Chapter 86: Textbook Dangerous

The ruined town vanished behind them as Gene, Selene, and Wolf continued north.

The gray sky hung low overhead.

The deeper they traveled into the wilderness, the quieter everything became.

No birds.

No insects.

No distant animal calls.

Only the sound of their footsteps and the occasional groan of ancient trees swaying in the wind.

Gene didn’t like it.

Neither did Selene.

Wolf seemed completely unbothered.

The gray-cloaked man walked several paces ahead of them, moving with practiced ease. Despite the thick undergrowth, he never seemed to stumble.

“You’ve traveled this road before?” Gene asked.

Wolf nodded.

“Many times.”

“And the people you met survived?”

Wolf looked over his shoulder and scoffed.

“Of course.”

Gene looked over at the shrugging Selene.

The forest grew thicker.

Ancient roots twisted across the ground like giant snakes.

The trees themselves appeared wrong.

Some possessed faces hidden within their bark.

Others occasionally shifted when nobody was looking directly at them.

One particularly large oak appeared to be staring at Gene.

Gene stared back.

The tree slowly looked away.

“Staring is rude,” the tree muttered.

Selene laughed.

Wolf didn’t even look surprised.

“We can always make a few walking sticks.”

The tree spit out an acorn at Gene.

Gene dodged the acorn and shot a cherry back towards the tree.

“Please don’t antagonize the trees.”

Selene grabbed Gene by the ear and led him away.

Gene watched as the tree used a root to swat away the cherry.

“But the tree started it!”

They continued deeper into the forest.

Eventually Wolf raised a hand.

Everyone stopped.

The forest had changed.

The trees ahead were damaged.

Large gouges covered the bark.

Deep claw marks scored the earth.

Gene immediately noticed something else.

Bones.

Lots of bones.

Animal bones.

Human bones.

Monster bones.

Hundreds of them.

Something hunted here.

Something big.

Wolf crouched beside one of the skeletons.

“Great… these are fresh.”

Gene examined the remains.

The bones looked shattered.

Not bitten.

Broken.

As if something incredibly strong had crushed them.

Selene frowned.

“Should we go around?”

Wolf shook his head.

“No.”

The answer came immediately.

Too immediately.

Gene narrowed his eyes.

“You know what’s here.”

Wolf stood.

His expression had become serious.

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

Wolf sighed.

“A problem.”

Gene waited.

Wolf continued staring into the trees.

“A very large problem.”

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

“It answers enough for the moment.”

Selene rolled her eyes.

Wolf finally relented.

“It’s called a Hollow Bear.”

That name alone sounded unpleasant.

Gene motioned for him to continue.

Wolf did.

“Years ago they were our guardians.”

“Guardians?”

Wolf nodded.

“They protected travelers.”

“What happened?”

“The corruption happened.”

That answer was becoming annoyingly common.

Wolf pointed toward the claw marks.

“Now they hunt anything that moves.”

Selene looked around.

“Wonderful.”

“Gets worse.”

“Of course it does.”

“They hunt in packs.”

Gene stared.

Wolf stared back.

The silence lasted several seconds.

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope.”

Gene sighed.

“Of course it’s a demon bear… Naturally.”

The forest suddenly shook.

A distant roar echoed between the trees.

Leaves rained down from above.

Something enormous moved somewhere nearby.

Wolf immediately pulled something from inside his cloak.

It looked like a small carved wooden medallion.

The symbol carved into its surface resembled a wolf’s head.

Gene noticed the moment Wolf revealed it.

The forest grew quieter.

Much quieter.

Even the distant roar stopped.

Wolf hung the medallion around his neck.

Then continued walking.

Gene blinked.

“That’s it?”

Wolf nodded.

“That’s it.”

Selene pointed at the medallion.

“The monsters leave you alone because of that?”

“Mostly.”

“Mostly?”

Wolf smiled.

“Depends on the monster.”

Gene wasn’t sure if that was comforting.

The trio continued onward.

For nearly another hour the forest remained peaceful.

Unnaturally peaceful.

Eventually Gene noticed that Wolf had become quieter.

Far too quiet.

The man kept glancing toward the trees.

Toward the shadows.

Toward places nobody else could see.

Something clearly bothered him.

Gene eventually asked.

“You alright?”

Wolf slowed.

For a moment Gene thought he wouldn’t answer.

Then he spoke.

“I used to have a team.”

Selene looked up.

“A team?”

Wolf nodded.

“Before the corruption got this bad.”

His voice sounded distant.

Like he was remembering another life.

“There were six of us.”

Gene listened carefully.

“Heroes?”

Wolf laughed bitterly.

“No. More like Survivors.”

That answer felt more honest.

Wolf continued walking.

“Mary and Bo were part of it once.”

Selene smiled slightly.

“We just met them.”

The man’s expression softened.

“They were always tougher than they looked! I wonder how they are doing these days.”

Gene couldn’t argue with that.

Wolf stared ahead.

“The Rabbit led us.”

Gene immediately perked up.

“The Rabbit had a team?”

“He led almost everyone.”

Wolf’s eyes became sad.

“Back when he still remembered who he was.”

The group fell silent.

Eventually Wolf continued.

“There was someone else.”

Gene immediately noticed the change.

The man’s voice had become softer.

More personal.

“My student.”

Selene tilted her head.

“You trained someone?”

Wolf nodded.

His gaze drifted toward the horizon.

“Jack.”

Gene froze.

Jack.

The name immediately triggered dozens of fairy tale memories.

Jack and the Beanstalk.

Little Jack Horner.

Jack, jack, jack….

Too many Jacks.

“Where is he now?” Selene asked.

Wolf’s expression darkened.

“I don’t know.”

The answer had hurt.

That much was obvious.

“We got separated years ago.”

“You never found him?”

Wolf shook his head.

Gene could see the guilt written all over his face.

“I searched…”

Wolf’s hands clenched.

“I searched for years.”

The forest suddenly felt colder.

“One day he was just gone.”

Wolf rubbed his head in what looked like pain.

Nobody spoke.

Even Gene couldn’t think of anything to say.

Then everything went wrong.

A branch snapped.

Wolf’s head immediately turned.

Another branch snapped.

A bush in the distance shook.

Then another.

The woods erupted.

Creatures exploded from the trees.

Dozens.

Maybe more.

Some resembled wolves.

Others looked like twisted deer.

A few appeared vaguely human.

All of them shared one thing.

Black eyes.

Completely black.

Wolf cursed.

“Ambush!”

The creatures charged.

Gene’s armor erupted across his body.

Black slime covered him instantly.

Selene summoned dragons.

The forest exploded into chaos.

The first creature reached Gene.

A deer-like monster.

Its head split open into four separate jaws.

Gene punched it.

The creature detonated.

Blood sprayed across nearby trees.

A second monster immediately replaced it.

Then a third.

Then a fourth.

There were too many.

Selene’s dragons unleashed fire.

Entire sections of forest ignited.

Burning monsters screamed as they collapsed.

Wolf vanished.

Not literally.

He simply moved so fast he seemed to disappear.

Gene watched him tear through the enemy ranks.

The gray-cloaked warrior became a blur.

Claws flashed.

Bodies fell.

Heads rolled.

Blood painted the forest floor.

Wolf wasn’t holding back.

Not even slightly.

A massive wolf creature lunged toward Selene.

Before Gene could react, Wolf intercepted it.

His claws tore through the monster’s throat.

The creature collapsed.

Dead before it hit the ground.

Then a roar echoed across the battlefield.

A truly massive creature emerged from deeper within the forest.

Ten feet tall.

Covered in black fur.

Multiple antlers.

Countless eyes.

Gene immediately recognized this as a threat.

Boss monster.

The thing charged.

Trees exploded into shards as it moved.

Wolf’s face went pale.

“That’s not supposed to be here.”

The monster slammed hard into him.

Wolf disappeared through the trees.

Wood exploded everywhere.

The creature turned toward Selene.

Gene felt something inside him snap.

Big mistake.

Gene transformed.

Black slime expanded outward.

Growing.

Stretching.

Mutating.

Within seconds a towering chaos monster stood where Gene had been.

The creature roared.

Gene roared louder.

Then they collided.

The impact shook the entire forest.

Gene punched the massive creature, causing it to soar out of the battle field and far into the distance.

A corrupted beast took advantage of the opening in his stance and bit into Gene’s shoulder.

Gene responded by grabbing onto one of its antlers.

He then ripped the antler out of its skull.

The monster screamed.

Gene beat it viciously with the detached antler.

Repeatedly.

Violently.

The beast tried to fight back.

Gene simply hit it harder.

Eventually the creature collapsed.

Broken.

Bleeding.

Dying.

Gene raised the antler one final time.

Then brought it down.

The monster’s skull exploded.

Silence followed.

The remaining attackers froze.

For a brief moment nobody moved.

Then the surviving creatures ran.

Every single one.

The forest emptied almost immediately.

Gene slowly returned to human form.

Selene hurried over.

“You okay?”

Gene nodded.

“Mostly.”

Wolf emerged from the wreckage.

Bruised.

Dirty.

Still alive.

“That was new.”

Gene laughed.

“I was about to say the same thing.”

Wolf stared at the corpse.

His expression troubled.

“Something’s changing.”

Selene frowned.

“What do you mean?”

Wolf pointed toward the dead monster.

“They shouldn’t be this organized.”

The implications hit immediately.

Something had coordinated the attack.

Something intelligent.

Something dangerous.

The three exchanged worried looks.

Far away, deeper in the forest, something howled.

Not an animal.

Not a monster.

Something else.

Something watching.

Something waiting.

Wolf slowly stood.

“We need to reach Hearts Crossing.”

His voice was grim.

“And Fast.”

For the first time since meeting him, Gene completely agreed.

The road ahead had just become far more dangerous.