Eternal Rest

At the eastern exit, Bones presented the Wolfmen subjugation contract to the gate guard, granting him passage through the gates that led directly to the Dark Forest. This dense, foreboding woodland occupied a large area north, east and south of Wolford, and was home to the targets of his first contract. Not long after leaving town, Bones retrieved a bundle of silver-tipped arrows and handed them to Harmony, instructing her to use them sparingly and to infuse each arrow with a lightning affinity before firing. Bones knew that the hundred arrows he’d bought wouldn’t be nearly enough for the hunt he had in mind, so he planned to reuse the silver arrowheads and craft new shafts from bones as needed.

As for Skully and Murdok, they were each equipped with their own silver weapons, no additional instructions necessary. Both golems had long since mastered the fighting styles Bones had envisioned for them, and now their combat expertise even exceeded his own. For himself, Bones summoned his expensive staff, using it as a walking stick as he made his way further from Wolford, with his golems trudging along behind him.

The Dark Forest was infamous among adventurers, recognized as a hunting territory brimming with predators. Wolves and direwolves posed the most frequent dangers, but deeper inside lay the true draw for many—Wolfmen and, at the center of the forest, Werewolves.

Bones trailed the growling sounds that reverberated through the trees, his boots making deep impressions in the yielding forest floor. He felt eyes upon him, being shadowed and played with. Shadows danced at the periphery of his sight, disappearing the instant he turned to look. Yet his keen senses detected several large forms encircling him.

"Direwolves? Ha!" Bones laughed derisively. It had been some time, but he was well-acquainted with confronting their kind. "I’m not here for you. Get lost!" he bellowed, conjuring a whirlwind of bone spikes around him. In a rapid display of might, he released a Mana Blast, sending the spikes soaring in every direction. A few anguished yelps informed him that his projectiles had struck home, and shortly thereafter, he sensed the pack retreating.

Bones let out another derisive laugh and instructed his golems to spread out, aiming to cover a wider area while continuing. The wind picked up, rustling the leaves of the trees, and distant shouts pierced the otherwise tranquil forest. The voices were intangible but suggested the presence of others nearby. Bones directed Skully, the most adept at navigating among his golems, to investigate the source of the sounds. Establishing a Soul Link, Bones watched as a group of adventurers dispatched a pack of Wolfmen and pursued the remaining few. Once the battle concluded, the adventurers departed, but Bones quickly detected new voices in the distance.

"This won't do," he declared, shaking his head. "I think I see now why earning merits through repeated Wolfmen subjugation contracts isn’t a viable strategy. While Wolfmen are among the simplest contracts to clear, there are far too many parties hunting them, making it difficult to locate them. I need to find a new spot."

The Dark Forest offered ample territory to investigate, prompting Bones to head southeast in search of prey. Throughout the night, the wolves pursued him, relentlessly probing for weaknesses he never displayed. The chase concluded with the dawn, and by noon, the Wolfmen finally appeared on his path. Bones played his role, a victim, fearing that showcasing overwhelming strength would frighten his targets away. Unlike their less evolved relatives, the wolves, the Wolfmen lacked a bond. Although they generally moved and hunted in groups, the Wolfmen exhibited little intelligence or loyalty; consumed by their bloodlust, they acted with impulsiveness.

Bones instructed his golems to maintain their distance, eliminate any Wolfmen that approached, and await the signal to converge at his location while he lured the enemies in the center. The Wolfmen fanned out, a small portion surrounding and engaging each golem with equal numbers, while the remainder of the pack charged at Bones, who merely waited and focused on gathering mana around his staff. As the prey reached him, Bones drove the butt of the staff into the ground, releasing vast amounts of uncontrolled raw mana into the earth, sending dirt and leaves flying. He then skillfully leapt onto the embedded staff and sprang to the side, vaulting over the disoriented Wolfmen.

“Now,” Bones commanded, and his golems, regardless of their current engagement, broke off and swiftly redirected their focus toward the remaining pack. Harmony's arrow was the first to strike the disoriented group, sowing chaos among them. Skully appeared in a blur, inflicting deep lacerations, severing tendons, and incapacitating his targets, while Murdok's large silhouette leaping into the fray resembled darkness descending upon the world, leaving a trail of severed bodies in his wake. Bones chose not to engage more than necessary. Now under Weakened status again, he opted for greater caution in combat and refrained from pushing himself unless absolutely required. The battle concluded within minutes, and Bones first approached his staff, yanking it from the ground. He surveyed the bodies, then glanced at his golems.

The contract requires collecting Wolfmen fangs—A nasty piece of business.

“I know I’ll regret this, but Murdok, please try to extract the fangs from the bodies, and…," Bones quickly added, "do be careful.”

Murdok, on the other hand, didn’t possess the term "delicate" in his fighting lexicon. With a rough tug, he yanked out a set of wolf teeth along with a lower jaw, nicking and damaging the fangs in the process.

Bones slapped his forehead, shaking his head in disapproval. The result was… as anticipated. He glanced at Harmony and said, "your turn."

Harmony approached another body and, using her leg, forced the mouth wide open. She then struck the teeth with the tip of her bow, shattering the fangs. Bones watched in horror as Harmony crouched down, picked up the teeth, and walked over to hand him the pieces, including one intact fang and another that was broken. She then returned to her usual position, staring blankly into the distance, ignoring the speechless Bones.

cough Bones cleared his throat and remarked, "I didn't see this coming. Not at all!" He paused, casting a brief glance at Harmony before turning to Skully. "It will be your responsibility, Skully, to carefully extract the fangs from the remaining bodies."

Unlike the other two golems, Skully had long, sharp fingers, enabling him to penetrate the flesh and secure a better grip. The extraction process required a mix of strength and precision, which Skully possessed, and within ten minutes, Bones had collected twelve pairs of fangs, two of which were damaged from Murdok's and Harmony's earlier efforts.

"Not bad, not bad. The contract stipulates twenty-five pairs; we’re halfway toward fulfilling it. Let’s keep going."

Hours went by without any notable events until Bones stumbled upon a dozen Wolfmen corpses, their fangs missing and scattered across the area. The injuries appeared to be caused by slashing and piercing weapons, and the sheer brutality suggested the Wolfmen had been significantly overpowered, as evidenced by their mangled remains.

snap

Bones whipped his head towards the sound of a breaking twig and spotted a trio of adventurers emerging twenty meters away. Their gazes locked, and based on their expressions, Bones sensed hostility.

"Is this your doing?" Bones inquired, motioning toward the bodies.

He recognized them as adventurers from the same group he had traveled with to Wolford, and all three appeared to be skilled fighters; he could attest to that after witnessing their adeptness in fending off the werewolves. He received no answer, and the prospect of conflict felt inevitable.

If I recall correctly, there were five competent individuals in my group back then.

Bones extended his awareness to his surroundings, concentrating on detecting the shapes of mana, and noticed two additional figures concealed some distance away.

"I remember you five; you accompanied me on my journey to Wolford, correct?" Bones inquired, hoping to ease the tension, as he felt uncertain about confronting this group. One of them raised an eyebrow and conferred quietly with the other two before responding, "This area is our hunting ground and off-limits. You and your party are welcome to leave; if you don't..." He left the sentence unfinished, but the message was unmistakable.

Bones slightly tilted his head, weighing the man’s demeanor and whether he should reciprocate, but ultimately dismissed the thought and replied, "Duly noted," before turning to depart. There would be a time and place to contend with this kind of company, but now wasn't that moment. Bones redirected his path and ventured deeper south in search of targets.

The shadows deepened, and night fell soon after, as did Bones’ spirits. He had squandered the entire day traveling without making any headway. He had hoped to spend several days leisurely hunting Wolfmen before heading toward town Valencia for a scouting mission, but now he realized he might need to consider alternative methods to gather enough fangs.

hoo hoo

Bones halted and looked up, examining the dim light of the moon filtered through dark clouds, reaching him through the tree canopy while the night grew alive with the sounds of snapping twigs, yips and yelps, grunts and snarls.

hoo hoo

"Who, who?" Bones pondered. "Perhaps the real question is what… I should be doing now, and the answer is hunt! As for who? They make a good starting point. Skully, Murdok, Harmony, change your weapons, tonight we pursue a different quarry!" Bones proclaimed with a grin as the first raindrop landed on his forehead.

Turning back toward the direction he had come from, he began walking, grinning and resolute to achieve his goals by any means necessary.

Two hours' walk away beneath the makeshift tent, five adventurers gathered around the fire, seeking warmth. Each wore an expression devoid of feeling, their faces rigid and unyielding, with eyes alert to their surroundings. The rain intensified, drowning out other sounds, including the approach of three golems on a mission. Bones' orders were straightforward: strike swiftly and decisively, pursuing the targets without relent while he maintained his distance, perched on a sturdy branch facing the camp.

The ambush commenced with Harmony charging a lightning arrow. The mana swirling around the arrow was an obvious sign to anyone with keen senses and a watchful eye.

"Incoming!" shouted one of the adventurers, a ranger, as he reached for his bow. The others responded quickly just as Harmony let loose the arrow. The projectile tore through the tent and out the other side, leaving a trail of lightning particles in its wake. Everyone inside the tent felt the effects on their skin, a tingling sensation that brought a slight numbness, hindering their movements.

Following the initial shot from an arrow, a sweeping strike with a greatsword cleaved the tent horizontally, exposing the astonished adventurers within. That astonishment swiftly transformed into a calculated and composed resolve, prompting a counteroffensive. The adventurers fanned out; those flanking Murdok encircled him and lunged at Harmony, while the other three concentrated on Murdok, who followed up his sweeping attack with a downward blow into the muddy earth, fracturing the ground and sending mud flying in all directions. The ranger took a step back, nocking and releasing a precise arrow aimed at Murdok's heart. The arrow struck, and if Murdok had a heart, the strike would likely have proven lethal.

The other two adventurers exchanged glances but remained undeterred by the sight of their attacker still on his feet. In a heartbeat, they reacted, closing the gap in an instant. The adventurer on the right aimed to incapacitate Murdok's dominant hand, which wielded the greatsword, leaving the weapon lodged in the golem's arm while deftly avoiding a horizontal slash. The adventurer on the left seized the opportunity to slice open the golem's belly, seemingly ending the battle in mere moments. Or so they believed. A pained cry from behind pulled their focus, revealing the ranger with a spear's tip protruding from his chest. In one fluid motion, the spear retracted, and the ranger collapsed face down, exposing another figure.

Thunder rumbled, following a flash of lightning. The brief illumination unveiled the bony snout of a Lizardman gripping a spear, aimed squarely at the adventurers.

"Damn it!" the one on the left shouted, but the surprises were far from over. The injuries Murdok sustained did not hinder him, and while the adventurers were preoccupied by the sight of their fallen comrade, the golem brought the blunt side of his weapon crashing down onto the head of the adventurer on the right. A wet thud echoed, followed by a splash as the body hit the ground. Once expressionless, the adventurer's face now bore the look of sheer disbelief as he realized he was alone. He glanced behind Murdok, where the remaining two had vanished, hoping to see his allies returning, but was met with nothing but silence, rain, and distant thunder.