Chapter 43: Nest

"Makers tongue! What happened to this place?!" Xi bellowed, striding along with a carcass of a creature that was half-burnt, half-eaten—presumably by the Ghouls.

Together with Toni, Naa'ri, and Granny, Xi took off the cabin en route the orphanage. They have decided to huddle who was left inside the orphanage. Toni hoped that nothing horrible happened to her little brother.

Stroking her shoulder, Naa'ri consoled Toni, cause even her knew the feeling of losing someone meaningful.

Eventually, a fork, that leads to a different location wondered the group. Going straight will lead them to the orphanage. Going right will lead them back to the town, where the rampage occurred. And going left will lead them to a forest eventually to the Grieving Woods, where Ned's Master was supposed to be. Waiting.

Back at the cabin, they already decided. With Sir Edwin within the group, he will accompany Ned to look for his Master. The rest will take off going to the orphanage. All this within two hours and the ship will leave the island.

With darkness breaking what's left of the sun, the group separated. Sir Edwin took this time to converse with Ned. Raising a hand, Ned noticed Sir Edwin muttered some words, conjured a spell to light their way. "It's just utility spell, nothing fancy," he said. Giving a half-hearted smile.

The already dark and gloomy island was shrouded with another darkness with the moon almost up. The sky was still covered with dark rampaging clouds, but from time-to-time, a web of moonlight fueled Ned's silver hair, making it more visible in a pitch-black surrounding.

As the two walked the path, Ned heard a stream of water not far from them, signifying that they were entering the Grieving Woods.

"Tell me, kid. How much do you know about your Master?" Sir Edwin asked. A strong line on his face makes him more mysterious.

"I know he's a Knight, from the Kingdom I presume," Ned replied. Trying to compose his childish voice to that of a man. "I asked him about you, he doesn't know you."

Now that he was close, Ned noticed that the Knight limped from his left. Making a dissonant metallic sound coming from his armor. The trails that the knight left on the mud, was deeper than that of his right foot.

Hearing Ned's response, Sir Edwin unknowingly twitched his shoulder. Which the latter noticed, raising suspicions.

"I took him to be familiar, maybe I was wrong," He said. "I traveled a lot kid, saw different people, made friends, allies, and most of all. Enemies." The last word, made his voice pitched than his usual.

"Do you know my Master?"

"No, I told you, I might have mistaken him of someone," he responded. This time his face stiffed.

Minutes passed the two fell to silence. It broke only when they noticed a hill-house giving off a faint light from afar.

The wooden door swung open, Ned descended and saw a lit candle hung on the wall together with their hunting tools. Melted wax dripped off the floor, collecting that almost resembled the highest mountain in the south of O'rriadt. The burnt candle hinted Ned that his Master was at their home, and judging by the scattered tools and wooden bowls and a spilled water that made a tiny pond on the wooden floor, his Master was here, maybe an hour or so.

Waiting outside, Sir Edwin noticed a trail of footprints going deeper inside the forest. But it wasn't just humans, an added trail of monster impressions, maybe a dozen of them, accompanied the human footprint. Eventually, Ned noticed the prints and hunched that his Master went back to the orphanage.

"Orphanage," Ned muttered, giving off a calm demeanor.

"How so?" Sir Edwin noticed that Ned, a thirteen-year-old kid, gave off an imposing aura.

"This forest "—tilting his head towards the deeper forest—" is a shortcut that will lead back to the orphanage, and town." He was in a hurry, Ned analyzed. Clinching the hilt of his sword.

They ran deeper into the forest, hoping that they would reach his Ned's mater before something happened bad to him. The forest was dark and deep.

Sir Edwin, realized Ned's extraordinary perceptions. The two ran in the forest like it was broad daylight. For Sir Edwin, it doesn't matter if it was dark, cause as a Knight, they have spells that could aid them to see in complete darkness. As for Ned, he was surprised to see that the kid was hopping every obstacle they encountered. Like he could perceive it from afar.

Having an engineered body, Ned had no problem traversing in the dark, even though not completely clear. Ned could still perceive things right in front of him, giving him the impression that he can see in the dark.

The stench of reeking flesh that made Ned's face jerked off. It was almost midnight when the two entered a deeper section of the forest.

Rubbing his nose, Ned stopped when he saw a barren part where trees were half-bent and some were smoldered with blood.

Walking past the bent trees, Sir Edwin and Ned heard a shrieking sound. "Ghouls," Ned whispered. To himself.

"Follow me," Sir Edwin, whispered, as well.

They stopped and ducked in a bush covered with vines that completely made their hiding more reliable.

Gripping his sword, to make sure it won't make a sound that would attract the ghouls not far from them, Ned counted. "Seven," he whispered. Darting an eye on the ghouls.

"You have keen eyes kid," Sir Edwin commended. "But their's one more, look." Pointing at the bulging rock in the middle of the barren forest.

Beside the rock, was a monster far bigger than the rest of the Ghoul. Of course, Ned saw the monster as well, he didn't just saw the massive monster, he could name the monster.

Slender limbs, threading muscles that enclosed its whole body, a far scarier human face. Almost the same as the normal ghoul. What made it different from the others was its massive body, almost triple the size of the normal Ghouls. And a thorn of bones expanding at its back. Making an impression of an armor plate that protected its upper body. It has longer claws than normal, dark solid claws that could almost cut any metal if it wanted to. It's red eyes gave off creeping, and killing intent.

"Alghoul," Ned grumbled. But loud enough that Sir Edwin could hear.

"How'd you…?" Surprised, Sir Edwin knitted his brows.

Ghouls, Alghouls, and many other monsters that came out of Gate were recorded in the Kingdom's library. But, monsters that came out of Gate were rare. So rare that one could only see them every three hundred years when Gates all over Earflgard opened.

Sir Edwin was surprised that Ned knew the name of the Grade A monster, chewing a human limb in front of them.

Again, mentally shaking his head, Ned thought that he should just keep all the knowledge he and his system knew, to himself. People were surprised, if not always wondered how that a kid like him knew things he shouldn't have.

And as usual, his answer was his Master's teaching.

Under the beam of the moonlight, they saw clearly that the ghouls were hauling humans. But they weren't eating them. They were hauling only because they needed to feed the Alghoul that was grinning with a smile while he chews all the heads and limbs.

"Let's go," Sir Edwin ordered.

Pacing backward, Ned left the barren land, thinking that no humans could survive the Alghoul's nest.

"Get off! Get off me!" A shout resounded, halting the two on their tracks.

"Let's go kid."

"Someone's alive!" Ned cried as low as he could. "Don't you hear that?"

"I hear of course, but look, we don't have time for that, they're already a goner."

"I don't care, alive's alive. And you call your self a Knight," Ned couldn't hold his three-hundred-old inner self.

Drawing his sword, Ned lunged towards the horde of ghouls. Now that it was clear, Ned saw that each ghoul was carrying a human by their teeth.

Alerted, the ghouls let go of their prey. Charging towards Ned, seven at the same time. Like they were feeding the information to kill whoever disrupts the Alghoul's feast.

Activate Predictive Combat Emulator. Ned ordered ICE in his head.

[Predictive Combat Emulator activated.]

With the emulator on, Ned's view was filled with digits that further increased his precision.

Ned stopped right in front of the Ghoul that was closer to him, with left foot forward, Ned put all his weight in his right foot, twisted his waist to increase the swords angle. Pulling back his shoulder, and forcefully stab the mouth of the Ghoul that was about to pounce on Ned.

With the sword stuck in the Ghoul's mouth that exited at the back of its head, Ned lifted his foot and kick the dead ghouls in the chest. Pulling the sword at free for another attack.

With six more ghouls following, Ned was outnumbered. He jumped backward, swung wide his sword, leveled on his shoulder, to hit all six in an instant. Only to threaten them to back-off.

Hitting an air, the ghoul's shriek. Mocking Ned whose aim was at loss.

Never they knew, it was only to gave time to the Knight, that was about to land and crush them to pieces.

Casting the first layer of the skill Sir Edwin used against the Devourer. He slammed down all six, in the head. Smashing their skull wide open, viscous-white matter scattered all over the place.

The Knight dashed forward to the Alghoul, that was ready to attack the two. With its thorn bulging out and slowly extending. The Grade A monster leaped to the Knight as well. Meeting the two in the middle, they clashed. Tower shield against the Alghoul's claw. Sparks flew, lighting the darkness in the barren land.

Ned, took a foot forward, pulling the dead ghoul atop the unconscious human.

With blood dripped on the human's face. Ned couldn't recognize until he cleaned off the blood.

To his surprise, Ned knew who the kid was. And cursed himself if why'd he had to help him.

"Grant."