Waking up the next day, Logan could not find Chloe or Kai anywhere. He was a little hesitant since Kai had looked a little too excited, and he hoped for the best for him.
He also tried looking for Lisa but was informed she had gone with Alma early in the morning to scout for the labyrinth. Ms. Claire, Ruri, and Serana joined him for breakfast as Logan wondered if he had overslept or if everyone else had just woken up earlier.
"I doubt we will find the labyrinth today, but if we keep heading like we are, we should be able to find it within the next two or three days. How about supplies? Do you think I will need to go back for anything?" Logan asked while they ate simple soup to start the morning.
"No, we have plenty of everything we need so far. As for the length of the trip, I guess it's even a little fun to be out here. Just remember, this is probably how we will spend our time in the future when we get nearer to fighting with the demons. It's good to get used to this," Ruri answered first.
"My minions have been fighting with the monsters around here. They inform me that there isn't anything we should be wary of and that there are no signs of demons or anything like that," Serana informed while just staring at everyone eating. She even tried to cover her nose.
"It's a little difficult for me, to be honest. I tried helping Serana and your knights fight to get used to it, but I still detest having to see things die. As far as my own level, since I was around the others in the labyrinth, I completed my quest after instructing them a certain number of times. Now that I am over level 40, it's really hard to continue, but luckily your crystals have helped with that." Ms. Claire enjoyed the soup and loved the fact that she could take it easy and not be in constant battle like in the labyrinth. She was truly thankful to Logan, who let her get away from Theron, the insufferable commander who kept a close eye on her.
"Well, now that I have finished eating, I guess it's time for me to go and keep searching. Anything else you would like to tell me before I go?" Logan asked, thinking if he needed to command the monkey and scorpion before he left, since they were pretty bad with the others. Luckily, Serana could smack them both into acting correctly while he was away.
"Nothing I can think of, Master Logan, just please be careful," Ruri said while starting to clean.
The others also made it seem like nothing else was needed, so Logan called Zephyr, who also seemed finished with draining crystals to empower himself.
Just as he was about to take off, Logan saw Kai and Chloe returning. They were holding hands and quickly let go before they saw Logan.
Logan pretended he saw nothing and went up, trying to keep a smile from forming on his face. He cheered on Kai in his mind as Zephyr rapidly used wind to accelerate and help them get as high as possible.
Logan used wind magic on his face to keep himself from looking like a mess and to avoid oxygen deficiency. It was hard to control, but he took it as training to stay airborne.
Within hours of flight, he spotted a few moving dots on the ground. Curious about what they were, he asked Zephyr to lower himself slowly so as not to be seen.
Soon, he spotted a pack of wolves chasing a large elk-like monster. He recalled that in his own territory, wolves were scarce due to competition with bears and the maned leopards, so it was nice to spot another top predator around.
As he watched the hunt taking place, he noticed the wolves were wind magic users. Their green fur made it hard to distinguish them at times from the forest and green-covered plains.
They used their numbers to weaken the large earth elk, who created slabs of stones to create distance.
"Well, what do you think, Zephyr? Should we say hi? I think I will be able to get them to our side if I provide them enough meat and crystals," Logan said as he petted Zephyr, who had to circle around to keep from overpassing the beasts below.
"Sounds fun! Try, they look strong," Zephyr said while letting out a call. He then swooped down and used magic to cut the elk in half.
"Well, I guess that will get their attention. I wanted to see if the elk was worth taming also, but it's smaller than my own," Logan mumbled to himself while he manifested wings to jump down from Zephyr's back and wait for the wolves.
It wasn't long before the first of the wolves got close and howled, as the rest of the pack stopped, wary of Logan who was standing near the kill.
"Not the best position, but I guess it will be interesting to see their reaction." Logan smiled while taking out a whip, just to make sure he could defend himself in case things went bad.
As soon as the pack of ten or so wolves stopped and encircled him, Logan tried to assess who the leader of the pack was.
He wondered if it was the largest wolf at first but then noticed another one, a little smaller but with a strange coloration in its fur. This wolf seemed to be able to wield both wind and earth magic by the look of things.
"Interesting, you must be the leader then, the most powerful one," Logan spoke out loud, knowing they wouldn't understand him yet.
Logan had to negotiate like he did with all his beasts. He tried to make himself look strong, then looked straight at the leader who kept circling around Logan as if wondering if he should attack.
"Let's see…" Logan knew they wanted the meat from the sliced elk behind him, so he took out a few wind crystals and tossed one at the wolf leader, wondering if that would work.
The leader, smelling and feeling the crystal's radiant energy, got close and licked it, knowing instinctively how to drain the mana from the stone. The other wolves watched intently, their eyes shifting between Logan and their leader.
Logan smiled, seeing that the first part of his strategy worked.