47 The Scent of Human

The sun almost reached its zenith as the forest gave way to a clearing. In front of us, past uneven terrain and cresting rocks was now dilapidated ruins of the fortress. The battlements and wooden buildings of its exterior were destroyed, lain hew and scattered all over; the interior I collapsed personally, bringing down the mountain so that no one could use it again. With just a little bit of magic, this place of death has been given back to the land.

Aaric coughed to suppress his gagging, "This place still reeks of the dead."

"No wolves at least." Mateo stated, "In fact, there's no scavengers trying to find bodies for food..."

"Not without the Wolf Lord's approval first. Every animal in his [Domain] recognizes his right to rule and none would dare cross him." Aaric begins to ponder before coming to some sort of conclusion, "Hoektan may have a rule in regards to his subjects feasting on mortal corpses."

"Why would he care about that? In the end, he's just a smarter wolf, isn't he?" Mateo asked.

My mind fluttered with an idea, "Now that you mention it, the bodies displayed around outside didn't show any post-death injuries. No pecked-out eyeballs or bite marks. Not even flies hovered around the corpses." A passing observation I made but tossed aside while moving bodies to the cremation pile the other day.

'Considering his relationship with Wolf's Rest and how he was a key figure in founding the town, he's probably amicable to mortals. Maybe he wants to give people a chance to find the bodies first before he lets the animals of the forest have their meal?" Aaric concluded, "This might prove to be useful information. It means he's open to parlay."

"So... he won't kill us when we meet him with his daughter in hand?" I asked cautiously.

"Well... the odds are better to say the least."

"Wonderful." I remarked disparagingly. The wolf cub in my arms gave me a quick bark of confidence.

"You wouldn't let your dad kill me, right?" I asked in jest. The wolf cub suddenly whimpered and looked away. "...You're not exactly inspiring confidence in me, you know?" I think she knows how far her father will go to get her back and it's starting to worry me again.

"Enough talking with the mutt." Mateo growled, "What's the next step? I doubt we're going to find a map or some other clue in the rubble."

"She's not a mutt, Mateo. She's a wolf." Aaric said pointedly, "Even with a bit of fox mixed in, I bet she still has an impeccable sense of smell." The pup barked in agreement.

Catching wind of his plan, I ask, "Alright, girl. You know your father's scent, right? Think you can lead us to him?"

She barked a few times in confidence and I set her down. Immediately she began to run around sniffing the ground, trying to pick up a scent.

Me and the two others congregated as we began our wait. "She's a wolf, aye, but she's still just a puppy. What makes you think she won't lead us off some cliff?" Mateo seemed to be a well of negativity today and it was starting to become grating.

"You're still thinking like she's some kind of wild animal. One day, she'll be the Wolf Lord of this area. As the offspring born from a union between two Spirit Beasts, she has to be strong." Aaric explained. "Otherwise, the [Domain] will suffer along with the people and animals living in it. Wolf's Rest is the leading town in lumber export for a reason. Hoektan's presence keeps monsters at bay and allows the trees to grow at a rapid pace... As long as the woodcutter's respect the forest and manage their appetite for lumber."

I stood there lost in thought. As an outsider, I'm amazed on how much of Wolf's Rest's economy was so reliant on this one fantastic being. It's no wonder why they don't stop giving him offerings year after year. And this has been going on for centuries.

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Mateo just stood there and muttered "Elf shits" under his breath while trying to stifle a laugh.

"Mateo!" Aaric snapped, "Your attitude has been barely tolerable all day! Just this once, could you keep your snide remarks to yourself!?"

Mateo just couldn't help himself anymore and bellowed with laugher. "No... no!" He struggled to speak between laughs, "It's just... haa... reminds me of the time you first showed up to Guild HQ in Zauberheim... I don't think I've ever met what the elves would call a country bumpkin before until then. Haha! And... and then you showed up... in that shite leather armor that your grandparents made for you... the way you talked before was just like that! All mystical and shit. Like you had a tree so far stuck up your ass you could see the branches and leaves through your mouth every time you talked! Haha!"

Aaric was fuming with rage. His pointy ears were red hot and I could swear they were even pointer now from anger. While I've spent very little time with the both of them, and despite Mateo's attitude today, I honestly think this is their normal when they were together. They were like this even when we were on the mountain. Hell, even when I first arrived in town and saw them in the guild hall. Regardless if it was in spite, I could see that Mateo relaxed just a little bit. The man seemed wound up so tightly that I felt it could snap at a moment's notice. Even through his mocking laughter, there was a hint of fondness in his voice when he spoke about his memory of Aaric. He cares about him more than he lets on.

Barks began to ring about the area as the wolf pup tried to catch out attention.

"You found a trail!?" I shouter at her from the other end of the clearing. She barked in confirmation as she pointed towards the far end of the forest with a paw with repeated thrusts. Aaric was right. She really was smarter than she looked if she can gesture like that.

We gathered our things and left the ruins, following the wolf deeper into the forest. We took note that the path we were being escorted through let straight to one of the taller peaks along the mountain range. Even stranger still, after travelling for a couple more hours, the detritus of the forest floor that normally would be littered about seemed nonexistent here. No broken trees blocking our path, no odd boulder. These woods looked manicured. As if guided by hand for a certain look.

"Heads up." Aaric spoke, "We're entering the center of Hoektan's [Domain]. You both noticed it too, right? Compared to the rest of the forest, this is where the Wolf Lord makes his home. His powers used to make what he considers ideal and beautiful."

I looked over at Mateo, his eyes shifting all around. He must be as nervous as I am, wondering how we're going to meet with Hoektan; face to face or in an ambush. Oracle isn't showing any hostility in the area. Whether that's a blessing or an ill omen is up in the air, unfortunately.

Soon enough, the wolf pup began to bark loudly and ran ahead. Panicked at her sudden movement, we all started rushing forward to keep her in our sights. Suddenly we reached a small clearing. A large circular patch of dirt and sand. At the other end was a shallow cave. Vision inside however was obscured by shadows. We all looked at each other before Mateo silently points ahead. Aaric and I nod our heads in agreement as we all walked cautiously forward in unison. The pup following closely behind my steps.

Just as we closed in, we all let out a sigh of relief. The cave was empty. The interior was surprising clean and barren, save for a very large pile of long grass and leaves that I could only guess was used as a bed for the Wolf Lord. Its size was worrying, to say the least.

Mateo moved away, going back to the center of the clearing, "Our Wolf Lord is missing. Well, pup? Do you know where your father could be?"

The wolf puppy shook her head and began whimpering. My only guess is that she's trying to tell us the trail ends here.

Aaric began to scan the area until he took notice of something, "There's a lot of footprints in the sand. But they're not animal tracks... those are boots."

I looked around and noticed the sand was heaved in certain places. There were patches of discoloration in the sand located all over as well.

"Blood." Mateo pointed out, "But who's I don't know. This must have been where the bandits kidnapped our puppy princess and waylaid her father. Right in his own home too."

"I don't get it..." Aaric stated in frustration, "How could some motley group of bandits take on a Spirit Animal? Their numbers wouldn't have mattered against something as ancient as him."

"Should we wait?" I asked, "He could come back."

"We should split up and search the woods." Mateo replied, "We either find him or find his corpse lying dead somewhere nearby."

The wolf pup's whimpering grew louder at Mateo's word and she ran towards my person. I pick her up once more to comfort her. She began to calm down, cradled in my arms.

"I agree. He could be lying 'injured' and in need of help." Aaric made sure to enunciate injured quite loudly, "Arlan, you stay here in case he does happen to return. With you as the child's ward, its best you stay put to explain the situation to him."

I wasn't quite as confident in their plan as they were, "What about you two? What if you run into him and he's not exactly in the mood to talk?" I ask.

"I've been trained by my grandparents on how to approach a Spirit Beast. I'm quite confident I can parlay with him." Aaric says with a bit of pride, "Mateo on the other hand..."

"I got a trick or two up my sleeve." Mateo replied, "Or maybe I'll just shout that you have his daughter here and run the other way." He chuckled as he left the clearing and disappeared in the woods.

I turned back to Aaric, "Good luck. And stay safe, Aaric."

The elf nods, "Let's pray we return back to the Guildmaster with good news. The town depends on it." With that spoken, he leaves. His vanishing figure darting deftly through the trees.

I sigh, "Well, it's just you and me now, girl." The wolf barks happily in my embrace, "You know I should think of a name to give you sometime..."

With nothing to do, I decided to search around the den. Maybe find some kind of clue as to what happened here. Unfortunately, my search is fruitless. Aside from the numerous footprints that showed signs of an altercation happening, there was nothing to be found. Hell, there wasn't even bodies. You think one of those bandits would have died at least but not a single corpse to be found. Running out of options, there was only one course available to me.

"Oracle, do you notice anything about this place in particular?" I ask. Maybe she could find something that sticks out.

[Unit Arlan. Please specify your directive.]

"Despite being maintained by the Wolf Lord, this is still a forest, right? Can you scan for anything that is out of the ordinary?" At this point I'm grasping at straws. The only thing I can think of is from television dramas that study crime scenes.

[Scanning... detecting traces of metal located within the vicinity. Alert! Mana levels in the area are below expected range.]

The mana levels are low? I don't quite know what that means but I have that other clue to go by for now, "It's not an ore vein or something?"

[Negative. Detected metal is scattered across the vicinity. The largest found is buried three inches below the surface, located in the center of the designated area.]

Going to where she specified, I let the pup down gently; getting on my knees and scratching away at the dirt and sand. Soon enough, I find what I was looking for. Holding it up in the air, I give it a shake and wipe it down to free it of crusted mud. In my hands was a small orb. Broken and destroyed. And very familiar. I've seen this thing before, long ago after my first night here in this new world.

[Warning! Hostile entity detected!]

It's been awhile since I was caught by surprise like this. My HUD flashed to life. The radar in my vision displayed one single blimp. Whatever it was, it was right behind me. The pup turned to face our unexpected guest and began to bark wildly. A low, menacing growl echoed throughout the clearing.

Slowly getting up, I raised each of my hands gently in the air and turned to greet my assailant. I wasn't prepared for what I saw. Before me was the largest wolf I've ever seen. Towering above me, his coat was as gray as the mountains themselves and mottled in patches of dried blood. Scars littered his face with spears and swords still stuck into his sides, an artifact of his fight against the bandits no less. His fangs bared as he stared fiercely at me with murderous intent.

He approached menacingly, slowly inching his way towards me as he spoke, "I was right to hide my presence. The wind warned me of your approach... The unmistakable scent of a human."