Chapter 11: Bone Marrow Mystery
"We found his body, sir."
David's head tilted upward at the news, away from the papers messily sprawled across his desk.
"Continue," David said, his chin resting on a pair of callused hands.
Roy quickly resumed speaking, "It was one of the newer guards, Dale Rodarte. He was buried a few hundred meters away from the cave with his sword."
"So he was murdered?" David asked.
"That's the thing, sir. He wasn't just murdered; He was eaten… down to the bone."
"So something not only killed and consumed him, but also had the sense to hide his body?"
"Yes, sir. Not only that, but even the blood trails were covered. It took us hours to find and follow it. Also, the trail began at the entrance of the cave. We can't make heads or tails of it, sir."
"Bone Marrow Cave, was it?"
"Yes, sir."
David began shuffling through the papers on his desk, seemingly trying to locate something. After a few seconds, his gaze froze on a single sheet of paper before lifting it with his rough hands.
"Bone Marrow Cave, Rank 1 dungeon located in Greenleaf Forest. Home to a pack of chef rats led by a Rank 2 chef rat king. One Rank 2 slackjaw spider also resides inside. Used for training by the 31st Guard Regiment. Sound right so far?" David asked after reading the report, his eyes landing on Roy.
Roy nodded with a solemn expression.
David then continued speaking, "Tell me, Captain. A Rank 1 dungeon filled with only weak Rank 1 and 2 beasts has its guard murdered, eaten, and buried. The assailant has the intelligence to not only bury the body and sword, but also hide the blood trails. However, they also have the inclination to eat humans, down to the bone even. Does that ring any bells for you?"
"Um, goblins, sir? Those are the only monsters in Greenleaf Forest… sir," Roy said.
"Goblins? The creatures who can't tell a rock from their ass?" David asked.
Roy seemed embarrassed by his shallow answer.
"Sorry, sir. I really don't know," Roy replied, lowering his head.
"It's okay, Captain. I never expected you to know the answer, as smart as you are. Please, close the door. I'm going to let you in on a state secret."
Roy was confused by his commander's words. What was so important that he needed to close the doors? However, he didn't dare disobey orders and promptly closed them.
After the wooden doors slammed shut, a myriad of runes forming complex patterns on their surface lit up with a white flash. Roy was greatly confused by this, but David quickly explained, "It'll keep anyone from overhearing us. Come, sit," David said, gesturing to an empty chair in front of his desk.
Roy sat in the chair, waiting attentively for his commander to speak.
"Have you ever heard of wise beasts?" David asked.
"No, sir?" Roy said, bewildered by the unfamiliar term.
"Wise beasts are an incredibly rare version of normal beasts. They possess the same amount of intelligence as monsters, if not more. Scary, really."
"I see. That does sound like a problem, sir." Roy said understandingly.
"Of course! Beasts' ability to grow and evolve is significantly higher than both monsters and the civilized races. These rare lifeforms, if significantly intelligent, can use their fast growth speed to wreak unimaginable amounts of devastation."
"If what you say is true, sir, then we should consider such a beast as an absolute threat to the country," Roy said, cupping his chin in thought.
David nodded his head, continuing, "The country has been researching these wise beasts for decades, but they're too rare to get concrete data. All we know is that they're incredibly dangerous and should be considered a number one elimination priority. Many disasters against the civilized races are believed to be the work of these wise beasts. Power and intelligence — when brought together — make a truly terrifying combination."
David seemed to be genuinely frightened at the idea of wise beasts, shocking Roy. He'd never seen his fearless commander make such a face.
"Sir, if this is a state secret, how come you're telling me all this?" Roy asked.
David smiled at that question and responded, "Because you'll be leading the investigation for this wise beast."
"Sir?" Roy said, astonished at that revelation.
"Don't worry, you'll have a few city mages to help with your search. You just need to assign the tasks and lead the team. Greenleaf Forest is your regiment's domain after all. To help you get started, I'll impart you with my personal theory."
Roy nodded at his words.
David spoke again, "I believe this wise beast to have been born inside Bone Marrow Cave. This beast either evolved rapidly from birth using its abnormal intelligence, or was one of the Rank 2 beasts who used the other creatures inside the cave to boost its rank. However, I believe it to be the first option. If it really were one of the Rank 2 beasts, then what took it so long? Thus, after this newborn beast used its superior intelligence to conquer the cave, it also used it to unlock the door. Then, of course, it ran into the unwitting guard, killing and eating him before using its unnatural intellect to hide the evidence. You can begin your search by looking for traces and sightings of chef rats and slackjaw spiders in the surrounding forest; They were the only species in the cave after all. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
Roy could only relent to Commander David's orders.
Roy had no significant experience in detective work; He was only a guard captain with better than average deductive reasoning skills. The most he'd ever investigated concerned petty robberies and bar fights, but never anything this critical to the nation. However, orders were orders, especially when they came directly from the commander.
"When do I start?" Roy asked.
"Now," David said, tossing him a small rhombus-shaped blue crystal the size of a fist.
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Zulu dashed between a pair of oak trees before diving through the air like an Olympic swimmer. His body flew for a short second before slipping into a small hole in the ground. After a couple feet, his hind legs caught the outside of the hole's entrance, preventing any further descent.
Zulu seemed to be battling something inside the hole as the sound of [Bite]s and broken glass could be heard.
A few seconds later, Zulu put his strength into his hind legs and pulled himself back and out of the hole. He didn't return alone, however, but with his lifeless prey firmly locked between his jaws.
Inside Zulu's clutched teeth was a small purple crystal snake. It was three feet long and two inches wide. It had yellow eyes with vertically-slit pupils and its head comprised only of shattered crystal; Zulu seemed to have attacked that area with his [Bite]. It laid limp, but nonetheless reflected a brilliant glow of the sun's light with its pristine crystal scales.
'This is the second one of these snake things that I've found, and their crystal scales are hard as hell. It's not fair! What kind of Rank 1 creature has such a tough defense?'
Zulu could only lament at the unfairness of the world before breaking open the snakes scales to reach the meat hidden underneath.
'They do taste good, though. Maybe I should try cooking one with my [Fireball] spell? Speaking of which, I should be able to test it out now; My mana's topped off.'
After thinking that, Zulu quickly finished eating the snake before finding an open clearing without any trees.
'I'd rather not burn the forest down. I don't want to be so irresponsible with my magic like those damned goblins.'
Zulu planted his feet and began gathering mana between his jaws, activating [Fireball]. The spell's casting requirements were already ingrained in his mind, so he merely needed to create it with a thought.
After a couple seconds, a large [Fireball] a meter in diameter formed in front of Zulu's mouth. To his surprise, he found that the flames didn't actually hurt him in any way despite the close proximity to his snoot.
'Is it because it's made from my mana? Yeah, that makes sense. Fire magic would be all but useless if it hurt the user while casting.'
The [Fireball] spun and writhed in the air before firing forward like an arrow. It smashed into the middle of the clearing, igniting with a fiery red explosion. The grass under the detonation of heat and flames was instantly vaporized, and a shallow dirt crater was formed in the ground. The crater was a meter in diameter and a foot and a half deep. The grass on the sides of the circular crater were singed black, creating a pronounced dark ring around it.
'Whoa. That was AWESOME! That was so cool! Fire magic is definitely the best!'
Testing his new spell, Zulu couldn't help but bubble with excitement.
'It seems using [Fireball] takes about 20 percent of my mana, so I can only use it five times for now. Now I just need to find something to test this spell on.'
As Zulu thought that, movement in the distance caught his eye.
'Another one? Hmm, it seems like he's been scared off by my [Fireball]. I guess I'll follow it for now,' Zulu thought, activating [Creep] and following after the fleeing purple crystal snake.
The crystal snake was quick in its movement, but Zulu was a fox-type Rank 2 beast, he wouldn't fall behind a Rank 1 creature in a contest of speed.
Like this, Zulu followed the rapidly slithering snake for ten minutes until it finally disappeared into a dirt hole.
'Another hole? And they all run there as well. My my, do I smell a den? Hehe, perfect. Dens are the best source of Essence,' Zulu thought as he investigated the two foot wide hole in the ground.
'I'd really like to just launch some fireballs down there, but the hole is just too small. I'll have to sneak in for now and hope it opens up further down.'
After reaching that conclusion, Zulu utilized his Rank 2 [Creep] to silently descend through the hole. It was a tight squeeze, but he could fit his body inside well enough.
The hole was nothing but hollowed out dirt with the occasional root breaking through the wall. It stretched far into the ground at a moderate incline.
'I don't see the snake anymore. It must've made it to the den by now.'
After only a few minutes of silent crawling, Zulu began to see an end to the barren tunnel about ten meters away. Despite the increasing darkness, his [Night Vision] allowed him to spot it perfectly fine at this distance.
Reaching the exit to the tunnel, Zulu discovered a wide cavern of cliff-like walls and jagged stalagmites protruding from the floor and ceiling. The stalagmites were coated in purple crystal with noticeable amounts of chunks missing. The crystal radiated a beautiful purple light, illuminating the entirety of the cavern.
The tunnel led to the ground floor of the cavern, allowing Zulu to bask in its massive size; It was forty meters in height and the area of two football fields.
In the center of the stone ravine — surrounded by multiple looming stalagmites — was a writing pit of purple crystal. At least a dozen crystal snakes were coiling around one another in a skin-crawling manner.
'Thank God I don't have a fear of snakes, or I'd probably have passed out by now.'
Then Zulu made a mental connection.
'Do these crystal stalagmites have some sort of connection with the crystal snakes? I mean, it can't just be a coincidence, right?'
Zulu stealthily hopped onto a large protruding rock a few feet above the ground. He wanted a good vantage point for what he was about to do.
'What's best for dealing with a dense pack of enemies all close in proximity with one another? An AOE spell of course! [Fireball]!'
Giving his mental command, a massive whirling fireball materialized in Zulu's mouth before shooting forward with incredible velocity.
The pit of snakes noticed the sudden influx of scorching heat and turned to observe the cause for the temperature disruption. What met their gazes was a great red mass of flame which was quickly accompanied by an ear-piercing explosion.
The crystal snakes were tangled too intensely and could not disperse in time. They were all obliterated under the might of the spell. Rank 1 creatures simply couldn't endure the attack of a Rank 2 creature's spell, especially one that had a major elemental affinity for fire.
After the spell's detonation, only a pile of charred corpses remained. Their crystal exteriors prevented them from being turned to ash but were entirely destroyed in the process.
'Hehe, victory! For fox kind!' Zulu thought, leaping down from the rock to begin his snake feast.
Zulu approached the pile of burnt bodies and began to consume one of them. However, before he could take a second bite, a piercing hiss echoed throughout the cavern.
Startled, Zulu searched the area for the source of the noise. When he turned his gaze, what met his eyes was a twelve foot long and one foot wide purple crystal snake. It was standing high above him and watching him with unbridled resentment.
'That must be the leader. Hehe, how kind of you to deliver your Essence to me. Let's dance, rocky.'
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
TooLazyToWork
TooLazyToWork Super Bowl today. I'm not a Bengals fan, but I hope they win. Anyway, thanks for reading!
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