Maybe it was the wind changing, maybe Drake stepped in a dry branch or something. Whatever it was, it caught the scouts' attention. They suddenly stopped talking, and Drake, without even needing to look back, knew they discovered him. The death-type Iferes growled, a low and guttural rumble that came from deep within them.

Knowing that the moment they attacked he would be dead, Drake decided to take the initiative. They were too many to face head-first, but if he could get to his Yscalent, and run away, they wouldn't manage to catch up to him.

Lifting his rifle, he fired a warning shot towards them, hitting a tree next to the one who appeared to be their leader. Instantly, the humans all ducked down, while the Iferes jumped into action. The spikes that covered their bodies stood up, and with a shake of their bodies, were thrown at him.

Already expecting a skill like that after seeing that Sercoliot, albeit being a flying Ifere, was killed by a black spike very similar to the Iferes', Drake immediately hid behind a tree, and felt the projectiles impacting on it.

"Let's go!"

Yelling to Frainer and Kniivar, he ran in a zigzag pattern, feeling bullets and spikes whistling past him. Luckily, the darkness of the night seemed to hinder his hunters' aim as much as his.

"Kniivar, use Uproot!"

With the corner of his eyes, he saw one of the Iferes trying to corner him. He could hear the others speeding through the forest, much faster and more agile than him. Without hesitation, he told his companion to attack the one to their left, while he dropped to a knee, and quickly aimed at their hunters. They were slightly darker spots amidst the shadows, but that was enough for him.

While the glowing green ball that was Kniivar's skill scared one of the Iferes, Drake quickly pressed the trigger, and was rewarded with a whimper of pain. One of the Iferes tumbled down, mortally wounded, causing the others to slow down in fear. From behind them, Drake heard a human cry of utmost agony.

Taking advantage of their slight hesitation, he hit another of the creatures, this time on one of their legs, and then took off running again. Frainer left behind a few red puffs of mist - he was getting better at controlling Nightmare Clouds, now he was able maintain them for longer.

Without waiting to see if the skill hit something or not, the three of them returned to the road, and Drake jumped on his Yscalent. This time, he didn't bother with thinking if Kniivar was too heavy or not, and just picked her up, and put her in front of him. Then, he told his mount to use Boost.

Before the Yscalent could gain enough speed, however, the pack of death-type Iferes bursted through the treeline, their spikes once more flying at him. He ducked, trying to dodge, but one still managed to find it's way to his leg. Immediately, searing pain assaulted his mind, but he gritted his teeth, and held on to the Yscalent. The mount struggled under him when a spike hit it's rear, but that only made it go faster.

"Stop right there!"

Already quite a distance behind him, the humans finally appeared, and one of them yelled at him in exasperation. Drake didn't stop. What he did, however, was turn his upper body around, fire a few shots towards them. By luck, he hit one of his hunters, although the wound wasn't too serious.

A bullet grazed his side, leaving a shallow cut. It stung a little, but compared to the pain in his leg, it was nothing. He looked down, black spots in his vision, and saw dark blood leaking from the wound. The spike was still firmly embedded in his thigh, and, as much as he wanted to pull it out, he knew that doing so would only make him bleed out faster.

The color of his blood was also worrying. It wasn't dark red, but almost black. He knew that was the effect of a death-type skill, which was one of the reasons why they were so feared.

Eventually, the noises and shouts behind him died down, signaling that he had managed to outrun his pursuers. He sighed in relief, and turned his head forward again, only to find Kniivar shining with a light green glow. Hurriedly, he stopped his companion from using Tree Of Life. It was a powerful, one-time use skill, and, as touched as he was by Kniivar's concern, it would be a waste to use it now.

"Don't worry, I will be alright. We just gotta reach the outpost, and they will have a medic to treat me."

No sooner than he said that, his vision went completely dark, and he collapsed on top of his Yscalent.

-----------------------------

Major Alcamond was surveying his outpost with a frown on his face. Although the soldiers had no idea that Lapidum's troops were on the way, they could feel his uneasiness, so they all straightened their backs, and did their best to appear hardworking.

"Still nothing on him?"

"No, sir. Guards said he left yesterday, and he hasn't come back yet."

"Sh*t..."

There was a reason why the major wanted to find Drake so badly. He had told the kid to stay in the outpost, because he could need him, but he paid no heed to his orders. Now, someone whose rank was far above his was looking for Drake, and he had no idea where he was. He didn't know why the higher-ups were interested in Drake, but he knew that he would be the one to suffer if he didn't find him very soon.

It was as he was thinking this that he heard shocked exclamations coming from the gate. Frowning at the ruckus, he walked over there, only to almost be run over by a frenzied Yscalent. There were a few figures on it's back, one of them human, who fell from the mount when it came to a sudden stop in the middle of the outpost.

While several soldiers tried to calm the Ifere, others went to check on the person, only to almost be trespassed by wooden spears that grew in an instant. A small green Ifere growled at the soldiers, not letting them get near.

"Kniivar... Let them... They can help..."

The person on the ground, awoken by the fall, murmured these words to his companion, and ruffled her fur. Struggling to get up, Drake saw several blue-coats around him, and realized he had arrived at the outpost. His vision was blurry, but he recognized Major Alcamond standing near him.

"Lapidum... Scouts... Not many..."

His words were interrupted by sharp and painful breaths, but the major got the gist of it, while the surrounding crowd was confused. His head full of thoughts and considerations, Major Alcamond knelt next to Drake, only to find that he had fainted again. It was only then that he saw that the left side of Drake's body was soaked in blood, and there was a black spike on his leg. With his years of experience as a soldier, he could tell that the leg wound was more worrisome.

"Get him to the medical building!"

---------------------------

When he woke up, the first thing Drake saw were his companions, laying in bed next to him. As soon as they felt him moving, they both pounced on him, and he laughed out loud. That startled the medic, a young woman barely a few years older than Drake. She ran to his side, and gave a stern stare to the two Iferes, who backed down dejectedly. By the looks of it, this wasn't the first time she had to tell them to not jump on top of him.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like someone ripped my leg off, and then someone else put it back in place. It hurts like hell."

He looked at himself, and found that he was half-naked. His torso had a white bandage wrapped around it, but he didn't feel any pain there. His leg, on the other hand, was constantly sending shivers of pain through his body. It was also covered in bandages, only those were somewhat bloody.

"Sorry about that. I had Arton use Epsilon and Light Curtain to ease the pain and close the wound, but it still isn't quite enough. I wouldn't worry about the cut on your side, though. That one should heal pretty quickly. Now, try to stand up. You lost a lot of blood, so we were forced to make a transfusion. I want you to tell me if you can stand, and if you are feeling weak or lightheaded."

Not at all embarrassed by his lack of clothes, the medic urged him to move, and so he did. Groaning, Drake used the bedside as support, and tried to put weight on his left leg. He trembled a little as another wave of pain hit him, but he endured it with a frown. Taking a few experimental steps forward, he discovered he was stronger than he thought.

"How long was I out?"

"A few hours. Those two never left your side."

The medic threw a look at the two Iferes, who were looking at him anxiously, and smiled. Drake couldn't help but mimic her, and stretched his hand to caress them.

"Sorry to make you worry, buddies. I'm better now."

"That's good to hear, because Major Alcamond has been on my ass all day, telling me to wake you up and send you to him. Kniivar over there almost threw him out herself when he tried to touch you."

Drake straightened his back, and picked up his clothes on the cupboard next to his bed. There were some obvious holes in them, but they were still usable. Later he would change into the spare clothes he left on his saddle. Thinking of them made Drake remember something else.

"My Yscalent, it was wounded too. What happened to it?"

"This... I and the vet took a look at it. It's alive, but... The wound, plus the strain of running dozens of kilometers and using Boost... It won't be able to walk properly ever again. Sorry."

The medic grimaced at him, and Drake's mood dropped too. Sure, this Yscalent was only his latest one, and he didn't have any feelings for it, but it was, after all, his mount. To learn that it became crippled because of him wasn't good. He could only console himself by saying that Lapidum's scout team would have killed it if they didn't manage to run fast enough.

"It's not your fault, doc. At least one of the Iferes who injured it is already dead, and the others will soon follow. You said the major wanted to talk to me, right? I'm going now."

"All right. Try not to burden this leg too much. Death-type skills can be unforgiving."

The woman looked at him for a short while before nodding. She was somewhat impressed by Drake. Others in his position would have stayed in bed for at least a day or two. Even after being treated by a life-type skill, his wound still hadn't healed entirely. It was too deep, and death-type skills were the natural counter to Arton's Light Curtain, so it wasn't nearly as effective as it would have been otherwise. If Drake were to take off the bandages, he would see that the flesh around the wound was slightly grayish in color. Yet, he was already up and running.

Pushing open the door of the infirmary, Drake limped his way out, followed by his companions. He received curious and shocked looks from soldiers and civilians on his way. Well, he was quite the sight. His clothes were dirty with dry blood, and ripped apart in places. However, he ignored the stares, and made his way to the major's office. The guards on his way had already been warned of his presence, so they let him through.

"Come in!"

Drake knocked on the door to the major's office, and pushed it open. The soldier was sitting at his desk, and the female captain Drake met earlier was also there. Too much had happened in a short while, so he couldn't remember her name - that is, if she gave him one.

"Oh, you are already awake?"

"Seems like it. Did you manage to catch Lapidum's scout team?"

The major raised an eyebrow in surprise. Drake's lack of... Caution, when speaking to a soldier was quite unusual. Unfortunately for him, Drake had a bad impression of the military, especially after Major Erinster's case.

"No, they were long gone when my platoon got there."

"Uhmm... Did they manage to bring back the one I killed?"

"You killed one of them?"

Both the major and the captain stared at him intently, which was more than enough to answer Drake's question. The enemies probably brought back the dead Ifere. Drake could understand it. He too wouldn't like to leave the body of a companion on foreign grounds.

"Yeah, one of the Iferes. I also managed to injure another one, and a human, but only lightly. Do you at least have the black spikes you took off me and my Yscalent? Could help identify the Iferes, and let you know what you will be dealing with."