and so he glanced at it.

"Fuck me… he was right. What is a goat doing here?"

The goat was shining, its body almost translucent.

Gabriel walked up to it slowly, watching for every slight movement while the goat glared at him.

The closer he got, the more the goat head retreated through the bushes, until it suddenly dashed.

He gave chase.

Not once did he see the full goat. All he could see were blue flashes, but he followed it.

'Maybe it knows where Samuel is!'

He continued like this for a minute, until he burst into a clearing.

What he saw made him take an involuntary step back.

The goat did know where Samuel was. In fact, it had led him right to him… right into a trap!

Samuel had been stripped of all his clothes and had been tied by his hands to a large tree, blood dripping down his shoulders, and his eyes wide in fear.

And beside him…

It was a crazed man, someone that most likely belonged in an asylum.

He wore no clothing save for his underwear and a sack that covered his face. In his hands was a black gleaming dagger dripping blood.

The madman nodded satisfactorily.

"Yes, you are a big one. You will sell high at the slave market."

"?!"