Chapter 28

♪ Have You Ever Heard The Wolf Cry

To The Blue Corn Moon? ♪

In the morning on the second day of my second life here in Driscoll, I awoke refreshed and ready to be on the move. It only took a couple of seconds to store all my shelter’s materials before I stepped onto the slightly beaten path. I had to think for a few minutes about the direction to go since I hadn’t cleared enough of the map in my first life to see where I’d met the young elven ladies. While unlocking the general area with the map that Pierre showed me was beneficial, it also removed the grayed-out area surrounding the path I took to get there. In other words, I have no idea where I met Malady’s group. Pondering too long with no real conclusion ended up being a waste of time. In a way, it was an important moment for me. Even so, without the information to make an informed decision, I grabbed a stick and balanced it straight up and down before lifting my hand off to let it fall to the ground. When it fell to the right, which happened to be to the west on my map, I immediately took my first step in that direction. “What will be, will be I guess.”

And so, I strode along the partially worn path. With the ground, or moss rather, slightly more trodden, I could move at a much faster pace than without the tracks. There’s a chance it was all in my head, but I certainly felt like I was moving faster than on the regular moss. My own perception could be skewed in more than one way though. Maybe I was moving faster from the anxiety of not being sure where the Goblins went after I fled. Who knows?

After several hours passed and more suns arose the first sun started to set in front of me. However, the anticipated red sunset failed to paint the sky no thanks to the brightness of the other 5 suns still burning brightly. It’s… interesting to see, to say the least. I’d already eaten breakfast and lunch by that time, though the day isn’t even a quarter over yet. [Guavo Fruit] is so delicious, I think I could eat it for every meal and never get sick of it! That thought pervaded my mind any time I’d taken a bite of the juicy fruit’s flesh seeping with addictive sweetness. A thought I would eventually recant after eating nothing but the fruit all day. Still, not yet would repetition disrupt my delight.

I closed my eyes and shook my head with fruit in hand as I said, “No doubt if this was one of those food anime back on earth, I’d be going into some scene of uncontrollable bliss with my clothes bursting at the seams. Only the Japanese can think up that kind of stuff, seriously.” Masada seemed to be doing his best to hold in a laugh before letting out a repressed “Ku-ku-ku.”

The path continued past the moss plains into another part of the forest atop the [Abascan Tree]s we were already on. We’d been walking for several more hours in the forest before I opened the map in my brain to check its size for some encouragement. Yes! It seems like we’re making good progress. “Thank God today went by without any other incidents.”

However, with the death flag raised by saying that, I started to get the feeling that we were being watched again. If we’re getting close to where we met the elves, that also means we’re close to the wolves that attacked us beforehand.

“Hey buddy, are you getting the feeling that we’re being watched? Or well, maybe just not the only ones here?” I asked Masada.

“Kuru. Ku ku kuru kururu.” ‘Yeah. I think there are wolves.’

“*Sigh*” Great… But will it be the same group that attacked us last time? I don’t think we’re in the same area yet.

I hadn’t even finished that thought before perking up my ears to better sense whatever presence might be there. The sound of leaves rustling. The sound of wind embracing the moss plains. The sound of smaller trees bending as they sway to and fro. And… a certain rustling accompanied by the sound of numerous steps lightly hitting the moss as it moved through the shrubbery. Something was definitely there. Yeah, that premonition must have been a hint from Yahweh. My instincts are rarely so spot on.

I slowly prepped Masada in hand to be swung at a moment’s notice as the sound approached from the southern side of the moss trail. Over there? In that case, I’ll move to the other side and attempt to hide in the brush near some [Leather Leaf Tree]s.

After a moment of waiting in the shadows, a dog, erm… I mean a wolf with light brown and green splotches on its fur that moved in the wind dexterously lurked onto the trail 10 paces ahead of me. Two more green, black, and brown… dog-looking ‘wolves’ slunk behind the leader. Is this an animal or a monster? I know the other pack I saw in my last life wasn’t a group of monsters, but who knows if they turn into one when they class up.

There was, however, one thing I was sure of. These things are meat. Meat that I’d much rather eat over that Goblin I cooked any day. Ha never thought the day would come that I’d see a wolf in the woods and think ‘meat’s back on the menu!’ but these are desperate times and I’m hungry for somethin’ other than the fruit I’ve had way too much of.

I took my time observing them as they laid down on the moss trail to rest. With a stroke of luck, or more likely a blessing from Yahweh, I notice that I am upwind from the pack, so hopefully, the stench of [Guavo Fruit] that I’d smeared on my body, and probably seeping out my pores, won’t reach them. Phew*… Nevertheless, I should still be wary of their keen noses and ears. They seemed to let their guard down, none even facing my direction on the trail when I moved around to get a better view of the moss between them.

The one wolf facing the other way turned its head toward our bearing. When its eyes met mine, I got this odd feeling at the thought, ‘there’s a wild animal. And I’m just some dude lost in the woods.’

[name: Forest Wolf. An animal turned monster after transforming while in the dense Magitoms of the [Abascan Upper Shelf].]

Huh, Magitoms you say… That supposed to be somthin’ like magic atoms?

The [Forest Wolf] stopped panting to gaze into my eyes for an instant. Once its stare turned into a snarl, I cast [Blaze Step] to the spot on the ground between all three wolves, which I can now see thanks to my improved vantage. An exploooooooosion threw all three of them into the trees beside the trail, one of which was impaled by a large, broken branch. Both of the others seemed to be either knocked unconscious or just straight up dead with fire lapping up the last vestiges of their fur.

Not even a few seconds went by before I heard howling coming from deeper in the woods in the direction that my prey came from. Many more howls were raised, signaling that the pack was somewhat close by and enormous compared to the small pack I’d fought the first time. That made me flinch while in motion to reach out and store my new food. But the most alarming sound came from a wolf that could probably rival a dragon’s roar. All the other howling ceased in its wake, almost like it commanded the rest to shut up. My heart sank into my gut. Crap, what on Driscoll was that?! I haven’t felt this scared since my time back in God’s wrath! My breathing grew harder, my heartbeat was uncontrollable.

The overall pace of my every move increased, and my legs had no option but to follow. Quickly, I finished storing my future food and with a farewell salute said, “I’m out!”, attempting to lighten my own mood with a little comedic relief that had absolutely, without a doubt, no effect whatsoever. Masada attempted to mimic the gesture as best he could, probably not even understanding what he was doing, “Ku ru!”

We weren’t about to stick around to find out what made that ferocious, nigh elegant howl. Using my significantly leveled agility, I bolted along the trail which now headed west. The new rush gave me the speed to clear nearly 3 meters with each step. I even felt aerodynamic, like the rush of wind in my face was being easily parted, providing little resistance.

A few minutes later, a familiar rustling sound entered my hearing range’s perception despite my attempts to run from any further conflict. A small army of brown, green, and greyish-black wolves could be seen dashing through the trees with practiced ease. When I turned to look behind myself, more could be seen following me on the trail, and the same could be said for the forest north of the trail. Their goal was obviously to encircle us.

“Of course, predators would become more active as the last of the suns start to set. Aren’t most of the stories about getting transported to another world supposed to be about cheating, cheating, and more cheating with some kind of world-breakingly-busted abilities and building harems for no reason!? This is just a much harder life than I had on earth! *Sigh, chill out, Tru. Chill out… You should be thankful that you got a second chance to live at all. I guess this is my third chance. And at the very least, it’s a lot more exciting!”

While I practically ignored the approaching predators, I’d uselessly spent the time complaining about things rather than thinking up a tangible solution. To be fair, I was pretty dang scared. Regardless of how much agility I’d gained, I had no [Red Moon Berries] to equalize my stats to that of such a large pack of wolves. And who knows when that huge wolf will get involved? If not for the whole sprinting-at-full-speed-thing, I’d definitely be shaking in my [Ninja Tabi].

Before I even noticed, the roughly worn trail had turned into more of a well-kept road. Distinct embarkments guided the road, with the boundaries growing from the size of a single stair step to waist-high walls. This is more like that sunken lane from my last life… If I keep going I’ll not only be at a numerical disadvantage, but I’ll also be at an elevational disadvantage. With that thought, I decided to jump the mound of moss and run through the woods to the south. Why choose the south you ask? Even with more wolves and the threat of the big bad wolf, I needed to go southwest towards Shallanor, and the quicker I got there the better! As far as I could tell after looking at the [Map], it was just on the other side of the forest, from my position at the time, if not connected to its edge.

I’d needed to bound over innumerable roots protruding from the moss while also weaving between the [Leather Leaf Tree]s which seemed to grow fatter and fatter to my dismay. If I trip or need to stop in any fashion, I’m a dead man. No doubt about it. I’d significantly slowed down compared to running on the trail, allowing a wolf to easily catch up to me. By the time it had lunged to take a bite out of my shoulder, Masada activated [Blaze Step] to reach as far ahead through the trees as he could see. Relief washed over me, almost like Yahweh’s Holy Spirit cleansed me of my previous fear, at the site of [Blaze Step]’s significantly more intense impact. Could it be that when I cast [Blaze Step] it gets weakened compared to when Masada casts it? That’s the only way I can rationalize this ludicrous destructive force. Could also be a miracle from Yahweh. Those can happen too I guess.

I appeared nearly 300 feet ahead of where I’d almost been devoured. Not only did the wolves fall pretty far behind, but even the surrounding trees were sent flying by the explosion, mostly landing behind me. The impenetrable thicket created by the explosion gave me enough of a lead that I couldn’t really hear the wolves at all.

“That was some excellent thinking Masada! Perfectly executed with the skill of a true master! I’m so proud of you, buddy!” I couldn’t stop singing Masada’s praises while rustling his uber-soft fur coat with every ounce of enthusiasm I could muster. With Masada’s eye closed, he didn’t say a word. Like he didn’t know how to react to such lavish praise, typically filtered by a more rational state of mind.

We’d only been walking in the direction of Shallanor for maybe a minute before we heard a tremendous cracking sound from the newly made wall of downed trees. With a single step, a gigantic wolf a little smaller than the [Young Tarragon] we’d seen in the first life crushed the trees to make an opening. The smaller wolves poured through like water on rock.

I was panicking quite a bit and all reason went out the window when I started to sprint again, without regard to my energy in the slightest. I couldn’t bring myself to adjust my speed with terror ruling over my mind. That terror was amplified a millionfold at the thought of my [Eternal Love] passive skill.

[!WARNING!]

Am I seriously going to die again so soon?! The [Abascan Upper Shelf] is way too dangerous! I was running faster than my body could maintain without breaking down, but I didn’t even feel tired. I chalk it up to the power of adrenalin and my higher level of energy. Speaking of which,

[~Status~]

[Health: 561/583]

[Mana: 3461/3481]

[Energy: 959/4680]

I need to get as much distance as I can. If I can reach Shallanor before the wolves catch me… I’ll be saved! But when will I reach the border? It isn’t shown on the map! I was breathing heavily, starting to wheeze from my overworked lungs, when the howl of the wolves reached my ears. They’re catching up! When I turned to check over my shoulder, sure enough, there were several of them slowly closing the gap Masada had so spectacularly created for me. Thanks to my intense fear of undergoing Yahweh’s wrath again, it hadn’t dawned on me to question why the big wolf hadn’t caught up yet.

This is horrifying! It’s so much different than when my auntie’s dog would chase me around the yard. They’re clearly looking at me with the same eyes I had earlier, ‘meat’s back on the menu!’

I decided to abandon my thoughts and run with all my might after looking forward. I… I can see a clearing ahead! I pushed myself even faster, although Masada had been in the way from bumping into trees every other step. “Masada… *Huff *huff… I… *huff need you… *huff to get there… *huff *huff on your own!

Masada: “Kuru ku ku ru!” ‘Leave it to me!’

With that, I launched Masada behind me. His instantaneous [Blaze Step] blew away the three closest [Forest Wolf]s before he became lodged in a hunk of some type of metal bolder. There should’ve been fewer wolves now that Masada had taken a few out, but when I turned my head, it seemed like there were even more than before! At least 20 had caught up but were out of the range of Masada’s weakened blast, which he’d most likely done to keep me from being impaled by debris.

AAAAHHH! I might just wet my pants! But now that I’m conscious of it, I won’t. It’s right there! 10 more meters! 5! And I was out. A blinding light burned my eyes as though I walked straight outside on a sunny day after watching a movie at the theatre. Regardless of my inability to see where I was going, my feet just wouldn’t stop. My blindness lasted only a few seconds, but it felt much longer amidst my terror. When clarity finally returned to my eyes, the scene that came into view was exactly what I’d hoped for; Gates connected to a wall with people atop them.

“HEEEEELP MEEE!!!” It was a shameless, all-out cry for help like I’d never let out in either of my previous lives. I’d screamed at the top of my lungs, disregarding the pain they’d been enduring up to this point. Oh, please let me in! At this point, the wolves looked like they were waiting at my doorstep, ready to gobble me up with some tea and cookies. But before they could, my prayers were answered. A burley-looking human jumped down from above the ramparts. Not an elf, but the two races seem to be on friendly enough terms that I shouldn’t be surprised. Shallanor resident #1… I’m saved!

??? “You’re in quite the pickle there, eh?”

Truck: “Wolves! Huff* wol- *huff -ves!”

From the perspective of Lucerne:

I’d brought my honey-dipped mutton to the strategy room that evening for dinner. It’s. So. Good! I thought with a face beaming with joy. Back home, the only way we could get honey was to destroy a beehive. I wonder what could possibly be making them so much honey that this can be dipped in a vat of it? There’s no way they’ve tamed the bees, right?

I’d taken a seat at one of the disorderly chairs strewn about the room to one of the smaller side tables. “Time to dig in!” I had eaten about half of my dinner by the time other adventurers started to wander in. A group of mages with purple, pointy hats that drooped to the side; a group that couldn’t be described as anything other than bandits; a standard archer, rogue, warrior, healer combo; and before I knew it, more parties than I cared to remember had waltzed in like they owned the place.

None looked particularly impressive up to this point, but there were a few who abruptly stepped back with wide-eyed looks after glancing at me. In all three cases, their party asked, “Oy, what’s wrong? Did that fella do something to you?” only to receive the answer, “Drop it. Just don’t mess with that guy.” I guess what happened with Goblin Cleavers started to make the rounds. Not sure if I should be happy ‘bout it.

Gradually as more and more parties entered the room, the atmosphere became palpably intense. As a matter of course, given the emergency request. Huh, the number of women that showed up is more than I thought. Maybe three of every 10 adventurers? Aren’t they concerned about the Orc’s… disposition toward women? If things go south, only the most horrid of futures would await them… Ah well, to each their own. The mood hadn’t lightened until a certain party of three strode in with swagger. Most of the other adventurers in the place had faces of relief at the new party’s site. The first who caught the eye of our merry little band was a man who looked to be in his early 40s. He had sandy blonde hair accompanied by the smile of some prankster. Regardless of the expression, he was covered in muscles and carried himself with a certain weight that demanded respect. He honestly reminded me of the Barlguras back in the mountains. Over his shoulder was a halberd with an abnormally large battle ax at the top. A hammer complimented the backside of the ax, equal in size. That looks to be terribly unbalanced. The gent must have extraordinary strength just to wield such a thing. With its sheen… it’s definitely a magic item.

Behind the man was a female adventurer in her 30s. Surely a woman in the prime of her life. She carried a stave which obviously indicated some sort of magical affinity. Whether a mage or a healer, the beauty was ready for combat. Her robes were shortened, no doubt to aid in her mobility on a battlefield, the same as her hair which lightly flowed with short, blue strands as she walked into the room. Once she’d looked around the room her gaze seemed to be drawn to me. Oh, bother. I don’t want to be a coo-coo in another man’s nest. I mistakenly assumed her gaze stemmed from attraction to me. But that was not the case even in the slightest. It was more out of wariness. I could easily tell when she had the same reaction as the other three mages that stumbled backward after seeing me for the first time.

However, in this case, the woman pushed over a younger man which had been following close on her heels. His resemblance to the previous two adventurers was uncanny. He’s obviously their son. The man wasn’t much older than me and carried pale blue hair on his head. His physique was closer to that of his slender mother than the mountainous form of his father, though he carried a spear and shield on his back as opposed to a mage’s equipment. Each of the party’s equipment either had a sheen of power emanating from it or had been constructed from rare monster parts seldom seen.

When the young man had been pushed over by his mother, he glared in the direction which she had been looking when she became so flustered. The guy stormed right up to me and grabbed my collar to lift me onto my toes out of my seat. “Oy! What did you do to mother?!” I stared coldly into his eyes and chided his question with my own, “Is this typically how you introduce yourself to your fellow temporary party members for emergency requests?”