The Elestar: Zero

Master could feel Scott's fear when he heard those words. He quietly unsheathed his sword and tentatively unlocked the carriage door. Before he left, he looked around cautiously. He did not descend until he was sure there was no danger. Then he looked at me, and he said.

"If I need you, I will call you. Be prepared for anything—it's possible we'll have uninvited guests."

His voice was serious. I could feel it. I unsheathed my sword and remained vigilant in the carriage.

"Look over there. Something's lying on the ground." Master glanced where Scott indicated—several meters ahead and next to the horses lay something spread-eagled upon the snow, its color bright red. He calmly walked over. It was a giant antlered stag, half-killed, but still half-alive and twitching. The bite marks on its neck and legs showed that its attacker had been a pack predator. [There is no question the stag was attacked—but why didn't they eat it? What would they gain by leaving it this way? From the bite patterns and the way it was ambushed by a pack, combined with the snow… there's just one creature that hunts like that during winter. These are definitely ice wolves.]

"Let me ease your suffering," Master Valorant said, plunging his sword into the stag, giving it a swift end. He got back into the vehicle and reopened the door. He turned back and again scanned the surroundings, before looking at me.

"Attu, out of the carriage."

I burst out immediately upon hearing his narration. I felt something the moment my foot hit the ground too, like something was coming.

"Do you see anything?"

"No, the snow squall is blocking my view."

"What about sound?"

"I'm not hearing anything close by… just yet."

Just as Scott—which had never stopped being in the van—turned to us and cocked an ear to our conversation.

"Master Valorant, what's going on?"

"The ice wolves set a trap. They're hunting us."

"Why on earth did you get the boy out here? He's blind, isn't he? What good can a blind kid do?"

"Everything's fine. Fear not," Master said—and at that point, the horses began to bray and bolt.

"Scott, get inside the carriage. Now!" Scott said nothing. He scrambled inside, then peeked out the window to see us. The horses, meanwhile, struck with terror, kicked and pulled, endeavoring to free themselves from the carriage. As I looked at them, I heard something—growing out of the wind at first, and then rising on the wind. Footsteps. Dozens of them. I knew at once it was wolves.

"There's two coming in from the right side of the carriage, and one from the back."

"I'll take the two!" Master cried out and jumped over the carriage.

"That one in the back is mine!" I ran to intercept it.

[Attu was right again. I didn't even doubt him. And now I have to handle these.] Master took care of the front two wolves by cutting both of them in half with a single clean and skillful blow. Then he went aft on the car, looking toward me. I was already in third.

The wolf was charging at me. I stood still, waiting. I lunged to the side and stabbed it in the belly when it jumped as an attack. The blade sank deep. But the beast didn't go down without a fight—it thrashed and attempted to strike again. I pulled the knife up, and that was that.

It felt very strange—to take a life. My hands trembled. My breath grew shallow. This was fear. It also made me want to freeze, to cease moving. But I pushed through it. I wouldn't let it consume me. I went over to the first wolf I'd slain. I felt Master Valorant at my back as I withdrew my blade. I heard further movement on the approach to the carriage.

"Four from the front. Two from the right."

Master rushed ahead. I slid to my right, prepared to intercept him. I hadn't waited long before the wolves came. Two of them hurled themselves at me. I thrust at the other and his blade sank into its chest. The second leapt at me. I attempted to jerk the knife out as quickly as possible. At the final moment, I tore it free and swung again—the second wolf lay dead.

There was a jolt against my body—the wolf! Its blood rained over my features and we both fell into the road next to the cart. Although I had been learning from Master, it still took me a long time to have a fight with two wolves and not nearly die. I'd have ended up torn to pieces. I pushed the wolf from me and rose to my feet. That's when I heard it again. More footsteps. Many more this time.

"They're coming again. This time, there are more of them!"

"Leave the rest to me. Get on top of the carriage. Hurry!" Master had something in his mind definitely but I didn't know what.

[What's he planning? How could he face a whole pack by himself?] I did just as he told me, scrambling on top of the coach, my eyes open wide.

What I saw next floored me—his sword was on fire, green fire.

[What the…?! What is that? Master's going to do something fabulous."

He leaped some feet in front of the loop, and went into a fighting crouch. Sword leaning back in his right hand, forward his left leg in a crouch. He glowered at the wolves as they approached. Then he cut his sword out horizontally at the empty snowfield.

There were as yet no wolves before him. But a bolt of green fire streaked after it and hit them just as they reached it, the curve of the bolt matching the curve of his swing. It sliced through them all.

[What just happened?! He swung at nothing, and The green flame followed the arc of his sword exactly—then shot forth like a blade of fire, slicing through the wolves without mercy. Is that even possible?!] In quick succession, Master Valorant dispatched with the whole pack. The remaining wolves took off running in all directions.

I was in shock. So I jumped out of the hands to see Master… that wasn't normal. What kind of power is that? "Master Val—" I started, but the door of the carriage flew open at that moment, and smacked me right in the face. I collapsed. Scott had thrown open the door and leapt out, heading for Master at a run.

"Master Valorant! That was incredible! I knew you could single-handedly take out a whole pack!

"Thanks for the praise. Is Attu all right?"

At this point, I was attempting to stand, leaning against the carriage. "I didn't think the door was going to hit me that hard." Master retreated back to me, when he saw me still resting against the carriage.

"Are you all right? What happened? Why is your nose bleeding?"

[My nose is bleeding? I didn't even notice. I think the door got me worse than I realized.

"Wolves are tough, huh? One of them whacked at my face…"

"Hah, pathetic. Maybe if you'd learn properly from Master Valorant, you wouldn't be bleeding like that. This would not be happening if you listened, if you studied, if you did not take the damned day off because it was time to have a day off," he said.

[Who asked you? You did this, idiot. You ever heard of how to open a door?

"Can you stand?"

"Yeah… I'm fine."

"Ride in the carriage. I need to finish something."

"Let me help. Just tell me what to do."

As commanded, I got into the carriage and waited. My hands were shaking, I had just killed a life. I balled them into fists, hoping to still the shaking. I looked out the window. The snow was continuing to fall.

But as I looked, I noticed something.

[These aren't ordinary wolves… Wait, are those horns on their heads? Master's cutting them off. Why?]

Master was cutting off the dead wolves' horns and putting them in a bag. He returned to the carriage and threw one of the bags in. I just couldn't stop myself from being curious.

"What are you going to make out of those horns?"

"We'll sell them."