"Hmm... I have a long day alone, and the boar still has some meat left. Should I turn it into jerky or stop the fire? Its been a few days, so I don't think there are any soldiers following us." Vincent arrived at a dilemma. With his bad luck, the chances of being followed could be questioned. He even forgot to break the stuff they left as if they were attacked by something. "Currently, food is important too, so... " Vincent glanced at Ester while making his decision. Then continued, "I will leave the campfire alive for the whole day to make pork jerky, and also Lupa can follow the smell back." This felt like a high-risk, high reward gamble to him. To get discovery by a hostile lifeform and fight once again or create backup food to survive with. However, Vincent conveniently forgot that they left a campfire burn almost every night. With the short sword tied to his waist for protection in case of an emergency, Vincent used the rusty axe to cut branches and make a stand for the soon to be pork jerky. Stand after the other, joined with a small rope or torn rags, the makeshift jerky smoker plan was halfway complete. Soon, dozens of finely-cut strips of boar meat surrounded the campfire with half a meter distance to smoke the meat instead of cooking it. Vincent learned this information before reading the book of how to skin an animal in a wildlife scenario. He didn't have the guts to watch a video to learn. However, since he needed to warm Ester with the boar's pelt, he had to do it. More than half a day passed while Vincent took care of Ester and fed her two Sage Apple puree. As he gazed at the rack with the almost done pork jerky's, Vincent remembered that he needed to frame the pelt to later brain tan it. While collecting long sticks and branches, he decided to make a few makeshift spears for protection. In the Great Yok Boar fight, they would have been useful as a distraction. Vincent raised his gaze. The night slowly crept while the clouds collected as well. The chance of rain further increased. Suddenly he heard Ester call for help. With immediate attention, Vincent dropped everything on the ground and rushed to check on her. However, Ester shyly said, "Nature... please help me." "Damn now?" Vincent became nervous and embarrassed. This was a job Lupa usually did. To help the sickly Ester relive her needs, but his time Lupa was away. 'Calm down Vincent. Help and don't take a peek. She will soon heal, and I don't want her to hate me.' Vincent thought while he carried Ester to a nearby tree. Soon, Ester raised her gaze and said with a weak voice, " Thank you, sister... Could you pull my pants down." Vincent sweated bullets while he uttered no words. Her blurry eyesight didn't recognize him. As he helped her, she felt something strange, Lupa didn't have such muscular arms. "Are... you... Vincent?" Ester weakly asked while staring in surprise. "Don't worry. Call for me when you're done or need help. I will stand on the opposite side of this tree." Vincent informed while his heart felt like it could burst any minute. Then he left her with the pants down and stood behind the same tree. "Don't hear... It's embarrassing..." Ester weakly said in embarrassment. Unfortunately, Ester fell after she finished. *Thud "Ester!... I should have stayed with you instead of getting embarrassed." Vincent quickly checked on Ester while feeling guilty. She seemed to have fainted after pulling her pants. 'I hope Ester will not treat me as a pervert...' Vincent thought while he carried Ester to the cart. The predicament was over, while Vincent blamed himself for being so naive. [Name] Ester [Condition] Injured, Sick(Fever), Cold [Soul Synch] 20% "What! It became twenty percent? I wonder what is going to happen when she wakes up." The inspection showed an increase of four percent because of this event. Whatever happened, the mysterious system increased her favor. A few hours later, it became dark. Vincent heard footsteps; he quickly rushed to Ester with the short sword in his hands. A few moments later, Lupa exited from a bush. [It's me, Vincent. I found a cave to stay in.] Lupa approached while wagging her tail and heavily breathing from hours of continuous running. "You're hungry, right? Let me cook you the last remaining meat." Vincent offered. While he cooked the meat, Lupa wore her clothes and approached with a frown. She cleared her throat for attention, "Ahem." *Sniff "Ester told me she doesn't need to do her nature calling routine." Lupa approached while she caught a whiff of Ester's scent on his clothes. Then continued with a pair of puffed cheeks, "Help me do mine. It's not fair." "Calm down, Lupa. I had to help since you weren't here. You're going to be my first mate, right?" Vincent tried to change the subject to stop her tantrum and remember their promise of when they one day would leave the vast Aero Forest. "Hehe, I remember. But I want you to brush my hair as a punishment." Lupa demanded some form of special treatment while she felt like upping her game to be the top retainer. Vincent agreed with a long sigh as he couldn't win against her. Soon, both ate the last of the boar meat. Later, Lupa received what she wanted. She happily gazed at the barely visible moon with a bright smile. While Lupa was in this blissful moment, she explained her findings. There wasn't another fruit tree in sight and only noticed a patch of wild red-spotted mushrooms, most probably Red Numb Mushrooms. Lupa didn't find any water source, and at the last moment, before she turned back, her nose picked up the familiar scent of a cave. After a while of searching for any trace of other animals, she deemed the small cave ownerless. Before the five-hour shift started, Vincent dismantled the racks. Then he made another Sage Apple puree and fed it to Ester. However, this time it was awkward between the two. "You need to take... responsibility for what y-you... did. " Ester weakly said while averting her gaze and acting embarrassed by these words. "Have you forgotten that you are my retainer? And I will care for you as a part of my family. Recover first. You can tell me how you feel about our relationship later." Vincent said while quickly covering her with the pelt. Ester closed her eyes. She soon slept with a visible smile. She seemed to like or accept this idea. Perhaps Lupa influenced her too much. Suddenly, danger closed in more than Vincent wished. Breathing behind his neck was Lupa, who had something to say from overhearing his statement. Vincent skillfully placed his finger on her lips and swiftly declared, "Since you want me, I will become yours if you want. I will not leave my cute girls alone." Thankfully this response was what she wanted; with a grin, she left to sit beside the campfire. She whistled a joyous tune while standing guard for the night. 'Did I just double promise to have two women at the same time? Well, I hope Vincent of the future becomes lucky.' He thought while going to sleep. Somehow he felt jealous of his future self. *Day 9 The time to switch guard duty arrived. Lupa went to sleep while Vincent took her place. Soon he gulped, mustering his courage to use inspection and see the result. Was Soul Nurture finally gone? [Name] Vincent Agius [Condition] Healthy [Soul Power] 0sp "Yes, it's gone. There are no more new conditions." Vincent became excited, yet he felt something might happen at any moment. He might have some kind of spirit living inside him now. Vincent spent the five hours of his shift packing and preparing to leave. The clouds in the sky felt like they could cry soon, and time was of the essence. When the time arrived, he woke Lupa, and together they left for the cave. Lupa pushed the cart from the back while Vincent pulled from the front. Surprisingly, their speed increased as the theory of Lupa becoming stronger than him, repeated in his mind. Lupa might have become much stronger from her new class. The new pair of strong werewolf arms added to that fact. She could probably overpower him if she wanted, but at least she was kind. Vincent wanted to become stronger, not to let Lupa fight alone. 'There is no I in a team.' he thought while pulling the cart with all he had. From the guidance of the GPS-like chirpy Lupa, they moved the cart towards their destination faster than they thought. In less than half a day, they were around half an hour away from the cave. "Vincent, let's stop for a moment. " Lupa said with her ear's raised full attention. She carefully gazed at a few trees. Then continued, "Yesterday, I noticed traces of small animals nearby. I think I'm hearing them inside a tree near us." Vincent stopped with enthusiasm. He felt exhausted but kept a strong facade not to appear weak. However, his body cried for rest. As he sat on the ground to take a breather, he said, "We have time until it rains. You can catch more food and have fun for a few minutes." The pair of golden eyes sparkled when they heard "catch more food and have fun for a few minutes." With a smirk to impress Vincent, her nose twitched while her ears tilted every passing second. Soon, the heightened sensitive senses picked up life hiding in a nearby tree to their left side. With a grin and a set of sharp claws, Lupa rushed to climb the tree like a professional tree climber. In mere seconds, her hand rushed inside a small hole. As Lupa felt the touch of something, her hand grabbed the inhabitants of the tree. Soon a pair of squirrels, each holding an acorn dangled in her hand. "Jackpot!" Vincent excitedly shouted. He started planning to skin them for hand warmers in his mind. The food was a bonus since the boar meat could last for a few days and the pork jerky for emergencies since they last longer to spoil. *Thud The two squirrels frantically tried to escape her grasp, but their tails remained stuck in her hand. Soon, two weak thuds on the ground made Vincent interested in what they dropped. [Name] Oily Acorn [Condition] Healthy [Name] Golden Acorn [Condition] Healthy [Effects] *Mana Regen [5.00.00] *Mana ??? ??? "What the..." Vincent held the Golden Acorn like a precious treasure while his eyes nearly bulged from their eye sockets. His heart raced with excitement as if it was the luckiest day in his life. The potent Sage Apple had a five minute Mana Regen buff, but this Golden Acorn had a five-hour buff. His gaze set on the squirrels. They were at the mercy of the sharp claws attached to the hungry drooling Lupa. "Let them go. They gave us food that can help Ester in exchange for their lives." Vincent ordered while accepting the bribe. At the same time, he hoped the squirrels would have stashed more inside trees, and maybe more Golden Acorns could be later found. Lupa murmured in annoyance while releasing the two squirrels. She lost her game, but Vincent's excited smile soon made this go all away. He was like a kid who got what he wanted, a side of him she never saw.