Leaving Behind Destruction

Sebastian took a sip of the heated water in the bowl and bit into the cooked rabbit's leg. For the past couple of days, rabbits have constantly been appearing and he killed a few of them for his meals.

He didn't have to resort to eating the unknown mushrooms.

And, because he had clean water and food, he recovered much faster than he thought he would. At this rate, he could get out of the forest after two more days of rest.

Though, if he could get past that hawk guarding the stream was another story.

"Balanos, are you there?"

Sebastian waited like always. He checked every hour and waited for a few minutes before stopping. He needed Balanos to navigate him through the forest.

When he didn't receive an answer, he sighed and picked up the spear then headed over to the river. He had tried a few times already but let alone getting fish, he couldn't even get close to hitting one. It wasn't as shallow as a stream and he could only do it from the sides.

Still, it was one of the few things he had to kill time. His ankle was broken when he first got out of the river but now he can manage to walk without using a cane or his bow as support.

After half an hour of barely even getting close to the fish, Sebastian dejectedly walked back to the fire and sat down. His lower half was cold.

Sebastian looked at the spear for a few minutes in contemplation, should he practice using a melee weapon? A sword wasn't an option with his stamina and a dagger wasn't very optional with his coordination.

A spear sounded tempting but carrying around both a spear and a bow would be difficult.

Just as a test, Sebastian slung the bow over his shoulders and put the spear between the bow and his back so it wouldn't fall then began walking. It was definitely heavier but it seemed doable.

But, that was only because the wooden spear was about 1-2 kilos in weight. If he bought a lightweight one fit for battle, then it would become 2-3 kilos.

"The problem is with my quiver, I won't have any spare space for a spear."

Sebastian removed his weapons and set the bow down. He took the spear and began drawing on the floor but because it was too long, he took a random branch and continued.

For the next few hours, Sebastian lost himself in thought. He created dozens of blueprints that could potentially fit all three things on his back. In the end, he gave up on the notion because making a new invention needed time and money, both of which he lacked.

He then switched his thinking. He didn't need to fit all three things on his back. He began thinking of slings for his bow and came up with one that tied it to his arm and shoulders while he had another special sling that could be used to attach and detach the spear without impacting the quiver.

For the first time in a while, he finally felt relaxed. Studying and researching were stressful to others but to him, it was second nature. The only reason he strayed from that path was because of Gilbert.

Once he finished, night had already fallen. He put out the fire and set up a small one inside the cave before cleaning his wounds again and going to sleep.

Tomorrow, he would attempt to move outside.

...

Sebastian sharpened the bone and fang arrowheads a bit more and put the arrows in the quiver. It took him a few days but he managed to create makeshift arrows. He used special leaves as a substitute for the tail.

Once he was ready, Sebastian took the spear whose spearhead had been changed to the tiger's fang and gripped it tight before beginning to move. He marked the trees with the spear every now and then and he would use it on the day he managed to recover completely.

Because Balanos still hadn't responded to him, he only called out to her once or twice a day now. He relied on his sharp eyes and slowly walked through the forest. There were undoubtedly many beasts inside but he didn't know where they would come from.

But, even if he were to get out of the forest alive, he would still have tons of problems to deal with. First, the matter about him missing for nearly a week now. Secondly, the fact that he was in the forest despite not being able to manipulate energy. And lastly, Gilbert's eyes. There were more problems but those three were the most important point.

Even if he's just a second son, the blood of a major house still ran in his veins. There would undoubtedly be a commotion because of his disappearance.

Sebastian shook his head to stop himself from wandering with his thoughts. Luckily, he was still subconsciously making marks on the trees. He tended to fall into deep thought and ignore his surroundings. It wouldn't normally be a problem but he had to use his entire concentration on his surroundings or he might end up dead.

He was only human. Unlike the tiger who could take hits from arrows with just its skin, Sebastian would be killed if he were to attempt the same thing. His strength didn't matter if he wasn't alive to use it.

After nearly half an hour of walking, dozens of rabbits suddenly ran past him and back the way he came.

Sebastian looked at the running rabbits in confusion and slowly turned his head back to where they had appeared from. There, a flame-like orange and sharp eyes, it had a long mouth and four tails.

Sebastian's eyes widened into saucers as his brain went into overdrive.

Why hadn't he realized it before?! The reason that rabbits suddenly started appearing near the cave was that they had to flee from their previous home! Who would be able to do that other than a predator?

"A Demon Fox with four tails!"

An adept-level beast. Even if it could just barely be considered one, Sebastian had no chance to beat it even if he were to use everything in his power. Other than trees and the river, he couldn't think of anything that would help him deal with the Demon Fox.

The fact that he washed up ashore right next to a small cave was a lucky coincidence but now that he thought about it, why would a good home be left alone by the beasts? It was obviously inhabited before but the owner had left for a few days. It wasn't uncommon for beasts because they can tell whose territory it is by the scent.

Maybe he could have escaped if he was uninjured but the wound dealt by the hawk was quite deep. He couldn't fire arrows as fast as before.

Sebastian didn't hesitate any longer, the Demon Fox had spotted him already. He channeled his stigma and focused it on improving his speed and suppressing his injury.

At first, he planned to run back but he would just end up cornered.

"Looks like it's the only way...!"

Sebastian clenched his teeth and ran towards the Demon Fox who was already charging towards him.

Not yet...!

Sebastian suppressed his urge to flee from the Demon Fox and waited until the last possible second.

When the Demon Fox leaped to maul into him, Sebastian's eyes sharpened and he took a deep breath. The world seemed to slow into a crawl around him as he jumped at the same time the beast's claws would hit him.

It happened in an instant. Sebastian and the beast's places were changed. Relying on its instinct, the beast quickly turned around and attempted to chase after Sebastian but it was a step too late.

Sebastian had already taken off running. Using the increased distance between the two, he threw out distractions like small branches he got along the way but it didn't serve to slow down the beast at all.

Even if he were to run at full speed, he wouldn't be able to outrun the fox. Once more, he began thinking as hard as he possibly could. What could he do to slow down the fox?

He recalled the words of his professor, "—beasts are innately afraid of fire."

Although Sebastian had to admit, he didn't like the professor in the least, he was grasping at straws here and would even use a drunkard's rambling as a heaven-sent recommendation.

Sebastian held the wooden branch in his left hand and ignited it into flames before throwing it behind him. He confirmed that his path was safe before turning his head back to see that the beast had avoided the branch.

Seeing as how his professor's lesson actually came in handy, Sebastian retrieved the dagger from his back scabbard and began cutting off small branches and snapping off whatever he could without slowing down.

He ignited a couple of them at once, then three, then six. He continued increasing the number of flaming branches he threw at the fox and became ecstatic. Although he couldn't stop it completely, there was definitely a distance gaining between them.

Sebastian looked at the river, he would arrive at the stream in half an hour or so. It was practically a suicide tactic trying to outrun the fox for that long but he had no other choice. He had to use the hawk to take down the fox.

While formulating his strategy in mind, Sebastian forgot to realize the consequences of his actions. He had thrown branches of fire at different spots inside a forest filled with flammable objects. He wouldn't be able to go back to the cave nor stay in the forest for long.

He cornered himself between a rock and a hard place. The hawk, and the fox.