Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !

Soon, led by Chill27 and Maxime, who was standing right next to him, the group of about forty men entered the forest that lined the sides of the mountain.

The trees, huge and twisted by the wind, formed a dense canopy above them, filtering the sunlight into a mosaic of green and golden hues.

The air was more humid, laden with the smell of moss and earth, and every step raised dead leaves that crunched under their boots.

The mercenaries advanced in silence, aware of the strangeness of the place. Occasionally, a rustle in the bushes caught their attention, but it was only rodents or small birds fleeing their presence.

Yet a tension hung in the air, an impression that the forest was watching them, testing their resolve.

Chill27 led the way, closely followed by his dogs. Their gait was fluid, almost instinctive, as if they had known these paths forever. They had no trouble avoiding the snare-like roots and crevices hidden under the damp leaves.

Maxime, for his part, began, as time went by, to allow himself to be distanced by the young teenager. Even if he had good perception, it was not infallible, so he preferred to stay slightly behind.

After several hours of walking, the boy glanced at Maxime, curiosity shining in his innocent eyes.

"By the way, you haven't told me, but what exactly are you looking for?" he asked in a neutral tone.

Maxime did not slow down. His gaze remained fixed in front of him.

"We just have to reach the top, don't worry about anything else."

Chill27 didn't quite understand why this mercenary leader didn't want to explain, when he had seemed so approachable before.

But since that was how it was, he wasn't going to insist.

However, as he continued to move forward, his expression became more hesitant. He regularly glanced towards the top of the mountain, as if he expected to see something there.

He had heard rumors about a monster in the mountain, and as a professional, he would pay close attention to this kind of rumor.

Even if the possibility that a monster really existed was slim, he didn't want to risk his life on that probability.

Especially since there was no smoke without fire.

The hours passed and the air grew colder. The forest thickened, and the tree trunks seemed to twist even more, their gnarled branches stretching like claws towards the sky.

As if the forest wanted to swallow up the mercenaries and never let them leave again.

A light mist snaked between the roots, giving the place an almost unreal appearance.

Then, suddenly, Chill27 stopped.

His dogs had frozen, their ears pricked, their muscles tensed like bows ready to relax.

Maxime frowned.

"What's going on?"

The boy turned to him, visibly uncomfortable.

"I won't go any further."

The mercenaries exchanged surprised looks.

Maxime narrowed his eyes.

"Why?"

Chill27 hesitated for a moment before answering.

"There are rumors. For several months now, people have been saying that a terrifying beast lurks at the summit. Those who approach it... don't come back."

Silence fell over the group. Only the distant rustling of the forest could be heard.

"I won't risk my life or that of my dogs for a little money."

There was no exaggerated fear in his voice, only a cold and sincere resolution.

Maxime watched the boy. He didn't seem to be lying or trying to negotiate a better reward. He was genuinely convinced that continuing was a mistake.

The mercenaries remained impassive, but the young teenager's words reassured them.

They were not making this journey for nothing. But it also increased the pressure and vigilance of each of them.

Maxime took a last look at the top of the mountain, hidden by the mist, before resting his eyes on Chill27.

"Very well. Then we will continue alone."

Chill27 didn't reply immediately. He looked at his dogs, then at Maxime, as if he wanted to say something more... but in the end he just nodded.

"Be careful."

Then, without another word, he turned around, his dogs following him.

The group watched him disappear into the fog.

The silence grew thicker around them as Chill27 disappeared into the fog with his dogs. Even those who had been in the mood for laughter earlier now seemed tense.

Maxime looked back at the path winding its way up to the summit. The mist seemed denser here, as if the mountain itself were trying to mask what awaited them.

"Let's continue." he said firmly.

The mercenaries nodded, tightening their grip on their weapons. Tension hung in the air, muted and invisible, as if something were watching them through the forest around them.

The path became steeper, the stones under their feet becoming treacherous and slippery. The wind was blowing harder, whistling through the trees like an unintelligible murmur.

At times, a distant rumbling could be heard, but it was impossible to know if it was a storm in the distance... or something else.

They soon found strange marks on the tree trunks. Deep gashes, as if something gigantic had sunk its claws into them.

"What kind of beast can make such gigantic marks?" whispered Jean, the first to have noticed this peculiarity on the trees.

Even Maxime began to wonder if this beast might be beyond their reach, and that by going there, he might risk the annihilation of his group of mercenaries.

"Maybe we should turn back." said Kaite, his eyes narrowed with concern.

"Kaite is right," continued Langus. "No matter how strong and useful an animal may be, it is not worth sacrificing some of our men for."

Hearing these words, the mercenaries who had been in the mercenary group for a long time looked at Langus with fierce eyes.

Andrew looked slightly at Langus and said:

"Since when is it your turn to speak and tell the boss how to do things?"

The Saber-toothed Tigers were a group of mercenaries that had long since broken away from stereotypical mercenary groups.

Normally, in a mercenary group, there was a leader, but everyone could give their opinion. And if the majority did not agree with certain decisions of the leader, then the leader could only go back on the decisions concerned.

But it wasn't like that with the Sabertooth Tigers. Maxime was extremely respected and, even if it wasn't always obvious, many mercenaries were extremely loyal.

If Maxime told them to jump into a suicidal battle, they would do it anyway. They trusted their leader.

And all the battles they had fought so far had reinforced that belief.

Of course, everyone could always express their opinion in the group, but when a mercenary who was only loyal because of a contract gave an opinion contrary to their leader as if it were obvious, naturally most of the mercenaries took it badly.

"A slave has no say in the leader's decisions," Andrew continued, before continuing to walk.

Langus felt as if someone had just poured a bucket of cold water over his face.

He opened his mouth to say something, but seeing the fierce look on some of the mercenaries' faces, he closed it again and said nothing.

Maxime agreed with what Andrew was saying.

His mercenaries all had the right to speak, but when it came to decision-making, it had to remain firmly in his hands.

This limit absolutely must not be crossed.

So Maxime completely ignored Langus, but he turned and replied to Kaite, who was merely sharing a concern:

"If this beast is really too strong, I'll hold it back and you'll escape together."

Kaite nodded, and understood with Andrew's reminder that even if they were part of the mercenary group, as long as they had this contract, they would never have the full trust of the other mercenaries.

They would always be different.

Ironically, their former men were better perceived than the two of them, even though they were knights that everyone desired and respected.

But in this group of mercenaries, it seemed that although strength was extremely important, loyalty was just as important.

Without it, no matter how strong you were, it seemed impossible to gain the trust and respect of the other mercenaries.

The ascent continued in an oppressive silence, broken only by the sound of footsteps on the stones and the increasing gusts of wind.

The mist grew thicker as they climbed, reducing their visibility to a few meters. This only accentuated the oppressive silence, but also made everyone more vigilant.

As they climbed, the trees became scarcer, replaced by strangely shaped piles of rocks, sculpted by centuries of violent winds.

The group advanced cautiously. Every noise, every rustle in the vegetation put them on alert.

"There are no more birds singing..." whispered a mercenary.

He was right. For some time now, the mountain had been plunged into an abnormal silence. Not a sound of an animal, not a rustle of insects. As if all life had vanished.

Then they came across a corpse.

It was a deer, or at least what was left of it. Its carcass had been reduced to shreds. Its broken ribs opened up like a torn-open cage.

Impressive fang marks were visible on its bones, and its skull had been split in two like an eggshell.

"What the hell is that?" whispered Terry as he took a step back.

Maxime did not reply. He simply gritted his teeth and raised his hand to signal to everyone to be on their guard. There was only one creature capable of this kind of carnage on this mountain.

And it was the one they were looking for.

Maxime could feel the adrenaline coursing through his body. He knew his goal was close.

Soon, they reached the top of the mountain, and strangely, there was a dark cave in front of them.

As Maxime pondered whether to enter alone or take his men with him, the wind suddenly howled, causing the rocks to shake and raising a cloud of dust in the surrounding area.

Then a sound was heard. A dull, steady beat that resonated in the air like the beating of a war drum.

No... They weren't drums.

It was the sound of wings flapping in the air.

Something was moving above them.

Maxime looked up at the thick mist that covered the summit. At first he saw nothing, but a gigantic shadow gradually took shape, cutting through the fog. A winged creature was slowly hovering, its impressive wingspan hiding part of the sky.

Then a scream rang out.

A heart-rending howl that made the air vibrate and made the hairs on the back of all the mercenaries stand on end.

Langus couldn't believe his eyes.

"It's..."