Ch 34: Into the forest.

While we were travelling to the forest, we had decided to take the road again in order to get to the forest more quickly, we luckily didn't meet any humans  on the road and we had followed it till we ended up back to that spot.

A nightmarish scene was there to be seen. Dried up blood was on the floor, the dead bodies of the Redhawk squad were still there, although they had bits of their flesh picked off likely by birds or some other creature. The scene reminds me of the nightmare I had, it makes me feel immensely guilty seeing what I had done by my own hands, I vow to myself to never kill another human unless it is absolutely necessary, because I don't want to  become like that monster. No, I refuse to  abandon my humanity!

In a way, seeing the  consequences  of my actions had somehow strengthened my will, and so we leave this place with me feeling both determined and guilty.

Continuing down the road we hear the sound of chatter, humans were now walking towards us, we immediately get off the road and see that we were already near the forest, we make a beeline for the forest and move there quickly, I hear the human chatter grow louder with a tinge of surprise mixed in with their voices, yikes they might've seen me.

Thinking that they saw us, we decide to increase our speed and run further  into the forest, tons of animals start moving away from our path, deers, foxes, birds and rabbits. All of them had moved away from our path while moving, eventually we end up in a deeper part of the forest where the air felt a lot  more damp.

Looking up, we couldn't really  tell the position of the sun, due to the sky being completely covered by clouds, I didn't like not  being able to see the sun, it reminded me of the  caves.

At that moment we see something strange, a blue horned rabbit was still there. This was especially strange considering how every single other creature ran away when they  heard us, my curiosity got the better of me and  I decided to approach it, the rabbit reacted to  me in surprise and was on high alert, this rabbit didn't run away like the rest, which made me think that it was stronger than the others.

The rabbit had done something I didn't expect at all, it used a water technique! It made a whip of water appear and then used it to  try and hit me, I jump away from it in surprise  and the attack hits the ground instead. My speed was far higher than the rabbit so I could see its attacks and dodge them with relative ease,  but I wanted to test something out.

"You, the rabbit there, how about we stop this fight?"

The rabbit suddenly stops for an instant, but just as quickly returned to its guard.

"You think that I'd trust a sly fox like you? Hah, I'm not an idiot to do that."  The rabbit replied.

It turns out that I could communicate with any creature with telepathy, maybe I'd be able to do that with speech too? But that seems a bit too complicated, for now I had to deal with this rabbit.

I didn't want to kill it, not after I heard it reply to me, I felt a little too bad killing it, although  Nozomi didn't share that sentiment as  she was preparing to fight this rabbit.

"Nozomi, wait a bit, don't fight this rabbit  yet."

"Got it."

"Hey rabbit, get out of here if you value  your life, I don't want you to die needlessly."

"What sort of trick is this?"

"Not a trick, now get out before I change my mind."

The rabbit had finally turned to leave,  Nozomi tried to chase after it but I stopped her. That gave the rabbit an opportunity to leave.

"Why did you stop me Rai? Our prey was in front of us."

"Listen Nozomi, killing is sometimes  necessary, but we shouldn't kill anything that is not needed to be killed, plus we couldn't really carry that rabbit around until we got hungry, and the essence gotten from it would've been pretty  small."

That was the explanation that I gave, but another reason was because I couldn't really kill it after speaking to it, and it pose no threat to us so I couldn't kill it under self defense, I decide to remind myself not to use telepathy on any prey in the future.

Nozomi takes this lesson and promises me to remember it, and so we continue on walking through this forest.

*POV Alvey.*

I had continued running down the road  for a while now, my heart was pumping with excitement. I couldn't believe it, an actual spirivulpes was nearby, I was going to get that spirivulpes, no matter what.

Eventually while I was running down  the road I find some traveling merchants on the road, I decide to question them on if they found any of the adventurers.

"What would you like good si-" the merchant begins before being shocked when he  recognizes who he was talking to.

"Ah, Baron Ledal, what may we do for you on this lovely day."

"Hurry up and tell me if you have seen any adventurers or corpses on your path?"

"I have not seen any adventurers except the ones with us, but I have seen corpses on the road."

"Really? Were they four people and  a hawk?"

"Hm, oh yes indeed they were."

Bingo, soon I'll be able to capture the  spirivulpes.

"Have you seen a spirivulpes close to that location?"

"Hm, we did see a spirivulpes close to the silvercloud forest, but we aren't sure of that."

I was sure I could trust their information, after all it would be foolish if they tried to lie  to me, but how much of what they know is actual  fact?

"Thank you, merchant."

"Oh we are all too humbled to be able to  aid a great adventurer like you."

Although they were slightly sweating  when they saw me, hmph, I don't care for their cowardice when I finally know where the spirivulpes is.

I continue on running towards the silvercloud forest, the earlier I get the better,  because if I take too long then they'd vanish.

Just wait for me spirivulpes, before this day is up, you'll be mine!