The Sound Of Despair

The sasquatch scouts were tier 5 bronze beasts and thereby had superior physiques. If it had been before, then Schatten and Licht would have avoided them until they either reached the same tier or surpassed it. Most humans would consider it cowardice, but in the world of magic beasts, that was simply the natural order.

Even Schatten's warrior tribe only used their martial prowess to subjugate everything beneath or on their level. Their instincts would warn them on an instinctual, probably even genetic level, when facing a higher beast. Interestingly, there were no humans where the two beasts were from, and all of their knowledge about them had been gathered in their time on the continent. 

A contract was known to subconsciously influence the partner as well, especially the contracted, who often exhibited changed behavior. In addition to the continuous subconscious effect, Sturm's ongoing indoctrination had slowly removed their inherent fear. 

Sturm jumped off a tree and landed ten meters in front of the crude barrier, waving at the two sasquatch scouts. Usually, the beasts would immediately run towards the nearest camp to warn their tribe, but upon seeing it was a tiny, insignificant human, they readied their ironwood spears instead.

They seemed extremely similar to a certain race in a galaxy far away, and Sturm almost expected them to take out crossbows and put on ammunition belts. At nearly two and a half meters, Sturm did not even reach their shoulders. On top of that, their arms were long enough to reach their knees. Combined with the three-meter-long spear, they could attack anyone who stepped close to the wooden fence.

Ever since their tribes had fallen into internal strife, the usually bloodthirsty sasquatches only protected their territory and would not leave it. Luckily, Sturm did not know that, or he would have been surprised when the two bored scouts jumped in front of their defenses to enjoy a quick snack. 

Well, even if it had been surprising, the outcome was settled the moment the sasquatches engaged. As soon as the tall beasts landed a few meters in front of Sturm, they immediately charged with their spears pointed upfront of them. In their minds, they would quickly skewer the tiny human, and not only would no one notice, but it would also be ready for a barbeque. 

All their plans shattered the moment they stepped into the shadow of a tree between them and Sturm. Their bodies started shaking, and the spears slipped out of their trembling hands. While they were briefly stunned, no direct damage had been dealt to them. The human was still out of range, and before it could use the opportunity, they would have already recovered.

Underestimating a foe often led to death, and if their prey thought a little shock would stop them, then it would pay the price. Just a second later, the paralyzing effect wore off, and the sasquatches reached for their spears on the ground. All this time, Sturm just stood motionlessly in front of them, looking at them with a smirk on his face.

That disregarding smile was infuriating, and just as the beasts wanted to resume their charge, two streaks of light flew past them. Schatten and Licht appeared next to Sturm, looking at the two decapitated corpses with disbelief.

{So easy? Every sasquatch is supposed to be a fierce warrior, which includes their scouts as well. Obviously, they cannot compare to us brumawolves, but there is a reason they occupy such a prime position on this island. I am confident in being able to handle them in a direct confrontation, but this was no more difficult than plucking a fruit.} Schatten knew his lightning was incredibly weak, which made the outcome all the more surprising.

Sturm had prepared a mana construct to mitigate that problem, and the thunder wolf did nothing more than fill the construct with his own dark lightning. Inside the tree's shadow, the lightning was basically invisible, and while the construct could only hold the volatile energy for two minutes at most, it was enough to bait their prey in. 

"You two took too long. The moment their spears slipped out of their hands was the moment you two should have attacked. We practiced this, but this was your first time, so I will only expect better next time," responded Sturm.

Just like Schatten, Licht had not expected such an easy fight either. The tiger even had prepared a burst of bright lightning to blind the beasts in case they shrugged off the dark lightning. Such would have created another window of opportunity, and if even that did not work, Sturm was supposed to hit them with a lightning bolt. 

Their preparation was all for naught, as plan A had already easily overwhelmed them. Hopefully, the other beasts would put up more of a fight, as this was hardly worthwhile practice for the really dangerous foes. 

{Hey, puppy. Are you not from a proud warrior race? I thought you would refuse to partake in an ambush, but it does not seem to bother you. Won't you hold a speech about honor and such?} Licht asked.

<<Oh, that's right. I also wondered about this, but Schatten never complained even when I explained the tactic to him. Isn't honor supposed to be everything to warriors, or is it just a cliché?>>

The tiger only wanted to annoy Schatten, but Sturm was truly curious about the answer. In the end, the wolf's response was surprisingly down to earth.

{We live, and they are dead. That is the only thing that matters. How will you conquer other tribes and races if you do not use everything at your disposal? Honor is for duels, not for wars.} 

<<He would have gotten along great with Reinhardt. Would I have ever met these two if we had not been ambushed? Or would have Licht and Schatten died in that cavern?>>

Schatten and Licht, with all their quarreling and excuses, had been good companions, or at least training buddies, over the last two years. That did not mean they simply replaced Edgar and Reinhardt, though. No matter how sentient the two beasts were, they were not human after all. As bad as it sounded, Sturm sometimes missed his days back in the quarry.

At least regarding combat, the two quadrupeds were superior to most if not all mercenaries on this island. Their versatility was incredible, and their mobility astonishing. As weak as it may be, just the use of their magic gave immense advantages to any fight they could find themselves in. Sturm looked forward to how they would deal with their next prey.

"Alright, let's move in. Don't forget, these were just scouts. There will be warriors as well, so do not relax no matter how easy it seems." Sturm gave the order to move further into the sasquatch territory.

Every kilometer, he would stop to sit down and expand his senses. If they found small groups or lone stragglers, they would quickly take them out. After easily killing thirteen more scout groups and even directly confronting the lone ones, the trio finally came close enough to one of the sasquatch camps to encounter their warriors. 

{Alright. I am switching to mental communication now. None of those scouts could deal with plan A, but the warriors are different. So Licht, be prepared to blind them.}

Sturm once again made himself visible, and the group of four warrior sasquatches attacked the intruder. Only now did he realize why sasquatches were supposed to be ferocious and bloodthirsty as the warriors sprinted at him like those modern zombies in most movies used to do.

All of them swung their clubs around with red eyes. The human was too close to their homes, and if they let it advance any further, it would put their families at risk. Compared to the scouts, the warriors were slightly taller at around three meters, and their fur was black instead of brown.

There was no time for hesitation, and Sturm could not act as relaxed as he did before. Sasquatch warriors were of the sixth bronze tier, which was twice as high as Schatten and Licht's. Sturm decided to go all in and prepared a lightning bolt in each hand. If the humanoid magic beasts easily succumbed, they could always approach the situation differently in their next fight.

{Licht, use your bright lightning as soon as they step into the shadow.}

A second later, four wooden clubs fell to the ground while a blinding orb of light illuminated the surrounding forest. Even if it attracted other sasquatches, none of them were close enough to arrive soon enough.

As the shadows disappeared under the light, a small floor of darkness appeared in their place, making the disappearance of the shades seem like an illusion. Blinded and temporarily with no control over their bodies, two of the sasquatch were easy prey for the two beasts with a more practiced timing. 

Two heads flew once again into the air, and so far, the sasquatch warriors were just as helpless as the scouts. After the two successful kills, Licht and Schatten immediately retreated to let Sturm hit the remaining warriors with his lightning spells.

Each of Sturm's hands held a mass of lightning above their palms. Their potency could not be compared to Schatten's traps and should be able to take out sixth-tier beasts for at least a minute. With all the magic and will practice, the chant Sturm had learned was no longer necessary.

The number of mana cells supplying energy to the lightning bolts could not be compared to before, let alone the effect of pure a lightning attribute, which doubled the destructive power.

{Hey, Licht. Do you think our ambush was even necessary?}

{We are just practicing our teamwork, but to answer your question. No, it wasn't. How much willpower does Sturm have to threaten tier 6 bronze beasts as a mere human slave? I was close to silver when my lightning had been this powerful.}

Soon after, the smell of burned meat spread permeated through the air.