The Dragonborn Captain’s strength was completely different after activating his dragon bloodline. He charged forward and brought down another hammer blow on the Wolf King before it could get up.
“Roar!” The Wolf King let out a piercing cry, and the remaining Icefield Wolves immediately ignored our attacks and charged towards the Dragonborn Captain to save their king.
But the three mercenaries from the Fire Lizard Squad quickly blocked the Icefield Wolves. Under Freya’s hymns, they also received powerful buffs, and could now hack away at the Icefield Wolves as they pleased.
I could tell this was indeed a veteran mercenary squad. Their coordination was seamless, and they covered each other without needing orders. The three of them held off over a dozen wolves.
Moreover, the Bard Freya must have meticulously studied this particular hymn. It was less like singing the Nibelungen Ring and more like singing the Fafnir ballad, with the goal of channeling the ancient dragon’s power from the story to awaken the Captain’s dragon bloodline.
Evidently, the effect was excellent. The Dragonborn Captain’s Combat Power surged, and he was now pinning the Wolf King to the ground, hammering it continuously. The Wolf King couldn’t even get up. This could be considered specialized support for the Captain.
Soon, the Wolf King was hammered to death. The Icefield Wolves had already suffered heavy casualties, and upon seeing their leader dead, they scattered immediately.
This battle was our victory. Although the process was somewhat perilous, the outcome was luckily safe. Only some Combatants sustained injuries, and no one died.
We captured four Icefield Wolves alive and killed over twenty. These Magical Beasts and Materials were conservatively estimated to be worth four to five hundred Gold coins. The most valuable among them was undoubtedly the Wolf King’s pelt, bones, and Magic Core.
But the matter wasn’t over yet. The Fire Lizard Squad had eliminated the Wolf King, but two members of the Fire Lizard Squad were still not out of their combat forms: one was the Berserker, who was still in a violent rage, and the other was the Dragonborn Captain, whose dragon bloodline had just been awakened.
At this moment, the Captain’s entire body was covered in black Dragon Scales, but they weren’t in full plates, rather scattered here and there, making him look incredibly eerie. The dragon horns growing from his head were also becoming longer, and his eyes had turned into chilling vertical pupils.
An inexplicable pressure emanated from him. This was Dragon Might, an innate passive Talent of Ancient Dragons that could intimidate creatures of lower status. Now, the Dragonborn Captain, in his half-dragon form, was exuding Dragon Might filled with hostility and greed.
He had been influenced by Fafnir from the poem. Fafnir was no benevolent dragon; she was one of Europe’s most notorious evil dragons. While empowered by such a poem, his personality would also lean towards the evil dragon Fafnir.
This was something I already knew: the instability of Bards’ spells. In contrast to Magic, which always produced a fixed effect once successfully cast, a Bard’s poem could have different effects depending on their own condition, the surrounding environment, the individual target, and even their understanding and pacing of the story. It could be good or bad, and this one was clearly bad.
Experienced Scouts and Hunters had already distanced themselves from the two. These two, whose minds were affected, now that they no longer had an enemy, started glaring at each other, and the atmosphere became tense.
Although their actions and inner thoughts still showed hesitation, the state of the two did not improve in the slightest. Instead, under the stimulus of mutual hostility, it intensified, which was what was commonly referred to as falling into madness.
Now, even the soldiers could see that something was wrong with the two of them. If this continued, the Berserker and the Dragonborn Captain would start fighting internally. Buck was at a loss; he didn’t know how to mediate in such a situation.
“If they become a threat, I don’t mind eliminating the hidden danger for Mr. Buck. Well, this one’s on the house. I haven’t had the chance to hunt down an evil dragon-man before,” the young Demon Hunter said as if joking.
But judging by the way he drew the crossbow bolt mechanism on the harpoon launcher and nocked a harpoon with a blasting cap, he was not kidding. the other two Demon Hunters also picked up their weapons.
The reason the Demon Hunter profession was not popular and could only form teams among themselves was that they had low rationality, were stubborn, and aggressive. When they went mad, they even killed their teammates. If they believed those two mercenaries had fallen into madness, they would undoubtedly act without hesitation.
Just then, a gentle melody drifted over, somewhat like a lullaby or a requiem, with a soothing and peaceful tone. Hearing it, the excitement and killing intent from the battle seemed to dissipate.
The berserker’s eyes lost their bloodshot appearance, and the Dragonborn Captain’s dragon scales began to disappear. They actually returned to normal under this melody. This was incredible.
Not only that, but even I felt that the chaotic noise in my mind had lessened. This music also helped me regain my sanity from the brink of losing control.
This Requiem was naturally played by Freya on her Lyre. The soothing and beautiful music drifted as her fair fingers gently strummed the strings. I had found another way to restore my sanity.
Under the beautiful music, everyone calmed down. Even the three Demon Hunters put away their weapons. I noticed their snake heads swaying and twisting slightly to the melody.
This effect was not just on people but also on beasts. The four captured Icefield Wolves, who had been struggling wildly, now calmed down and stopped thrashing about, lying obediently on the ground.
“Amazing. I originally thought they could only be butchered. Magical Beasts affected by corruption are incredibly manic and highly aggressive, impossible to tame with conventional methods. We also couldn’t possibly bind them back to the city to find a Beastmaster,” Buck said happily.
The value of bringing back live Magical Beasts was much higher than dead ones. Such a large adult Icefield Wolf would be perfect as a mount, able to assist its master in combat, and also be very cool and stylish, a mount many dreamed of.
“Thank you for your praise, Mr. Buck. In reality, it’s also because you managed to net them and stun them, leaving them unable to resist, that I could pacify them so smoothly. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have needed everyone to risk their lives fighting the Magical Beasts just now,” Freya said modestly.
Theoretically, this was true. If a Bard could directly influence Magical Beasts and win without fighting, they would be too powerful to be considered a half-hearted caster.
“You guys, process these wolf carcasses. Remember not to damage the integrity of the pelts and bones, and no private hoarding of spoils of war!” Buck ordered his subordinates.
They took out their daggers and short swords and began skinning and butchering on the spot. There was still one wolf that wasn’t processed, the Wolf King, which theoretically belonged entirely to the Fire Lizard Squad.
Because it was hammered to death, its pelt remained intact and possessed immense defensive capabilities. I believe many wealthy individuals would be willing to acquire it.
