"Fuck, this pork is too bland. It's amazing that you managed to fuckin' make this thing taste both salty and bland."

Semilia said while she gnawed on the dried pork.

"Stefan, you're shit at cooking but you're a pretty good butcher."

"Shut up. It's good enough to last us a few weeks."

"Boil pork. Make it taste good."

"See? Even Goblin here agrees with me."

Stefan rolled his eyes as he looked around the forest.

Twigs snapped underfoot as they trudged forward through the dense forest. They were given two weeks to do this quest, and three days have already gone by since they left Arenhein. Normally, crossing the Arendine through its many passes and caves would take a week at the very least, but going around it through Laknnor would take a few days thanks to the roads and enchanted carriages. But the roads were closed due to happenings at the City by the Lake and it would take them two weeks at most just to get out of Laknnor lands. Two weeks they cannot afford to lose. They were left with no choice but to cross through the Arendine. So it was up to Sirius to offer them a solution. A solution that only a monster like him could think of and pull off easily.

"Sirius, are you sure this is the way?"

"Yes. Cave near mountain leads to way out on other side."

"Fucking hells. A fuckin' cave in these mountains doesn't sound that safe to me."

"It's a shortcut, just one that I would not recommend if we have the choice..."

All four of them continued to trudge forward uneasily. Sirius grumbled as he went through his notebook and Stefan's maps. They were definitely on the right track. If they continued at their current pace, they would reach the foot of the mountains by noon and the mouth of the caverns by sunset. His eyes narrowed at the crude map and illustrations he drew years ago. How many years has it been since he emerged from that cave? He was around 12 now, a young adult by Goblin standards but a child in the eyes of Stefan and a baby when compared to Semilia's age. He left his tribe when he was six or seven? He couldn't remember. Hopefully, the years had been kind to the caverns as it was for him.

He bit down onto the salty and dry pork. Something about its taste just made him want to bite down into it even more. And the smell. The smell of the thing just made him want to eat it even more despite how badly it tasted. He chewed on it while his hands were busy with his notebook and maps. Snap. Snap. Snap. His ears twitched at the distant sound. The notebook in his hand snapped shut and he put it away back into his Bag of Holding along with Stefan's map. His hand moved towards the dagger on his side.

"Friends..."

The three ahead of him turned towards him, oblivious to the creatures that now circled them.

"Wolves. Around us, large pack."

All three immediately looked around them and finally noticed the dark shapes that moved quietly through the trees. They all stopped for a moment. Then they moved once more in calm fashion but their hands firmly on the handles of their weapons. Sirius and Semilia moved to the front, their eyes and his ears easily pinpointed the locations of each wolf. He could hear them snarl and growl softly as they followed them. Still, wracked with nervousness and palpable tension, he pushed forward through an old path now overgrown with underbrush and trees.

"Don't panic, Sirius. Wolves won't fight things they can't take on."

"Ya' just need to show 'em who's boss. Like this!"

Semilia picked up a rock and threw it at one of the wolves. The beast let out a yelp as the rock landed on its head with an audible thud.

"Wolves aren't as bad as Dire Wolves. But the ones here are fucking bigger than western ones..."

"I think it is because there's a lot of monsters and prey here in the mountains. And it is winter so I doubt there's a lot of adventurers culling their population."

"Well, big or not, we need to get out here before we get mauled to death by wolves. Sirius! Protect Riel while I cut us a way out of this forest."

Stefan yelled out as he drew his sword. Riel nocked an arrow into her bow and followed closely behind Stefan while she warily aimed her bow at any of the shapes that dared to approach. One of the wolves snarled and snapped its jaws at him. It caught him off guard and made him trip on a rock. He managed to catch himself from falling, but the impact to his shoe awakened the creature that rested within it from her slumber. The wriggling sensation slightly tickled and made him shiver but at least she was awake now. Her blue body emerged from his shoe and her yellow eyes gleamed. He could feel Riel stare at him as he pulled out the Slime from his boot. One of the wolves tried to approach and take a bite at him. Instead, it found its mouth filled with thick slime that slowly ate away at it.

The creature let out a gurgled cry as Miu made her way down its throat while she melted parts of the wolf's jaw with her body. Stefan and Semilia whirled around to see what happened. They all watched as the wolf's body contorted and writhed while Miu emerged from different holes from within the creature. Finally, it fell with a wet splash and its skin disintegrated within Miu's body. There was a silence in the forest after that. The three behind him were stunned, and so were the other wolves at the sight of such a gruesome death. Slowly, everyone turned their attention towards him.

"Fuck!"

Semilia cussed as she loosed an arrow at a wolf that lunged at her.

The sound of an arrow cracking hard bone was like a loud clap in a sea of silence. It was enough to shake everyone out of their stupor and to send them all into a frenzy. Wolves barked and snarled, but they either fell to the sword or were struck down by arrows. It was going well, at first. Miu did her job and kept most of the wolves at bay as they moved through the forest with the pack of wolves right on their heels. But one of them managed to pounce on Riel. The Mage yelped as the wolf tugged on her robe while another ran towards her.

"Get off me!"

He threw his dagger at the one that charged towards her from behind while she whirled her staff down on the one that tore apart her robe.

Blood spurted out from the wolf's neck as his dagger buried itself deep into its neck. He let shouted as he tackled the beast and used his Skill [Rend] on the wolves around him. His claws tore through their hides easily while Riel managed to get herself up and away from the danger. Miu dashed towards him as he clawed at another wolf that lunged towards him. He managed to claw out its shoulder, but the damned thing managed to bite into his arm. He screamed as the creature tugged and pulled and mauled his arm while its sharp fangs dug into him with each violent shake of its head.

"[Flame Spear]!"

Riel's voice rang in his ears as heat and light forced him to shut his eyes.

Flames consumed the wolf and tore a hole in its midsection. He was able to yank his arm free from its jaws and dash backwards while the Spell quickly turned its body into ash. The wolves around them snarled, but the smell must've put them off from approaching any further. Miu snagged three more wolves and the death cries of the poor animals finally made the rest of the pack hesitate in their attack. Riel must've noticed since she cast a [Fireball] at the animals while he limped to her side. The wolves barked and growled at her, but tucked tail and ran back into the deep woods.

"The-The wolves... The wolves are... gone..."

Riel panted out while she wiped away the sweat on her face with her robes.

"A-Are you-"

"Not okay."

He said as he pressed on the wound on his arm. Riel saw the blood and open wound on his arm and gagged slightly while she looked around for the other two.

"S-Semilia! Stefan! P-Potions! We need potions! Sirius is hurt!"

Riel yelled as she forced him to the ground.

"I-I'm-I'm not... I'm not good with these kinds of-"

"Potion in my bag. Second bag."

He clutched his hand tightly and winced softly at the pain of Riel touching his arm.

"I-I'm sorry! This is the bag, right?"

"Yes! Aaarrgghh!"

Her hand brushed against his arm and sent a bolt of pain all across his body. She fished around his bag and pulled out a medium grade Healing Potion from within and immediately uncorked it. She poured the contents onto the wound, and he couldn't help but grab onto her leg and squeeze. Squeeze. Riel let out a whimper while he screamed at the top of his lungs as the potion worked its magic and forcefully closed the open wound. Muscles and skin were weaved and fused together and the first part of the process was agonizing. But as the wound closed further, the pain subsided. Still, the amount of his blood that was all over the forest floor and on Riel's robe was clearly not a good thing since blood should be inside him, not on Riel's face. Stefan and Semilia emerged from the bushes, both of them covered with small cuts and scratches.

"Shit! What the fuck happened here?!"

Semilia moved quickly to his side and grabbed him.

"Did you get mauled? Fuck..."

"Those wolves, are they rabid? Will he become rabid as well?"

"No, I don't think they're rabid... But we need to wait for a week just to be sure... Oi, Sirius!"

Semilia softly slapped him on his cheek repeatedly as his eyes began to close.

"Sirius! Shit! Sem! Riel! Can you..."

His vision turned hazy while Stefan shouted orders while Semilia hurriedly grabbed something from her bag. His eyes struggled to keep him awake. The heavy weight over them finally made him close them.

"Is he fuckin' dead?"

"Shut up, Sem. He's still breathing."

The two voices woke him up from his dreamless sleep. He slowly opened his eyes while he let out a faint groan.

"Oh shit, you're right! Sirius! You're fucking alive!"

He growled at Semilia as he looked around his slightly dark surroundings.

Instead of the dense forest he fainted in, they were somewhere rocky and devoid of trees. He could see the setting sun in the distance and the forest down below them. He blinked a few times. A hawk circled a lone pine tree in the distance while he wrapped his around what just happened. Semilia chuckled as she stood up and stretched her arms. He blinked at her a few times while a wet feeling crept up his leg. Miu curled around his leg and cleaned up most of the blood on his body and shirt.

"Where... Where we?"

"Up the mountain. I carried you after I passed out and while we were waiting for you to wake up, decided to camp outside the cave."

Stefan threw his thumb over the shoulder and pointed at the darkness behind him.

His eyes widened at the familiar hole. Its damp and cold entrance called to him and he could see that its interior barely changed over the years. It was large enough for two carriages laid side to side to fit within it. He stood up and slowly approached the entrance. Every time the wind blew, there was a faint howl that echoed from within its depths. He patted the wall to his right. The hard rock withstood the test of time and it was just as solid as it was back then. He nodded and whirled around to meet his party.

"This is cave."

"And you're sure this cave is safe?"

Stefan asked as he handed him back his notebook. He nodded rapidly.

A [Light] Spell surged from Riel's staff and into the cave. It blew past him as it blazed into the depths of the cave and banished the darkness that lay near the entrance for a moment. All of them watched in silence as the spell slowly faded. For a moment, they held their breath as the darkness slowly wrapped the interior of the cave in its grip once more. He turned towards them, a smug smile on his face and his hands on his waist. His toothy grin must've irked Semilia since she scowled at him while Stefan simply let out a sigh of relief.

"See? Sa"

Squeak

A large bat flew out of the cave. Its wings flapped loudly as it flew off somewhere while it squeaked loudly. A few moments later, he felt a low rumbling from the cave.

"Duck!"

Stefan grabbed Semilia and Riel and hurled himself onto the ground. He followed quickly as the deafening squeaks and clicks filled his ears and the unmistakable flapping of wings thundered out from within the cave. Moments later, a black column emerged from the mouth of the cave and into the air. Hundreds of bats filled the air as they formed a large mass over them. Moments later, they dispersed into different directions as the stream of bats from the cave slowed down and turned into a trickle of bats. Finally, one last bat exited the cave and flew somewhere. Gods know where. The four of them looked up and waited a moment to see if the cave is finally empty. After a short while, they all sighed and picked themselves up from the ground.

"See? Just bats, nothing to-"

Squeak. Squeak. Sque-

"FUCK!"

Semilia shot the bat with an arrow that easily impaled it against the wall of the cave.

"Maybe it's best if we camp here for tonight."

Stefan said as he watched another bat emerge from the cave. None of them disagreed with his call.