Poison and Xolomon immediately utilized their Elemental morphing ability. Poison dissolved into a cloud of fine brown sand and whirled in one direction, while Xolomon morphed into a shimmering cluster of ice particles and spun off in another. Zack had to duck to avoid the green beams.
The beams missed them all, striking the border wall, but without leaving so much as a scratch on it. The two Ancestor souls made no attempt to defend against the beams, for they had never encountered such an ability before. Judging from their magic waves, each beam's power rivaled that of a first-rank Mystic wizard's spell, and although Poison and Xolomon were as powerful as peak second-rank Mystic wizards, attempting to defend against eight beams unleashed by four level 10 beasts was nothing short of a risky joke. Thus, fleeing from the onslaught was the ideal response.
As soon as the two elementals fled, the White Wild dogs quickly turned their attention to the peculiar human, who had been crouching and fiddling with strange metal objects since the start of the battle. He was now left unprotected. Seizing the opportunity, the dogs furiously charged at him. Lacking any powerful aura or intimidating presence, the blonde human appeared to be easy meat, particularly since the two unusual beings who had brutally slaughtered their fellow dogs were now driven away by their leader's beams.
Zack, noticing the wild dogs frantically charging toward him, smirked. His space ring flickered, and you'd expect a weapon of defense to appear - but nope, a rickety wooden chair with a missing foot materialized, wobbling next to the fully assembled 4-foot tall machine. Calmly, Zack took a seat.
"Did he just...?!"
Realizing what was about to happen, the ice and sand particles swiftly condensed into their hulking elemental forms and rushed to fend off the beasts from attacking the defenseless fellow, who remained oddly composed while leisurely sitting on the chair, displaying no signs of fear - maybe he had accepted his fate? But Poison and Xolomon's efforts were in vain as the other White Wild dogs promptly swarmed on them, effectively hindering their attempt to defend Zack.
For Poison and Xolomon, time appeared to grind to a halt as the five magic beasts leading the charge against Zack closed in on him, their extended claws poised for the kill. It appeared certain that the poor fellow would meet a gruesome end, and both Poison and Xolomon knew they were partly to blame for abandoning Zack to flee from the green beams. While Xolomon may not have genuinely cared about Zack, he knew that his survival was crucial as long as they remained in the forest. After all, Zack was essentially the only hope of finding a Sonic owl for Oliver, making his safety imperative.
Watching with horror, while struggling to fight through the horde of beasts, Poison and Xolomon anticipated that Zack would activate his space ring and protect himself with his armor or some sort of device, but instead, Zack casually reached out and pressed a button on the machine he had just assembled and then...
Well, there's still no then.
A flurry of red lasers suddenly erupted in every direction. In the blink of an eye, every Burrowing White Wild dog in sight, both the living and the dead, was left with a gaping hole in their forehead. The laser beams pierced through the front of their skulls, exiting through the back in a scene that could have been straight out of a movie. The entire pack of Burrowing White Wild dogs—leaders and followers alike—collapsed to the forest floor, meeting a dramatic and untimely demise. Nearly five hundred lifeless dogs littered the area, marking the abrupt end of the battle.
Zack's mouth stretched with a broad, self-satisfied grin. But just as the chaos subsided, an infant Burrowing White Wild dog wandered out from one of the burrows, unwittingly stepping into the line of fire. Before anything could be done, another laser shot forth from the machine, burning through the infant's brain and bringing about the same fate that had befallen the others. Like its pack, the pup fell to the ground, finally free of its physical body. Zack grimaced... too bad.
"Holy cow, Zack! This has got to be the most impressive thing you've ever created," exclaimed Robert as he reverted back to his normal form. "With this, we could conquer anything in this forest!"
The machine sat on an elaborate stand, it's sleek, black cylindrical body adorned with multiple stout protrusions that looked like miniature telescopes, where the lasers fired from. "This, guys, is a laser turret. Been working on it since the beginning of school year," Zack announced proudly, tapping the machine affectionately. "This baby was the same project that blew up in the garden and caused Parker to flare up and use his Dragon breath spell on me. I originally designed it to be a multiple-laser pointer, but I took your advice - I made it a weapon. I call it..." Oliver's calm voice interrupted.
"Zack's laser turret," he said, wearing a jaded expression as he kicked away a lifeless dog close to his feet in disgust. "Right?"
"How did you know?!" Zack exclaimed.
"Because you always name your..." Oliver was on the verge of calling Zack and his inventions stupid but stopped himself when he recalled how the laser turret had effortlessly slain nearly five hundred Burrowing White Wild dogs in a heartbeat. This incredible feat was a testament to the turret's power, making it clear that it was anything but stupid.
"To put it's power into perspective, each laser is as powerful as a Thunderbolt spell cast by a 7th rank Common wizard. A ninth-rank Common wizard could block it without much difficulty, but it was effective against these dogs because their hides aren't very tough - just offers slightly more protection than human skin, and hey, if it can pass through the flesh it can go through the bones too, right? Also, my element of surprise was quite a game-changer," Zack chuckled heartily, "you should have seen your Ancestor soul's faces when I took out the chair!"
Robert smiled wryly. "That was one heck of a move, Zack."
"Yeah, can't imagine what would have happened if the machine did nothing after you turned it on." Oliver added ironically.
There was a moment of silence.
"But it was cool, and it was worth it!" Zack said. "These dogs were so convinced I was their next meal that they didn't even think to hide or defend themselves. They just kept coming, which made it easy for this bad boy to kill them all without missing a mark. I have to tell you though, we can't use the machine any time soon, 'cus it still needs an extensive lot of runic programming." With that, Zack sent the laser turret and chair back to the silver space ring.
A sudden thought occurred to Oliver just then, and he marched up to Zack with an indicting glare. "Now we need to discuss where you've been crafting and tinkering all these contraptions. You mentioned that your space ring had nothing useful inside after we fought Chuck, and I heard you working on your stuffs somewhere within my castle. So, out with it - which part of my castle was that?" he demanded.
"Now, what makes you think I was working on my machines within your 'icy fortress', Oliver?" Zack looked into his eyes, his grin now laden with apprehension.
"The noise of your chainsaw, Zack!" Oliver snapped, his face twisting with annoyance . "Not only did it disturb my peace, but it also attracted a level four Kobrax to my doorstep! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to dispose of a serpent that spits acidic venom?!"
"Whoa, you've had all that bottled up all along? And we're not sure if it's the sound of my chainsaw that attracted the Kobrax," Zack protested. Oliver raised an eyebrow at him.
Zack exhaled deepy. "Alright, fine. I worked on some of them in the basement."
"And did you tidy up the place after your work was done?" Oliver questioned, his eyes narrowed.
"Nah, the place is still a mess," Zack replied with a casual air, either ignoring or unaware of the effects his words on Oliver. "There's oil, metal scraps, and cookie wrappers strewn everywhere."
Oliver's face fell. His brows twiched with anger. "You son of a...!" He began to gather his magic energy to conjure a Light spear, but Robert quickly stopped him. However, the anger he felt did not fade. The mere thought of his castle being desecrated by Zack's mess filled him with rage.
"Save the arguments for later, let's stay focused on what we came here to do. We're still in the territory of these wild dogs and we don't know when more might show up," Robert reminded them.
Zack, choosing to turn a blind eye to Oliver's furious glare, remarked, "Yeah, about that, I think something's amiss with their population."
"You think?" Oliver retorted sarcastically.
Unfazed, Zack continued. "I mean, they vastly outnumbered our expectations by fifteenfold! It's strange because these wild dogs typically live in packs of no more than thirty, with a single alpha. Yet, here we are, confronted with nearly six hundred! My gut feeling tells me I should collect samples and investigate further. Might discover an award-winner." Zack then retrieved five syringes from his ring, and carefully extracted blood from two males, two females, and one of the pack leaders.
"Finished, let's go," he turned around, only to discover that Robert and Oliver was nowhere in sight. Zack's eyes darted around, "Oh, damn it!" his heart started pounding hard against his ribs as fear gripped him. He immediately became acutely aware of the forest's ominous atmosphere. The rustling of bushes, swaying of trees, and the unnerving silence amplified his unease, sending his heart racing and his hands trembling with fright. The leaves and bushes seemed to come alive, their greens, yellows, reds, blues and whites appearing to form figures.
Zack took out two red bombs, and his rough brown armor materialized on his body. With both bombs clutched tightly in his hands, he anxiously scanned the area, expecting something to suddenly appear at any moment. The canopy of leaves blocking the sunlight made the forest dim, and the rustling bushes made Zack's heart thump even harder. He felt like something was approaching him swiftly, and then...
From behind a cluster of blue and red leafed bushes, Robert and Oliver jumped out, with Robert howling with laughter, and Oliver sporting a satisfied grin. Zack shot a frightened and incredulous glare at the two, and his anger burned.
"You two really had to do that?" he demanded, his brows knitting in annoyance as the armor on his body and the bomb in his hand returned to his space ring.
Robert, still chortling, retorted, "Oh man, you should've seen your face when you realized we were gone, your armor made you look utterly foolish!"
"Oh, don't worry," Oliver chimed in, brandishing his phone with a smirk, "I got that golden moment on camera. And let me make it clear, this wasn't my idea, though I admit you had it coming. And by the way Zack, you'll be scrubbing my basement as soon as we get out of this forest."
As Robert's fit of laughter finally subsided, he and Oliver glanced Zack, noticing the deep frown on his face and tears starting to well up in his eyes. It was a stark contrast from the fury that had earlier clouded his expression.
"He's crying. What's wrong, man? Why are you tearing up?" Oliver asked, exchanging a confused glance with Robert.
"Look, Zack, I'm... we're really sorry. It was just a small prank..." but before Robert could finish his apology, three silver balls hurtled towards them. The balls detonated, releasing an abrupt burst of wind that sent Robert and Oliver tumbling backwards, where they landed awkwardly with a heavy thud, groaning in discomfort, but largely unharmed.
Poison, ever astute, tried to interprete Zack's reaction. "It appears your little joke triggered something for him, perhaps a painful experience or past ordeal," he remarked.
Robert and Oliver rose to their feet, and were met with the sight of a tearful Zack.
"C'mon, Zack, it was just a joke. Get it together," Oliver said, and Robert could have sworn his tone had a tinge of remorse.
"We had no idea you'd react like this," Robert followed up. "We truly are sorry."
Zack's reddened, teary eyes swept over them. But in an instant - and a very unexpected instant it was - his expression shifted from sorrow to mischievous delight.
"Bwehehehehe!" he erupted into maniacal laughter, "You dolts fell for it!"
"What the...?"
"I played along with your silly prank just so I could have the perfect excuse to lob some bombs your way." Zack said, still laughing. "You think I'd actually fall for such a ruse?"
Robert raised an eyebrow, baffled.
"What gave it away?" Oliver asked calmly.
"You both think me stupid? I know that your Ancestor souls provide you with incredible abilities," Zack chortled. "You two can transform into ice and sand particles in the blink of an eye, making it almost impossible for anything to harm or snatch you away so easily. ('He's got a point,' Xolomon remarked.) I feigned tears as a pretense to lob some bombs your way and, oh boy, did I get it on film! Just wait till everyone sees the slow-motion replay - you two are gonna be the laughing stock of the net. Especially you, Oliver. You're gonna regret pulling this prank on me." Zack brandished his phone, and his laughter rang through the forest, accentuated by his triumphant grin.
Undeterred, Robert shot back, "If you upload that recording, we'll return the favor. Upload ours, and we'll upload yours."
"If you do that," Zack countered, "I'll upload yours, and then, share it directly to all your classmates and teachers, including Dora and the other one, uhh... Vanessa - uh-huh, with some additional effects of my own. I'll make sure they get a front row seat!"
"Then I'll call your uncle, and I'll tell him you're skipping school!"
"You don't have his number!"
"Oh, you'd be very surprised!"
"No way!"
"Yes way!"
"No way!"
The back and forth echoed through the trees, their voices fading into the distance.