Excitement filled the air that morning as the group anticipated the next stage of their adventure. As he did every day, Scott checked his system message.

  **

  “Man, there has been so much excitement for the last 15 days,” Scott thought, reflecting on the time since the system began.

  Packing up didn't take long with their new spatial bags. All of them said their farewells to the Man-cave 2.0 and headed out first thing in the morning. One thing Scott forgot to mention was that the crew had made a wagon. Tomas, with all his unique knowledge of building and other odds and ins, took the time to craft it, using ironwood branches as "nails" to make it strong enough to hold all their pets, gear and extra supplies.

  The Crew trained the ever-growing female Overlord chicken as their horse. Rick still hadn't named her, and her size had rapidly grown from a 50-pound chick to a 400-pound beast with the pulling power of an ox. To aid Rick in riding and controlling the Overlord, Scott crafted a saddle with some of the leftover leather, which made steering and pulling the cart a wee bit easier.

  In the cart sat the Goats, along with Tomas, Osia, Sir Puggelsworth, and Peter as they began their journey. While the rest walked beside the cart. The wolves followed Scott on the way so he could work on some training with them before they got into any battles. Just the simple sit, follow, attack the random elusive dragon squirrels kind of training which all three of them were catching on fairly quickly since Scott could communicate with them using barks and growls.

  “Father? Can I eat the squirrel?” Geist asked. Being the first to catch his prey.

  “Sure, but don't get mad at me if it gives you a tummy ache.” Scott said, rubbing the back of his head.

  “Not if I get him first," Terran said, running in to try and steal it.

  Onyxia ran into Terran knocking him down into a tumble before growling. “See, that's what you get for being greedy. But I can share mine with you if you stop these shenanigans.”

  “Sit.” Scott Commanded. All three of them stopped what they were doing and sat at attention. “We will get more of these Squirrels on the way but we shall not be fighting amongst each other.”

  “Yes Sir!” All three of them said in unison before digging into their meal.

  Coming into view of the mountain, it ascended so steeply into the sky that its peak was obscured. Towering above the clouds, its slopes were partially covered in snow. Even from afar, you could see the movement of snow high on the mountain, just beneath the cloud line, suggesting a severe environment and localized blizzards.

  Reaching the bottom of the mountain took a few days, and a few hiccups along the way with the wagon getting stuck in mud or large rocks, as the Overlord chick was still in training. There, the crew was greeted by a pack of dire wolves—not just any dire wolves, but Dawn’s pack, which put the rest of the crew on edge, except for Scott. The others hadn't dealt with this pack up close, only observing them from afar. Dawn stepped forward and spoke in growls as Scott listened. "Thank you humans for keeping your promise. Though I wondered if the job would ever have been done. You certainly took your time to finish the other pack, but we are forever grateful for you."

  “Well, I also have to thank you! The info on the location of the pack was invaluable to say the least. Plus the amount of supplies and experience we gained was definitely worth it. On another note we will not be around for a while since the crew and I are heading up the Mountain. Would you keep an eye on the cave for us while we are gone?.”

  “We are no measly security force for you humans,” Dawn growled annoyed at the audacity of Scott asking her to keep an eye on Mancave. Dawn stopped pacing back and forth and began sniffing the air. “Wait, Something is different with you, You're no longer human anymore are you? What exactly are you then?”

  “I am a Beastkin,” Scott answered nonchalantly. "I know you're not our security force. Though wouldn't you say we are kind of like part of your pack with Geist here being family to us, which then makes you family to us since you're his mother?”

  “Well he is still my pup yes, even though he is under your paw now. But it is still yet to be determined whether or not you are a part of our pack.” Dawn Grumbled.

  "I guess I will take it as we are still negotiating!" Scott said with a smile, a glint of hope in his eye. "Anyways, what do you know about this mountain?"

  "The Ice Drake Mountain is a dangerous place," Dawn explained, her growl low. "It's full of ice elementals, frost giants, saber-toothed tigers, and of course, Ice Drakes

  “I have a feeling that we will be fine,” Scott grinned.

  "There is also word of something big on top of that mountain," Dawn continued. "Our Alpha was lost high above there trying to climb higher, never to return. His name was Atlar Sharptooth. There was something he told me long ago that he had a quest to reach the top of the mountain. I've never heard of such a thing as a quest, which I kind of find odd. But Atlar was an odd Alpha. Good luck, little Beastkin Scott."

  They said their goodbyes, and Dawn got a few moments with her pup before Scott finally turned around and saw the rest of the crew staring at him.

  “Dude, are you going to tell us what that was all about?” David pressed.

  “Oh, my bad, bro. The Alpha female here is Dawn, Geist's mom, who is also the Alpha of that pack,” Scott clarified.

  "Okay, well let's get to the part where you tell us what they want?" Tomas inquired.

  Scott told the Crew about his short conversation with the pack and what to anticipate on the mountain, including the beast at the top of the mountain. Afterward, they continued their ascent, seeking paths upward.

  A system message popped up once they started trekking up the mountain.

  

  

  Scott looked at the group as they all stopped to check the message and asked, "Do we accept?"

  “Yeah, I don't see why not,” David said

  “Let's do it,” Tomas agreed

  The rest of the group nodded, and they accepted the quest. Another message popped up right after:

  

  

  

  Having exchanged glances once again and reached a consensus, they accepted the latest mission. Scott never expected to get quests in the normal world, maybe in dungeons, but not in the normal world. The Crew traveled for half a day and soon encountered their first Ice elemental.

  Some time ago, two women, two teenagers, and two boys ran through a now dead, spider-infested forest as two large saber-toothed tigers chased them.

  "Don't stop, keep going!" Cat shouted, flying through the air, dodging trees and webs left by the spiders. She kept an eye on the saber-tooths while guiding them through the quickest route.

  The tigers were five levels higher than they were, and exhausted from clearing the forest of all of the spiders that were a threat, they didn't stand a chance against the cats at this time.

  "Are you sure I can't have one of those?" Christy asked.

  "If you can catch one without getting killed, be my guest," Cat said to her daughter that was flying next to her in bird form.

  One saber-tooth caught up with Victor. Cat flew in, grabbed Victor, and flew off slowly just above the trees. But the saber-tooth didn't stop there; using its superior jumping skills, it leaped onto the branches of the trees below and launched itself up towards Cat, knocking both Victor and Cat out of the air to crash down through the trees hitting branches before hitting the ground and rolling.

  Both Victor and Cat scurried off the ground just in time to escape into a hollowed-out tree for cover, where Victor could barely fit, and Cat had plenty of room since she had a spell to shrink her size. The attacks kept coming, and Victor screamed while nearly taking a claw to the chest. Slowly, the tree's shell broke down, and the claws got closer and closer as the Saber Tooth chipped away at the tree.

  From behind the Saber Tooth, Christy landed in her Owlbear form

  Just on the other side of the forest, Ann, Hunter, and Riley fought off the 800-pound beast, each of them quite well at dodging its teeth and claws while doing small amounts of damage. Ann ended up breaking one of the large fangs in half with a swing of her great sword, while Hunter kept throwing his disc into the back of the beast's leg, injuring the cat. Riley ended up jumping onto its back and took both of his short swords, continually swinging them into the side of its neck in a bout of fury, finally taking it down with the constant wounds to the neck and legs.

  They met up shortly after and found Christy talking to the last saber-tooth.

  "Now I will let you loose if you are a good kitty and obey me. If you're a bad kitty, I will end you right now. Will you obey me, or will you die, your choice?" she said in animal tongue.

  "I... I... I..." the Saber Tooth stammered.

  Small spiders came crawling out of the trees and began climbing the webs toward the cat.

  "I would hurry if I were you, otherwise you will be food for these little ones. Now, these little ones have acid that will slowly burn your fur and into your skin. Maybe you will die sooner than later. Though I believe it will be the latter part," Christy said with purrs and roars.

  The spiders got closer, and the sabretooth struggled, becoming more intertwined in the webbing. Just before the spiders reached him, he spoke.

  "I... I yield," the Saber Tooth said in a low grumble.

  "I can't hear you," Christy said teasingly.

  "Okay, I will obey," the Saber Tooth said as his eyes glowed and he shook for a mere moment until it stopped. "I will obey my master."

  The bond was made, and Christy cast a spell. One by one, the spiders exploded as their blood boiled until their chitin shells burst, spilling acid onto the webbing and melting it away, releasing the cat from its fate.

  "Rise, my minion, and stand beside me," Christy commanded.

  "Yes, my druid," the saber Tooth said as he stood up, walked next to her, and sat down.

  "Now we will be good friends, won't we? What is your name, my cat?" Christy asked.

  "Yes, my Druid, my name is Fang," he replied.

  “I don't like that name. I will call you Murder Cat.” Christy said with a playful tone.

  “Yes my Druid, I will be known as Murder Cat.” he said.

  “Good, we are now friends.” Christy said.

  “Now that is all done, we can finally get going. You know you have watched too many movies. I'm proud of you.” Cat says. “ By the way how did you tame a creature higher level than yourself?”

  Murder Cat growled, while revealing his teeth to Cat.

  “No Murder Cat, family not food.” Christy said

  Murder Cat sat back down and said “ Yes my druid.”

  "Well, it looks like you have him under control," Cat said. "Now we've found a dungeon, so let's get going."

  Some time later, the group walked into a hidden dungeon, concealed beneath some webs below two trees. Steps made of bones led down to a door also crafted from bones. Two sphere-like holes lay open on either side of the twin doors.

  "Where do we get these keys to open the doors?" Ann wondered aloud.

  “Good Question, do any of you happen to find said keys?” Cat asked.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "Here, Mother, I found these in the larger two carcasses. Must have been the Alphas. I can sense the magic inside them," Hunter said, handing Cat two spheres.

  Cat took the spheres and set them into place. Magical light rose out of each sphere—one dark black, the other white—at the same time, almost like two separate lights dancing in unity towards each other, like yin and yang, to the center of the doors. This revealed a dark emblem in the center. The emblem lit up, revealing a skull, and the doors swung open. A cold wind shot out, and they could feel death passing by. A dark black portal with a tinge of green appeared before them.

  "Shall we?" Cat asked.

  "We shall," Ann replied.

  They walked side by side into the darkness.

  An Ice Elemental

  "Take defensive positions!" Tomas shouted.

  They moved away from the wagon, and those inside stood firm while Osia cast a spell, covering the wagon in a green globe of runes. The shards shot forward and shattered against the globe.

  Scott darted forward, seeing more ice shards forming. Once formed, they shot with haste, but using his Ghost SkinIce Elemental Ice Elemental

  Even while airborne, he used a bit of mana mixed with the momentum to adjust his body and push himself down towards the mountain, flipping himself over to land with both feet on the ground, one hand down in front of him. He slid back ten feet until finally stopping as his foot hit a tree. Shooting forward, using the tree as a kick-off, he activated his sword once more as light engulfed him, and he appeared in front of the Ice Elemental

  Scott noticed that both George and Rick lay frozen solid on the ground beneath the Ice ElementalIce Elemental

  A milky-white core appeared in the snow before him. Scott picked it up and placed it into his spatial storage before bolting over to check on two frozen crew. Reaching down he hit the ice a few times before finding out that his brute strength wouldn't work against the Ice Elementals avalanche

  With all the wolves and the dire wolf inside the wagon along with Tomas, Rick, Osia and the Glow Horns

  Using his eyes to spot Peter's heat signature, he finally located him running towards them only a hundred yards out because he took cover behind some rocks while taking pot shots at the Ice Elemental

  "Did you see where Peter went?" Scott asked, his voice strained.

  "No, the snow was too thick, and we lost him in the avalanche," Tomas said, his voice grim.

  David, in his snowy owl

  Scott looked back to see Osia passed out; she must have used up most of her mana maintaining that shield spell for so long. The wolves, goats, Tomas, the undead pets, George, and Rick were all there, but no sign of Peter.

  "There's no sign of Peter. Rick and George are ice cubes, Osia has passed out and everyone else is doing fine," Scott reported.

  "I will search the mountainside and see if I can find Peter. You guys figure out how to get them thawed out," David continued, already taking flight.

  "Okay," Scott said with a worried look. "We already lost one. We're not sure if he's dead or alive." Scott mumbled. First, he grabbed a mana potion and poured it into Osia's mouth; she woke up shortly after.

  “What happened?” Osia asked, still weak from the strain that the avalanche took on her.

  “You saved the day!” Scott said. “Go ahead and rest while Tomas and I get a camp set up.”

  Osia turned over and snuggled up with her pup and fell asleep instantly. Scott and Tomas got to work building a tent on the mountain side up near the mountain wall, behind a boulder for some cover. They managed to make a makeshift teepee using leftover ironwood branches mixed with the dire wolf skins Scott had left. Tomas and Scott pulled out their beds and placed both George and Rick in them, hoping to thaw them faster. The fire was made using leftover wood from Tomas's crafts.

  Three hours later, David reappeared, walking into the tent with his head down. "Couldn't find Peter anywhere. How are George and Rick doing?"

  "Well, we are about halfway there. We've managed to get small holes into the ice, which is helping them melt faster." Scott said. “But it will still be a while before they are finally free of their ice prisons.”

  Tomas was already curled up in a ball with his minions sleeping, and Osia was also napping to regenerate her mana faster. Scott, on the other hand, had been using his mana to create drills to make holes in the ice for both George and Rick.

  An hour later, with their combined magic and muscle, David and Scott managed to get both George and Rick out of the ice, but their bodies were so frozen they were still out cold. A couple more hours later, both of them woke up from their ice naps, talking slowly while their bodies shivered in pain. George pulled out some meat and the smoker from his spatial bags, and Scott got to work cooking for them.

  "We lost Peter tonight," Scott told them as he cooked up some dire wolf backstraps.

  "What happened?" Rick asked.

  "The Ice elemental blew up and created an avalanche where we barely made it out alive." Scott explained with a bit of worry on his face.

  "Wow, well, we can look in the morning," Rick said, still shivering.

  Tomas woke up and added to the conversation. "Still nothing?"

  "Nope," David replied.

  It was dark, and the wind was picking up outside. "I will watch tonight. You guys get some rest." Scott explained.

  One step outside, and the temperature made you want to run inside, grab a hot cocoa, and sit by the fire. Luckily, Scott's thick skin and fur from his new race allowed his body to handle the sub-zero temperatures. He walked outside, feeling a slight shiver at first, but he continued anyway. He then sat down not too far from the teepee and closed his eyes.

  Sitting in the middle of the storm, with snow swirling all around him, Scott began to practice his mana control. His first creation was a Red drill

  He tried again only a bit slower to find that the same thing happened again. "," Scott thought. "" So first, he started with a small bit of mana on the middle of his chest, about the size of an American quarter. Next, he began expanding the mana, hovering it just above his fur. At first, he took it slow, thinking the mana would just pop again. But then he decided to close his eyes, concentrate and just let the mana flow. That's when it happened; one moment he was sitting on the ground with the bubble slowly surrounding him, and the next, he felt lighter. He couldn't feel the wind around him anymore, nor the ground below him, so he opened his eyes, and a big boom happened as he lost his concentration and fell flat on his butt. The boom cleared the snow around the teepee, revealing David hiding beneath.

  "Did you just float?" David asked, now in his snow leopard form.

  "I think so, but I used a ton of mana doing it." Scott explained.

  "Do it again,” David instructed. “But this time I want you to picture your mana as armor, and you're protecting yourself from me."

  "Okay," Scott said. "What do you mean by 'protect myself from you'?"

  David transformed back into his true form, a Trollkin

  Scott's natural instincts kicked in, and he stepped back, watching the axe fly by. "What are you doing? I'm not taking an axe like that, not yet!" Scott argued, stepping back again as David's axe whizzed past him once more.

  "No, take a hit like a man and use your mana like armor. Trust me," David insisted, a shit-eating grin starting to form.

  Scott thought. “ He did give David credit, though. David was right a lot of the time, except when he'd do his whole redneck pronunciation of words. For instance, Scott always thought "kitsune" was pronounced like "kit-sunae," and David thought it was more like "kit-sun." Both of them were wrong, as it's actually pronounced "kit-soon." Words were always something they disagreed on.

  "Okay, let's do it," Scott challenged, "But you better be able to regrow my arm if you cut it off!"

  That's when David's grin solidified. “ Scott thought to himself as he watched the axe descend towards his face. He instantly brought his arms up to block. The axe struck his right arm with such force that it felt bruised.

  "See, nothing happened," David continued, his grin unwavering.

  “What do you mean nothing happened,” Scott Exclaimed. “That fucking hurt.”

  "Yeah, but there's no blood," David said, the shit-eating grin still plastered across his face.

  Scott looked down at his arm after lowering it to his side; David was right, no blood. "How?" Scott thought.

  "I believe you concentrated on that arm while I was swinging, and then I noticed a small, faint bit of red mana form in front of you, almost like a shield," David explained.

  "I guess that makes sense. Let's do it again." Scott said excitedly and ready to improve his fighting skills.

  David hit Scott so many times that Scott's mana began to run low, forcing him to pause the session.

  "Okay, hit me now," David said.

  "Dude, that's what she said. Hit me baby one more time! Okay, are you ready?" Scott quipped.

  "Ha ha, yep," David replied.

  “Weapons or fists?” Scott inquired.

  “Eh, let's start out with a sword.” David said proudly.

  Scott started swinging his sword in his normal form, noting that David was a natural with mana control. Scott could barely see the mana, but David's mana was similar to a sage green, not blood red like Scott's. This was very interesting; Scott hadn't known mana had different colors. It must depend on the person's origin or maybe their natural element. Come to think of it, Scott believed that when Tomas cast spells, his mana was more of a cyan blue, even his undead pets had a cyan blue glow to them. Osia's was a neon green, which Scott had noticed when she used her shield magic or fireball. He believed George's was a burnt orange, and Rick's was black, like the shadows he traveled through. That left Peter, the lost one, whose mana Scott believed was a gold color.

  They continued for another hour until Scott's arms were so tired he could barely lift them. David, still eager, offered another stamina potion, and they resumed their intense training. Scott noted how massive David's mana pool seemed, especially considering they were only level 20.

  "Uh, David, how high is your mana pool now?" Scott asked.

  "You don't want to know," David replied evasively.

  "Uh, yeah, I'm curious how you're keeping up your mana for so long?" Scott inquired.

  "Well, here's the thing," David began, "I've been putting a lot of free points from my DruidPerceptionAlchemyDruid

  "What's your Alchemy level sitting at?" Scott pressed.

  "Eh, a measly Level 35," David said with a shrug.

  "Wow, that's amazing.” Scott said, shocked. “I really need to step up my game and level my leatherworking

  "Let's keep going. I've got some mana to spare," David urged.

  "Okay, let's kick it up a notch. What do you say?" Scott grinned.

  "Go for it," David replied, a challenge in his eyes.

  Scott nodded and shifted into Beast ModeMark

  With both swords in hand, Scott continued to go all out, and David got serious. They began dueling, and David transformed into an Owlbear

  That's where things got fun. David kept transforming into different animals—a cheetahbirdOwlbearinfrared visionSuch a cheat, I know, especially at night and in the middle of a snowstorm.” Scott mused.

  David stuck out like a sore thumb, and Scott was ready. A few times, David came at him, and Scott phased right through him multiple times. David changed tactics again, using his mana to try and trap Scott. It worked for a moment until Scott started to lose it. He began to suffocate and rage, his eyes turning red as the bloodlust returned. He hit the mana barrier so many times that he finally broke loose. This time, he fought for control from the get-go. He moved so fast that one second he was in front of David, and the next second he appeared right behind him, slightly up the mountain, and Sparta-kicked him so hard that David was launched down the hill.

  About 60 seconds later, David was back, flying as a bird. Scott then seemed to teleport into the sky like a Super Saiyan, his two hands locked together as one fist, smashing down so hard that Scott could see the impact make a small shockwave as David plummeted towards the ground. It was as if Scott was standing in the air.

  "How in the hell did I do that? Or better yet, I didn't know I could do that?" Scott thought, utterly astonished. "The beast side of me has tricks that I didn't even know about. I know after this my body is going to be completely exhausted, and I may pass out if I don't get full control."

  Thinking about everything going on, he was distracted long enough to notice that David's body was still plummeting towards the ground; he wasn't changing or flying. Scott fought his body with everything he had and finally broke through to move to catch him. Somehow, he landed on the ground just underneath and jumped up to catch David's unconscious bird body. He thought normally once you are knocked down to zero while in animal form that you transform back into your racial form. I guess it wasn't the case this time Landing on the ground, Scott grabbed a bottle of healing potion and forced it down David's small beak until he finally woke up.

  "Hello there, buddy. We have to stop meeting like this," Scott said with a cheeky smile.

  "I need a drink," David said, ignoring Scott's joking attitude.

  "I'm starving, and a drink sounds good right now," Scott replied.

  They went inside their campsite and had a good drink and ate while guzzling down potions to replenish their low stats.

  Scott noticed he had a system notification. Now, something you should know about him before the system: whenever he had a message or alert on an app, either on his phone or computer, he would instantly have to clear it. For whatever reason, he had to have it cleared or he felt off. Yeah, he knew he was weird, but he was kind of anal about that kind of thing.

  “” Scott thought.

  **[Short Sword mastery(Uncommon)]~

  [Short Sword mastery(Rare)]**

  "Well, it looks like all of that training was worth it. I mean, it was extremely exhausting, but worth it in more ways than one. Like, how did I float in the air? And how did I appear above so fast? Was it teleportation or flying?" Many questions about how it all worked raced through Scott's head. He knew the only way to figure it out was to do it again and again until it was natural. He would love to fly or teleport. When he was a kid, he wanted to be a pilot and a farmer because he loved animals.

  Not soon after, the next shift took over, and Scott headed to bed. Snuggling up with Terran and Geist, Scott fell asleep to the winds of the storm that raged on through the night, kind of like a good ole sound machine