"Sorry, I know you have just recovered."
"It's fine."
The two were deep in the forest, surrounded by vibrant greenery and trees that stood tall and mighty. Under the warm sun, Loik led the way, slashing the overgrown grass as they ventured deeper into the woods. They walked carefully, avoiding all kinds of insects that scurried across the moss-covered ground.
"So, what is it that you want to talk about?" Sontra asked.
"It-it's nothing important," Loik said hesitantly.
"..."
"Sontra, what's it like out there, in the outside world?"
After a fairly long silence, Loik finally voiced what was on his mind. He stopped in his tracks, looking straight at Sontra with eyes full of curiosity.
"The outside world?"
Sontra was a little taken aback. Truthfully, he had thought Loik had something more significant to discuss. After all, Loik had gone out of his way to ensure they were truly alone, inviting Sontra to follow him so deep into the woods. Loik had even left the rest of the hunters behind only a few minutes after entering the forest together.
"The outside world, what is it like?"
Sontra stared at Loik's face, confirming he was serious. Faced with the unexpected question, Sontra fell silent, arranging his thoughts carefully. Loik waited patiently, his eyes alight with anticipation.
"The outside world is... chaotic," Sontra said after much thought.
That was the best way he could describe it. He remembered a line from an old book: 'Life holds no value unless it is attached to something. The line separating bystanders and innocents from the raging fire is being erased by the day. Empathy and sympathy are seen as weaknesses.'
"It is a messy, tiring place," he continued.
Sontra observed Loik's expression attentively. While he expected the rough-looking man to be disappointed, Loik only grinned from ear to ear.
"Haha, everyone says the same thing. Is it really that bad?" Loik laughed.
"...It is nothing compared to this peaceful town, but you will always find something beautiful if you look hard enough. If you are lucky, it may even come running after you."
Still grinning, Loik turned around and continued hacking at the grass, making a path into the woods.
"Loik, do you wish to travel the world?"
"...I want to, but I can't."
"And why is that?" Sontra asked, curious at the sudden sorrow in Loik's voice.
Shff.
Loik stopped hacking once again. However, he did not turn around this time, only gazing into the dense woods ahead. Although subtle, Sontra heard a helpless sigh escape him. From behind, Loik's sturdy back looked especially frail.
"I just can't."
"I see. Forgive me for asking."
Knowing when to stop, Sontra ceased his prying.
The reason Loik and the hunters were in the forest was to find any suitable animals or Beasts that could be used as a gift for the spirit. While the others hunted on the outskirts, Loik, an Arcanist, chose to hunt in the deeper part of the forest.
Following closely behind Loik, Sontra saw many kinds of Beasts the farther they walked.
He noticed there were no human traces or even trails left behind. It seemed people rarely tread in that part of the forest. Yet, it looked surprisingly tended, as if someone had been taking care of it.
"There," Loik whispered.
After walking for around half an hour, Loik finally spotted the 'suitable' Beast. Resting under the shade of a tree, a moose-like creature was sleeping peacefully. The beast was huge and muscular, with dark gray fur and gigantic antlers. Its antlers grew in a deformed manner, twisting around like the roots of a tree.
"Stay here," Loik said.
Loik took a few steps forward, holding his sword with both hands. He crouched, walking as quietly as possible, before arriving in front of the sleeping beast. Standing beside the neck of the beast, Loik raised his sword high. In an instant, faint, yellow hues began to wrap around the blade.
Shink.
Just as the beast twitched, awakened by the appearance of the light, Loik brought the sword down. Creating a beautiful arc in the air, the sword cleanly separated the beast's head from its body, ending its life without a struggle.
"That's impressive."
"It is nothing; what you did was far more incredible."
Pulling the sword, which was halfway planted into the ground, Loik began to wipe away the beast's blood.
"I can't recall doing something as incredible as this," Sontra said.
Sontra looked at the beast's head, which had rolled a few steps away from its body. The head alone was larger than Sontra's torso. Walking to the detached head, he crouched down to inspect it carefully.
"I heard from Marvin. You drove away the Drodh bandits and killed a dozen Beasts to save him."
"It was nothing to brag about... In the end, I could not even protect the child."
"Why are you saying that? You did well getting him out of there alive. It could have been much worse, you know."
As Loik finished cleaning his sword, he started to inspect the beast. He checked everything, its hooves, antlers, and even its teeth, only to let out a weak sigh in the end. Dissatisfaction was evident on his face.
"Is it not good enough?"
"Yeah, the quality is too low. It's barely a second-moon. Ha, what a shame."
"..."
Sontra found Loik's method of categorizing a Beast's strength interesting. It was the first time he had met someone who used an Arcanist's categories for Beasts.
"Let's go back. I'll prepare this meat and send you half when it's done."
"I don't need it. Also, you did all the work."
"Don't be like that, only the two of us can eat beas-"
Loik suddenly stopped speaking. His grin slowly vanished as his expression turned serious. He was looking toward Sontra, or specifically, behind him. Turning around, Sontra saw a deer. However, he could tell right away it was not an ordinary one. The deer had glowing, blue antlers. It did not seem to have noticed them, walking deeper into the forest carelessly.
"Sontra, we need to catch that. Can you keep going?"
Loik looked at Sontra with a pressed expression. While he felt bad about keeping the newly healed Sontra in the forest longer, he could not let that deer escape. Naturally, leaving Sontra to return alone was out of the question.
"There is no need to worry about me."
With a nod of appreciation, Loik quietly followed the direction the deer had gone.
He was excited. He had only heard about the blue-antlered deer from the myths and legends passed down by older generations. Although he had spent most of his life in the Erla Forest, he had only caught a glimpse of it once, so brief he was almost certain it was just his imagination.
He had long since believed it was just a bedtime story. For the creature to exist and appear before him was unthinkable. He could not think of a better gift than that deer.
Nevertheless, he did not let his excitement get the best of him. To ensure the deer did not get startled and escape, he followed at least thirty steps behind and made close to no sound. Although he was initially worried, Sontra also managed to follow quietly without causing any disturbance.
'...I should have brought a bow.'
Loik's plan was simple. Just as he had dealt with the moose, he would wait until the deer let its guard down before delivering the finishing blow.
'...It stopped.'
After a few minutes, the deer finally stopped in front of a river. After taking a few sips of water, it lay down under a tree. Calming his heart, Loik hid behind a bush, waiting for the deer to relax.
Snort.
However, the deer only sat there for a minute before it snorted sharply and left. A little disappointed, Loik did not dawdle, hastily following behind the deer.
After another minute, the deer stopped to eat berries in the forest. It then lay down under a tree again. But just like before, it did not stay long, leaving after only a few moments.
As if mocking the two men tirelessly trailing it, the deer kept repeating the same pattern. Loik, whose emotions had been as calm as still water, began to look worried as they ventured deeper.
They kept going until the deer vanished behind strange-looking bushes. Unlike the towering trees behind them, the area before them was filled with huge bushes. The surrounding trees were short and abundant with leaves, and the air felt especially suffocating.
Loik, however, did not follow the deer into the area. He only stared into the bushes where the deer had vanished.
Tap.
Curious, Sontra tapped Loik's shoulder, trying to understand why they had stopped. In response, Loik shook his head.
"We can't go there," Loik whispered.
"Why?"
"It is a sacred place, a forbidden area. It was where our ancestors met the Spirit for the first time."
"..."
"...D-do you think we should go in there?"
"No, it is best not to. What if we anger the Spirit and ruin the festival? It's not worth it."
Although he had the same thought, Loik was still reluctant to let the deer go. He clenched his fist into a ball and let out a helpless sigh.
"Right, let's leave...," he spoke in frustration.
Rustle.
Just as Loik was about to leave, the bushes where the deer had vanished suddenly shook softly.
The two exchanged glances. A faint light glowed in Loik's eyes as he stared into the sacred zone. Instantly, his eyebrows furrowed. After a few seconds, the light vanished.
"Huh?"
Loik gestured for Sontra to follow as he walked toward the bushes. Unlike before, he did not bother with stealth, stepping on every dried leaf as he hastily made his way forward. Reaching the bushes, he parted them, looking for something behind.
"Hm? Huh? That's strange."
"Is something wrong?"
"...No, it must have been my imagination."
Moving closer, Sontra peered behind the parted bushes. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing there. He glanced at Loik, who was evidently confused. Sontra didn't know what it was, but he could tell Loik had seen something.
"Sorry, I think I was imagining things. Let's leave this place. It's getting strange," Loik continued.
"Alright, let's do that."
Loik sighed as he rested a hand on top of his head. Turning around, he started back the way they had come.
"I wonder if the other guys found anything..."
Sontra stared at Loik's back before sneaking a glance at the bushes that had sprung back into place. Glancing once more at Loik, Sontra parted the bushes with one hand and peeked through the gap. There, he saw two blue antlers lying silently on the ground.
"..."
"Sontra?"
"...I'm coming."
"Is something wrong?"
"I apologize, my wounds were acting up."