บท 9: Dusk powler forest
As they continued their journey outside the village Valerie sniffs the air as she perceived a good aroma coming from a restaurant
"Are you sure going to the church will give us any clue?" Dan asked Valerie.
After the meeting with the client, Valerie decided to visit the church, hoping they might find a lead there.
"That's the only option we've got. Besides, we can't just go around the village looking aimlessly for a kid," Valerie concluded.
"Right," Dan muttered.
After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a building larger than most in the village, with a distinctive design. Above the huge doors was a symbol: a triangle and three circles intersecting each other inside the triangle.
"Church of the Holy Trinity," Valerie murmured. "Let's go." She signalled to Dan, and they both entered the church.
The pews were neatly arranged from the back to the front of the door. The altar decorations were neat and eye-catching, with various paintings on the walls. One that stood out to Valerie depicted a man stepping on another man who was about to impale him with a spear.
Valerie let out a sigh and sat on one of the pews. Dan, on the other hand, stared aimlessly around the place.
"Blessed morning to you all," a priest in a black robe greeted them as he emerged from a door near the altar.
"Good morning, Father," Valerie stood up and greeted him with a bow.
"What brings you here?" the priest asked.
"We are looking for a priest named Leonard," Valerie replied.
"Oh, well, you are speaking to him," the priest said, pointing to himself.
Valerie and Leonard sat down on the same pew while Dan sat behind them.
"We are looking for a kid named Troy. His mother said he always comes here," Valerie explained, locking her gaze on the priest.
"Oh my, don't tell me young Troy is missing. He's such a good kid. What could have happened to him?" the priest said solemnly.
Dan, confused, wondered if it was the same kid who had once called boys to beat him up. "How is he a good kid?" he whispered to himself.
"That's why we're here. Any clue you can give us to find him would be greatly appreciated," Valerie stated.
The priest pondered, stroking his chin with his left hand. "Young Troy is looking for a cure for his mother's sickness. He had gathered all the ingredients except for a mint leaf found only in Duskpowler Forest. I'm very afraid that's where he went," the priest said with a sigh.
"Thank you for your cooperation. We'll head out now," Valerie said, standing up and leaving with Dan following behind.
"Duskpowler Forest? Isn't that where we passed on our way here?" Dan asked curiously.
"Yeah, that's what it's called here," Valerie replied.
As they continued their journey outside the village, Valerie sniffed the air, perceiving a good aroma from a restaurant.
"Haa, what a good smell," she exclaimed, stroking her stomach. "We should eat before going."
"No, no, Master. I think we shouldn't do that," Dan objected.
"Why? We haven't eaten today," Valerie whined.
"But if you eat, we might end up not going on the quest today," Dan shrugged.
"Hmm. You have a point," Valerie sighed and continued walking toward the village gates.
After a long walk, they stood before the thick forest.
"Can you pinpoint the boy's location?" Valerie asked.
"No, it's hard to find him. Even if he was here, the Ryo that other beasts emit would overshadow his own," Dan said, squinting his milky eyes behind his black blindfold as he tried to focus.
"You're more useless than I thought," Valerie said, stepping forward. She lazily looked into the forest and after five seconds, said, "I've seen him."
"Wow," Dan was amazed once again.
"We need to hurry…" Valerie said.
"Why?" Dan asked.
"Well, he's being captured," Valerie answered. "Come as fast as you can, because you'll be taking the boy home." She disappeared from Dan's sight, leaving a gust of wind behind.
"Wow," Dan exclaimed, shaking his head to refocus on the mission.
Deep inside the woods, a group of four Trail Wolves carried Troy on a long stick. His hands and feet were tied together, and he was fast asleep, covered in bruises, unaware that he was about to become food for some beasts.
The Trail Wolves dropped Troy on the ground near their leader, who was sitting on a chair.
The only difference between a normal wolf and a Trail Wolf was that Trail Wolves were evolved. They could stand on two feet with a hunched back, and unlike normal wolves, they could communicate in human languages.
The leader of the pack swept his gaze around and, with a nod, gave the order to begin preparing the meal.
One of the Trail Wolves, wielding two large knives, began scraping them together, causing the sound to echo. The wolf tore the ropes binding Troy to the stick, laid him on the ground, and began shredding his clothes apart, removing unnecessary material from the meal. He looked at his leader one last time before raising his knife to behead the boy.
"No, you don't," Valerie said, landing a kick on the Trail Wolf's jaw, breaking his neck and sending him flying miles away. "Oh, I killed him," Valerie exclaimed.
The rest of the Trail Wolves didn't see what happened, but seeing Valerie standing amidst them, they all geared up for battle, each holding a knife. Those without knives flexed their sharp claws.
"Wait a minute, boys. I didn't do that on purpose," Valerie said, pointing to her chest.
Although they understood her perfectly well, they didn't buy such a silly excuse. After numerous attempts to explain herself, she realised nothing was getting through their thick skulls.
"I don't want to do this, but you leave me no choice."
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