CHAPTER 123: THE MONSTER FOREST (1)

The North of Norvaegard, Stellhart, was known for many things, but it was known most for its dangers. One of which were the monsters that inhabit the nearby areas, and among them lay a stretch of dense woodland known simply as the monster forest.

It wasn’t forbidden ground. Knights patrolled it now and then, and more than a few trained their squires here, testing them against beasts too unpredictable to be simulated in the practice yards. But the forest was never taken lightly. A lapse in judgment here could still cost a man his arm or his life.

The trees grew thick, their trunks veined with creeping moss, their roots twisting up from the soil like half-buried bones.

The air held the sharp tang of sap and the faint musk of predators that claimed the shadows as their own. Every so often, a distant roar carried through the branches, low and resonant, a reminder that this was no ordinary wood.

The air clung damp against the skin, cool but heavy, smelling of rot and wet leaves. Somewhere above, droplets fell from branches in slow, deliberate ticks that sounded like the forest counting each step. A faint metallic tang rode the wind — the quiet promise of old blood.

To the knights, it was a proving ground. To the recruits, it would be a severe trial. The four who were first to enter crossed the treeline with steady steps.

Bram and Veronica had their weapons ready, eyes already searching the gloom for movement. Thrall used no weapon but his body and was jumping above the trees.

Daniel was scratching his head, yawning, his weapon still in its scabbard; he looked like he was not feeling any pressure at all. Behind the four, the others followed, some in tight clusters, others alone, all bracing for the unknown.

As they went deeper into the forest, the four leads went their separate ways. Bram headed west, and Veronica east; both were going to try to find a water source.

Thrall continued jumping on tree branches towards the North. He was planning on taking down the first monster or animal he saw and eating it.

On the other hand, Daniel simply jumped up to a large branch and then started napping on it.

The remaining recruits who were following the four did not know what to do at first, but then some of them followed either Bram or Veronica, who seemed to be the most reliable.

Far behind, back at Ironhold, Lucen sat before the scrying orb, which produced what was happening in the forest like a hologram, as the runes scattered throughout the woods relayed their movements. He leaned back in his chair, hands steepled, watching.

Since they had split up into groups, Lucen could only watch one group at a time. He needed to switch views every few minutes.

***

The forest didn’t stay quiet for long. It started with Bram’s group, if it could even be called that. He hadn’t volunteered to lead; he simply walked west, and several nervous recruits decided following the mercenary with the scars was safer than wandering alone.

They’d been moving in silence for nearly half an hour when the underbrush ahead began to rustle. A low growl rolled through the trees.

The recruits froze. Bram didn’t even look back at them, just shifted his grip on the sword resting against his shoulder, gaze narrowing on the dark ahead.

"What is that?" one of the younger men whispered.

"Shut up," hissed another.

The growl grew louder, closer, wet and heavy. Something big was circling. One recruit gripped his sword so tight his knuckles blanched white. Another kept swallowing, as if trying to wet a throat that had gone dry minutes ago. No one continued to speak, but in the shared glances and rigid postures, the same question screamed: ’Are we about to die here?’

Bram exhaled through his nose and stepped forward. The beast broke through the brush, wolf-like, but not quite. Too long in the legs, too much muscle in the shoulders, and eyes that gleamed faintly with mana. It snarled, hackles raised, breath steaming.

One of the recruits panicked and swung early, a wild arc that caught nothing but empty air. The beast lunged in response, knocking him flat, teeth snapping inches from his throat.

The forest exploded in chaos, shouts, steel clashing against claws, boots scrambling for footing. Two recruits tried to pull their fallen comrade free and nearly lost fingers for the trouble.

Bram didn’t rush as he breathed calmly, looking at the monster. He moved in only when the monster overcommitted, stepping past flailing arms and screaming men to bury his blade through its side in one clean, brutal thrust. The beast shuddered, gurgled, then went still.

He yanked the sword free, wiped the blood off in the moss, and kept walking. Behind him, the recruits stood wide-eyed, breathing hard, the corpse cooling at their feet.

"He did it one strike..." One whispered.

"Is he an aura user?" Another asked.

"... Is he not going to say anything?" one muttered.

"About what?" said another.

"I don’t know. That? We could’ve died!"

Bram didn’t even glance back as he kept on going forward. He was a little annoyed that it was a monster that appeared and not a normal animal that he could eat.

’Tsk, I guess a place called Monster Forest would have little regular animals present. I guess I’ll be eating berries and bark for now.’ Bram complained to himself.

There was no comfort, no instructions. Just the pace of a man who’d seen too much to waste words.

Far away, Lucen watched the feed from the scrying orb. It was like watching one of the opening scenes in an action anime. He watched a little excitedly, seeing Bram’s quiet march. He leaned back, a faint smirk tugging at his mouth.

"Heh, well, I guess he’s one of those no-nonsense guys." Lucen then looked at Bram’s information on his desk.

"Bram Hansen, a lone wolf type mercenary. Has no aura or mana core. Well, that’s interesting. Being that skilled, with nothing but his bare body." Lucen stared at the rather lonely back of Bram that was being projected by the scrying orb.

"Still, it’s rather strange for a person who never joined any mercenary group to decide to join Thornefang. I wonder what kind of secrets you hold. What’s your backstory? What’s your motivation? To think another interesting, unnamed character that’s not part of the in-game storyline appeared." Lucen smirked as it felt like he was back in his old world, watching a show.

***

On the eastern side of the forest, Veronica kept a steady pace, her spear held at a low guard, shield strapped tight to her arm. She hadn’t told anyone to follow her, but they had anyway, six recruits in a loose line, trying not to step too loudly on the damp ground.

The forest here was quieter, but not safe. Birds would occasionally burst from the canopy in sudden flurries, startled by something deeper in the brush, and every time, the recruits tensed like prey waiting for teeth.

"Keep spacing," Veronica said without looking back. Her voice was calm, clipped, more command than comfort. "If some monster jumps one of us, I don’t want two dying because you’re bunched together."

They obeyed instantly. Something about her tone made arguing feel childish. One of the recruits, a broad-shouldered man with a chipped axe, muttered, "You act like you’ve done this before."

Veronica didn’t answer right away. She stopped, crouched, and ran a gloved hand along a gouge in a tree trunk, deep, clean, recent. Her eyes narrowed.

"I have," she said finally. "And whatever left this is bigger than a lion."

The group grew very quiet. "Do we run?" another whispered.

"No," she said, standing again. "Running makes you loud. Loud gets you chased. If a predator sees you running, it will think you are weak and something to be hunted. I’m not prey to be hunted by the hunter."

For a while, they moved without incident, following a shallow game trail that curved between tangled roots and thick ferns. Then, from somewhere to their right, the forest snapped awake, a heavy crash through undergrowth, then another, closer.

The axe-man swore under his breath. A younger recruit drew his sword with hands that wouldn’t stop shaking.

Veronica planted her spear into the soil, braced her shield, and spoke evenly: "Circle tight, and if you have shields, brace yourselves. Don’t swing unless it’s on you. And if you panic, aim for the throat."

Something broke through the foliage, not a lion, not even close. It was low, wide, its hide mottled with bark-like plates, tusks jutting from its jaw, small black eyes gleaming with hate.

A sort of boar that seemed like a monster. It was three times larger than most lions. It roared, steam blasting from its snout, and charged.

The first impact rattled teeth and tore up dirt, but Veronica held the line, shield slamming into tusk, spear driving sideways into its flank. The others struck where they could, not clean, not coordinated, but enough to slow the beast down.

"Now!" she roared, pivoting her shield and ramming the edge under the boar’s jaw.

One of the recruits buried his axe into its neck with a hoarse yell. The monster thrashed, squealed, then crumpled, kicking up a storm of leaves before finally going still.

There was a brief moment of silence. After a few seconds, breaths came fast, ragged. Someone laughed, not out of humor, but raw relief. They lowered their weapons with smiles on their faces.

Veronica wrenched her spear free and flicked the blood from its tip. She checked the boar they just killed, she smelled its blood, and frowned. "Don’t let your guard down," she said simply.

"This place is called Monster Forest, which wasn’t even a true monster, just a simple boar that grew bigger. Since it’s not a monster, we can eat it. We take a break here for now. We need to eat while we have a chance to do so."

No one argued, and everyone went to work.

Lucen watched the entire scene of Veronica’s fight. His smirk widened. "Hah. Now I guess this girl is a different kind from Bram. She didn’t even hesitate and took the lead like it was normal."

Lucen then checked the information that was written about her. Veronica, no last name given, was an aura user at the first mantle, but she did not use it during the battle.

’The knight who wrote this also stated that she might be a foreigner. Her origins should be investigated. Another interesting individual.’

Lucen was getting a little excited and was not treating this like he was truly watching a TV show.