Trial Forest

'Falgur? How do I treat him? How do I act around him? He is young, so I think just like Nanna, it will be easier for him to accept me, but for me, I do not know. I should just treat him like how I would treat Beak-Hyun and take it from there.'

Sheyken thought as he and Falgur entered the Trial Forest.

"Falgur, I'm sure you wanted to take it slow since this is your first time outside but I do not think we have time to waste. It is risky to stay around here for longer than we need to after what happened."

"I know. I think this is a good decision. Everything I do from now on will be an unknown to me, so I do not mind at all. Infect, after what you told me, it will keep my mind busy. I think this will be a good opportunity to show you what I can do too."

'Is it me or do kids grow up way too fast here.'

"So, mind showing me your Blessing?"

"I think It is better if I surprise you. The first beast we meet you should let me handle it alone. I know you think that since I have been cooked up in a basement all my life I should be weak, but I have been doing nothing else but training all my life too."

"No problem, I'll stand by just in case something happens. Remember to always stay close to me as only I have the compass that can get us back. I hope you can keep up with my speed though."

Sheyken said as he started running.

"No... I hope you can keep up with mine."

Falgur ran in front of him showing that he was faster than him. Sheyken increased his speed but when he would catch up, Falgur would increase his speed in return, making him leg behind. After going back and forth with Sheyken catching up to him and then falling behind, he was now running at full speed but still could not catch up with him. They ran for four hours straight with him at full speed but then had to rest as his stamina was giving up on him. Sheyken still could not catch up to him which did not go well with him.

"How the hell are you that fast?"

"Hahaha, it's a secret. I never had the chance to run like this. The basement where I trained was not that big, but I made the most of it."

Sheyken was now dying to know what Blessing he had. The only thing he was better at than him was that his steps whereas quiet as a ghost, but Falgur's were as loud as a cheetah running at full speed. They were not that loud but it showed how much their training differed. They claimed up a tree to rest for a while and Sheyken took out something to eat from Ruby. After having nothing to say about the oatmeal he had been served, Falgur was hoping that the next meal he gave him would be packed with more flavor than what he was currently eating.

"Do not give me that face. That will help us keep our stamina up and also help us grow."

Sheyken said as he took a large spoonful into his mouth. Falgur did not say anything and just ate. It was something he had never eaten before but was not as exciting to eat like the ramen he had last time.

"Did your father tell you anything regarding the Trial Forest and the beasts that inhabit it? Ningal had told me a little about the beasts but I did not get to ask her about the Trial Forest."

Sheyken asked.

"He had told me everything he knew about the beasts."

Sheyken was happy to hear that.

"He told me that they do not know that much about the forest as many of the books were taken by those who left the village. He told me that all they knew is that it is a forest that challenges you except if you are still a child. In each day you spend in it, a beast that is of equal strength to you will find you and challenge you."

Sheyken was puzzled by that explanation.

"What do you mean challenge?"

He asked.

"My father told me that they think the beasts do not hunt us like we hunt them. There have been cases where the fight would end in a draw and both parties would withdraw. There have been other cases where the beast would not finish you, but allow you to heal and then fight you again. He even said there have been cases that who who survived their trials thought the beasts they had faced were way smarter than they should have been."

After Falgurs explanation, Sheyken thought of Arloch's fight against the Neritetus and the molten black bear that made him fight its cabs.

"Are they getting smarter..... or trying to learn like humans do?"

"My father thought it was something amongst those lines. He also thought that the Trial Forest might be responsible for that. He thought that it might be helping them learn."

Sheyken was not ok with what Falgur just said because if that was true, then it was a headache he would rather not think about until he could investigate it himself.

'Through my observation so far, it seems like the Trial Forest was made to protect the beasts leaving in it. Everything about it seems to be for protecting the beasts that leave in it and those who enter it are at a disadvantage. Well, it is their territory after all. Anyway, I have no time to be thinking about it for now. I am sure we will find out more if we get in a guild or school.'

He thought as he finished his food.

"Anyway, since this is your first hunt, we should get going. For some reason, it is harder to find beasts when you going into the forest than when you are going out."

"That might be because the forest wants you to go deeper so that many beasts can come to your location. Father did think that the forest kind of has an influence on where you go. It might be making you avoid the beast so you go deeper or until you bump onto a suitable beast equal to your strength."

"It makes sense. I see you have been learning some stuff while you were down there. Anything else you think I should know?"

When he asked the question, he remembered something he was not able to ask Ningal or Vitula about. Since Vitula had taught Falgur practically everything he knew, he thought he might have an idea.

Before Falgur could say anything, he proceeded to tell him about the incident that occurred with the two mage apprentices and about one of the most horrific-looking beasts other than the molten black bear he had seen sniffing him and then disappearing.

"Man, at this point I can say you are already immortal. Not only did you survive a 5th circle curse at your age, you killed two mage apprentices 'AT YOUR AGE', avoided being eaten by a Snatcher, also avoided being taken by those witches, and not to mention being acquainted with those monstrous beings."

'Is he saying what I think he is saying? That I already have plot.... no never'

He did not want to think about it.

"A Snatcher?"

He asked trying to forget what Falgur just said.

"Yes, I think it was a Snatcher. Well, we call it that, but its name is Raperetion. It is the bully of the forest. It is lazy to hunt, even though it is high up in the food chain since it is a lethal hunter. So, when it comes across a dead beast that has been recently hunted by another, it snatches it away and there is nothing that beast can do about it unless it wants to be killed. It is also one of the reason you have to leave the area you battles a beast in quickly after you have slain it."

Sheyken looked gloomy.

"It is said it does not eat spoiled or sick beasts and that if it shows itself to you, you better run because it means it will attack you, but that usually happens if it had not eaten for a long while and it is still hungry after snatching your prey."

Falgur continued, now laughing at Sheyken's gloomy face.

"Man, I think it did not kill you because it smelled the curse you had. So, you better thank the person who cursed you for being alive, ahahaha. Your life is something else man."

Falgur said while trying to hold his laugh.

"I would never thank that bitch!"

Sheyken said out loud. Falgur could not hold it anymore and bust out laughing. Sheyken thought he would give Violentiam a run for his money for the way he was laughing.

'This is good. After what I told him I thought it would weigh down on him, but I think he is trying to cope with the loss in a good way. I did not think I would see him smile this soon. He did say his father would want him to take the pain of his death as a tool to make him stronger after all.'

Sheyken stopped his thinking as he saw two Cossowas coming in their direction a distance away.

"Falgur, it is your lucky day. Guess it is time to show me what you've got "

He said pointing at them. Falgur stopped laughing at his expense and looked in the direction Sheyken was pointing. His face changed and he now had a grin on his face that looked like that of someone cruel.