Chapter 27

Holding hands with Zoe, we walked toward a village—it was just a few buildings scattered in a small area. I glanced at Zoe, who walked with her head lowered, pouting. I was frustrated that she had bitten me, but I also didn't want to see her sad.

I squeezed her hand and turned her toward me. She gasped softly but didn't manage to say anything before I grabbed her chin and kissed her sweet lips.

Staying close to her, I stared into her pink eyes. “Enough with the sulking. You won, and there's a reward waiting for you tonight. I'm not mad at you, so no more pouting, okay?”

Zoe simply nodded. I kissed her, caressing her lips while grabbing her ass, squeezing her cheeks, and pulling her slim frame against my muscular body.

When we finally parted, Zoe had a small smile and a cute blush on her face. I kissed her small nose. “Much better,” I said.

We moved toward the village. From the distance, I could see Tori and Marcus talking with a man in front of the biggest building.

“We don't have much, but as was stated in the quest, eighty-three ryns if you get rid of whatever is killing our animals,” I heard the man say as we got close enough. He was tall and muscular, his brown hair showing the first glimpses of gray.

His gaze shifted to me and Zoe. “Yes?” he asked.

“They're with us,” Tori said without even looking at us.

“When will you take care of that?” the man asked, focusing back on Tori.

“Immediately. Then we’ll want to spend the night here and set off first thing in the morning.”

The man smiled. “If you get rid of it today, I'll provide you with food and lodging on top of your regular payment,” he said.

“Alright,” Tori said and shook the man's hand, sealing the deal. Then she turned toward me. “Let’s go,” she said, nodding toward the road. The man returned to his home as we moved away from it.

“Something is killing their animals. We’ll take care of that now. You can stay here and wait, but I have an offer for you,” Tori said with a soft smile.

Marcus glanced at her, frowning.

“Yeah?” I asked.

“You mentioned that Zoe is a hunter. Could she track whatever is killing those animals?”

I glanced at Zoe, who nodded slightly. “I think so,” she added quietly.

“If Zoe helps us find it, then you don't need to pay for traveling with us.”

“Tori, that’s our quest and money,” Marcus said.

“And they will not get a single ryn for it. They will not need to pay us, but it seemed like we traveled separately anyway.”

“Except that they slowed us down.”

“Don’t overreact. We got here. An hour earlier would not make a difference. And now they could help us find it faster and save us from wandering around the forest.”

“I don't like it,” Marcus said.

“I don't like some things either,” Tori replied.

Marcus looked at her, frowning, but didn't say anything more.

“So?” Tori asked, looking back at me.

“Is it safe?” I asked.

“We've completed quests like this before, and it's either wild animals or a weak monster. I will kill it easily, so there is no danger.”

It wasn't night yet, but it was getting dark, and I wondered if wandering around the forest would be safe. I could save money and might see a monster for the first time. Tori seemed confident, and there was also Marcus to help. But what if something went wrong? I wasn't sure if my mana would be useful, and I didn't know how Zoe would manage, especially since she didn't have a weapon.

“Could you lend Zoe a weapon?” I asked.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Marcus exclaimed.

Tori rolled her eyes. “I have a dagger, if that would make you feel more confident,” she said, reaching behind her belt to pull out a dagger shorter than my forearm before handing it to Zoe.

“What are you doing?” Marcus asked.

“Marcus, stop acting like a child. If they wanted to attack us, they would have done it long ago. I told you they don’t have bad intentions, and I trust them.”

Marcus and I both looked at her, frowning. Why was she trusting me when she didn't know me at all? Could it be my skills? Does one of them passively make women trust me more easily?

“So?” Tori asked again.

“Zoe, could you tell by the tracks if it's a monster or a wild animal?” I asked.

“I think so,” she replied.

I glanced at Tori. “Okay, we’ll help you track it, but then we back off and don't fight.”

“Exactly,” Tori replied. “Let's go,” she added, heading toward the house the man had entered. But instead of going in, she turned right and moved around to the back. Marcus followed her, glancing at me with a frown.

“Zoe, do you think it's a good idea?” I asked.

“Master, I won’t let you get hurt,” Zoe said, squeezing her hand on the dagger.

I smiled softly. “What if it's a strong monster?”

Zoe shook her head. “Strong monsters don't just live like that in forests. Tori is right, it’s either a wild animal or a weak monster, and I can protect you from it.”

I nodded. “Okay, but be careful.”

“Yes, Master,” Zoe replied.

I was still worried. It certainly was a risk. I could just ignore it, travel to Ortas, and find a safe job. But I didn't want to get stuck for years in a boring and monotonous job again.

And because of Gemma, that wasn’t an option for me anyway. I doubted that when she finally gave me a task, it would be easy or boring. Perhaps it was best to have my first encounter with a monster while accompanied by two more experienced warriors.

Tori and Marcus stood behind the building next to a homestead that was empty.

“Animals were killed here two nights ago,” Tori said, then glanced at Zoe. “Look out for tracks,” she commanded.

Zoe looked at me first, waiting for my confirmation. I nodded, and she moved along the fence, watching the ground.

On the other side of the homestead, Zoe stopped and crouched. She stared at the ground for a moment, then shifted her gaze toward the forest.

“A wolf, quite big,” she said finally.

“That’s easy,” Tori said. “Can you track it?” she asked.

Zoe nodded. “Wolves never live alone. There would be more than one,” she added.

“Still, I can handle them easily,” Tori replied.

“We can handle them,” Marcus corrected her.

“Yeah, yeah,” Tori said, waving her hand, not even looking at him. Marcus frowned slightly but didn't say anything.

Zoe rose and walked toward the forest, holding her dagger. When we walked between the trees, she stopped, glancing around.

“There are more tracks here,” she said, walking from place to place. “Five or six wolves,” she added after a moment.

“Okay, lead the way,” Tori said.

Zoe looked at me again, and after I nodded, she headed deeper into the forest. It was getting darker, but the trees were scarce, so visibility wasn’t bad.

“There are many tracks here, new and old. They have a lair close,” Zoe whispered, stopping. “Somewhere this way,” she added, pointing straight and slightly to the right.

“Okay, stay back. Marcus and I will go ahead,” Tori said, moving in the pointed direction, pulling out her sword. Marcus drew his weapon too, glanced at me, smiling, and then moved after Tori.

We waited for a moment with Zoe, who stood next to me, and then we followed after them, remaining in eyesight.

“They are in front of us,” Zoe whispered. I wondered how to warn Tori without alerting the wolves, but she immediately rushed forward, running without it.

Marcus followed her a moment later. Together, they ran into a clearing and stopped in the middle, while Zoe and I remained among the trees. The wolves scattered, quickly surrounding Tori and Marcus. Four large ones stood around them, while two smaller ones lingered at the edge of the clearing. All of them had black fur, but one of the smaller ones had a hint of blue undertones, as if the deep black carried traces of navy when the light hit it just right.

One of the big wolves jumped at Marcus. He slashed it, dodging to the side, avoiding the animal’s body.

Tori rushed forward, attacking. The wolf in front of her growled, trying to jump back, but she was moving too quickly, and her sword dipped into the animal's skull.

Another wolf jumped immediately at her back, but she turned nimbly, pulling her sword out of the dead wolf's head, and managed to avoid the wild animal that flew at her.

One of the big wolves howled and rushed off the clearing, running away from the battle, heading to the forest—or, to be more precise, straight at me and Zoe. All the wolves followed after it.

Zoe stepped forward, her dagger raised.

Five wolves approached in our direction with long strides. Tori and Marcus moved behind them. The largest of the wolves, the one that howled, got forward, charging straight at us.

I focused on my mana, summoning quite a large amount of it around me. The wolves were close, and I didn't manage to do anything else as Zoe rushed forward, jumping straight at the biggest wolf.

“Zoe!” I exclaimed, following after her and trying to squeeze my mana at the same time into a small ball.

Zoe and the wolf collided at full speed, tumbling across the ground as the beast snarled. They finally came to a stop, with Zoe straddling its massive body, raising her dagger high.

Another wolf was already charging toward her, but I fired my mana orb at it. The blast struck its side, knocking it back just as Zoe plunged her dagger into the first wolf’s neck. It whimpered, but Zoe didn’t hesitate—she raised her dagger again and drove it into the beast beneath her once more.

Tori reached the wolf I had pushed back with mana just as it struggled to rise. She slashed across its neck, ending its life.

Marcus struck at one of the smaller wolves, his blade cutting into its flesh. The beast whimpered and leaped backward.

Zoe pulled out her dagger once more and drove it into the wolf beneath her. Then, she let go of her weapon. I watched as she grabbed the beast and sank her fangs into its neck. I grimaced slightly at the sight, but relief washed over me—she had handled the wolf without any trouble.

The last big wolf growled, its gaze focused on Zoe, as it rushed at her.

“Zoe!” I shouted, summoning my mana again. I condensed it immediately and pushed toward the wolf, hitting its muzzle. The impact stopped its approach.

Tori was already upon it. She attacked, slashing her sword across its body. The wild animal tried to leap at her, but she stopped it with a kick. The moment it hit the ground, she drove her blade through it, finishing the job.

I turned toward Marcus. He had just finished off the wolf, leaving a bloodied corpse on the grass.

Only one remained. It stood to the side, unmoving, watching us with dark eyes. It didn't growl, it didn't run, it just waited.

Marcus raised his sword and ran toward it.

The wolf whimpered and curled in on itself. And then… something began to happen.

Its body trembled. Bones shifted beneath its skin. Its fur—black with strange blue reflections—faded away, melting into bare flesh.

Something was wrong.

I summoned my mana.

“Mercy!” cried a naked girl, kneeling where the wolf had just been.