Erlo (2)

The Forest of Thorns still looked intimidating with the thorn-covered trees, but at least it wasn't as bad as during the night. Since even without wind, the branches and leaves swayed, creating ghastly shadows similar to jaws filled with sharp teeth. However, the shadows only looked like ordinary shadows during the day.

Azra followed Lo, who bumbled with anticipation, into the forest while admiring the scenery he couldn't see properly last night.

When they got far enough into the forest that the trees hid the village, Lo began whisper-shouting Erlo's name.

He wanted to make sure Erlo heard it, but he also didn't want to attract the attention of other beasts.

The plan was to shout Erlo's name until they reached the place where he had attacked Lo. If Erlo didn't show up until then, Azra and Lo would head into the smaller cluster of trees to the south of the road and try to find traces of Erlo. If they still didn't find Erlo by then, they would head back to the village and try again tomorrow. And if they felt it necessary, they would have to go into the main part of the forest that spread out north of the road.

Azra had been worried about how they would find the exact spot where Erlo attacked Lo, but Lo assured him it would be fine. Lo's assurance further solidified Azra's suspicions that Lo's inclination was related to being inside a forest. Lo also told Azra that as long as they found some traces of Erlo, he would be able to find the dog.

Considering his father was a hunter and how he was raised close to the forest, it might not be weird that Lo knows how to track beasts. But the certainty with which he promised his skills made Azra guess that it was due to his inclination. Lo also hadn't given off the impression of having self-confidence bordering on the verge of arrogance before.

It was great for Lo that he would be able to find Erlo easier. But it didn't bring Azra much comfort since inclinations with abilities outside the range of actual combat were usually weaker at fighting directly with opponents of a similar level, not to mention beasts at higher levels.

Well, now that he is already in his current situation, there isn't much Azra can do other than prepare.

The two of them walked on the road, Lo looking around and calling for Erlo, and Azra kept looking from side to side with the knife in his robes grasped tightly.

Eventually, Lo let Azra know that they were approaching the spot where Erlo had attacked. Azra only thought it looked like the rest of the forest and couldn't see or sense anything different. However, when Azra got closer, he saw the dark blotch on the ground, which was proof of Lo leaking blood like a cracked bowl last night.

Azra didn't know if Lo just had better eye-sight than him or if it was thanks to his inclination, but he didn't put too much into that and instead surveyed their surroundings. He might not know Lo's inclination, but he knew that the smell of blood attracted hungry beasts. They had luckily managed to survive last night, but the smell of blood had definitely spread through the forest by now.

If Azra and Lo were unlucky, they might encounter beasts looking for food, using the smell of blood to guide them.

Lo had lowered his voice as soon as they got close to the scene of the attack, but he was still whispering Erlo's voice into the woods.

"Erlo~! Remember me? It's Lo. Your buddy. And the guy you attacked last night."

The two walked around the scene slowly, trying to find any traces in the bushes immediately next to the road.

Lo saw Erlo in the depths of the forest before the attack. But Erlo attacked him with such speed, and since he was unprepared and shocked, Lo didn't manage to catch a glimpse of where Erlo went after tearing open his stomach.

Since they didn't know where Erlo had gone, Azra and Lo had to canvas the entire area around where Lo had spotted him. They found a bunch of tracks belonging to beasts other than Erlo. The movements of curious beasts could very well have covered Erlo's tracks.

That realization made Lo slightly despondent, but he didn't let one minor setback stop him, and he continued turning every stone and smelling every leaf for the faintest of traces of Erlo.

Lo finally found hope in a scratch on the trunk of a tree that looked like something one of the spikes on Erlo's elbows might leave behind if he was in a rush.

However, right when he was about to investigate the scratch further, he sensed something approaching with incredible momentum. He felt the vibrations travel through the ground right before he heard the sounds of branches snapping.

When he first sensed something, he thought it might have been Erlo, so Lo was immensely disappointed that it was something else before quickly turning panicked since it was obvious the beast coming straight at them was powerful.

Lo turned around and shouted at Azra.

"Run!"

Azra realized the reason why he should run almost immediately since he could see the large moving shadow off in the distance between the trees. Since it was so far away, and due to the forest's dim light, it was hard to make out what kind of beast it was.

However, Azra wasn't interested in finding out what the beast was. He only wanted to get away. After confirming the threat, Azra began running, as Lo had told him.

Though he didn't get far before he realized that wasn't going to work. Azra knew his body and physical capabilities better than anyone else. Running wasn't one of his strong suits. And trying to run away through a bushy forest when chased by a beast powerful enough to send vibrations through the ground only had one end.

Thankfully, while his body was lacking, his brain wasn't. Azra dashed toward the nearest tree that looked solid enough not to be knocked over, even if the beast rammed it, and began climbing.

The thorns that covered the tree were both a help and a pain. The thorns varied in size. They could be either as large as his hand or as small as his fingernail. The larger ones made excellent foot and handholds when he could reach them. They were also easier to avoid when he lifted his body up and crawled along the tree trunk until he could finally reach the first branch.

That was where the smaller thorns came into play. Since Azra couldn't see on top of the branches he grabbed when climbing, he couldn't avoid the thorns. However, he didn't have time to gently feel around for where the branches were free from thorns. There was a wild beast charging in his direction, and Azra didn't feel safe enough to take it slow.

Azra left a trail of bloody handprints as he grit his teeth and kept climbing, trying to get as high as possible before the beast arrived. If the beast decided to ram the tree, Azra would have to be in a place where he could hold onto the tree, and it had to be high enough that the beast wouldn't be able to reach him.

Azra felt like he was finally high enough and decided to take a few seconds of rest to get the pain of his repeatedly pierced hands under control. However, the loud huffing and snorting from somewhere below motivated him to climb a few more meters before stopping.

He found a spot on a branch thick enough to hold his weight and leaned back against the tree trunk before concentrating on his hands. Azra looked down and confirmed that he should be high up enough before sending his divine power to his torn and bloody palms.

Azra was surprised at how well he had dealt with the pain of the thorns piercing deep into the flesh of his palms. But it was probably the adrenaline since they began to hurt uncontrollably as soon as Azra relaxed. His palms began glowing with a warm golden light.

Azra's hands recovered in only a few seconds. About as much time as it took for him to heal Melly's scraped palms. Considering the difference in the injuries, Azra expected his wounds to take longer to heal. He was curious about the reason, but he didn't have the freedom of mind to focus on anything other than the beast snorting as if it had inhaled a jar of black pepper.

Fortunately for Azra, the beast didn't seem too keen on ramming the tree that was at least twice as thick as the beast's neck when it came running at full speed. The beast slowed down and stopped in front of the trunk. It snorted extra loudly while taking a few steps backward. Eventually, the beast stopped backtracking and scraped the ground a few times with its hoof.