Free Web NovelChapter 17: 17: Forest Road (2)
Lucard looked at the tracks, then at the trees. "They are ahead of us, not behind us."
Peter looked at him. "How can you tell?" frёewebnoѵēl.com
Lucard pointed at a broken twig near the track. "The break is fresh, but the sap has already started drying. They passed from here hours ago. If they were searching behind us, we would hear them by now. These are not hunters. They are moving fast."
Peter looked at the twig and then at Lucard. Once again, he seemed confused by how much Lucard knew. Jenny also stared at him without saying a word. The old Lucard would not have noticed such things. Even if he noticed, he would not have spoken with this kind of certainty.
Jake looked proud of him instead of being confused."My brother is very smart."
Lucard glanced at him with normal eyes. Then he said , "That is the first useful thing someone said today."
Jake smiled a little for the compliment.
Jenny sighed at both of them at the same time. Then she says, "Do not encourage his arrogance."
Lucard continued walking ahead, "It does not need encouragement. It survived the death."
They moved off the main path for a while. It was to avoid being seen by anyone. Peter’s wound made it difficult, but he did not complain. In the late afternoon, they heard voices from the road ahead and hid behind bushes. Four armed men passed by, leading two tired horses. They wore no noble symbol, but their clothes were too good for common bandits. One of them mentioned Vardros survivors. Another said the boy had to be alive because the buyer demanded it.
Jenny’s hand tightened around Jake’s small shoulder.
Peter’s face became red, it was full of anger.
Lucard only listened to them talking without saying anything.
He did not attack them immediately. Because they were too close to the road and they might have other people nearby. But after they passed, Lucard followed them silently. Jenny wanted to stop him, but Peter shook his head. The knight captain did not know what Lucard planned to do, but he had already learned one thing for sure. When Lucard walked into the dark with a dagger, someone usually became a dry corpse.
Lucard returned to them twenty minutes later.
There was no blood on his hands because he had cleaned them with wet leaves. His level did not increase, but his progress moved closer. The four men had not been strong, but their blood was useful. He also learned from one of the dying men that more hired groups were searching the forest roads for them. Their order was still the same as before. Kill the girl if needed, but take the little boy alive. Nobody mentioned Lucard because everyone believed he had died at the mansion.
That suited him very well. Dead men were ignored. And ignored men can kill them easily.
They moved forward until night came again. This time, they found a small hollow between three large rocks and rested there. They made a small fire, covering most of its light with stones. Peter checked the surroundings while Jenny helped Jake lie down. Lucard stood near the edge of the rocks and watched the forest.
During the night a beast came to attack them.
It was a gray furred creature with a long body. It had six legs, and a mouth full of thin teeth. It moved low to the ground and sniffed toward the camp. Peter noticed it only when it was already close. He grabbed his sword, but Lucard raised a hand to stop him.
The beast jumped to attack them.
Lucard moved first before anyone woke up.
He stepped to the side then stabbed the dagger under the beast’s jaw. The beast tried to get free by a paw attack. And its claws cut his sleeve. But the wound was not deep. Lucard placed his palm against its neck and used Blood Absorption. The beast’s body stiffened. Its blood was hotter than human blood and carried a wild taste. It rushed into Lucard’s body and made his muscles tremble.
The beast dried and fell to the ground.
[Blood Absorption Successful.
Level Increased.]
[Name: Lucard Vardros
Level: 10
Current Rank: First Blood Circle, Mortal Vessel frёeωebɳovel.com
Skill: Blood Absorption
Note: Your body has formed the first true blood vessel. You can absorb weak blood more smoothly, recover from minor wounds faster, and hold more blood power. Mana can now flow through your body very smoothly.]
Lucard stood still for a moment.
Then his body changed.
It was not a large transformation. There was no bright light, no thunder, and no useless divine music like some gods loved to create when they wanted attention. The change was inside. His blood became denser. His heart beat with more force. His veins strengthened. His skin grew slightly tougher. The small cut on his arm closed faster than any common sense. His senses sharpened again but this time the sharpness was more stable.
’First Blood Circle, Mortal Vessel.’
He had taken the first step back to power.
Lucard looked at the dried beast and smiled faintly.
"One step toward my revenge," he muttered.
Jenny had woken up from the noise. She saw the dead beast and Lucard standing beside it. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No."
Peter looked at the beast’s dried body with complicated eyes. "That was a beast called forest fang. They usually need three trained men to bring one of them down safely."
"It was hungry and stupid," Lucard said. "That makes most living things easy to kill."
Jake, who had also woken up, looked at the dried beast and then at Lucard. "Brother, can you teach me to do that?"
Jenny immediately pulled him back. "No."
Lucard looked at the boy. "You would die."
Jake’s face fell.
Lucard added, "Also, you screamed when a beetle climbed your shoe earlier."
Jake became red in shame. He defended himself by saying, "That beetle was very large."
"It was smaller than your thumb."
"It had confidence."
