《Pathfinder》 Survive Chapter 1- Survive Roaarrrrrr!!! an earth-shattering roar resounds across the lush plains. Zeke stood there frozen, terrified by the ghastly beast before his eyes. It was over five meters tall and three meters wide. It looked like a boar but had the head of a bull and skin like a rhinoceros. Two sickle like horns extended from the top of its head nearly a meter long. The most frightening thing to Zeke though were its eyes. It was a c ranked monster, a demon boar. As he stood there petrified in horror, soaked in his own sweat. He couldn¡¯t take his eyes of those three blood red eyes that were arranged in the shape of a triangle. As Zeke stood there trembling uncontrollably a fowl stench came out of the creatures mouth and hit his nose making him instantly nauseous. The first thought he had was. ¡® fuckkkk!! I hate you Karry. Even if I die ill still make sure my ghost will haunt you from the afterlife.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t help but think to himself ¡®why did ever let you bring me here, screw riches, fuck treasures what use is all that shit if I¡¯m dead?¡¯ *********************************** Early morning, the sun shone down upon the upon the nearly barren hill. This hill was situated on the edge of a small Village in the Leyman empire. The Leyman empire was built nearly five hundred years ago. It was constructed after several dozen pathfinders explored the endless forest. The pathfinders paved away the enormous trees with much effort and cleared away any dangerous creatures nearby. It was a giant project that took dozens of years to accomplish but eventually the Leyman empire rose and it has existed ever since. On a corner of the hill was a small crop field. although the hill was nearly void of any vegetation in this small crop field various types of grains, fruits and vegetables could be found. These crops thrived with life serving as a testament to the farmer¡¯s great skill with plants and agriculture. In the middle of the field stood a muscular and sweaty youth with short curly hair,hazel eyes and slightly tan skin. He was around 1.8 meters tall with a fit build. The man walked through the fields, occasionally stopping to check on some crops. After making his rounds he turned towards his small but comfortable house and made his way over. As he was about to enter his house he heard a voice from the distance. ¡°Zeke! Zeeekkkeee!! Wait up¡±. Zeke paused and looked towards the distance, after a while a figure could be seen coming over the hill. She was thin, and had short golden hair that stopped at her ears. Her eyes were a deep blue color and she had fair skin. she ran closer and closer until she stopped in front of Zeke with a giant grin of satisfaction. Even without speaking Zeke could tell from her expression what she was clearly thinking ¡®I¡¯m truly amazing aren¡¯t I hahaha.¡¯ Zeke rolled his eyes and knowingly took her bait asking. ¡°ohh Karry, what has you so happy this early?¡± Karry¡¯s grin miraculously got wider as she reached into her breast pocket and pulled out a round button the size of a small fist. The button seemed to be made of bronze or copper. It was engraved with a picture of a forest in the center. On the left side of the forest lay a barren desert and on the right side was a milky white sea. Behind the forest stood an all-black mountain that resembled a piece of obsidian that was so incomparably tall it seemed to hold up the sky. Right on top of the forest was a small letter f. Karry suddenly spoke. ¡°it¡¯s pretty awesome right¡±? she said fishing for approval. Zeke starred at the button confused. ¡°uhh, sure I guess. What is it¡±. Karry suddenly lost her bright smile. ¡°dude, really? It¡¯s the insignia of the pathfinders. This is the proof that I finally became a pathfinder¡± ¡°whaaatt? A pathfinder hahaha you finally succeeded? I guess all those years of failure finally paid off?¡± Zeke said mockingly. ¡°humph, let me tell you, with this a new door has opened up for me. I¡¯ll finally be able to explore the desolate lands, the door leading to riches, treasures and power has finally come my way. It¡¯s amazing, right?¡± Zeke let out a sigh and responded ¡°congratulations Karry, you can finally begin your life as an adventurer.¡± ¡°ahahaha yes yes, the road to glory awaits.¡± She looked at Zeke and said. ¡°don¡¯tIf you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. worry Zeke you can come with me. We shall embark on the road to riches and fame together.¡± Zeke promptly shook his head. ¡° uhh no thank you, I¡¯m happy with my life as it is. Bedsides I¡¯m not a pathfinder how can I go to such deadly places.¡± ¡°Zeke¡­you live on a barren piece of land all alone, how can you be happy? Look with this insignia I can take you on my adventures. Think about it, wealth, fame, glory treasures can all be yours. I¡¯ve just got to register you as my helper and the rest is history¡± karry looked expectantly at Zeke. ¡°come on Zeke, it¡¯s always been us two against the world, you¡¯re not going to let me do this, alone are you? Plus I promise I¡¯ll definitely protect you so you don¡¯t have to worry about the dangers.¡± she stares pleadingly at Zeke ¡° pleeease¡± Zeke does his best to stay strong but after a brief period of consideration and looking into Karry¡¯s eyes he finally gives in. ¡°you¡¯re so annoying¡± he mumbles ¡°fine, I¡¯ll go with you but only after the harvest period is over, I can¡¯t leave my babies until then.¡± Karry exciterdly yells ¡° yayyyy, that¡¯s fine I still have a lot of stuff to purchase before we can go. We¡¯ll need a storage sack, some weapons, The monster index and other necessities.¡± After expressing her happiness Karry looked to the skies and yelled ¡°look out world, the greatest adventuring team in history has just been made. Riches, treasures, fame, here we come!¡± Zeke thought for a moment then asked, ¡°by the way, where exactly will we heading?¡± ¡°ah, I forgot to tell you. Once you register to be a pathfinder there are four categories you can choose from¡± she pointed to the forest on the badge ¡°you can choose to explore the endless forest, the scorched plains, the nether mountain, or the milky sea. Each area has their own respective dangers but they also have different treasures and different reasons that make them attractive to pathfinders¡± she paused for a moment, as if waiting for him to digest all the information before she continued. ¡°the f above the forest means that I¡¯m an f ranked pathfinder belonging to the endless forest faction.¡± Zeke took in the information then asked ¡°wait, f ranked?¡± ¡° uhuh¡± Karry patiently explained like a teacher to her student ¡° there are ranks assigned to each pathfinder which essentially summarizes their strength, abilities and achievements. It also helps in the distribution of missions so a weak pathfinder isn¡¯t given a task that¡¯s basically impossible for them to complete. The monsters and certain areas are also classified according to this rank. The ranks range from f, which is the weakest all the way to SS which is the strongest. Zeke chuckled as he heard this ¡°so essentially you¡¯re at the bottom of the ladder?¡± Karry proudly retorted as if she wasn¡¯t affected by his mocking laugh. ¡°for now, yes, but by exploring new areas and discovering new types of species of plants and monsters I can increase my ranking.¡± ¡°ok you braggart I get it now, so we¡¯ll be heading to the endless forest, right? Is it dangerous?¡± ¡°of course,¡± she immediately responded ¡°but compared to the milky sea which has thousands of different types of monsters and the nearly uninhabitable scorched plains it¡¯s mildly less dangerous¡± Zeke released a depressing sigh ¡°I see, well that being the case I changed my mind, I¡¯m not going¡± ¡°come on zeke pleaseeeeeee¡± Zeke tried to resist but after a few moments of looking at that childlike face he couldn¡¯t help but give in. ¡°fine but if I die just know that my ghost will haunt you for all eternity¡± ¡° yaaaayyyy¡± she excitedly screamed. The duo made their way over to Zeke¡¯s house and continued their conversation on the way. And that was how the greatest pathfinder team in history began their journey, though neither of them realized the impact they would have on the world in the days to come. ****************************** Zeke stared at the ferocious beast in front of him. He noticed the cuts on its body and blood dripping from its wound. It was obvious the demon boar had just been in a prior fight. As he was panicking and lost in thought he finally heard Karry¡¯s voice. ¡° Zeke!..Zeke! don¡¯t just stand there,..run!¡± Zeke finally managed to snap back to reality. He was about to turn and run when the demon boar bent its mighty limbs and leaped at him with an open mouth fully exposing its numerous long and sharp teeth. Zeke quickly rolled to the side. He reached for his waist and pulled his sword out of its scabbard. Karry watched as the demon boar jumped at Zeke. She quickly grabbed her spear and madly rushed at the demon boar ¡°ahhhhhh¡± she yelled and thrust it towards one of the demon boars eyes. It turned its head to the side and used one of its horns to parry the spear knocking it to the side. ¡°tink¡± the sound of metal colliding resounded through the forest as the spear fell to the ground. The demon boar released a fierce roar and shook its head. Suddenly red-hot flames blew out Its nose. Its four hoofs began to glow bright red leaving a fiery imprint everywhere it passed. ¡°shit¡± Karry realized what was happening ¡°Zeke run, it¡¯s about to use its magic.¡± The duo turned and escaped into the distance, they didn¡¯t make it very far when they felt an intense heat on their backs. Whoosh, a giant ball of flame quickly rushed towards them. They quickly dove to the side barely avoiding this life stealing flame. Zeke looked behind them to see the demon boar still chasing. He ignored his fallen sword and quickly searched hissurroundings for something that could help. After a moment, he spotted a cliff about thirtymeters away. He hurriedly informed Karry. ¡°Karry look, there¡¯s a cliff lets run over there. Maybe there¡¯s a stream we can jump into.¡± Without a second though they both got up and resumed fleeing in terror. The more they ran the closer the demon boar got. ¡°damn it¡± Karry spat out in frustration ¡°why the hell is a rank c monster in a rank f area? This doesn¡¯t make any sense¡± she reached into her storage sack and pulled out a metal ball. ¡°this is meant for rank e or lower monsters but hopefully it can slow it down for a bit.¡± She turned around and threw the ball at its legs then continued running without waiting to see the results. As the metal ball closed in on the demon boar it suddenly opened up and split into dozens of small metal balls that hit its hoofs. The balls exploded upon impact. The force from the explosion caused the demon boar that was running to be briefly knocked of balance falling on its side. The demon boar immediately got up obviously unharmed by the explosion. It released a loud roar and continued to chase after the two. The brief fall of the demon boar provided just enough time for Zeke and Karry to reach the cliff. As they looked over the side of the cliff their hearts quickly sunk. The cliff was about twenty meters from the ground and below was nothing besides rocks and boulders. They¡¯re hope of finding a stream to dive in was immediately diminished. As they stood there with their only chance of survival now gone dread immediately filled they¡¯re hearts. As hopelessness and despair washed over them Karry began sob quietly. Sniff sniff ¡°Zeke, I¡¯m sorry I made you come with me, now we¡¯re both going to die just because I wanted to find some treasures¡± Zeke looked at his friend from childhood as she silently sobbed. He let out a warm and calming smile ¡°it¡¯s ok, you didn¡¯t make me come I choose to come on my own. Besides we may not exactly be dying today. If I remember correctly then according to the monster index the reason such a dangerous savage beast like the demon boar is a rank c and not higher is because it lacks intelligence, right?¡± as he spoke Zeke looked at the bottom of the cliff then observed the demon boar that was getting closer and closer. Karry suddenly understood what he meant she let out a smile and said ¡°yes, that¡¯s right its actually, really dumb. Could it be you want to trick it.¡± Zeke gave her a nod then spoke ¡°wait till it gets closer, when I tell you to quickly jump towards the side.¡± The two firmly agreed on the plan and waited for the demon boar. Time seemed to slow down as they waited, their hearts were beating faster and faster, getting louder and louder until it seemed like the only sound in the world. Ten meters, eight, five, three as it passed the three-meter line Zeke immediately yelled ¡°jump¡± the duo promptly rolled to the sides. Shocked the demon boar tried to stop but its fast speed coupled with its large size and weight caused it to be unable to reduce its overwhelming momentum. The demon boar stumbled over its legs as it rolled over the cliff falling head first. Bang!! The sound of a large impact echoed throughout the endless forest as the beast crashed into a huge bolder with its head immediately shattering it into pieces. The two stared in amazement for a moment before Karry immediately reacted ¡°quick we have to find something to throw at it. we¡¯ve got to kill it before it recovers. After a few minutes of searching they managed to find large rocks and several stones which they hurled at the demon boar.¡± After nearly an hour of using the demon boar as target practice the once mighty roars of it¡¯s turned into desperate whines of mercy and eventually it ceased to make any sounds or movements. ¡°hahahahahah, we did it, we actually managed to kill a rank c monster¡± karry excitedly spoke. After escaping the clutches of death, she immediately regained her carefree and cheerful attitude. ¡°we have to hurry down there, the demon boar is a treasure trove. Its horns, Skin, tendons they¡¯re all worth a lot of gold coins. Oh, and it¡¯s magic core too. Zeke that¡¯s a magic core of a rank c monster, do you have any idea how much it¡¯s worth?¡± Zeke shook his head as he watched Karry loose herself in her thoughts. He was sure that her eyes had turned to gold coins as she stared at the dead beast. They searched the forest and managed to find some tough vines. After finding one that was long enough they scaled the cliff and made their way down. chapter 2- A Wretched Encounter Chapter 2-A wretched encounter After making their way down the cliff, Zeke and Karry kept their distance and threw several stones at the demon boar to guarantee it was truly dead. Then with a grin that stretched from ear to ear Karry pulled out a half a meter-long dagger and began stripping the demon boar of its valuable body parts. After several attempts, she finally gave up. Due to its tough skin, it was extremely difficult for her to cut into the beast. She rapidly turned to Zeke and revealed a pleading 1ook ¡°I can¡¯t cut it, you try¡± Zeke grabbed the dagger and made several attempts but he was met with the same disappointing results. ¡°wow you can¡¯t do it either, I guess all those muscles are just for show huh¡± Karry joked. ¡°it has nothing to do with my muscles, this skin is just too tough. Which makes me wonder, who or what was the demon boar fighting earlier to receive such deep cuts?¡± As Zeke brought up this point the two began to examine the wounds the demon boar had before they fought it. Though they didn¡¯t want to admit it the reason they were able to last so long against a c ranked beast with their current strength and equipment had a lot to do with the fact that it was injured beforehand. If they had to face a demon boar at full strength they knew they would be dead ten times over. Finally, Zeke had an idea and suggested ¡°instead of trying to make new cuts we should just widen the old ones and work from there¡± ¡°ohh good idea, ok let¡¯s try it¡±. with that they spent the next several hours digging into the already open wounds of the demon boar. It still took a considerable amount of effort but it was much easier than making new cuts. They salvaged as much as they could, its horns, skin, tendons, magic core, anything they could take was removed and placed inside a small sack known as a storage sack. These were magical items which were meant to hold numerous things. The inner space differed in size depending on the type one had. ¡°hmmp if I knew we would run into such a great harvest I would have bought a bigger storage sack.¡± Karry wined ¡°the one I have only has an inner space of two cubic meters, we won¡¯t be able to put everything inside.¡± ¡°let¡¯s worry about that later, right now I¡¯m starving¡± Zeke spoke ¡°how do you think demon boar tastes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure but it can¡¯t be much worse than the rations we brought, let¡¯s try some. Oh before we eat I have to remind you, the meat of high ranked savage beats contains strong magical essence which can improve a person¡¯s physique so don¡¯t eat too much at once or else it could kill you.¡± ¡°understood¡± Zeke replied. The duo then began to set up a fire and cook the remaining pieces of meat they couldn¡¯t fit inside the storage pouch. As they ate Zeke began to feel a warm current of energy rushing through his body. He felt his skin and bones toughening up. He lost himself in this great feeling for a long period of time before snapping back to reality. When he regained his senses, the sun was beginning to set so the two decided to wait till the next morning before leaving the bottom of the cliff. The next morning, they woke up and tied the remaining parts of the demon boar inside regular sacks before climbing the vine and leaving the bottom of the cliff. They walked for several miles and along the way they encountered several f ranked monsters. After facing a c ranked monster they felt these beasts where much easier to deal with. After collecting what they could the two continued on their journey until night fall where they made camp and lit a small fire so as to avoid drawing the attention of any nearby savage beats. During the middle of the night as they rested and lost themselves in the profit about to come their way. After some time, they finally embraced the sweet call of sleep.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. After waking up they continued their journey towards the exit of the endless forest. After several hours of walking they finally heard sounds of people talking. ¡°finally, we met other humans¡± Zeke joyfully said and made his way towards the sounds. ¡°wait a minute¡± said Karry ¡°savage beasts aren¡¯t the only dangers in the endless forest. Let¡¯s make sure these people don¡¯t pose any threat to us before making contact.¡± After a brief moment of thought Zeke agreed with her point of view. They stealthily made their way towards the sound of laughing and merry making. They kept a distance of nearly fifteen meters and observed the group of rowdy men. There were around forty of them in total. After several moments Karry¡¯s eyes landed upon the colorless patch that was on the upper left chest of the group. ¡°this is bad Zeke, we need to leave before they notice us.¡± ¡°why?¡± asked Zeke ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡± Karry looked him in the eyes as she spoke ¡°those guys are part of the Lawless¡± ¡°Lawless? , what¡¯s that?¡± Karry wore a terrified look on her face as she spoke ¡°a group of mercenaries much worse than the demon boar we just killed. They¡¯re a bunch of despicable adventures. Instead of paving the path for humans and exploring the unknown desolate lands like proper pathfinders they work together to rob and kill anyone who manages to find anything valuable. We have to leave before they notice us.¡± ¡°ok¡± Zeke rapidly agreed, let¡¯s leave. The two hurriedly turned around and were about to make their way into the distance when their pupils suddenly constricted. What they say in front of them was a man over two meters tall. He wore coarse clothes made of animal hide. He had barely any hair and His arms looked like two large branches and he would seem extremely frightening if it wasn¡¯t for his round belly. He had an evil grin on his face as he spoke. ¡°ohhhh, where are you two weasels going? We just ran out of things to play with, why don¡¯t you guys stay and keep us company.¡± Sweat poured out of every orifice Karry had. She took a deep breath and managed to calm herself barely producing any sound as she spoke. ¡°thank you, sir, for your well-intentioned proposal but my friend here is truly homesick so we have to get going.¡± In a regular situation Zeke would have said something along the lines of ¡°don¡¯t turn me into a scape goat you fool¡± but the current circumstances called for him to act tactfully¡± he suppressed his distress and spoke ¡°uhh yes sir she¡¯s right I truly miss my home and family and want to get back as soon as possible.¡± The man looked at the two like a wild beast would look at its prey and released a dry laugh ¡°but what if I insist you stay? It¡¯s fine to miss home but after a spending a few days with us I guarantee you won¡¯t even remember your name let alone be homesick.¡± His smile got wider as he sized the two up. As she watched that evil grin Karry couldn¡¯t help herself from shuddering a bit. She instantly realized that if they were to quietly go with the man the chances of them surviving would be considerably low. She thought about all the rumors she had heard about the lawless and how they disposed of their victims. The mere thought alone was enough to terrify her. Without a moment¡¯s thought she reached for the dagger at her side and lunged at the man. The man swung his left hand and hit Karry¡¯s wrist knocking the dagger out of her hand.¡± Hahaha little boy, did you really think that was going to work¡± the man said. Karry looked at the man with extreme rage. ¡°I¡¯m a girl you ass¡± she then sent her knee hurling towards his privates. ¡°ahhh¡± the man screamed as he clutched his nearly destroyed balls. Karry turned to Zeke and spoke ¡°hurry, we have to run before the others notice.¡± The duo then sped into the woods without even looking back. ¡°captain! captain!¡± The man yelled ¡°fuckkk! I¡¯m going to kill that little bitch¡± when the other members of lawless arrived and saw the man clutching his balls they immediately erupted in laughter. One of the men joked ¡°hahaha what¡¯s the matter Bryant, did your junk finally stop working from over usage? Maybe you should stay away from women for a while haha.¡± As the members of Lawless continued to laugh when thin man with a handsome appearance stepped forward. He had long black hair that fell over his black eyes. This man¡¯s name was notorious throughout the Leyman empire. He was well known for his brutality and his expressionless face. He had led the Lawless for nearly a dozen years and rarely ever showed mercy to his targets. He swept a glance at Bryant who was in extreme pain and with an emotionless face he asked, ¡°what¡¯s wrong, what happened to you?¡± Bryant revealed a look of awe and respect as he responded ¡°captain Lanis, there were two intruders who trespassed into our area. I tried to catch them but one of them attacked my groin.¡± The captain, Lanis watched Bryant with obvious contempt then he spoke ¡°two intruders? You were unable to capture two intruders, how useless.¡± Bryant was about to explain himself when he saw those pair of cold dark eyes looking at him. He instinctively knew that if he didn¡¯t choose his next words carefully they could very well be his last. ¡°I¡¯m sorry captain I failed at my duties, please punish me as you see fit¡± Lanis looked Bryant over then directed his gaze towards the other men gathered ¡°spread out, find these two and bring them to me. They need to learn the consequences of attacking members of Lawless¡± ¡°yes captain¡± the men responded immediately and split up in search of Karry and Zeke. About a hundred meters away from the lawless in an area surrounded by lush plants and giant trees Karry and Zeke were running with all the strength their legs could muster. They had decided to discard the sacks full of pieces of skin and tendons from the demon boar and other monsters as it was slowing them down. ¡°damnit, damnit why do we have such shitty luck. First, we almost die to the demon boar only to run into the lawless, Damnit¡± along the way Karry kept cursing their bad luck while Zeke remained silent. They just kept running with no destination in mind, the only thought on their minds were ¡®escape, escape, escape¡¯ they were running with all they had when out of nowhere they spotted a man running towards them. He had the insignia of the lawless on his chest. He was obviously here to capture the two. ¡°huhh?¡± he let out in surprise ¡°I was expecting the two who attacked Bryant to be some impressive fellows but it turns out you¡¯re just some kids.¡± He extended his right arm, stretched out his fingers and began to chant. It was obvious that he was activating a spell. Runes began to gather in front of his fingers. They began to rotate and expand then a light so bright that it matched the sun exploded out. This was the solar flare spell, it was meant to obstruct their vision and at the same time inform his teammates that he had found the two. The light shone with great intensity effectively blinding Zeke and Karry. By the time they regained their vision the man was less than a meter away. Karry instantly pulled out a round metal ball and launched it at the man. ¡°Zeke, we have to split up it¡¯ll be harder to escape if we stay together. We¡¯ll meet back up at the cliff.¡± Boom the metal balls hit the man briefly slowing him down. Without another word, they split up and ran in two different directions. ¡°ahhhh¡± the man released a roar of fury¡± ¡°come here you little bastard¡± he forgot all about Zeke and decided to chase after Karry. Karry and Zeke¡¯s physique had received a great boost from eating the meat of the demon boar. Thanks to that she had increased stamina and was able to maintain her full running speed for a long time. Even so there was a limit to how long she could last. With that thought in mind she grabbed the storage sack at her side and made plans to hide it in case she was caught. The mere thought of someone else gaining all those gold coins caused her heart to ache with intense pain. After making sure the man was a god enough distance away she came to a brief stop dug a small hole in the ground then stuffed the storage sack inside. To keep from losing track of where she put it she marked the closest tree with a k and continued to run. Every ten meters she would stop and mark a tree then continue running. She had just stopped to mark another tree when she heard a voice full of extreme anger and hate close to her. ¡°I¡¯ve got you now you little bitch let¡¯s see where you can run to now.¡± Karry turned to see Bryant making his way over with a face twisted in extreme fury. She turned to run in the other direction when she noticed several more men heading towards her. They formed a circle around her effectively trapping her in the middle, there was no way out for her. Chapter 3-A farmer鈥檚 wit Chapter 3-A farmer¡¯s wit On the other side of the endless forest, far away from Karry several members of Lawless where continuing their search for Zeke with no success. After searching for several minutes, they were unable to find any trace of him and decided to continue their search in a different area. Nearly thirty minutes after they left a figure slowly and warily climbed down from one of the towering trees. After carefully inspecting the surroundings to make sure there was no one around the figure stealthily made its way into the distance. This figure was precisely Zeke who after erasing his tracks as best as he could. He then climbed one of the trees and hid. After dealing with several poisonous insects and even a few snakes he managed to hide in the giant branches of the tree. As he ran Zeke tried his best to remember the route to the cliff where they had killed the demon boar. He lost his path a few times and ran into the territory of several savage beasts almost losing his life but he eventually managed to find his way there safely. By the time he reached the cliff the sun had set and it was now completely dark in the endless forest. From reading the monster index Zeke was away that this was the time that a lot of dangerous monsters would leave their dens and go hunting. With this information in mind coupled with the fact that he was alone he tossed aside the notion of lighting a campfire and decided against making one for warmth. There was also the chance that a fire might lead the lawless right to his location. Zeke waited for several hours in the bitter cold but Karry never arrived. He began to fear the worst had happened, maybe she had been captured or perhaps she was already¡­. He stopped himself from thinking such morbid thoughts and decided to continue waiting. As he sat there in the dark waiting his stomach suddenly growled with such intensity he thought there was a monster next to him. While they were running he and Karry had agreed to leave behind their sacks full of the body parts of the demon boar and other creatures so as to increase their speed. All their other provisions where inside Karry¡¯s storage sack so he currently had no food to eat. After hesitating for a while he decided to go gather some food. As a farmer, he had ample experience with plants so even in the endless forest he was sure he would be able to find some edible and non-poisonous plants or bark to eat. He made his way through the forest quietly harvesting any edible plants, he could find. He was focused on his task when he suddenly heard the rustling of plants in the distance, his heart dropped because he thought it was a savage beast but the rustling was soon followed by light and the sound of voices talking. He was about to ignore their words and focus on his task when he managed to hear some of what they were saying. He didn¡¯t hear everything but he heard things like ¡°damn brats¡± and ¡°I can¡¯t believe we have to waste our time looking¡±. What truly incited Zeke¡¯s furry was when he heard ¡°I wonder if the captain has been able to get anything useful from that little girl¡± the men laughed as they continued their conversation. ¡°I can¡¯t believe they were able to kill that demon boar. We struggled for so long to be able to injure it but it managed to escape. I wonder how they killed it¡± the color seemed to fade from the world when Zeke heard these words. ¡°Karry¡± he said to himself. He had no doubt about who these men were talking about. He now finally understood why that demon boar was injured prior to them encountering it. He couldn¡¯t help but think of what the Lawless might do to Karry. After waiting for so long at the cliff without her arriving he thought something might have happened to her but still he hoped for the best. After a brief moment of contemplation Zeke decided to follow the men back to their camp. HeUnauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. trailed behind at a distance not too far away but not too close either. He would occasionally stop and carefully pick some plants, these were not edible though. After several hours, he saw a campfire in the distance. There were many voices coming from the direction of the fire. After walking a bit closer Zeke finally caught sight of Karry. She was tied to a wooden post with bruises all over her face. Even from a distance, he could still hear her sharp voice ¡°let me go you fucking creeps. I see your mothers never thought you how to treat a lady.¡± She had disdain smeared onto her face as she spoke ¡°Now that I think about it, it makes sense why so many men are together in one place. I bet you guys like to play with each other¡¯s things huh? hahahaha¡± her deranged laughter spread far in the in the dark. Zeke couldn¡¯t help himself but shake his head. ¡°ahh¡± he sighed as he thought to himself ¡®stupid girl they¡¯ve already beat you this much yet you still taunt them. How do you expect them to let you live?¡¯ Zeke kept watching as Lanis walked in front of Karry and kicked her a few times. He then held up a bloodied sack and spoke ¡°shut your filthy mouth, where is the rest of the demon boar¡±? ¡°have you checked your men¡¯s tents? They probably hid the corpse so they could ¡°have fun¡± with it later¡± Lanis stared at her in silence for a couple of seconds. He let out a sigh as he pulled out a knife and spoke. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of this nasty tongue of yours¡± he stuck his hand into her mouth and pulled out her tongue, he was prepared to cut it off. Zeke could no longer watch in silence, he came out of the bushes and yelled ¡°stop, don¡¯t hurt her.¡± The several members of lawless turned to look at him with shocked expressions. ¡°captain that¡¯s him, that¡¯s the other kid that was with her¡± anger burned in Bryant¡¯s eyes as he spoke. Lanis turned to Zeke with a deadpan look on his face ¡°where is the rest of the demon boar?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not here but I can take you to it just don¡¯t hurt her.¡± Lanis narrowed his eyes as he continued to size up Zeke. ¡°you have to promise to let us go unharmed once you have it. we really didn¡¯t know it was you guys who fought it before.¡± Lanis continued to remain silent. Zeke spoke once more ¡°I mean it we really didn¡¯t know¡± ¡°it doesn¡¯t matter¡± Lanis finally spoke ¡°whoever takes what belongs to the Lawless has to pay¡± the members of lawless began to cheer and shout in agreement with Lanis¡¯s words. He raised a hand to silence them then he continued. ¡°take my men to the rest of the corpse. If you behave yourself then I might let you leave unharmed. As for her¡± there was a slight pause before he continued she has to pay for her disrespect.¡± ¡°haha you think I¡¯m scared of you losers. Zeke don¡¯t believe a word he says they¡¯re called ¡°Lawless¡± for a reason. He definitely won¡¯t keep his words.¡± ¡®I know that you idiot¡¯ Zeke secretly thought to himself ¡®just be quiet and let me handle this¡¯ ¡°Karry, shut up and trust me. I promise we¡¯ll both make it out of here safely.¡± He gave her a look that seemed to say, ¡®I have a plan¡¯. Karry might have been a mind reader because she seemed to understand his thoughts and simply gave him a bright smile and nodded her head. Zeke rubbed his temples in exhaustion and thought ¡®if this keeps up I¡¯ll have aged several years by the time we leave¡­if we leave that is.¡¯ He then looked to Lanis and spoke ¡°so do we have a deal?¡± As if he hadn¡¯t heard Zeke, Lanis didn¡¯t answer him. Lanis put his knife back in its sheath and spoke to his men ¡°several of you follow him and bring back the corpse. Make sure he doesn¡¯t do anything unexpected. If he tries something foolish then kill him immediately.¡± ¡°Yes captain¡± ten men including Bryant got up and followed Zeke as he made his way into the distance. ¡° this many people just to follow me? Just one would be fine you know¡± Zeke joked ¡°shut up and keep walking¡± Bryant said. Zeke led the men far into the woods. They walked for nearly an hour with the members of Lawless asking ¡°how much further¡± every so often. Each time Zeke¡¯s answer would be ¡°almost there.¡± After ten more minutes Zeke finally came to a stop. He stuffed his hands into his pocket and pulled out one of the plants he picked up on his way to the Lawless¡¯s camp. This was a thin plant with several stripes of red and yellow on it known as serpent¡¯s grass. He scanned the environment with his eyes until his gaze focused on a specific spot near a large bush. ¡°Found it¡± he revealed a cunning smile on his face as only he was aware of what lay behind that bush. He grabbed a small dagger from his belt strap and quickly cut into his palm. ¡°what the hell are you doing?¡± one of the lawless caught sight of his strange actions. ¡°oh, nothing much¡± Zeke replied, ¡°just calling for some help.¡± Zeke hurriedly dripped some blood onto the serpent¡¯s grass then he shoved it into the pocket of the closest member of Lawless and turned to run. ¡°hey, get your ass back here¡± the others were about to chase after him when all of a sudden, they heard strange noises coming from the large bush. ¡°hissssss¡± the sound echoed as a large snake raised its head and came out of the bush. It was nearly ten meters long and two meters wide with a dark red color. This was a blood serpent, it was attracted to serpent¡¯s grass, especially one that was stained with blood. It scanned the environment until its yellow eyes landed on the man with the serpent¡¯s grass inside his pocket. It flicked its scary tongue then immediately lunged at the man. Its speed was so fast he could barely react in time. He narrowly avoided its attack as he rolled to the side. He spun around quickly and pulled out his sword to defend but before he could unleash any combat skills he heard a ¡°waap¡± as its long tail slammed into his chest. There was a loud crack that followed indicating broken bones as he was sent flying almost 5 meters spitting out blood. He tried to stand but before he could the blood serpent rushed at him with an open moth exposing its sharp fangs. A strong fishy smell assaulted his nostrils but he couldn¡¯t even register the stench before the blood serpent swallowed him whole. The only thing that could be heard was ¡°nooo¡± but even that only lasted for seconds before silence returned to the forest. It takes a while to describe but all this happened in a matter of seconds. Before his friends could react, he was already being digested by the blood serpent. ¡°shit, that little bastard tricked us¡± said one of the lawless. ¡°It¡¯s only a d ranked savage beast Three people stay and kill it the rest come with me and help find that little shit.¡± Bryant immediately ordered. The worst part about dealing with the blood serpent was its sneak attacks but once you were prepared for it and had the appropriate counter measures it was a lot easier to handle. Zeke quickly ran through the endless forest. He knew that as a rank d savage beast the blood serpent could only keep the lawless busy for a few minutes at best. He looked around as he ran. He was searching for other territories of savage beast he had entered as he escaped from the lawless on his way to the cliff. He had nearly died when he entered these territories so he couldn¡¯t help but to remember where they were. If he had not hidden his smell with the juice from an angel root, he would have long been discovered when he entered their territories. It didn¡¯t take long before he reached his next location. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a dark green flower with a strong smell. This was known as a river lily and it was the favorite snack of the dragon wasps. He looked around picked up a few rocks then he climbed up a tree and stopped when he saw a large wasp nest that was nearly ten meters in diameter. He took out his flask crushed the river lily and put it inside his flask. He closed it and shook the flask to make sure the river lily was well mixed with it. after making sure his preparations were complete. He grabbed a long vine then threw one of the rocks at the nest. He waited a few moments but nothing happened so he repeated the process and threw a few more rocks. This time there was a loud ¡°buzzzz¡± that caught his ear. Zeke immediate held unto the vine and jumped down. He didn¡¯t even look behind him to make sure that his plan succeeded. As soon as he reached the ground he began to run in the direction he just came from. It didn¡¯t take long before he heard the loud curses of some of the Lawless. ¡°hey, what are you guys doing I¡¯m right here, why don¡¯t you come get me¡± he yelled as he ran towards them. ¡°you bitch, bring your ass here¡± Bryant yelled ¡°I¡¯m gonna make you suffer for th..¡± his words got stuck in his throat as he looked behind Zeke. What he saw filled his body with sheer terror. They had the bodies of wasp but were a meter long in length. Their bodies were covered in snake like scales that were black and yellow in color. They had two dragon like horns protruding from their heads, a pointy sword like stinger nearly two feet long and numerous sharp teeth that struck fear into a person¡¯s very being. These were c ranked savage beasts known as dragon wasps. There were nearly a dozen of them. final chapter- On the edge of death Chapter 4 -On the edge of death Each dragon wasp was a rank c monster but a swarm like this one could rival even rank b savagebeasts. Zeke quickly closed the distance with the lawless and pulled out his flask. He immediately began to douse the members of lawless with the water inside the flask making surehe wet as many people as possible. Then without any further hesitation he dropped the flask,turned to the side, and continued to run to his next location. All he heard was ¡°ahhhhh¡± ¡°ahhh¡±sounds as he made his way into the distance.¡± Bryant immediately began using his combat skills. He held his sword as he activated the combat skill ¡°razors edge¡± his sword began to glow with a light blue light then he cast a ¡°wind rush¡± skill which boosted his speed. He rushed towards one of the dragon wasps and slashed his sword diagonally. ¡°buzz¡± the dragon wasp quickly dodged to the side and then attacked with its stinger. Its stinger began to shine with a black light as it activated its own combat skills. Its stinger shot several black lights towards Bryant in succession. Bryant leaped backwards and pointed his left hand behind the dragon wasp. ¡°Helios flame¡± he yelled as he activated a spell. Runes began to gather around his hand as a blazing flame erupted from his palm and shot towards the rest of the dragon wasps. As a veteran pathfinder and member of Lawless he knew better than to let himself be surrounded by dragon wasps in a fight. He was about to continue engaging the dragon wasp he was fighting when he heard screams behind him. He turned around just in time to see a dragon wasp shove its stinger into the chest of one of his comrades. The dragon wasp then began to bite and eat his flesh. ¡° ahhhh¡± he yelled but his voice soon faded and his body stopped moving. He wasn¡¯t the only in such dire straits, everyone else was also fighting with their life¡¯s hanging in the balance. Bryant turned his head and focused on his fight, this wasn¡¯t the time to worry about someone else. He made use of the remaining time he had left with his ¡°wind rush¡± and leaped at the dragon wasp. The dragon wasp met his sword with its stinger and they went back and forth as they madly fought. ¡°blade tempest¡± Bryant yelled, he brought up his sword and slashed it downwards at the dragon wasp. Strong winds erupted from his sword and flew towards the dragon wasp. Before it could dodge the dragon wasp was dissected into several pieces and its body fell to the ground in many different parts. Bryant was breathing heavily after the fight. Using so many combat skills and magic spells had drained his energy severely. He turned to go help his comrades but what he saw made his heart drop. Five of his friend, his comrades who he had survived many life and death battles with were now lying motionless on the ground as several dragon wasps feasted on their corpses. Two dragon wasps lay dead besides his friends bodies. ¡°at least they managed to kill some of them ¡°he sighed heavily¡± just as he was about to run away the ¡°Helios flame¡± spell he had cast began to wear off exposing the vicious and angry swarm of dragon wasps on the other side. Bryant knew he had missed his chance to escape. He raised his sword in defeat and let out a bitter laugh ¡°hahaha, it seems this is where I shall die. Fine, but if I¡¯m going to die then I¡¯ll at least take a few of you damned monsters with me¡± he tapped into the last reserve of energy he had and began to activate the greatest spell he knew. It was an area of effect spell known as ¡°thunder clap¡± that would cause damage to even he himself at this close of a distance. Zeke had been running for several minutes now and still hadn¡¯t ran into any of the Lawless yet. He stopped to survey his surroundings and check his location when there was a bright and intense light followed by a deafening ¡°krakoom¡± which resembled a clap of thunder. He almost went deaf due to the sound. He turned towards the direction of the sound and saw a blazing light that nearly blinded him. Zeke immediately averted his eyes and continued towards his location. After thirty minutes of running he came to a large clearing. His body was exhausted and soaked with his own sweat. His mind was constantly on edge as he had to avoid running into savage beast or members of Lawless. He rested for a few minutes and caught his breath. After resting he looked towards the clearing and saw about twenty figures laying down next to each other. This was the final and most dangerous part of his plan. He planned to lure this pack of nether wolves to attack the camp belonging to Lawless. Zeke steadied his breath and pulled out his dagger. He searched around until he finally found the tracks of a rabbit. He baited it then killed it. then he began to cut the rabbit in to several pieces. He repeated this process several times and caught a few different animals. After cutting them all into pieces he tied the cut-up body parts to several vines on many different trees that led towards the lawless camp. He made sure they were not too low or too high. He then found a large number of stones and carried as many as he could in his pockets. Afterwards he took the angel root he had remaining broke it in half and covered himself with its juice masking his scent. With his preparations complete Zeke returned to the large clearing where the nether wolves were still sleeping. The nether wolves were vicious creatures that specialized in speed. That being the case their attack power was still rather impressive. They were similar to the dragon wasps in that they were rank c monsters on their own but as a pack they could even threaten upper lever rank b creatures. They were five meters long and two meters tall with a sleek body. They had razor sharp teeth that could tear through steel. Silver eyes, long blade like claws and fur that was incredibly hard to penetrate possessing a dark silver luster. He retrieved a few pieces of meat he had left over then tied them to pieces of rocks which he then launched at the sleeping nether wolves. He missed his first two throws but the rest nailed his targets as he wanted. Needlessly to say being pelted with rocks repeatedly during their sleep quickly aroused the fury of this pack of nether wolves. They looked around for the cause of the attacks only to be attracted by the scent of the pieces of meat around them. A few of them went to eat the meat only to find that as they chewed the meat there were rocks included. This greatly dissatisfied them.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Even though the rocks would not harm their teeth it still greatly irritated them to be misled into eating stones. They looked around for a target to vent their anger on. ¡°over here¡± Zeke yelled ¡°come on, I¡¯m right here¡± he began to throw more stones at the nether wolves. They quickly locked onto his location and darted towards him. Without waiting for their arrival Zeke turned and made his way towards one of his prearranged vines. He then latched onto it and began to climb up the vine. Seconds after he climbed the vine the pack of nether wolves had arrived at the bottom of the vine. Being unable to climb after Zeke they began to eat the meat that was tied to the vine. Seeing that his plan was working Zeke continued to taunt the nether wolves and lead them towards the location of the lawless as he used the vines to swing from tree to tree. After a while the nether wolves began to lose interest in Zeke. When he noticed this he promptly jumped down and began to hurl rocks at the nether wolves in an attempt to regain their interest. This lead to them angrily chasing after Zeke and him making his way up another tree. This continued for over twenty minutes with no problems arousing. That is until Zeke¡¯s most recent attempt to lure the nether wolves went awry. Zeke had jumped down to throw more stones at the nether wolves but this time they seemed to be prepared for his antics. As soon as his feet touched the ground he was rushed by several of the nether wolves that had been hiding nearby seemingly waiting for this opportunity. They lunged at Zeke with their mouth wide open exposing those razor-edged teeth that could rip apart steel. With little time to react Zeke decided his actions without any hesitation. He focused on one of the nether wolves and jumped at it. As he collided into the nether wolf he felt the air forced out of his lungs. The impact sent his head spinning for a moment. When he came to he was hanging onto the neck of the nether wolf. He swung his body over it and latched onto it¡¯s back. He pulled out his dagger and thrust it at its eye. Zeke was well aware that his dagger was not sharp enough to pierce its body so he aimed for it¡¯s more vulnerable body parts. As if it knew what he was planning the nether wolf twisted its neck to the side and shook its body in an attempt to throw Zeke off. This only made Zeke tighten his grip on its neck. Before he could take anymore actions another nether wolf rushed at him with its fangs bared. Zeke grew desperate as he was beginning to get surrounded. ¡°growl¡± loud growls came from the surrounding nether wolves that were feasting on the meat Zeke had used to lure them. With the loud commotion, they lost interest in their food and began to focus on the quarrel with Zeke. Soon even more nether wolves were heading towards him. Zeke had very little options left. He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the last remaining plants he had left. It was blood red and had thorns all over it. This was a blood cactus. It was highly toxic to a large number of creatures, including humans. He removed his other hand from the neck of the nether wolf and grabbed the blood cactus with both hands. He mustered all his strength and tore the blood cactus in half. This brief moment allowed the nether wolf to throw Zeke of its back. With little time to spare Zeke threw the powder of the blood cactus into the air. Then he turned and ran towards the nearest vine. He quickly reached the vine and began climbing. He failed reach a safe height in time. The nether wolf that was rushing at him continued its chase with its sharp teeth exposed. ¡°roar¡± it jumped towards Zeke and latched onto his left leg piercing its teeth into the back of his leg. ¡°ahhhhhhh¡± Zeke released a bloodcurdling scream. He grabbed his dagger and thrust it into the eye of the nether wolf. It released a whimper and released its grip on Zeke¡¯s leg. He hurriedly continued to climb up the vine. He made his way to a large branch and sat down. Zeke tore of some cloth from his pants and wrapped it around the wound on his leg wincing in pain the whole time. Afterwards we looked at his palms and found some thorns from the blood cactus imbedded into his skin. He removed them as fast as he could but he was aware that he was too late because some of the toxins on the thorns had entered into his body. Zeke chewed on the little amount of angel root he had left and drank its juice. The angel root was not just great at masking a person¡¯s smell but was also good for detoxification. It would not completely remove the toxin of the blood cactus from his system but it would at least slow it down a bit. After everything was done he looked down and saw the nether wolves still pacing around the tree. There were three nether wolves lying motionlessly on the ground. This was undoubtedly due to the effects of the of the blood cactus. Zeke attempted to bait the nether wolves several times but to his surprise they ignored all the pieces of meat he threw at them. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was due to the fact that he killed a few nether wolves belonging to their pack or if it was because they had enough of him toying with them but from how they kept pacing around the tree he was on it was obvious that their sights were set on him and him alone. After careful consideration Zeke decided to make use of their focus on him. He grabbed onto a vine steadied himself and swung to the next tree. He looked down and saw the nether wolves following after him and growling angrily the whole way. He continued to swing from tree to tree for almost fifteen minutes as he led the nether wolves towards the camp of the Lawless. At the camp of the Lawless, Karry was still tied to the wooden post. The only difference from before was that she had several new bruises on her face and a piece of cloth tied to her mouth. The members of lawless seemed to be getting restless as they paced back and forth impatiently. There were thirty members left including the captain and they all felt something strange was going on. It had been over two hours since ten of their friends left to look for the rest of the demon boar along with Zeke yet no one had returned or even made contact yet. Captain Lanis came out of the only tent there and walked towards Karry with his face as expressionless as usual. He grabbed her neck and began to squeeze. ¡°your friend has been gone for a while now. It¡¯s obvious that he¡¯s planning something so here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen next. I¡¯m going to kill you then I¡¯m going to go look for him and kill him.¡± His grip tightened around Karry¡¯s neck and he squeezed with all his strength. It was at this moment that a disheveled man ran towards Lanis. ¡°captain! captain! We have a big problem.¡± He was one of the men who was sent to follow Zeke. Lanis released his grip on Karry and turned towards the man who had just come back. ¡°what is it?¡± Lanis coldly responded ¡°why are you alone? Where¡¯s the rest of the men I sent with you?¡± ¡°captain, it¡¯s all because of that little bastard. He lured us into a trap and we were attacked by a blood serpent. One of us was immediately killed and two more died during the fight with it but the blood serpent was heavily injured as well.¡± He paused for a moment to catch his breath then continued. ¡°I finally managed to kill it but by then the little shithead was long gone. Bryant led the rest of the group to catch him. I¡¯m not sure what happened afterwards. I was hoping they were able to catch him and bring him back.¡± With that he began to look around in search for Bryant and his friends but he was unable to find them. This confirmed his suspicions that something bad had happened to them. Rage bean to build up in Lanis¡¯s chest as he threw a slap at the man who had just returned. ¡°lured into a trap? You let a little kid do this much damage to our reputation? Who in the Leyman empire will fear us when they learn that the Lawless were outsmarted by a child?¡± he managed to calm himself down and spoke ¡°I should kill you where you stand for bringing such shame unto us¡± Lanis pulled out his sword and was about to attack the man when all over sudden loud howls began to reverberate throughout the endless forest. ¡°awoooo¡± the sounds came from all around the camp. ¡°damnit¡± Lanis spoke ¡°everyone get ready to fight we¡¯re under attack¡± Not long after he spoke a figure dropped out of the trees and rolled a few times before coming to a stop. He looked ragged and exhausted. His left leg was wrapped in a bloodied piece of cloth. Who else could this be if not Zeke? Lanis revealed a crazy look for the first time as he realized who it was. ¡°you!!¡± he yelled, he brought up his sword in preparation to attack Zeke but before he could Zeke spoke. ¡°haha you might want to deal with them before you deal with me.¡± As soon as he finished speaking several figures darted out of the surrounding bushes and began indiscriminately attacking the members of Lawless. Sounds of terror and pain began to come from all around. Various spells and combat skills were being used but the nether wolves possessed attack spells of their own. A dark silver light began to gather unto their bodies and with a ¡°whoosh¡± their speed skyrocketed. Lanis took a look around before focusing his gaze unto Zeke. ¡°I, don¡¯t, care¡± he said word for word ¡°you have to pay for this!¡± He thrust his sword at Zeke. Zeke rolled to the side to avoid the strike but he was unable to completely escape from it. The sword pierced the side of his abdomen and left a bloody wound. Zeke released a sharp cry of pain. Lanis pulled out his sword and was about to follow up on his attack when a nether wolf launched itself at him at breakneck speeds. Lanis was forced to back off and defend against this sudden attack leaving Zeke alone. Zeke clutched his side in pain, got up and limped towards the still tied up Karry. He used his dagger to cut her free and release her from her bondage. She immediately supported Zeke and they turned to escape into the distance when a nether wolf with a bloodied eye appeared in their path. It released a loud growl then it¡¯s body began to shine with a metallic light. The nether wolf rushed at the duo with its top speed. The two split apart and jumped to the opposite sides. The nether wolf came to an abrupt stop and turned towards Zeke¡¯s direction. Before it could continue its attack Karry grabbed a sword from a dead member of lawless and attacked the Nether wolf. The nether wolf ignored Karry and rushed towards Zeke. Zeke was exhausted from the constant running, climbing, and swinging from vine to vine. With the injuries to his leg and abdomen he barely had enough strength to stand stand yet alone engage in a life and death battle with a nether wolf. With few options available to him he held onto his dagger and waited for the arrival of the nether wolf. It lunged at Zeke with its maws wide open. At this crucial moment Zeke unhesitantly thrust his dagger into its open mouth and shoved it upwards. The nether wolf released loud whimpers and its body shuddered briefly before it collapsed to the ground. Before it could get back up Karry hurried over and jammed her sword into its other eye socket. The nether wolf howled in agony but it was pointless. Karry then helped Zeke up and they began to escape this chaotic scene full of blood and carnage. They didn¡¯t get very far before Zeke collapsed to the ground in extreme fatigue. ¡°come on Zeke you have to get up. We¡¯re still too close to their encampment, they could catch up at any minute.¡± Zeke shook his head and showed a bitter smile ¡°I can¡¯t, I don¡¯t have any more strength in my body. Besides the toxins from the blood cactus is beginning to take effect on my body. I¡¯m done for, you run away as far as you can.¡± ¡°like hell I¡¯m going to do that¡± Karry yelled back at Zeke ¡°you just risked your life to save me like hell I¡¯m going to just leave you to die.¡± Tears began to well up in her eyes as she spoke ¡°do you remember when we first met as kids? I was just an orphan living in the slums stealing from whoever I could and you were a slave to that despicable merchant.¡± Zeke released a dry laugh ¡°I¡¯ve told you over and over I wasn¡¯t a slave I sold myself into his care so I could work of my father¡¯s debts.¡± Karry harshly responded ¡°you were a slave! The way he treated you and worked you¡­. How was that any different from a slave?¡± ¡°ok ok¡± Zeke sighed in frustration ¡°I was a slave happy? now enough jabbering hurry up and run before you¡¯re caught. Don¡¯t let all my hard work be in vain¡± Karry stared deep into Zeke¡¯s eyes as she spoke ¡°after you helped me escape capture I told you I owed you my life, do you remember what you said?¡± Zeke shook his head in amusement. ¡°you idiot! Don¡¯t lie!¡± Karry yelled with tears dripping from her eyes. ¡°you said we who have been abandoned by the world have to look after each other. You said we were all one family, a family of misfits.¡± She then kneeled in front of him and put him on her back. Karry began to run speaking the whole way. ¡°you¡¯re my family Zeke, you¡¯re the only one I have. I¡¯m, not going to abandon you. If you die I¡¯ll die with you and if you live I¡¯ll live with you.¡± She began sobbing like a child ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Zeke, I¡¯m so sorry I convinced you to come with me. Please don¡¯t die¡­please don¡¯t die.¡± Karry ran for so long that she began to forget where she was and what she was doing. She forgot all about the lawless and about the nether wolves. The only thought in her mind was ¡®must get back to the village¡¯ and ¡®I have to save Zeke¡¯. She even forgot about the storage sack containing the corpse of the storage sack that she hid. After running for so long she finally realized that there was no response coming from the body on her back. She set him down and checked his pulse. Zeke¡¯s breathing was very shallow nearly nonexistent. She gritted her teeth and put him on her back once again then continued running towards the exit of the endless forest in her memories closest to the village. After several hours, she came to a stop. She looked ahead of her and saw several people walking around. There were merchants and carriages all around. This was a small village with over a hundred people inhabiting it. ¡°we made it Zeke, we made it¡± she had been talking to Zeke the entire way but it had been hours since he last responded. Nevertheless, she refused to believe he was dead and kept telling herself that he was just unconscious. Joy welled up in her heart as she exited the endless forest. She ran towards the nearest person she could find screaming ¡°help! help!¡± the entire time. She had been running nonstop at full speed for several hours. When she finally came to a stop immense fatigue attacked her body. Her eyelids grew increasingly heavy and she was barely able to remain standing. She swayed back and forth like a willow in the breeze before finally collapsing on the ground. As her eyelids got heavier and heavier and she was losing consciousness the last thing she saw was Zeke¡¯s motionless body slumped next to hers and several people running towards them. ¡®we made it Zeke¡¯ she thought ¡®we finally mad it¡¯, then her vision blurred and she lost consciousness. The End. Authors note-thank you to you wonderful,beatiful,and amazing readers Hello, Hola, Bonjour. Hi everyone i just wanted to thank you all for taking the time out of your day to delve into this crazy story of mine. If even only one person reads this story then it feels me with so much joy and gratitude i cant even put into words. I would sincerly appreciate it if any readers would just leave a quick comment letting me know how you guys felt about the story and any steps i could have taken to make it better. Please be as brutally honest as you can, i''m not a child i promise you wont hurt my feelings hahaha. In all seriousness i will use your opinions to better my next story so it reads a lot smoother and is well balanced in all aspects. The goal of every author (well it should be anyways) is to create a world in which the readers get pulled into and find it hard to leave. With that being said your thoughts will go a long way in letting me know how to craft the next story. There are a few reasons why this story only consisted of four chapters. The most important being that i wanted to make the story as organic as possible.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. I''ve read literally hundreds of books in my life and have come to realize that a lot of novels out there whether they be westerns, lightnovels or xianxias or whatever tend to reach a point where you feel that the author just got bored with the story or had no idea where they wanted to take it. This tends to lead to a serious drop in the quality of the story and that is something I wanted to avoid at all cost. Now, while there was more i could have added to Pathfinder (and trust me i felt the unbridled urge to do so), in the end i felt this was a good place to stop. I understand the ending might have been a bit of a cliff hanger with the fates of Zeke and Karry open to interpretation but i honestly believe that this was a good place to end the story....for now at least. Anyways i decided to write this authors note to let you guys in on my thoughts and to tell you to look forward to my next story. I''m currently in the planning phases and i dont mean to toot my own horn but it''ll be Dyn-o-mite! haha. Ok in all seriousness i once again just want so say thank you to everyone who read pathfinder and i hope you eagerly await the next story. Love always King_Koba.