Beastbound: Awakening the Hunter

“As far as I know, there is indeed a powerful mage who built a stronghold in the forest you mentioned. As for whether these two giant beasts are connected to her… that’s something I can’t say for certain,” Professor Arcanus mused, after a thoughtful pause.

So even the professor isn’t sure of the details?

Oliver wasn’t too disappointed—after all, it was just a casual question. He didn’t expect much of an answer.

With a few final instructions, Professor Arcanus sent Oliver and the others on their way to the cemetery to investigate reports of an evil spirit or demon that had already claimed lives. The weather had turned cold, and the biting winter air made the journey even more uncomfortable.

William served as the driver, guiding the horse-drawn carriage swiftly toward the cemetery on the hill. The location was quite remote, but as they neared their destination, they noticed several fresh tracks in the snow—wagon wheels and footprints—indicating that perhaps the local lords had sent their own people to investigate.

An evil spirit or demon in such a small town was no trivial matter. A single demon could threaten the lives of mages and nobles alike, so it was only natural that it would be taken seriously. Of course, for the common folk, the appearance of evil spirits and demons was far more terrifying.

Soon, they arrived at the cemetery. It was eerily quiet, with gravestones rising from the ground beneath a leaden sky. The air felt thick with an unsettling stillness. Tall, wild grasses grew unchecked among the graves, some even reaching waist height, making the place look particularly neglected. Dead flowers lay scattered by some of the tombstones, and the scent of decay hung heavily in the air.

This cemetery was even more desolate than Oliver had imagined—practically a forgotten place. Why had Griffin come back here? To mourn his dead relatives?

An old man, his face covered in deep wrinkles and his eyes filled with anxiety, approached as they arrived. He greeted them with a humble bow, “Sirs, are you here to investigate the death of the mage apprentice?”

“That’s correct. We’re from Oakridge Academy,” Hector replied.

The old man’s demeanor grew even more respectful at this acknowledgment.

Inside the cemetery, Oliver could see some guards dressed in uniform, patrolling the area. These men, unlike the old caretaker, immediately recognized the distinctive robes of Oakridge’s core apprentices and quickly approached them, greeting them with obvious deference.

“Ah, it’s the mages from the academy!” One of the guards exclaimed, his voice full of admiration.

Oliver had encountered these guards before, during the day of tax collection, and had found them quite arrogant at the time. But now their expressions were so deferential that Oliver almost felt uncomfortable.

Beyond the guards, the cemetery’s state was even worse than expected. Several gravestones had been violently toppled, scattered across the ground in disarray. In the center of the cemetery, Griffin’s body lay, grotesquely mutilated. His chest had been opened wide, his internal organs completely vanished, leaving behind only his eerily smooth skin. The sight was unnatural, chilling, and it made Oliver’s stomach churn.

Although Oliver had killed before, seeing a corpse in such a state was enough to make him feel sick.

He quickly turned to Hector and asked, “Do you know what happened here?”

The guards, clearly just as bewildered, exchanged uneasy looks. They were ordinary men, sent to investigate but unable to make sense of it themselves. All they knew was that the more they stared at the body, the more afraid they became.

It was unmistakably the work of an evil spirit or demon.

If Oliver and the others hadn’t shown up, the guards would’ve probably fled this cursed place without a second thought.

“It’s Kramar,” Hector said grimly.

“Kramar? What’s that? A demon?” the head guard, Edward, asked quickly, his voice trembling.

“It’s an evil spirit,” Hector explained, his tone darkening. “Kramar takes the form of shadows and mist, surrounded by a dark red aura. They are drawn to anything magical, especially magic cores. Those killed by Kramar have their organs and magic cores—sometimes even the nascent magic cores—completely consumed.”

He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.

“You can see the signs of a struggle here, but these gravestones were clearly destroyed by necromantic magic. Griffin’s earth magic, though, barely left a trace, which suggests that this evil spirit has a penchant for torture.”

“The power of this Kramar far surpassed that of Griffin, the apprentice mage.”

William added, turning Griffin’s body over to reveal the gruesome, torturous wounds covering his back and limbs.

An evil spirit that tortures its victims? The guards looked horrified, some of them even recoiling at the thought. One of the younger men stumbled back in fear, falling to the ground in a heap.

“Don’t be such a coward!” Edward barked, kicking the fallen guard in frustration. “The mage said this kind of spirit doesn’t typically attack ordinary people. It’s more likely to target those with magical power!”

The other guards breathed a sigh of relief. If it wouldn’t attack normal townsfolk, then they had nothing to fear… right?

But Hector’s face remained grim as he warned, “You can’t let your guard down. Kramar may not usually attack the common folk, but it has the ability to create minions. After consuming Griffin’s heart, it will certainly grow stronger. It’s bound to create followers—or even offspring.”

“Infant Kramar are especially dangerous, as they’re drawn to the blood and flesh of ordinary people.”

Edward’s expression turned ashen, and the other guards grew visibly nervous. The thought of facing an army of demonic spawn was enough to unsettle even the bravest of men.

“Please, Master Mages, you have to help us!” the guards pleaded, their voices filled with desperation.

As members of the town guard, they were responsible for patrolling the area, especially at night, when they were most vulnerable to the spirit’s attacks. They were even more likely to become targets than ordinary villagers.

“We’ll take care of it,” William assured them in a low, steady voice.

However, the responsibility couldn’t fall solely on the academy. The local lords had their own mages, and they would have to assist in the investigation as well. The town of Eccleston wasn’t ruled by a single lord, but by a council of four, each holding their own influence over the region. Several of these lords had mages in their employ.

Yet, according to Hector, those mages seemed to have left town recently, along with the female tax collector. Where they had gone, he couldn’t say.