They continued walking, and surprisingly they had seen no enemies, making the journey completely smooth.
Sage kept asking questions. Baelor seemed very knowledgeable about many things, which made Sage more interested in speaking to him.
But when Sage asked about the "heart" they were going to retrieve, he just said it was very powerful and left it at that.
'Haa... this is easy. We'll be out of here in no time.'
Suddenly Baelor, who had been flying high above, the reason they hadn't encountered anything was because he was guiding them along the safest path, came back down and perched on Sage's shoulder.
"You need to prepare. We've got company. There are two flesh hounds up ahead."
"Can't we sneak past?" Sage suggested. He was scared, though he tried not to show it. Baelor's next words didn't help his nerves.
"No. I've been flying reconnaissance and guiding us along the safest route, which is why we haven't seen any enemies. This is literally the safest path, everywhere else has things more dangerous than these two hounds. Trust me, I did say there was no safe place here. Are you ready?"
Sage took a deep breath. "How strong are they?" he asked, looking ahead. Although he couldn't see them yet, he couldn't help but imagine ten-foot-tall dogs, despite having already seen they weren't quite that big.
"As I said, the seal on you is limiting everything. Not only is your natural power sealed, but you can't grow stronger either. So here's my advice: don't get bitten. In fact, don't get hit at all. Go for the head or legs, anywhere else and you'll barely scratch them. And don't die. After all, I'm truly looking forward to our journey together."
Sage took several deep breaths and began walking forward, trying to hype himself up.
'Come on... you got this. Just two dogs. How bad can it be?'
Sage crept behind a rock and peered at the area ahead. There were a few scattered trees, but mostly open clearing.
Two hounds were fighting each other in the middle of it.
Sage held his breath. This was the first time he got a proper look at them. They were massive, even bigger than Hati, who had been the largest wolf Sage had ever seen.
But they were quite unique in appearance. They had three eyes each... and—
"Two heads?"
"Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that?" Baelor said casually.
Wasn't he basically fighting four of them if each hound had two heads?
Other than their extra heads and eyes, they looked starved. The way they fought each other was brutal and desperate.
"Can't I just wait till they're done fighting and catch the winner off guard?"
Suddenly the growling stopped. Sage peeked over the rock and saw multiple pairs of glowing eyes staring directly at their hiding spot.
"I guess not."
"Come on, kid. You got this," Baelor said, though his tone suggested even he wasn't entirely confident.
Sage stepped out from the hiding spot and began his standoff against the two, two-headed flesh hounds.
GROWWWWLLLLL!!!!
They circled him, working together as if they hadn't just been tearing into each other moments before.
"Come on, remember your lessons. Don't panic. Stay calm. Read your opponent's moves before committing," he muttered, trying to anchor himself to his mother's training.
Suddenly, one of the hounds barked with one head while the other kept growling, then it lunged. The creature launched itself through the air with terrifying speed, jaws aimed directly at his throat.
Sage dropped and slid to the side. The moment he hit the ground, instinct screamed danger. He twisted and swung his axe blindly to his left.
The second hound had been waiting for exactly that, for him to dodge, to be vulnerable. It pounced from his blind spot, all four sets of jaws snapping.
Sage's axe caught it mid-leap, forcing it back. Both hounds landed and began circling again, saliva dripping from their mouths like acid.
"WOAH!! YOU GOT THIS, KID!"
Baelor's voice rang out from atop the rock.
Both hounds' heads snapped toward the sound in unison.
They saw only red smoke dissipating where the demon had been.
Sage's eyes had followed the distraction too, but he caught himself. His mother's voice echoed in his mind 'Never waste an opening.'
He exploded forward.
The nearest hound turned back just as Sage's axe came down in a vicious arc aimed at its skull.
The beast tried to leap away, too slow.
The blade caught its front leg with a sickening crunch, shearing through muscle and bone. It didn't sever completely, but the limb hung useless, spurting dark blood onto the crimson ground.
The hound howled, a horrible sound with both heads screaming in agony, and staggered back, limping badly as it tried to keep distance between them.
Sage's heart pounded. One was wounded.
But now both hounds were fully locked on him, and the fury in their six glowing eyes promised violence.
Sage, seeing he could actually hurt them, felt the fear in his heart ease. A small smile appeared on his face.
"Come on... come on."
The wounded hound limped back while its partner positioned itself protectively. Both creatures studied him with unnerving intelligence, their six eyes calculating, waiting for the right moment.
The uninjured hound moved first, but not directly. It circled wide to Sage's right while the wounded one limped to his left, forcing him to split his attention. These weren't mindless beasts. They were hunting.
"Smart," Sage muttered, then louder: "But not smart enough!"
He feinted toward the injured one, then spun and charged the healthy hound. It had been expecting the obvious target and was caught off-guard. Sage's axe whistled through the air in a horizontal sweep.
The hound dropped low, the blade passing inches over its heads, then launched itself upward at Sage's exposed torso.
Sage twisted, bringing the axe handle up to block. The impact sent him staggering, but he used the momentum to pivot and slam his elbow down between the creature's shoulder blades.
The hound yelped and rolled away just as its wounded partner lunged from behind.
Sage spun, bringing his axe around in a wide arc. The injured hound couldn't dodge properly with its damaged leg, the blade caught it across the side, opening a gash that sprayed blood across the ground.