Chapter 8: A Bolt in the Dark

As the wolf pack started to surround them, Roy and his team noticed more pairs of eyes staring at them. They gleamed a menacing green, and when the beasts revealed themselves under the moonlight, they saw they were surrounded by a pack of lean wolves that had different colors of fur.

They surrounded the search party, but because of the light from the torches, stayed some distance away, though they still bared their fangs and snarled. Roy and the others could see that the wolves were ready to strike at any time. There were twenty around them at a glance, and they were all as big as calves. Their size alone was terrifying enough.

Everyone formed a circle by reflex, and they unsheathed their steel swords.

Roy was kept in the center by the men, and all he could see beyond was the wolf pack. The men might’ve been unable to smell the stench from the wolves, but Roy could. They emanated the rotten odor of blood and meat, making Roy gag.

When he looked closer, he could see the mindless cruelty and desire for fresh meat welling up in the eyes of the beasts. He’d seen videos about wolves in his past life, and he even played games that had them in it, but nothing prepared him for the shock he felt when he saw them in real life.

An uncontrollable shiver crept up on him. Those wolves weren’t livestock that were tied up and had anesthetic fed to them. Those wolves were feral hunters, capable of tearing human flesh easily with their sharp fangs.

One-Eyed Jack swung his torch slowly, keeping the wolves at bay with the burning flames. “Look out, everyone. These beasts are known for their cunningness.” The old sailor obviously had his fair share of battles in his younger days. He was calm, and there wasn’t a hint of fear on his face.

Fletcher and Thompson had seen more than enough gore in their lives. The pack didn’t scare them, and they held their sword steady as they faced the wolves. 

Seeger gave the animals a threatening glare. He held his steel sword with both hands, positioning it at his right, the weapon’s blade facing forty-five degrees upward. His back was taut, his muscles relaxed. Seeger bent down slightly, his left leg pointing at the wolf pack. His right was behind the left, pointing forty degrees outward. Obviously, the blacksmith from Skellige was trained in swordsmanship. His sword handling was fluid and professional.

Roy was the weak link of the team. He was pale and drenched in cold sweat.

“Stay close, men, and move slowly. Don’t panic, and no sudden movements,” Jack said calmly. The team slowly moved toward the cemetery like an impenetrable fortress.

The moment they took a step, the wolf pack became agitated, and they howled into the night, piercing the silence. The wolves facing them pounced, determined to claw through their prey.

“Away, you beast!” Jack roared, and he slammed his leg into a wolf’s head, sending it flying through the air. At the same time, he slashed at the beast, drawing a silvery arc through the air, and it cut through the wolf’s thigh.

It whimpered in pain and shuffled backward.

“I might be old, but that ain’t mean I can’t fight, ye bastard.” 

One-Eyed Jack wanted to go for the kill, but the other wolves stepped in and blocked the blade from their injured comrade. A pair of wolves snarled at Jack, intending to tear him apart, but they knew a frontal assault was risky. Instead, the wolves decided to kite Jack, searching for his weakness.

Jack swung his sword and torch vigorously, trying to keep the wolves at bay, but his age showed in battle. He wouldn’t hold on for much longer. He started sweating, and his movements were getting slower, clumsier.

At the same time, Fletcher, Seeger, and Thompson were fighting the wolves one to two. Their situation was equally as precarious, and they couldn’t come to support Jack.

Beyond the battle area, a few more wolves hid in the dark, sharpening their claws as they observed the fight. Once someone would show an opening, they would jump into the fray without hesitation. The team would lose the battle of attrition eventually, thought the wolves.

After a mere five minutes, Jack, the oldest member of the party, was slashed by a wolf’s claws, and a bloody gash formed around his waist. He made a counter attack despite the pain, but that was his last one. When another wolf came for him, he couldn’t defend himself, and he fell down. The wolf moved onto him like a phantom and opened its maw, intending to feast.

“Didn’t expect a beast to get the better of little ol’ me,” Jack mumbled. When he thought he was going to die, he heard something pierce through the air, and something fell with a dull thud.

Jack struggled to get up, and he looked around, only to see a bolt embedding itself into the wolf that was going to eat him earlier. It fought for life, but eventually, death came for it, and it couldn’t outrun its fate.

“Out of the way, Jack.” Roy was kneeling down, holding Gabriel in his hands. He’d just pulled the trigger, sending a bolt the wolf’s way. Roy’s nerves and fear drenched him in sweat, and even his lips trembled. The moment the battle went underway, Roy had taken out his crossbow from his inventory space. He wanted to shoot the beasts, but they moved too swiftly for him to do so. The cover of night didn’t help with his aim, and he only managed to get a chance when the wolf let its guard down as it went for the kill.

Fortunately, his bolt met its mark, saving Jack from a terrible fate. The moment it hit the wolf, Roy saw a purple light flash from the weapon. 

“Is that… Massacre?”

Roy could see that the purple light was the added damage from his skill, and he knew that the wolf had just come into Massacre’s range.

The fact he knew his skill was able to take effect gave Roy some confidence in battle. He stopped trembling, and pulled the string back before shooting at the remaining wolf that was battling Jack.

Another bolt flew through the air in pursuit of its prey, not unlike the scythe of the Grim Reaper. It lodged itself deep into the wolf, and the animal let out a howl of anguish before departing the earth, falling with a thud.

Roy tuned his Perception, trying to find a way out of the battle. He could feel his heart’s fierce pumping as it threatened to burst from his chest. His right hand was getting sore from reloading his crossbow, but he noticed a twenty point increase in his experience. His EXP bar was currently 23/500. Apparently, one wolf provided ten EXP.

The double kill raised the morale of Roy’s team, while the wolves slowed their attacks, scared because of their comrades’ death.

They faltered for only a split second, but it was enough for Roy to make another shot. The bolt buried itself in the leg of the wolf that was battling Seeger. It whimpered in pain, but Seeger didn’t stop attacking. He raised his steel sword over his head, tensing his muscles before bringing his sword down, slicing the wolf in half. As he kicked the bloody, mangled carcass away, Seeger thumped his chest and roared in triumph.

At that point, the team had managed to break through the wolves’ encirclement. Seeger stood in the vanguard, his sword raised above his head. Everyone else shifted into a defensive stance and kept the pouncing wolves at bay. Roy stood in the middle, and being the only one who was still attacking, released shot after deadly shot at the wolves. When he had used up all twenty bolts, five more wolves lay dead. As the bodies piled up, the wolf pack finally realized that Roy and his team wouldn’t go down easily. They gave up on their hunt and went back into the dark with their tails between their legs.

The moment the wolves ran away, Roy and the others heaved a sigh of relief, and they plopped down onto a patch of grass. The battle only took ten minutes, but it drained everything from them. Everyone except Roy was injured, but everything was minor. Once they went back into the village, got it bandaged, and rested up for a while, they’d be good as new.

Roy took a breather and calmed down. As he looked at his bloodied, haggard comrades, a sense of pride welled up within him. “We survived.”

Jack let out a hearty laugh. “Looks like little ol’ me has another story to brag about now.” Jack grinned in pain and smacked Roy’s shoulder. “Not bad, kid. I thought you’d be scared shitless and drag us down. Didn’t expect you to be the reason we’d live. I’ll let your cheating in Gwent slide.”

Everyone else shared the same sentiment, but at the same time, they were incredulous. Fifteen wolves had been killed that night, and almost half of them were either taken out by Roy, or had the final hit dealt by him. When they were his age, most of them were still brats. Even Seeger from Skellige hadn’t made as many kills as Roy did in one night.

Seeger commented, “It’s fortunate that I sold the crossbow to you, or none of us would have survived the night. Tell me the truth, Roy. Moore and Susie adopted you, didn’t they? You’re the descendant of an elf or a dwarf, aren’t you? Humans don’t have that kind of accuracy.

Roy smiled at him, then he went to retrieve his bolts from the dead wolves. He couldn’t tell them his secret, and had to say that he only made those kills by mostly luck. It was his first time using a crossbow in battle, and the wolves were too swift to follow. Even with his Perception, it was difficult to keep up with the beasts.

He’d be lucky to even make five kills during his next hunt.

Roy joked, “I did say Melitele blessed me. Even if I didn’t aim, the wolves still would’ve gotten shot.” Then he looked at his EXP bar. It was standing at 73/500. Yep. The wilds are the best place to gain EXP. But I don’t think another chance to get free kills will come by easily with these guys keeping me safe .

Thompson glanced at the mini crossbow Roy held. “That’s Gabriel, isn’t it? It’s an automatic crossbow that can be handled with one hand. It’s a fitting weapon for you, so keep it close, and don’t lose it. Don’t show it off to the soldiers either,” he reminded Roy.

Roy nodded.

“Guys, how’s it going?” Fletcher interjected. His left forearm was injured, and the worry on his face intensified. “Can we still go on? Brandon might be in danger.”

“Of course we’re going on.” Seeger wiped the blood from his sword with his sleeve before sheathing it. “Victory is just ahead, men. Melitele will punish us if we give up on the child.”

Everyone stood up and continued moving toward the cemetery. The remaining journey was peaceful, and the team didn’t encounter any further danger.

“Come out, Brandon! I’m here!” Fletcher shouted toward the cemetery when they were still a distance away.

Everyone started getting worried. They prayed to the gods that Brandon would reply.

“Something’s wrong,” Roy blurted out when they’d gotten past the stony cemetery walls. Something told him they’d come across a crisis the same level as the wolf pack encounter.

His Perception proved to be a great help after he’d surpassed the limits of the average human.

The cemetery was quiet. Too quiet. Beyond the rusted fence was the cemetery grounds where hundreds of villagers lay to rest. Ivory tombstones filled the land, and they gleamed coldly under the icy moonlight. An eerie atmosphere crept up on the team, making them shiver. A small cabin stood in the center of the cemetery. It was the abode of the gravekeeper, Granbell.

PR/N: Excuse me, but is a cemetery supposed to be anything but quiet?

“Something’s off. Quiet, Fletcher!” 

Thompson raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop, and they lowered their voices to a whisper. 

“Even if Brandon’s not in there, Granbell should have heard your shout. So why’d he keep quiet?”

“No. Brandon must be in that cabin. Granbell must have taken him in, a-and they’re just asleep. Yes, that’s right. I need to go in.”

Roy gasped, gathering everyone’s attention. “Wait, what is that?” 

When they looked in the direction he was pointing at, everyone saw a strange hole on the outer side of the cemetery.

“It’s a new grave. Someone was buried there last month.”

“If memory serves me right, that’s where Chris is buried.”

When they went up to the grave, they noticed the tombstone lying haphazardly on the ground, and the grave was already empty. 

Where’d the corpse go? And who or what did this?

“Um…” Roy looked around and noticed that wasn’t the only empty grave. A few other holes were just nearby, and they were obviously empty.

“Which bastard did this? They desecrated the dead and stole their belongings,” Seeger mumbled, a frown creasing his forehead. “What’s the gravekeeper doing?”

Roy shook his head. The solemn, foreboding look on Jack’s face didn’t escape him, and the old captain slowly backed away. “Something tells me no human did this.” A chilling sensation enveloped Roy.