“There aren’t any dens that monsters can use in the shallow parts of the woods, so I thought I should go further in…,” Almark answered, his breathing as steady as ever.
“Idiot,” Tohrk spat. “It’s a good thing I’m here, then. If you went in blindly like that, you could have days to search and still turn up nothing. The woods are deep, and there’s multiple trails leading there.”
“All right. Do you have any ideas?”
“The first-years usually practice magic near that field. If we can find the monster’s footsteps, then maybe…”
“Okay, let’s go there.”
Almark instantly changed direction and ran up the hill, his speed not changing in the slightest.
“Hey, wait…! Dammit, why is he so fast?!”
Tohrk finally caught up to Almark, who was already picking up one of the bags left discarded in the field.
“This is Eldo’s.” Almark pointed to a set of distinctly non-human footprints on the ground. “I knew it; Cecily was right. She must have been terrified. That girl is strong.”
“What…did she see…?” Tohrk asked, wheezing in an attempt to catch his breath.
“Based on what Cecily told me, and these footprints, plus the shadow Morgan saw…”
“What shadow?” Tohrk frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“A while ago, Morgan saw a shadow near the entrance to the woods. He said it had claws.”
“You believe anything Morgan says?” Tohrk scoffed. “It’s just one of his made-up stories.”
“No.” Almark shook his head. “Morgan looked dead serious when he told me. I’m certain he saw it.”
“So what if he was serious? Who would take a coward like him seriously?”
“I would,” Almark said firmly, which made Tohrk frown.
“Fine, suit yourself,” he spat. “So? He saw a monster with claws. So what?”
“I think I know what monster attacked Eldo.” Almark looked down at the footprints. “These three claws all point to one monster. It has to be a jaranon.”
Tohrk’s eyes widened. “A jaranon?”
“Yeah. It’s a vile ogre that makes its home in forests. It has horns and one eye. It’s small, but very powerful, and when provoked it uses its long claws to attack and eat humans.”
“A jaranon, you say…” Tohrk mouthed its name again, glancing down at the footprints.
All he had was the vague mental image of a monster as something scary but inexplicable, but Almark’s description made it seem much more real and tangible.
“But we still have hope,” Almark said, which made Tohrk look up in surprise.
“What do you mean?”
“Jaranons prefer fresh meat. They usually kill their prey when they take it back to their den. That means Eldo’s still alive.”
The fact a monster would emerge in broad daylight was something he didn’t expect, but Almark found some hope in the monster’s tendencies. Jaranons were vicious creatures, but they were still only normal monsters that made their homes in the woods. They weren’t driven by an indiscriminate, inexhaustible urge to kill humans like dark monsters were.
Almark explained all this calmly, his eyes still fixed on the footprints.
Tohrk looked at him with a grave expression. “You sure know a lot about monsters.”
“If I could have it my way, I wouldn’t know anything about them. But I have to, if I’m going to survive.” Almark started running again, following the monster’s prints. “Let’s finish this before it gets dark. Follow me.”
“Argh, wait up! Stop running off, you brute!” Tohrk yelled, but then he slapped a hand over his mouth. “Uh, forget I said that. Seriously, use your head. You have a mage with you.”
Tohrk moved his fingers in elaborate motions, like he was plucking an instrument. His motions were delicate in a way Almark wouldn’t have expected from his usual demeanor. Then, the monster’s footsteps started to glow a faint yellow.
“What did you do…?” Almark asked.
“I applied color to the monster’s scent. That should make it easier to find. Come on, let’s go.”
Meanwhile, outside the woods…
Morgan was going for a stroll between the woods and the schoolhouse, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw Garain and Deg walking with a first-year girl. He was surprised to see the girl was in tears.
“Uh, Deg, Garain, what happened? Did she get hurt?”
“No, she’s not hurt,” Deg replied tiredly. He quickly explained the situation.
“Huh?” Morgan went pale in the face. “A monster…?”
“Yeah. It’s weird. I’ve never heard of monsters coming out of the woods here,” Deg said.
“But it’s true!” Cecily insisted tearfully. “One really came out, and it dragged Eldo away!”
“I’m not saying you’re lying…” Deg scratched his head, looking bothered. “Anyway, Morgan, that’s the story, so we need to hurry to the schoolhouse and let a teacher know.”
“And Almark went after the monster with Tohrk?”
“Yeah. I know those guys are strong, but it’s still a monster they’re up against. I just hope they don’t do anything reckless.”
Morgan gulped.
“Anyway, we have to get going.”
Deg and Garain headed for the schoolhouse with Cecily in tow.
Morgan looked toward the woods, his face very pale. This place, which he’d been to so many times and thought he was used to, suddenly felt foreign and menacing.
Almark and Tohrk are in there to save the first-year who got kidnapped by a monster… A monster… The same one I saw…
Morgan’s mind churned with regrets.
What if I’d told a teacher about what I saw? Or not even a teacher—what if I told the others about it? Maybe I could have stopped this. They might not have believed me, though. Actually, if only I’d had the courage to look closer when I noticed the bushes shaking, I could’ve been absolutely sure that what I saw was a monster.