The forest swallowed Vlad whole, and I followed only because letting him roam freely felt like signing Ridgebrook's death certificate.
Borrik and the other villagers came after us, spears trembling in their hands. Even Lira followed, though every step she took screamed that she knew this was a terrible idea.
Three howls echoed through the trees.
Ranked beasts.
The kind that turned villages into memories.
Vlad slowed, eyes narrowing.
"Stay close, master. Rank defines strength, not cunning."
Fantastic. A lesson from a man who smiled at beheadings.
We reached a small clearing where the air felt heavy, thick with qi. Branches shuddered. Leaves trembled as if something large was breathing nearby.
Then a wolf dropped from a tree—straight toward Lira.
"MOVE!" I shouted.
She ducked—
But Vlad was already there.
He didn't overpower the beast. He redirected it. With a smooth twist of his body, he sent the wolf crashing into a tree. Before it could recover, Vlad stomped down on its throat and stepped away, breathing evenly.
"That was Rank 1," Lira whispered. "He barely touched it."
Vlad ignored her. His eyes stayed locked on the darkness between the trees.
"Master," he said quietly. "Two more approach."
The bushes burst open.
Two Rank 1 wolves charged.
Vlad didn't meet them head-on. He slid sideways through the dirt, letting their momentum carry them past. He grabbed fallen branches—one in each hand—and drove them upward into the wolves' unarmored ribs as they passed.
Clean.
Efficient.
Calculated violence.
Both wolves collapsed.
Borrik swallowed hard. "He's not strong… he's skilled."
"Exactly," I said. "He's Rank 1. Not a god."
The ground vibrated beneath us.
A growl rolled out of the darkness—deep enough to rattle my spine.
The alpha stepped forward.
Twice the size of the others. Thick muscle under dense fur. Bone plates lining its spine. Orange eyes burning with qi that radiated like heat.
Rank 3.
The villagers backed away instantly.
Lira grabbed my sleeve. "Liam… we should run."
Vlad stepped forward instead, studying the beast like a problem waiting to be solved.
"A Rank 3 cannot be faced directly."
"Great," I said quickly. "So we're leaving?"
"No." Vlad gestured at the terrain. "We use the forest."
The alpha charged.
The impact shattered the ground where Vlad had stood—if he hadn't rolled under the beast at the last instant.
He wasn't stronger.
He wasn't faster.
But he was smarter.
The wolf snapped around, jaws slamming shut inches from Vlad's throat. Vlad dove behind a dense cluster of roots, forcing the massive body to wedge between two trees.
Stuck.
Just for a moment.
Vlad moved instantly.
He grabbed a long, broken branch, sharp enough to be a spear, and planted it into the dirt at an upward angle.
"COME, MUTT!" he shouted.
The alpha roared and lunged—
Straight onto the spike.
The branch pierced the soft underside of its jaw. Not deep enough to kill, but enough to blind it with pain and force it back.
"Now, master!" Vlad shouted. "The artery behind the foreleg—cut it!"
"Me!?" I squeaked.
No time to think.
I grabbed Borrik's spare spear, sprinted forward, and drove the tip into the exposed tendon Vlad had opened.
Blood sprayed.
The alpha howled and collapsed to one knee.
Vlad struck again—low and precise—jabbing another branch into the foreleg joint. Not a killing blow.
A crippling one.
The beast thrashed, unable to stand.
"This," Vlad growled, "is how the weak kill the strong. With patience. With angles. With thought."
The alpha shuddered, collapsed fully, and released a final choking breath.
The forest went silent.
I stood there shaking, spear still lodged in the beast's leg.
"I… I helped kill a Rank 3," I whispered.
"You helped," Vlad corrected. "Do not overclaim."
Fair.
Lira rushed to my side. "Liam! Are you hurt?"
"I'm… alive. Somehow."
Vlad knelt briefly, clutching his shoulder. Blood seeped between his fingers—the alpha had clawed him earlier. He'd hidden it well.
A chime echoed in my head.
[THE SUMMONER'S LEDGER — BATTLE ANALYZED]
[STRATEGIC COMBAT RECOGNIZED]
Another chime followed.
[VLAD III — BOND LEVEL 1 ACHIEVED]
[Passive Unlocked: Enhanced Qi Growth]
[Summoner Bonus Gained: +1 Intimidation]
A strange pressure settled behind my eyes, like something sharpening in my presence.
Lira hesitated, studying my face. "Your eyes… they feel heavier."
"Great," I muttered. "I'm officially scary now."
Borrik stepped forward, staring at the fallen alpha with awe.
"Chief… if you and this man fight together, Ridgebrook might survive."
Vlad stood, blood-soaked but faintly smiling.
"This was good training. Next time, we hunt a Rank 4."
"NO," Lira and I said together.
Vlad only chuckled and started back toward the path.
And somehow—despite the blood, the fear, and nearly dying—I felt something new.
Momentum.
The Ledger had awakened.
Our bond had begun.
And Ridgebrook had taken its first step toward strength.
I followed Vlad through the trees, knowing one thing with absolute certainty:
This was only the beginning.