The three of them walked back to Agripin with Caspian carrying one Bloodmaw corpse at a time. They moved as fast as they could to gather the bodies before any more Bloodmaws could attack.

　　In the end, they managed to gather all the corpses within the four-round trips and without having to suffer another attack. They dropped the bodies just behind the village gates, as different guards were watching them.

　　"We are lucky that none of them went to attack us while we were moving the bodies," Balin said happily.

　　"Actually, I think with how many of them got killed, we should have at least a small respite," Edward announced.

　　"Why are you saying that?" Caspian asked him with curiosity.

　　"Well, we first killed the group of five that attacked Agripin, then we killed the one we hunted, and then this other group of three that went after you. If you add the seven that went after me while I stayed behind to give you some time, it amounts to quite the number."

　　"Seven!! How the hell did you manage to escape that?" Balin interrupted him.

　　"I was lucky. I encountered another monster which proved far more dangerous, some kind of wyrm. I managed to make myself unnoticed and I escaped while they were fighting each other." Edward answered modestly.

　　Caspian and Balin whistled when they heard that.

　　"I didn`t know a wyrm was living within Vipin Forest, but somehow, I`m not that surprised, there are beasts that are better left alone. We should always remember not to get carried away nor to get blinded by our powers, humans only occupy a small part of this world. The wilds are called like that for a reason." Caspian explained.

　　"Yes, so that means that at least sixteen Bloodmaws have been killed in a relatively short time. I know there are a lot of them in Oshle Tirion, but their number isn`t infinite, besides it should take some time for them to spread out from the ruins. So, I think we should be okay for the time being." Edward finished what he was trying to explain.

　　He did take notice of Caspian`s warning, but that didn`t deter him from his wish to explore the wilds. There was something both exciting and poetic to being able to discover and roam in a landscape untouched by mankind.

　　"That`s good to hear because I seriously need some sleep. I didn`t manage to have proper rest since that last attack on Agripin." Caspian complained.

　　"So, to whom should we give those Bloodmaws?" Edward asked.

　　"Let Wallace use them. He has done a good job until now. I think he deserved it. And if our plan works, there will be more to come. Every guard will get the opportunity to breach through to the Awaken rank." Balin told them with a smile on his face.

　　"I`m fine with that." Caspian supported this decision.

　　As they were discussing with each other, a group of villagers led by Carlson came over. They looked particularly disgruntled.

　　Carlson addressed them aggressively. "Behold as those madmen provoke the monsters more and more every day. They dare to hunt them and bring the corpses to our village no less! Who do you think the monsters will kill when they discover their kind has been slaughtered? Us, they will destroy us while those sinners who brought them here in the first place will flee, forsaking us behind!"

　　Caspian frowned, Carlson had always been a sore point to deal with, but he had never talked this boldly before. "Enough! We are doing our best to save this very village and to solve the situation. You have no right to berate us. Besides the wall is dangerous right now, this is no place for civilians. You should all go back to your homes."

　　Carlson was undaunted and continued his litany. "I say, we should offer those sinners to the beasts to appease them. Let them know we stand by their side and that they have no need to hurt us. Only the sinners are at fault!"

　　Caspian was appalled in front of such a statement. "Have you gone completely insane?!" was his only response.

　　Edward sighed before mumbling to himself. "Even in another world, there is still this kind of people&They are really a plague."

　　He addressed Caspian "Let me handle them, I`m used to this type of people."

　　Edward then moved to confront Carlson and his band. "Let me ask you, if a murderer kills one of your relatives, what will you do? Will you fight for retribution, or will you give one of your children to assuage his anger? Because to me it looks a lot like you are choosing the second option."

　　"I-."

　　"Shut up. I`m not finished." Edward cut him before Carlson could speak again.

　　"I know you are not that stupid. You don`t actually believe that feeding those monsters with innocent people will achieve anything. No, it`s only a front page. You know that once the beasts have gotten free food, they will come back. And this is exactly what you desire."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

　　Edward pointed an accusatory finger at Carlson. "You don`t care about people. You are only using people`s fear for your own ends. You will say something like Oh no those monsters are attacking us again because there are still sinners among our rank, and not at all because I`m feeding them.`"

　　Edward gazed at Carlson with eyes as cold as ice. "And then anyone who speaks against you or whom you don`t like will be designed as a sinner and thrown as a sacrifice. You will be like a god, designing who is right or who is wrong, all the while you are out of reach. You saw those big frightening monsters attacking the village, and your first thought was that it was the perfect occasion to get rid of the people you don`t like and to take over Agripin, even if it meant sacrificing half of the village for it. Pieces of shit like you make me sick." Edward spat on the floor.

　　"But you made two big mistakes. You see, those monsters are not like the other beasts inhabiting Vipin Forest. They won`t stop because they are fed. They didn`t hesitate to attack us when they saw the village, even when they didn`t even know our capabilities. Even in front of overwhelming chances, those monsters keep attacking. Don`t think you can tame Bloodmaws by throwing a sacrifice or two at them."

　　Edward took a short breath. "Your second mistake was to think that we would be unable to handle the situation. You hoped we would made a bid mess this way it would have been easier for you to raise and use the people`s fear. However, we are already capable of killing those monsters and we are using them to make everyone stronger. And that doesn`t go well with you, does it? How can you take over if the situation is handled perfectly?" Edward finished his tirade. He was usually easygoing, but on some issues, he had so much repressed anger that he couldn`t help but let it burst out.

　　Carlson was destabilized by such a violent retort. He was expecting only meek complaints from the guards since they couldn`t decently harm civilians. He couldn`t foresee that Edward would see right through him. However, Carlson was experienced and knew the first rule of a con man was to never admit to anything even if there was irrefutable proof. Carlson maintained his attitude since he couldn`t go back at this point. It would be admitting that Edward was right, and he wouldn`t be able to bounce back after that. He did lose a lot of his vehemence though.

　　"This is complete nonsense. How could you say such terrible things?" he said lacking his previous verve and trying to regain his confidence.

　　"Seriously, you should just jail and gag him at this point before he can spread his ridiculous beliefs to the other villagers," Edward told Caspian, completely ignoring Carlson.

　　Seeing as Caspian was seriously considering Edward`s opinion, Carlson could only leave in defeat with a hateful glare. However, the look of the villagers following him had changed from indignation to doubt. After what Edward had told, they could see what Carlson`s interest would be to behave in such a way. The fact that there were four of those monsters` corpses in front of the guards also helped to decrease their fear about the situation.

　　Balin and Caspian looked at Edward baffled and impressed by his demeanor.

　　"Wow, I seriously wasn`t expecting that from you. I`ve never seen Carlson leaving so defeated before." Balin said, admiration seeping through his voice.

　　"I needed it, I feel a lot better now," Edward answered, happy now that he had let out his anger.

　　"Do you really think he would go this far? He tried to impose his bigot views before, but this... to indirectly murder people only to gain power. It is a whole another level." Caspian asked, disbelief in his voice.

　　"Yes, those kinds of people only care about themselves and they are shameless beyond your imagination. As I see it, you only have two options, stop him immediately, even if this means he will play as a victim to appeal to people. Or you can make sure that everybody knows his choice is to throw innocent people to those monsters and show them that you are handling the situation perfectly. Once this is over, they will remember who did what, and who to trust." Edward told him, more serious than usual.

　　"I see&I don`t want to incarcerate him right now. People will only say that I`m trying to silence him. But at the same time, if he is really ready to go this far, he is as much a danger to this community that the monsters outside. I will let the people decide what to do with him, once this is over. We should focus on dealing with the Bloodmaws first."

　　Now that the situation was calmer, Wallace was able to absorb the blood essence from the Bloodmaws. The bodies had been inscribed with a Durability rune, but there was still no time to lose. They hadn`t yet tested how long the blood essence could be preserved, and the monsters were still losing blood from their multiple injuries.

　　Wallace wasn`t able to use his aura yet, Edward was an exception, it was unusual to be able to control one`s aura while still at the quiescent level. So, Wallace had to do it the old fashion way, gathering the blood in several bowls before washing his body with it. With as many as four Bloodmaws corpses before him, he was able to repeat the process several times.

　　"So much strength is flowing through me, is this really alright if I take all of this for myself? Shouldn`t the other guards get some as well?" Wallace asked them, hesitating to monopolize all the benefits for himself.

　　"No, it is better this way. The sooner we get another Awaken, the better. We have to focus everything on one person to get faster results. The more Awakens we are, the easier it will be to hunt for more Bloodmaws. The cycle will become easier each time until we are able to hold on against those beasts without a problem. Don`t worry, the other guards will get their turn soon enough." Caspian answered Wallace`s doubts.

　　Suddenly Wallace shivered as Edward saw his aura visibly surge. Wallace regained his balance with wide eyes. "What the heck is this? Is this how you see the world as Awakens?" He asked looking at them in shock now that he was able to see auras with his naked eyes.

　　"You will need some training on how to control your aura, I will help you with that." Balin told him with a grin. "You will soon understand why people say that Awakens have eyes behind their back. What you see is our aura. Mastering it, enables you to expand your perception, to harvest power from felled beast without having to bath into their blood, and more importantly, you will be able to pierce past the thick Bloodmaw`s hide. You will be able to wound them and kill them."

　　Wallace had to consume the power of three Bloodmaws to become an Awaken, the other one could be left for another guard. Wallace wasn`t ready to face a Bloodmaw yet, but even without aura mastery, he would still be able to delay such a monster without getting killed. The first step of the plan had been implemented. Things would become easier from now on. The more Awakens they had, the faster it would be for them to produce other Awakens.