Chapter 328: Caged Beasts

A fissure cracked open and was followed by thunderbolts.

Behind Ned and the overpowered Gogmurch, and in the center of the battlefield, a wild Guulvorg appeared.

Guulvorg was a magical beast with a typical length of 15 to 20 meters and was closely related to wargs. This creature was a native of the northern part of the Bogblot region where the temperature was scalding, even though surrounded by swamps and the twin lakes. Its aberrant feature was its enormous fang, which resembles a scythe blade, that was oversized even for their huge mouth. Normal Guulvorgs has grey pelts with a spurt of bones that jutted from the creature's back and continue with the monster's glowing red eyes. A Guulvorg's tail ends in a huge bulb of lightning and could use it extremely quickly in battles. They were also immune to fire and cold. Simply because it has boiling blood. If the creature is wounded, which was hard without magic weapons, its blood scalds its attacker.

But not the one growling in the fray. An abnormal Guulvorg, standing in four for about 40 meters. with black pelt, instead of grey, a massive bulb of purple lightning, and a pair of steel-like fangs with saliva leaking its gap. Its red raging eyes looking for its next prey.

"What have you done." Gogmurch opened his battered eyes. "No!"

But before Ned, and the rest have the time to react, the abnormal Guulvorg charged into melee to its nearest target.

Thirteen stood, stupefied of what he has done. The lump of beating meat he had fed was supposed to make the Guulvorg, or any other beast follows his commands.

"This wasn't supposed to happen!" Thirteen shouted, shivering. His mask cracked after the Guulvorg appeared in front of him with its fangs sticking to his chest. The rest of its teeth ground Thirteen's upper torso.

The Guulvorg threw Thirteen's body midair and ate him in one gulp. Making its eyes glow even brighter from the taste of human blood.

It growled unsatisfied. Its eyes blaring its next target. Before the rest of the Ghostbloods reacts, the Guulvorg went dashing with its huge mouth ready for anything.

Trees bent from its wake, the Guulvorg rounded the rest of the Ghostblood inside the forest.

The hunters knew what do to—nothing. Do nothing and it might save their lives—perhaps.

"It's gone revolting the Ghostbloods," Ned said and called off Overclock. He stood, looking down at Gogmurch. His face was deformed from Ned's battering, his white fur turned brown from the mud.

He then stood blaring eyes to Ned.

"You humans don't know when to stop," Gogmurch growled weakly. "She has done nothing! Now, look at her!"

The goblin general wasn't so big anymore with his voice whizzing weakly. He bent under Ned's boots with green blood leaking from the wounds under his eyes.

"I don't know what happened between you two," Ned said to Gogmurch but his blue eyes scanning the Guulvorg. He tsked looking at the beast munching the fleeing Ghostbloods. He could hear murmurs coming from the hunter. The rattling of cages where the two bipedal beasts were now growling weakly after seeing the abnormal Guulvorg. Their enormous mono-cyclopic eyes trembling in fear. Even the beast knew the disparity of strength. If only Thirteen knew this beforehand.

"Not yet." Gogmurch stood with what was left of his strength. Although unable to comprehend how Ned, the little human whom he thought to be so weak, out-powered him. He still stood with his chest popping. "The other one—Newter. I'll go with you if we save Newter."

Trees cracked to half along with the Ghostbloods pleading to be saved, Gogmurch explained to Ned.

"That lupine creator is named Balworg." Gogmurch began, referring to the rampaging Guulvorg. "And the one in the remaining cage was Newter. Balworg was a land steed and Newter is a baby wyvern. They were intelligent enough to understand me that I promised them that I'll bring them to the Hive when we are set free. Only to be set by you. We are different from you, human called Ned. We live with our words."

Ned was confused about how he knew his name, but it wasn't the time for that. "You also swore to kill me, Gogmurch the Goblin General."

"A promise I intend to keep," Gogmurch said, he stood 5 more feet higher than Ned. "But not for now. For Kon Sas Koron, I'll go with you. Only if Newter come with me."

What could Ned do? No Gogmurch; no Katolin. He nodded and they better hurry as the Guulvorg was set to munch the last of the Ghostblood.

Ned's eyes gazed over the trees, trying to search for the Healer Ghostblood. But the Healer was gone. Ned couldn't sense a single ounce of light magic anymore. He instead dashed to the second cage.

The massive and quiet cage covered in the green tarp was set in between the first and the third cage surrounded by the two smaller cages with the bipedal beasts.

To his far-right were the hunters, dozen of them frozen in places with their weapons trembling in hand. Without their Gold Rank Hunter, their command and morale crumbled.

They better leave now if they wanted to survive, Ned thought but went dashing to the said cage. He doesn't like them dead, but his goals come in first.

Upon arriving, Ned hurriedly pulled the tarp and a black baby wyvern appeared frightened. This was the first time that Ned saw this kind of beast. Black scales, black fur, and nightmarish red eyes, resembling the predator black panther. Its small tail erects spikes that looking to be detachable. Its bladed wings reveal that the beast has the capabilities of flying. Unlike dragons, which have a longer lifespan, wyverns lived shorter. Looking at the baby wyvern, he, perhaps a she, must not be longer than a hundred years.

Gogmurch appeared beside Ned with the jade-looking ax, he got from the unconscious Napond, he held on his right.

Newter excitedly rose upon Gogmurch's arrival.

Gogmurch raised and hack the cage. Apparently, it was also Array protected.

Ned dashed to Thirteen, or what remained of him. He bent to reach the dull stone inside Thirteen's remaining hand.

Ned tagged and gripped the dull stone. He was ready to flash back to Gogmurch when a shadow overwhelmed him.

Balworg the Guulvorg snarling before Ned.