Chapter 7: The stakes rise

The old man saw a scene that lovers would do, a lovers embrace while kissing in peace.

Vincent and Ester immediately turned their heads, facing the surprised old man.

A short old man stood rooted to the floor by what his eyes saw. As if what was before him was a dream and not real. He stood beside the door staring at the two with a puzzled frown. A mouth open wide enough to fit an apple, and his eyes were bulging almost about to run.

“E-Ester... W-what are you doing! ” The old man stuttered while he managed to say a few words.

Both Vincent and Ester simultaneously turned their heads back, facing one another in this passionate moment. Their eyes soon locked. The pair of green eyes gazed at the red crimson eyes.

Their face flushed red as their heart fluttered like an engine. Countless emotions raged in that one second. The most prominent were embarrassment, nervousness, and panic.

Ester quickly pulled herself up, shook her head a few times, and stuttered, “It’s... it’s not what it seems!” She felt as if she got caught red-handed, doing something she shouldn’t.

.....

“W-wood... I will go get some wood.” Ester stuttered. Then in a blink of an eye, she ran outside.

‘M-my first kiss. No, I need to calm down. But her lips were soft. No stop’. Vincent pulled himself up and sat on the bed while he tried to calm his racing heart.

‘Is he the guardian she spoke about? This old man? At least now I can say the story without Ester saying it’s fake.’ Vincent gulped at the taught of lying with a straight face. He tried to muster his courage and explain who he was.

“I was lost in the forest. For how long? I don’t know. I have hit my head and lost some of my memories. Fortunately, I found this cabin, and Ester helped me.” Vincent told this new version of the story to benefit him.

“Ahh... heh... I don’t need to know what happened to you. Just don’t annoy me, you twerp.” The old man rudely snorted as if he didn’t care what happened.

Vincent felt this action was strange. Wasn’t he Ester’s guardian? Why didn’t he care?

The old man passed Vincent at a quick pace. Behind him followed a trail of alcohol. The probability of being drunk was high.

‘Did this rude drunk old fart believe my story? Or ignored me? But, did I just hear the old man pant?’

The old man went to the kitchen and acted as if he was looking for something.

Vincent questioned his strange actions and kept staring at the old man with a puzzled frown. The pair of curious green eyes soon noticed something weird. The cabin wasn’t hot, yet the old man’s bald head sheened under the candlelight.

‘Somehow, this old man is creeping me out. Ohh, I have the inspection ability. Let me give it a go.’

Vincent focused his eyes. His eye soon faintly glowed green, and a status window appeared.

.

[Name] Trek

[Condition] Healthy, Winded, Fear, Mildly Intoxicated

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‘Is he a drunkard? But most importantly. Why is he tired and has the fear condition? Even Ester had afraid instead of fear condition when she saw my mark. Just what happened?’ He thought with a puzzled frown.

*Bam

The door suddenly opened with a strong force. As if it was violently kicked. Vincent jumped from fright and turned his head in its direction.

Ester rushed inside, then closed the door as quickly as it opened. But something was wrong. Her cute red face looked ghastly pale, and her lips trembled as if she saw a ghost.

It was as if all the blood on her cute red face got drained in fright. It gave Vincent the impression as if Ester had run for her life.

“Ester what’s... ” Vincent wanted to ask what happened, but she interrupted him.

“W-wolves! I saw wolves approaching the cabin! ” Ester slammed her back against the door. Then she announced this horrifying news.

‘Wolves! Am I that unlucky? Will I not live twenty-four hours in this world?’ Vincent thought with the urge to cry at his bad luck. His body froze from this dangerous predicament with no idea of what to do. It was enough he was about to be hunted by humans. But now he was about to be killed by wolves.

Trek “Tsk..”

Vincent could swear he heard Trek click his tongue.

“Could you two hold the door while I find the door stopper. ” Trek said while he stayed in the kitchen looking for something.

Vincent rushed next to Ester and helped her keep the door closed.

“Did you see how many wolves are outside? ” Vincent asked with a worried frown.

Ester lowered her head and said with a grim expression, “I think I saw four and... ”

Ester abruptly stopped. Then Vincent could see tears welling from her eyes. The situation was grim enough to make her cry.

Vincent started to doubt her words. Then he remembered Ester was about to say something else.

“What else is there? You wouldn’t look like this if you only saw four wolves. ” Vincent had the urge to know. Maybe there was a way out of this predicament.

Ester kept trembling for a few seconds before her mouth opened and said, “A Great Gray Wolf... a magical beast was with them.”

‘A magical beast? How strong could it be to inflict this much terror in Ester?’ He thought about how dangerous this situation has become.

“Can you tell me how strong it is? I don’t know anything about this world. ” Vincent asked while feeling the reply wasn’t going to be pretty.

Ester stared at Vincent with a puzzled frown. If her stare could speak, then it would say, ‘How in the hell don’t you know!’

Vincent let a faint sigh, then said, “We’re in this together. So depend on me.”

Vincent said the first line that popped in his mind. He was used to telling this line to aunt Trisha in her time in need.

Ester suddenly felt a little lighter by his words. She felt like there was someone she could depend on in this situation as old man Trek didn’t seem helpful.

“I heard that a newly awakened Great Gray Wolf is around four feet tall. They usually are attuned to the air element, and on their fur would be patterns of their element. ” Ester said these disturbing details while she felt a shiver run down to her spine thinking about this.

‘What? Wait a second. Let me measure.’ Vincent thought with a dumbstruck expression. He raised his trembling hand, then stopped at approximately four feet.

‘That’s not right. It’s a wolf and not a bear.’

Vincent took a peek at Ester’s face. But it was full of despair. What she said might be the unfortunate truth.

*Clang

A few cups suddenly fell on the floor. They broke on impact and made a loud sound attracting their attention.

Vincent and Ester set their sights to the kitchen. Their eyes couldn’t believe what they saw. Trek jumped out from the window, running away for his life.

“Did that old shit leave us here as bait? Ester. Is he really your guardian? ” Vincent felt enraged by this with the urge to kick his ass.

“He... ” Ester donned a sour expression. She couldn’t believe Trek ran away.

*Awwoooo

The wolves howl was getting closer to the cabin. Vincent and Ester almost couldn’t breathe from this intense pressure.

historical

‘The window is still open! We need it closed ASAP!’ Vincent thought while his eyes were stuck open window.

“Ester, quickly go close the window. Leave the door to me. ” Vincent wanted to be safe that the door remains closed.

Ester nodded. She listened to his order as she didn’t know what else to do.

Ester rushed to the kitchen. Closed the window, closed the curtain, and then closed the thick wooden window hatch. The window was safe and secure. It seemed all the windows were built with this safety feature to protect from wild animal attacks.

Ester then went to do the same for a few more windows then returned with a thick log to be used as a door stopper. It didn’t take much time for Ester to find the door stopper. It meant Trek knew about the wolves being nearby and planned to run away with his things.

*Awwoooo

Trek “NO. GO AWAY.”

Trek “TAKE THIS.”

Trek “AHHHH...”

Vincent and Ester heard Trek scream in pain. The wolves were attacking him, and death was inevitable. Soon, dead silence followed.

‘Shit, he’s dead! Like really dead! Am I going to die?’ Thoughts of death started filling his mind.

“Vincent, I... I’m scared. ” Ester approached Vincent trembling, barely able to stand. She had to lean on the door, or her trembling legs would give up.

.

[Name] Ester

[Condition] Healthy, Terrified, Despair

.

Vincent inspected Ester and wasn’t surprised by the result.

“Hold the door. ” Vincent placed his hands on Ester’s shoulders with a reaffirming grip. Then he continued, “How can I go to the roof from the inside? ”

The cabin only had a ground level. With the windows sealed and the door held closed, it was dangerous to take a peek.

“Over there is a latch door in the ceiling. Please be careful. ” Ester pointed at a ceiling latch door with her trembling hand.

The cabin was an open plan. The kitchen, the bedrooms, and the living room were all in one place. It felt weird yet comfy, high class from the outside, yet cozy inside. In the back was an outhouse to do the business too.

.....

It took a few tries, but the ceiling latch door finally opened. Vincent climbed on top of the roof. He turned his head from left to right. Then it came to a sudden halt.

Vincent felt his insides rising, and his last meal about to burst.

*Blarrggg

Vincent puked on the roof. What he saw horrified him to his core. Three gray wolves were eating the recently deceased Trek.

After a few minutes of feeling disgusted, Vincent averted his eyes. It was the first time he saw a dead person. The ones in the memory didn’t feel too real.

Vincent proceeded to walk to the opposite side with caution. He minded not to fall and become next in the menu.

On the opposite side of the roof, Vincent saw a scrawny white wolf. He prone down on the roof and took an assertive peek.

The white wolf stood with its ears raised, standing guard in front of the entrance. It bearly made a sound ready to pounce if the door opened.

.

[Name] White Wolf

[Condition] Heavily Injured, Sick, Mild Fear, Famished, Malnutrition, Minor Bleeding

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‘Why is it afraid and mistreated this bad?’ Vincent thought as he silently retreated. Fortunately, the white wolf didn’t notice him.

‘I want to inspect the gray wolves, but I don’t want to puke anymore. But. Urgh... I have to do it to survive.’

Vincent took a quick glance and used inspection.

.

[Name] Gray Wolf

[Condition] Healthy

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[Name] Great Gray Wolf

[Condition] Healthy

[Core] Small Air Core

.

‘How is it possible? I can’t see the Great Gray Wolf, but the status displayed its stats. He must be hidden somewhere nearby.’

Vincent squinted his eyes. A few seconds later, he could see the silhouette of a huge wolf skillfully hiding its presence behind trees. It appeared larger than four feet, and Vincent felt as if it was watching him from the shadows with a murderous glare.

‘Damn this crap. I’m out!’

In the blink of an eye, Vincent went down from the roof. He held his chest while his heart raced from the harbinger of death, hiding in the woods.