The Wolfswood was a vast forest in the North, stretching from Winterfell to the northwestern coast. Its vegetation consisted mainly of oaks, sentinels, and black thorns.
Because of the low population density, wildlife thrived there—especially wolves. Travelers passing the forest edges could often hear their mournful howls even during the day, hence the name.
To earn these ten Gold Dragons, they had to go deep into the Wolfswood. This was completely different from the mission agreed upon in Winterfell. Naturally, Aldric didn't dare agree immediately.
But if he didn't, Ander would never hand over the money to settle the debt.
"Lord Ander, please allow us a moment to discuss."
Asking for a few minutes, Aldric led his Debt Collection Squad to the clearing outside the hall.
Aldric: "What do you think?"
Eddie: "Captain, the Wolfswood is dangerous. It's called the Wolfswood, but the dangers aren't just cunning wolves. There are grumpy brown bears, cruel shadowcats, and mountain clans so poor they treat wooden forks as heirlooms."
"If it's just to collect a debt for Theon Greyjoy, I don't think it's worth the risk."
Conrad: "Captain, I do whatever you say. Just don't short my pay."
Juan: "I listen to Conrad."
Kevin: "Teacher, I listen to you."
Haywar: Remained in the hall drinking and catching up with Ander, didn't even come out.
Aldric understood Eddie's subtext. If it was just for Greyjoy's debt, the risk wasn't worth it.
But for ten Gold Dragons? That risk was acceptable.
How to separate the "gambling debt" from the "ten Gold Dragons" was Aldric's job.
Returning to the hall, Aldric confirmed with Ander. "As long as we enter the Wolfswood and help you find the missing soldiers, you will pay our team eleven Gold Dragons, correct?"
"Ten Gold Dragons," Ander corrected. "And the debt is cleared. Will you take the money and leave quietly?"
"Of course."
"Deal."
With the agreement reached, Haywar acted as a witness. They drew up a contract on parchment, noting every agreed item, and signed it.
Tacitly, no one mentioned Theon Greyjoy's name in the contract.
Entering the Wolfswood to find missing persons wasn't easy.
Even in 21st-century Earth, hikers frequently got lost and died in well-known scenic areas. Professional rescue teams, equipped with gear and knowledge, sometimes lost members during searches.
There was no such thing as "perfect preparation," only "as prepared as possible."
To ensure everyone understood the risks and had enough stamina, Ander delayed the entry time. He decided to host Aldric's group like true friends.
The atmosphere at the banquet that night was warm. Ander might be stubborn about debts, grumpy, and foul-mouthed, but he was a good host.
During the earlier argument, Aldric had mentioned they hadn't eaten meat in a long time. Ander remembered.
For the feast, he slaughtered a sheep, roasted it over pine branches, and personally carved the meat for his guests. He brought out fresh potato vodka from his cellar, and hosts and guests drank happily into the night.
The next morning was departure time. Since the Wolfswood was dense and mountainous, Ander advised against horses. So, Aldric's group stabled their mounts in Ander's barn and gathered fully armed in the clearing outside Rabbit's Paw Village.
Conrad wore a chainmail shirt under leather armor, carrying a wooden shield and longsword.
Juan wore full leather armor with a wooden shield and axe.
Eddie was dressed like Juan in leather and a green-brown cloak, with a short sword at his waist, a quiver, and a longbow on his back.
When Kevin arrived, he looked different:
He carried a spear and a wooden shield on his back, a meter-long sword at his waist, and a dagger behind him. He wore a combination of leather and chainmail, but his arms and legs were fully covered, and he wore a menacing horned helmet.
Conrad remarked, "Kevin, isn't that getup a bit much? Wearing all that in the forest will be exhausting."
Kevin smiled bitterly. "My teacher insisted. This is nothing. Wait until you see him."
Since they had only known each other a few days, Conrad and the others had never seen Aldric fully geared up. They waited with anticipation.
Sure enough, when Aldric arrived, they learned the definition of professional.
Aldric wore a full set of brass-colored plate armor. Helmet, breastplate, faulds, greaves, gauntlets, pauldrons, sabatons—not a piece missing.
His weapon loadout matched Kevin's, plus a two-handed greatsword.
Eddie was stunned. This was heavy infantry gear of the highest tier, usually seen only in massive battles, worn by high-ranking knights or lords.
What honor did Rabbit's Paw Village have to deserve such equipment?
"Captain, are you planning to siege King's Landing?"
Aldric played dumb at Eddie's teasing. "Oh? Is this enough to take King's Landing?"
Soon, Ander arrived with his two guards. Seeing Aldric's outfit, he advised, "Captain Lewie, moving in the forest with that armor will be difficult."
Although everyone said so, Aldric was unmoved.
He claimed that a warrior should always be in peak condition, ready for combat anytime, anywhere.
His real thought was: Any single piece of this "Lightbringer" set is worth enough to buy your whole village—people included. If it gets stolen while I'm gone, who's going to pay me back?
Finally, the combined team of Aldric and Ander stepped into the gloomy Wolfswood under the morning light.
To find his missing subjects, Ander had interviewed their relatives, reconstructing their movements before they disappeared and determining a likely direction.
He led the eight-man team through the forest.
Walking in the dim woods, where sunlight was blocked by towering trees, everyone grew tense and huddled together.
It was the correct reaction, but looking at their formation, Aldric felt uncomfortable.
As a Raid Leader who had cleared countless dungeons, Aldric couldn't stand bad positioning. Seeing noobs standing in the wrong spot scratched at his soul like a cat.
Ander brought two men. One was an archer named Harvis, currently walking on the far right. Eddie, the other archer, trailed at the back. The shield-bearing warriors clustered on the left.
If an enemy attacks from the right, that flank collapses instantly.
Aldric halted the group and reorganized the formation.
Because they had the best armor, Aldric and Kevin took the front row with shields. They handed their spears to Juan and Ander's other guard, Yuen.
Behind them were the archers, Harvis and Eddie. The flanks were guarded by the two burly men, Ander and Conrad.
After the adjustment, the formation looked decent, though the serious tension was ruined by the shuffling.
They walked all morning without finding anything unusual or any tracks. The group began to relax.
Conrad, admiring the brass armor on Aldric's back, asked enviously, "Captain, how much did that armor cost?"
Aldric didn't hide it. "I didn't buy it. I exchanged military merits for it from the quartermaster when I served in the army."
"But I checked the market price later. This set sells for thirty-seven Seres Gold Coins back home. In Gold Dragons... probably forty or so."
"Whoa..."
Everyone gasped. "What kind of merit did you earn? Did you capture an enemy king? Or take a city single-handedly?"
Conrad asked, "Lord Ander, if we fight for Lord Eddard, is there a chance to get armor like that?"
Ander scoffed. "Heh. The Lord would sooner grant you a piece of barren land than part with armor that expensive."
Though the chat was lively, Ander noticed something wrong.
Wolfswood. It's called Wolfswood because there are wolves.
But after walking so long, not only had they found no trace of the missing men, they hadn't even heard a wolf howl or a bird call.
Eddie, as a scout, keenly sensed the anomaly. "Lord Ander, is the Wolfswood always this quiet?"
Ander gripped his sword hilt. "No. If there are no wolves, it's not the Wolfswood. Something is wrong. We turn back."
Ander turned to lead the retreat. Suddenly, one of his men screamed, "AHHHH!"
Startled, everyone drew weapons and formed a defensive circle.
"Yuen! Don't scream! Don't move!"
Ander slapped the screaming soldier to the ground. Everyone saw a spider the size of a fist on Yuen's head, its mandibles chewing on his hair.
Eddie stepped forward, grabbed the spider, and examined it.
Its body was as big as a fist, with eight long, thin, crooked legs flailing. Its back had intricate patterns and dense red compound eyes.
Aldric leaned in to look. What bothered him was that unlike the hairy giant spiders in his memory, this one had a smooth grey carapace.
After a moment, Eddie felt disgusted. He threw it down and stomped on it. With a crisp crunch, the spider shattered, releasing a foul stench of rot.
"Ugh, that stinks." Juan pinched his nose and gagged.
Aldric poked the spider corpse with a stick. "What kind of spider is this? Why does it look so strange? Have you seen it before?"
Ander looked at his men. No one spoke. He shook his head. "No. The Wolfswood has many strange things, and we rarely come this deep."
"Teacher, something is wrong..."
Kevin tapped Aldric's arm. "Listen."
Alerted by his student, Aldric heard a dense rustling sound from the branches above.
He looked up. Countless large spiders were descending on silk threads from the canopy.
A wave of intense, soul-deep nausea and revulsion washed over him. Goosebumps exploded across his body.
"FUCK! Run, brothers!"
Roaring the command, Aldric took the lead and sprinted back the way they came.
It wasn't cowardice. He had to run.
There were too many. Sandbag-sized grey spiders hung densely overhead like peaches in harvest season—a joyful sight... my ass!
Except for Juan, everyone here was a veteran. Following Aldric's lead, they ran for their lives.
But as they ran, the spiders grew more numerous and larger—from sandbag-sized to pot-sized. Aldric held his shield over his head, feeling constant thuds as spiders landed on it, which he shook off.
Those lucky enough to dangle in front of his face were batted away with his dagger. He didn't dare let them touch him.
So many, so big, so ugly. Who knew if they carried strange poisons? Caution was key.
After running for a while, the disgusting creatures finally vanished from sight. Aldric stopped and looked back.
Conrad, Juan, Kevin, and a breathless Eddie were behind him. Ander was there too.
But Ander was missing one man.
"Where is your man?"
Ander was frantically brushing webs off his clothes. Hearing Aldric, he counted heads. One missing.
"Yuen! Where is Harvis? Wasn't he with you?"
Yuen explained, "No... I didn't notice just now..."
"Conrad, did you see him?"
Conrad frowned at the forest. "No. Didn't see anything."
"And you?"
Ander looked at the others. Regrettably, no one could answer.
"We have to go back. I brought two men out; I have to bring two men back. I can't leave him in this forest to become spider shit."
Hunter Eddie said fearfully, "Maybe we go back first, prepare better, and come again?"
Aldric glanced at him and shook his head. "Take the money, solve the problem. If we go back now, we might find a person. If we come back later, we won't even find bones."
Ander said nothing. He tore his wool blanket into strips and wrapped any exposed skin.
Others followed suit. Once prepared, they crept back toward the ambush site.
Because they dared not make noise, the path that took minutes to run took half an hour to walk.
Arriving back at the ambush site, the disgusting bugs were gone.
Instead, a white, human-shaped cocoon hung swaying in mid-air from a thick thread.