Lith felt pity for its prey. After making sure being upwind he cancelled both spells to save precious mana, getting a better understanding of the situation.
The Ry kept howling and growling, as it was in pain. Lith noticed that every time the Ry's snout got close to the ground, the buzzing sound would become high pitched and the magical wolf would whine in pain.
Now more curious than afraid, Lith activated Life Vision to estimate the Ry's power.
What he saw made him gasp loudly.
The Ry was unbelievably strong, with a mana flow almost on par with Lith's. But the real reason for amazement was a second mana flow, that belonged to the source of the buzzing sound.
It was a little stone, smaller than a thimble.
"What the f*ck? That pebble is alive? That explains everything! The noise it emitted must have lured here the Ry, just like it did for me. Taking into account its reactions, the noise is much more annoying for the Ry than for me. I never heard of rocks with mana flow, that thing must be a magical item. I cannot let that brute destroy it."
Throwing caution to the wind, Lith decided to take action and save the magic stone.
"The Ry's lifeforce is incomparable to mine, but if I manage to avoid it getting close, I know I can win. His mana flow is inferior to mine, and from what Selia told me magic beasts have no offensive spells."
First Lith activated Shroud again, then he started weaving his strongest spell.
"Plague Arrow!" A bolt of dark energy flew from his joined hands, hitting the Ry from its blind spot while it was trying again to crack the noisy stone with its teeth.
The screeching sound and the spell hit both at the same time, making the magical beast almost lose its footing.
Plague Arrow was a spell that injected a dense mass of darkness magic in the victim, disrupting both the mana flow and the life force. Lith had charged it as much as he could, to get as much advantage as he could.
Before the Ry could turn around to search for its enemy, a stream of lightnings erupted from Lith's palms, hitting the magical beast with enough strength to knock it down.
While increasing the distance between them, Lith cancelled Shroud for Life Vision. Despite the sneak attacks the Ry was still alive and strong.
Lith focused his spirit magic, using both his hands, trying to break its neck as he had already done countless times.
The Ry wasn't stupid, as soon as it felt the ominous sensation on his neck, it contracted its muscles, reinforcing it with mana and making it harder than steel.
"F*ck! So much for my advantage. If only I could use fire magic you would be already roasted to death. Could you please go away? That thing is mine! Mine!"
Lith conjured several ice javelins, throwing them at the magical beast from multiple angles simultaneously.
The Ry easily dodged them all, retaliating with a powerful magical roar.
Lith was only saved by the distance, having the time to realize that a massive wind blast was heading his way. He stepped back at the moment of the impact, using his own wind magic to dissipate the blast.
His sleeves got turned into confetti, but aside from some flesh wounds he was fine.
"F*ck me sideways! Thanks a lot, Selia. Magical beasts do not have offensive spells, sure. It seems this Ry never got the memo, though."
The Ry charged at Lith, using its wind blasts to disrupt his rhythm. Lith did his best to keep the beast at bay, but the difference in physical prowess was overwhelming, it was only a matter of time before getting caught.
"Okay, when you can't win, just run. Plan B, fight dirty!"
Lith stopped running away, to prepare his last attack plan before throwing the towel.
He conjured many ice javelins, but did not throw them, he left them floating in mid-air all around him.
After a moment of hesitation, the Ry chose to ignore them charging straight at that insolent pest.
"That's a good boy! Eat this! Twin spell! Flash&Bang!"
Lith's right hand produced a massive flash of light, for a moment it was like a second sun had appeared. His left hand, instead, used wind magic to produce a noise comparable to an explosion.
The Ry tumbled from the pain, its eyes and ears bleeding, while Lith was unscathed. He had learned long ago that as long it was infused with his mana, his own spells would do him no harm. He could cover himself in fire, ice or lightning without a scratch.
When the Ry crashed against a tree, Lith finally used the javelins, throwing them with all the force he had. All of them hit the target, but the thick magical fur prevented them from impaling it, piercing only through a few centimetres of flesh.
Lith immediately checked with Life Vision, the results appalling.
The Ry was definitely wounded and weakened, but far from being dead.
"Dammit! So much effort for so little damage. If it continues like this, I am the one who is most likely to run out of steam or luck. The Ry only needs one hit to kill me. It's not worth the risk."
Lith used spirit magic to recover the magic stone before running for his life. The stone was full of teeth marks, its sharp surface prickled Lith's skin.
"So long, sucker!" Lith screamed at the still stunned magical beast.
"See you again in a few years, let's see if you dare attack me again!" Small drops of blood touched the stone, and the noise stopped.
The Ry was still trying to make head or tails of what had just happened. It only wanted the damn noise to stop hurting his ears when that fierce man-pup showed up.
The Ry had tried to scare him away and to teach him a lesson, but it ended to be the one getting schooled instead.
"Bah, who cares." The Ry thought. "I wanted to get rid of that stupid rock and in one way or another I got the job done. That was one feisty pup, though. I pray that he shows more consideration towards his pack than he did for me. Otherwise when he grows up, he will be a scourge to his kin. Stupid humans and their greed bring only troubles. They are incapable even of taking care of their own."
The Ry, leader of all the packs in the Trawn woods, shrugged away the javelins before returning to its family.