The Abysmal Territory

[22]

“Saki we have to at least go further away. People in the village might try to find me,” Teiko said.

“Sure, let’s go into the woods, though we might find monsters and wild beasts there,” Saki replied.

“That would be a good idea. They will not try to find me there, thinking that I can’t fight alone in this darkness,” Teiko replied.

Teiko and Saki went into the woods outside of the sanctuary. They previously passed the portal that would lead outside using Saki’s power.

“Considering that they would only realize that I’m gone during the morning, they couldn’t catch up to me, but this path is a better choice since it’s more dangerous for them to go this way,” Teiko said.

“I see, but is it not difficult for you to carry so much baggage?” Saki said.

“That’s fine, I can carry this much. It makes me a little slower than my normal phase and would be a significant factor in a long journey but I have no choice. I needed this much to survive a years of journey,” Teiko replied.

“Ohh, then why not just create a dimensional storage?” Saki asked.

“What is that? It’s my first time hearing that,” Teiko replied.

“A storage in another dimension created by you. It’s like how your sanctuary is created but only for items and not living things. You can store all of your baggage there,” Saki replied.

“That’s amazing! Then, can you help me with that? How can I obtain that dimensional storage you’re talking about?” Teiko said.

“Creating one need a specific material, I’ll give you further details if I could get the materials needed,” Saki replied.

“Okay, I feel that the materials needed for that thing are very hard to obtain. What are those?” Teiko said.

“Yup, that’s for sure. If we’re lucky, we can get in the span of six months, but we’ll for sure create the dimensional storage after a year. The materials needed are the golden wolf fang, a sacred emerald and the leaf of yggdrasil,” Saki said.

“That’s only three things but with just the name of it, all of them are very rare,” Teiko said.

“Yes, the sacred emerald is the easiest one to get. We just need to go along some dangerous cave and we might find that,” Saki replied.

“I see, so that’s our main path,” Teiko said.

The two of them passed through the forest and miraculously didn’t encounter any wild beasts or monsters.

“That’s odd. We didn’t meet any animals or beasts along the way,” Saki said.

“Why is it odd? Is that a good thing for us? Or not since the villagers could also go on that path,” Teiko replied.

“No, that’s not the reason. The reason is that there might be a being that hunts other beasts here. That’s not good if it's true since we might encounter that being and it’s for sure a strong one,” Saki replied.

“Okay, then we need to be alert at all times. So, how about the other aside from the sacred emerald?” Teiko said.

“The leaf of yggdrasil came from a plant that restores mana and also health for everyone near it. It also provides power to wild beasts around it that would easily make them the strongest in the surrounding area. If that plant is present, there would be a group of wild beasts that will camp in that area. So if we see an organized group of beasts, we should follow them into their lair and we might find the leaf of yggdrasil,” Saki said.

“Okay? So from your description of the leaf of yggdrasil, it’s something useful by itself. Is getting one really worth it for creating a dimensional storage?” Teiko asked.

“Of course! Dimensional Storage has many uses while if you leave the plant as it is, it would just be like a mark of territory, the mana and health regen it gives is not that high for other living things aside from wild beasts and monsters. So don’t worry about getting one,” Saki replied.

“Okay, if you say so but if they are protecting it, I have to fight and defeat them. And for sure, they are in packs. I need to think of a way to defeat them if there are many,” Teiko said.

“You need hunting skills more than fighting skills on that matter. Even though they might be organized they are not that intelligent compared to humans but they have the instinct of an animal so be careful,” Saki said.

“How about the third one? The golden wolf fang,” Teikok asked.

“It’s the hardest one to get, you need to encounter a wolf pack and pray that the alpha male has a golden fang, just defeat it and you can get the golden wolf fang,” Saki said.

“I don’t think that it’s the hardest though,” Teiko replied.

“You’re thinking that way since the method is simple. Encountering a wolf pack with a golden wolf fang is very rare. In one year of our journey, there would only be ten percent that we might see one and fighting them would also be hard,” Saki replied.

“With that data, I don’t think we can really make dimensional storage in one year,” Teiko said.

“Just believe that we will encounter people that sell that thing, that’s why I said we’ll for sure get one after a year,” Saki said.

“So that’s what you meant. Then finding the third one will wait for a year?” Teiko said.

OOOOWHOOOOOOOO!

A howl can be heard from a distance. The sound reverberates throughout the silent forest. 

“Guess we found our golden wolf fang,” Teiko said.

“Hmp! I think it’s just a normal pack. We’re very lucky if that really is a golden fanged wolf. But let’s find them since you might be able to practice your skills against wild animals and not just with your classmates and your teacher,” Saki said.

Teiko climbs one of the tallest trees in the forest to look for the wolves. Teiko saw a pack of wolves in the distance but couldn’t confirm if they were the one that they needed.

“Let’s get closer so we can confirm it,” Teiko said.

“Be careful, I’m feeling a bad aura surrounding them,” Saki said.

“So it really is the golden fanged wolf?” Teiko asked.

“I couldn’t say but I feel that they are stronger than any other wolf pack, even stronger than a pack with a golden fanged one,” Saki said.

Teiko climbed the other tree that is closer to the wolves.

“Look! I see the alpha wolf and it has a golden fang. We are really in luck, and all we need to do is defeat them,” Teiko exclaimed.

“Wow! This is really amazing. But there’s really something wrong about them,” Saki said.

“Let’s follow them first, there might be other wolves hiding in plain sight. Better be careful, I’ll think of a way to defeat all of them or even just the alpha wolf,” Teiko said.

“Okay, don’t make unnecessary noise, they have extraordinary senses,” Saki said.

Teiko and Saki followed the wolves. They maintain a safe distance where they could still see the pack.

“Hey, Saki? Are you seeing what I’m seeing? This is unbelievable,” Teiko said.

“Yes! I’m not blind, you could realize what it is by just how it looks. No wonder that I felt a bad aura surrounding these wolves,” Saki said.

Both of them are looking at a plant that has a single glowing leaf.

“So that’s how the leaf of yggdrasil looks like,” Teiko said.

“Without a doubt, it’s magical aura says it for itself,” Saki said.

“So it’s hitting two birds with one stone, the only one left is the easiest one to get as you said,” Teiko exclaimed.

“Hey, Teiko-nii! Don’t be too excited. They are the reason that we didn’t encounter any wild beasts. They are strong for you, the plant is fully grown. That means that they are here for so much time and accumulated too much power from the plant,” Saki said.

“Then, it’s no longer a hunt but an actual battle, huh?” Teiko declared.

“Yup, I’ll help you as little as possible,” Saki said.

“Huh? Why?” Teiko asked.

“You have to grow on your own and should not be very dependent on me. If you want to be a hero, you have to use your mind, your heart, and your body perfectly. I’ll be cheering you outside your battle, alright?” Saki said.

“I understand your point, I’ll wait for the morning to come so they don’t have the advantage of having a night vision,” Teiko said.

“That’s a good way of thinking, but with their number, I think that there would be wolves that will guard both day and night,” Saki said.

“Yes, so I cannot just stealthily kill them during their sleep. Should I kill the alpha male first?” Teiko said.

“If you manage to kill the alpha male, they might become disorganized but I don’t think that it’s too easy,” Saki replied.

“Then I might tear them one by one, I just hope that their leader won't realize that quickly,” Teiko said.

Teiko puts a mark on the tree and quietly walks away from the pack of wolves.

“So we are retreating?” Saki said.

“As I said, I don’t want to fight them in this darkness. The sunrise is just two hours from now so I’ll take a nap first so I’m perfectly ready,” Teiko said.

“Fine, fine. At least I could turn my power off, you use me as a light, you’re a devil,” Saki said.

“You have light magic and the mana it costs you is not that big, don’t make a fuss they might detect us if we use a torch since they would smell it,” Teiko said.