Fwoosh!

Yelp!

Luckily, Elendril managed to hit one of the eyes!

The wolf monster reared back in pain, then began to whimper quietly. 

The wolves jumped back in caution.

Taking this opportunity, Elendril rushed off towards the west once more. 

At another tree, he carefully took aim.

Twang!

Thud!

Another wolf was hit in the eye!

Because of the foliage, along with the fact that the moonlight was already feeble tonight, the wolves had an extremely difficult time seeing Elendril!

They could, however, smell that he was very weak!

As he fled, he engaged in a hit and run battle with the wolf monsters!

Several times, they tried to jump up and scratch him, but they could not reach him in the canopy!

After several hours of constant movement, it began to grow light.

Both the hunters and the prey had grown extremely tired!

The wolves were now extremely wary of Elendril. 

A few hours in, the wolves had become so wary that he could no longer shoot them.

He eventually spent all but 3 arrows. 

Several of the wolves now had arrows in various positions over the body. 

However, Elendril was in no better shape.

He was now extremely exhausted. 

He did not dare stop to sleep, because each time he paused for too long, the wolves would begin to ram the tree. 

His throat was extremely dry. 

His cracked lips hurt to move. 

His eyes burned in pain.

His head pounded, as if a small hammer was being knocked inside every other second. 

He had long developed a stitch in the side of his body, but he did not dare stop to address it.

Additionally, when it had begun to grow light, one of the wolves had dug a massive claw wound into his hind leg. 

He had nearly fallen to the ground and been eaten!

Relying on his intact leg, he still managed to move between trees with great difficulty. 

However, the blood dripping from his leg had given the wolves the energy needed to keep chasing him!

Not only, but the wolves felt that he would be an extremely nourishing tonic for them!

Now, they bayed and howled constantly.

It was so annoying that it got on his nerves!

His leg was now extremely fatigued. 

He glared at the wolves that had yet to stop chasing him. 

He was only still awake because he had woken extremely late yesterday. 

Elendril could feel the sleep fogging his mind!

He knew the moment that he fell asleep was when it was over. 

He climbed the tree once more. 

Glancing towards the southwest, he noticed that there was a grand, gleaming white city!

"Yes!"

Thud!

He almost fell out of the tree.

He glared at the wolves again, who began to bang the tree.

He drew an arrow from his bow, and began to pull it back.

The wolves moved back slightly, still cautious of the giant stick that had dealt them so many wounds. 

With a body screaming for rest, he managed to jump onto another tree.

Just one more tree, his mind thought.

One more.

Suddenly, the wolves began to move away.

Elendril could vaguely hear panicked voices in the distance.

But it slowly faded away, as the darkness took over the light.

Right before the darkness swallowed the world, a small window sparked, then faded as well. 

-----(:)-----

"Dad, will Elendril really be alright?"

Ezekriel's worried voice said.

"He'll be fine. Unlike you and me, he's a woodsman at heart. Just like your mother."

Karson reassured Ezekriel.

They had just managed to reach Chronosum after shaking off their pursuers. 

It had been extremely challenging for Karson to escape the initial encirclement from the town guards. 

He had been forced to incapacitate many of the guards.

They were men he had known and taught in his 18 years at the village.

Many of them, they had been best friends. 

However, in order to save his son Ezekriel, he had no choice.

He had avoided wounding them fatally, but he could not guarantee their condition. 

His heart also ached in worry for Elendril. 

He had no choice but to put a strong front for Ezekriel. 

Sigh.

"I know. But I have this feeling that one day he's going to make a mess so big that we can't clean it up anymore."

"Instead of worrying over much about Elendril, Ezekriel, you should be thinking about the monthly exam to join the church. Have you mastered the skill, Chop, that I taught you?"

"Right! Church exam! I've already begun to grasp the skill. It's so similar to a regular chop that I forget about it while practicing."

"You must remember, it requires your will. That is what gives it power. If you reach a certain level, you can even unleash the skill with only your fingers, or even a leaf. But in the end, you must remember your will."

As Karson said this, he gazed worriedly towards the east.