Dashing Through the Forest

As I ran deeper into the forest to the east, the wolves and Shinji were nowhere in sight. Darkness had almost consumed the entire sky, so I activated Illume to light up my surroundings. Fortunately, I was able to spot two sets of paw marks going in the same direction and followed them.

The path zigged and zagged, as I dashed through the trees, but I couldn't avoid tripping on a few branches along the way. Fortunately, the paw prints I saw were still fresh, so I assumed I wasn't too far behind.

I kept running for what seemed like an eternity, but only twenty minutes passed when I reached the creek's side. The water flowed peacefully, and I decided to sit down and took a quick break, listening to the calm breeze of the wind blowing on the water.

Exhaustion started to take hold of me, as I was unaware of how long I was sitting. I was about to drift off when I heard a scream, most likely from Shinji.

I immediately jumped off the ground and ran alongside the creek. There weren't any more paw prints on the ground, so I tried to follow based on where the sound came from.

It wasn't too long before I saw the silhouette of a child collapsed next to a tree. When I got closer, I recognized Shinji and knelt down to check on him. Even though he was unconscious, I felt relieved he still had a pulse and was breathing normally.

I was about to pick up Shinji when I sensed some impending danger. Realizing that staying near Shinji would prove fatal for the boy, I ran back the way I had come. When I turned around while sprinting, I saw three wolves chasing me, one more than Cathy saw in town.

Because of the state I was in, I knew I wouldn't be able to outrun the wolves for long. One was able to catch up to me and swiped at my ankles. Although I fell onto my left arm, I quickly recovered and took a defensive stance, drawing out a knife at the same time.

Even though I was proficient in using knives for hunting, I was not as experienced with them in combat, especially against such agile creatures as wolves. The wolves pounced all over in a frenzy, and I was barely able to keep up.

The wolves attacked every so often with swipes, but I was fortunate to deflect most of the blows at the last moment. Yet, I knew that my stamina would evaporate at some point, and the wolves would have a feast right in front of them.

After what seemed like an insufferable amount of time had passed, my arms began to strain, making it harder to keep up my defenses. My eyes then focused on Shinji, and I felt glad he was still safe.

But unfortunately, one of the wolves also looked in Shinji's direction and began to rush towards him. The other two wolves quickly followed behind in pursuit.

As much as I wanted to collapse right then… as much as the pain was wracking through my body… as much as my mind began to lose hope that Shinji could be saved… I forced down all of the strain from my injuries and bolted towards the tree where Shinji laid.

The first wolf that ran towards the boy suddenly pounced in the air. Horror filled my mind as the wolf was nearly on top of Shinji and was in the midst of crushing the boy on impact. With the pressure mounting inside me, I exerted even more force into my legs, significantly increasing my speed.

Somehow, in some way, I reached Shinji in time and covered him with my body, using myself as a shield. The wolf didn't have enough time for a full attack, so I was fortunate to avoid a lethal swipe from its front paws.

Although Shinji was still safe, I knew I had to remain in the position I was in. If I left Shinji's side for even a quick moment, the boy would be torn apart by the wolves.

All three wolves were prepared to pounce on me at the same time when I heard screaming far in the distance. "Haru! Haru! Haruuu!!!"

I found enough strength to raise my head and saw Cathy running towards us, holding a rather large torch lighted with a rather large flame in her hands. She began to make hand signals for a spell, but she didn't need it, as the wolves scampered off well before she even reached us.

That blaze sure looked unusually massive, so I wasn't surprised the wolves escaped when they did.

Once Cathy approached us, she immediately threw the torch she carried into the creek and activated Illume to launch her own light orb. I was still on top of Shinji, so Cathy knelt down to examine me.

"Oh, Haru! Look what they did to you! Are you able to move?!" Although Cathy was unharmed, she looked more on the verge of tears than I was.

"This may look bad, but I think I'll be alright if I rest up for a little bit." With Cathy's help, I pushed myself to rest against the tree.

Cathy then checked on Shinji and took a deep breath in relief. "Sighhh… Thank goodness he's not hurt. He must have been so scared out of his mind and just fainted. He'll be fine once we get him back home."

"That's a relief then." The assurance that Shinji was unscathed helped me to calm down immensely. I rested silently for a few minutes before speaking to Cathy again. "By the way, how did you find us? I had to change directions quite a bit, and I felt like I got lost so many times before I reached this creek."

"Umm…" Cathy hesitated. "… I just kept running due east, and I eventually saw your Illume spell, so I felt sure I was getting closer…"

"I'm glad you got here when you did then. I don't know if I could've lasted any longer had you not shown up."

I felt genuinely grateful to Cathy for saving me, and her efforts brought another positive reflection to light. "And I'm also pleasantly surprised! I thought two of the wolves were the same ones that attacked you from before, and you seemed like you couldn't even move when you saw them in town. I'm impressed, you really are something, aren't you?"

"Umm…" Cathy hesitated again but was clearly shaking this time. "… You didn't have your bow this time, like when you saved me… I was worried you might not be able to save Shinji on your own, so… I decided to swallow my fear and chase after you…"

I was expecting Cathy to continue speaking, but tears began to flow from her eyes, so I remained silent for her sake.

Cathy must've been so afraid, and the terror must be so overwhelming even now for her. She followed me right into the thick of this mess, even though the wolves had traumatized her before. I guess I don't truly know how hard she really pushed herself; she's done more than enough…

"Cathy, please don't cry. I just wanted to praise you for the effort it must have taken for you to come here. So, I should be thanking you even more for arriving just in time. And now I'm the one who has a debt to repay." I laughed at the end to further help lighten her mood.

Cathy wiped the tears from the eyes and tried to smile. "No, it's alright��� I'm glad, too, I was able to help. And I'm still the one who owes a debt of gratitude."

We both smiled and shared a laugh, grateful we survived such a terrifying encounter. Cathy offered to carry Shinji back to town, but I convinced her I still had enough strength to do the deed myself.

Because both Cathy and I had Illume activated, the trip back to Ruriko's house was luckily uneventful. Ruriko was overjoyed to see her son unharmed, and Shinji woke up right after we placed him on the bed in his room. He didn't seem the least bit fazed as he immediately jumped off his bed and ran downstairs.

Cathy and I decided it was time to leave, and Ruriko saw to giving us enough praise and gratitude for all we did for her son. "I don't know how much longer you'll be staying in town, but you're welcome here any time, and I'm sure Shinji would love to see you both again."

"Yeah!" Shinji shouted in joy. "Thanks, mister! And let's play again too, new nice pretty lady!"

Cathy and I waved goodbye to Ruriko and Shinji, and we walked towards the northwest back into the central part of town.

"Umm… Haru…" Cathy suddenly said. "I was thinking, maybe we should head back to the clothes shop first. We could have the seamstress patch up your armor a bit while we eat dinner."

Seeing how my armor was a little scratched up, I agreed with Cathy's suggestion, so we headed towards the clothes shop. When we arrived, I removed my armored pieces and gave them to the seamstress. I really had escaped from the ordeal quite well, as the seamstress said the patchwork could be done within the next two hours.

Cathy and I then left the clothes shop for the pub we had dinner the night before. This time, dinner was a truly relaxing experience. Fortunately, no fights broke out, and we recounted all of the thrills from today without any interruptions. And the food was just as delicious as Cathy claimed it would be.

After we finished dinner, we returned to the clothes shop. The seamstress handed me back the armor pieces, which I reattached on top of my regular clothes. Cathy went to a changing room after she was handed the new robe.

After a few minutes of waiting, Cathy returned to the counter, and I was immediately floored. Her new robe was stunning, but more than that, Cathy looked perfect in it. She had that cute look going for her already, but now she seemed even more appealing.

Cathy obviously noticed I was staring at her, so she turned her head away from me. "Umm… does this look alright on me?"

"Umm… uhhh…" I fumbled, before recovering just enough to speak more coherently. "Yeah, yeah! It's perfect on you! I knew you had a good eye, and that robe proves it even more."

"Thank you, Haru… I'm glad you like it." I saw how much she was blushing when she looked towards me again.

After another minute passed, the seamstress coughed, bringing me out of my stupor. I took out some gold coins to pay for the armor repairs and the tip for all the labor, and Cathy and I thanked the seamstress for all the work she had done for us today.

Ecstatic about our clothes, we took our time to return to the inn. After we got back, we took turns in the bathhouse, and I accompanied Cathy for her turn in the bath, just like the previous night.

After I finished my own bath, I took some time for some writing and sketching. Cathy remained focused on one of her magic books while I had my journal opened. But she hovered over my shoulder when I began drawing some images of today's events.

Cathy really is such a nice girl. She's so adorable, and she reminds me of the good side of Akane. I wish I could stay with her even after we arrive in Waturia…

Wait a minute… Cathy did say she doesn't know if she'll be able to reunite with her companions… and if that's the case, she'll be all alone…

I am on this journey to get strong enough to start a party with Maya… and Maya seemed so lonely, and she's out there all on her own…

Maybe I can try to convince Cathy to stay with me, and the two of us can start a party together with Maya! I think it'd make Maya happy to have another friend, and another girl to talk to.

I paused my sketching and took a deep breath, resolved to offer the opportunity to Cathy. "Umm… when we get to Waturia, I'm planning to train, so I can get stronger to start a party with a friend of mine. So… I was thinking, maybe… you could stay with me, and we could travel and train together, and you can be part of the party too."

"Oh, Haru… I still want to look for my lost companions…"

I must have appeared quite dejected to Cathy, so she immediately shook her head.

"B-b-but… I've really enjoyed traveling with you, so I think maybe I'll stick around… Besides, like you said before, it's so much fun to travel with someone else!" And to further smooth out the situation, Cathy offered her patented adorable smile.

Elated that Cathy would continue to travel with me even after our business in Waturia was done, I continued sketching, until we decided to call it a night.

As I rested on the chair, my mind thought about the opportunity to fight by Cathy's side in the dungeon trip tomorrow, before I drifted off to sleep.