"Run away on its own?"
Bolin was a little confused.
"Its weakness is also its greatest strength—its violent temper, its territoriality, and... its instinct to protect its young."
Raylo's gaze once again fell upon the two little ones nestled beside their mother.
He paused, saw the confused looks on the two Knights' faces, and continued to explain, "If we can use something to infuriate it, something that makes it feel like its young or its territory are under immense threat, wouldn't it chase after that thing at all costs?"
Ed said thoughtfully, "You mean... a lure?"
"Exactly."
Raylo nodded. "And we need a lure that's fast enough to outrun it, yet infuriating enough to provoke it. It's fast, isn't it? So, let's make it chase a fast target."
"What kind of target could outrun it? And how could we enrage it?"
Bolin still felt it was too risky.
"Horses."
Raylo uttered one word. "Ordinary horses probably won't do. But what about two horses with their tails set on fire?"
"Horses with their tails on fire?!"
Ed and Bolin were both stunned. The idea was simply... insane!
Horses are naturally afraid of fire. With their tails ablaze, they would surely panic and bolt for their lives.
And the sight of burning flames and a frantic stampede would be an absolute provocation to the highly territorial and enraged Armored Rhinoceros!
"Find two of our discarded packhorses and tie oil-soaked dry branches to their tails."
Ed and Bolin gasped.
This plan... it was outrageously bold!
Using terrified horses to draw its fire, then seizing the opportunity to steal the cubs!
This was practically dancing on the edge of a Tier Three Magical Beast's fury!
"My lord, this is too dangerous!"
Ed couldn't help but try to dissuade him again. "What if the Armored Rhinoceros doesn't chase the horses, or realizes what's happening halfway through? We would be..."
"There are risks, of course."
Raylo admitted, "But the rewards are equally enormous. Two Armored Rhinoceros cubs, raised from a young age, would be of incalculable value in the future."
He pointed in the direction the Armored Rhinoceros had charged earlier. "Its attack pattern is very direct. Faced with a moving target intruding on its territory—especially one carrying something as threatening as Flame—its first instinct will be to expel and destroy it."
"As for the timing," Raylo said, observing the Sun's position, "we'll wait until it settles down to rest again, or when its attention is diverted. We have to be fast. The moment we succeed, we retreat immediately. No lingering to fight."
"Understood, my lord!"
The two men replied in unison.
"Good. Let's head back and prepare. Ed, you take some men and handle the selection of the horses and the tinder. Bolin, you take some men and scout a retreat route. Make sure it's foolproof."
Raylo commanded, "We move just before dusk. The light will be fading, making it easier to hide."
"Yes, sir!"
Preparations were completed, and time quietly slipped by until dusk.
The afterglow of the setting sun draped a golden veil over the land.
The two packhorses chosen as bait were led behind a small hill farther ahead. Their tails were already tied with dry wood soaked in oil.
Two Knights, holding torches, waited nervously for the command.
In the center of the river valley, the Armored Rhinoceros seemed to have eaten and drunk its fill. It lay down again, and its two small calves dozed off, nestled at its side.
Everything seemed peaceful and idyllic.
Raylo took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart.
The sound of the wind, the water, and the occasional cry of some unknown bird in the distance.
Ed and Bolin gripped their Weapons, their palms slick with sweat.
They knew what was coming next: a high-stakes gamble, a race against death itself.
The sun sank completely below the horizon, and the sky quickly darkened.
In the river valley, only the hazy Moonlight and the starlight provided a faint glow.
The Armored Rhinoceros's massive body was like a dormant shadow, its presence proven only by its occasional heavy breaths.
The two cubs pressed tightly against their mother, no longer moving.
"Now!"
Raylo barked, his eyes flashing.
The two Knights, long since ready, immediately brought their torches to the dry wood on the horses' tails.
HISS!
HISS!
The oil-soaked wood instantly caught fire, bursting into two plumes of orange-red Flame!
"Giddy-up!"
The two Knights slapped the horses' rumps hard at the same time!
The two old packhorses, stung by the pain and terrified by the heat from their tails and their innate fear of fire, instantly unleashed the last of their life's potential!
They let out terrified whinnies and charged recklessly toward the far end of the valley!
Their burning tails left two twisted lines of fire in their wake, exceptionally glaring in the dim valley!
"BELLOW!!!"
The moment the flames erupted, the resting Armored Rhinoceros shot to its feet!
Its blood-red eyes instantly locked onto the two moving balls of fire charging deep into its territory, and it heard the piercing whinnies of the horses!
Rage!
Fury!
A terrifying aura erupted from its body, like a physical shockwave, making the hearts of Raylo and his two men pound, even from a distance!
Without a moment's hesitation, the Armored Rhinoceros pawed violently at the ground, let out a deafening roar, and charged after the two panicked, burning horses like a bolt of black Lightning!
Its speed was incredible. Its heavy body carved a deep trench in the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and dirt, a truly terrifying sight!
Its attention was completely captivated by the two moving flames. It wanted nothing more than to utterly crush these intruders who dared to invade its territory and threaten its young!
"Go!"
Seeing the Armored Rhinoceros's colossal figure instantly recede into the distance and disappear around a bend in the valley, Raylo made a split-second decision and was the first to burst out from their hiding spot!
Ed and Bolin followed close behind. The three of them shot out like arrows loosed from a bow, making a beeline for the spot where the Armored Rhinoceros had been resting!
Their targets were the two small rhinos, left behind and turning in circles, bewildered and frightened by their mother's sudden explosion of fury!
The distance wasn't great, less than three hundred meters.
They could hear the shrill whinnies of the terrified horses and the enraged roar of the Armored Rhinoceros in the distance, along with the sound of heavy impacts and shattering. Clearly, one of the poor packhorses had already met a terrible fate.
But they had no time for pity. Every second counted!
The small rhinos seemed to sense the approach of unfamiliar presences. They let out low, uneasy "huff-huff" sounds, trying to find their mother.
Perhaps sensing a threat, the slightly larger of the two calves actually mimicked its mother, lowering its head and charging at Raylo, who was in the lead, with its not-yet-hardened horn!
Raylo was prepared. He deftly sidestepped the calf's charge, his right hand striking out like lightning to grab the relatively soft flesh on the back of its neck. With a swift lift, the rhino cub was in his arms!
Almost simultaneously, Ed lunged for the other small rhino.
This one seemed more timid, just pawing anxiously at the ground.
Ed rushed forward, pressed the calf-sized rhino cub to the ground, then hoisted it onto his shoulder and ran.
"Got it!" Ed yelled in a low voice.
"Retreat! Quickly!"
Raylo tossed the rhino cub in his arms to Bolin.
The group turned and fled.
From around the bend in the valley came an even more furious, more deafening roar!
The theft of its young had been discovered.
"BEELLLOOOWWW—!!!"
The sound was filled with boundless rage and madness!
The Armored Rhinoceros was coming back!
And it was even faster than before!
The ground began to tremble violently, as if an earthquake was coming!
The three could even feel the scorching, tyrannical aura approaching from behind them!