Free Web NovelChapter 45: The Monster That Refused to Follow the Script
Nobody moved immediately.
That alone was unusual.
Most people imagined monster hunting as something dramatic.
A roar.
An attack.
A heroic charge.
Reality was often less convenient.
Reality involved standing very still while trying to determine whether the thing hiding in the forest wanted to eat you.
Another branch cracked.
This time closer.
The bear’s growl deepened.
Rowan slowly drew his sword.
Daren adjusted his grip on his spear.
Kael’s attention moved across the trees methodically.
Searching.
Measuring.
Calculating.
Seraphina did something else entirely.
She crouched.
Touched the ground.
Then stared at a footprint.
"Huh."
Nobody liked that "huh."
Kael especially disliked that "huh."
"What."
Seraphina pointed.
"The request board lied."
An excellent opening statement.
Nobody enjoyed it.
Daren stepped closer.
The footprint was large.
Very large.
And fresh.
Unfortunately—
There wasn’t only one set.
There were multiple.
Rowan immediately noticed it.
"Pack creatures."
Seraphina nodded.
"Which means either the village is terrible at counting..."
Her finger moved to another track.
"...or somebody accepted the request, saw this, panicked, and quietly left without updating anything."
A very realistic possibility.
The group exchanged glances.
Nobody looked pleased.
The reward suddenly made much more sense.
High rewards often translated to:
Something has gone horribly wrong.
Please fix it.
Kael examined the tracks again.
"Can we handle multiple?"
Rowan answered first.
"Depends."
Daren answered second.
"That’s not reassuring."
"A realistic answer rarely is."
Fair.
The bear suddenly huffed.
Then started walking.
Straight into the forest.
Everyone stared.
The bear continued walking.
Confidently.
Like it owned the place.
Seraphina pointed.
"I vote we follow the giant murder carpet."
"That’s not its name."
"It should be."
Nobody asked the bear’s opinion.
The bear seemed pleased anyway.
The forest swallowed them gradually.
Sunlight weakened beneath the thick canopy.
Shadows stretched longer.
The air felt cooler.
Older.
Every sound carried farther.
Several minutes passed.
Nothing attacked.
Nothing appeared.
The silence became increasingly uncomfortable.
Then—
A scream echoed through the trees.
Human.
Close.
Everyone froze.
The second scream arrived immediately afterward.
Definitely human.
Definitely panicked.
And definitely nearby.
Kael reacted first.
"Move."
The group sprinted.
Branches whipped past.
Roots threatened ankles.
The forest blurred.
Another scream.
Closer now.
Then—
The trees opened.
A clearing appeared.
And the situation made absolutely no sense.
A young man stood atop a large boulder.
Clinging to a tree branch.
Screaming.
Below him—
Three wolf-like monsters circled lazily.
Not attacking.
Not rushing.
Just watching.
Almost bored.
The young man pointed wildly.
"HELP!"
A reasonable request.
Then he noticed the group.
His face immediately brightened.
"You came!"
A less reasonable statement.
Because nobody knew who he was.
One of the wolves turned.
Then another.
Then the third.
Their yellow eyes locked onto the newcomers.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Predators.
Now interested.
Now alert.
Now dangerous.
Daren lowered his spear.
Rowan stepped forward.
Kael shifted slightly left.
Covering Seraphina automatically.
A habit he didn’t even notice anymore.
The wolves spread apart.
Testing.
Looking for openings.
Looking for weakness.
Then—
Seraphina started singing.
Nobody was prepared.
Not the wolves.
Not the young man.
Not even her own party.
"Oh look at me, I’m a scary beast—"
The wolves stopped.
Actually stopped.
Seraphina pointed dramatically.
"I growl all day and skip leg day—"
Daren nearly dropped his spear.
The young man on the rock looked horrified.
Kael covered his face.
The song continued.
"I menace travelers for pocket change—"
One wolf barked.
Offended.
"Yet somehow my life remains unchanged—"
The wolf barked again.
Louder.
Seraphina gasped.
"It knows the lyrics."
The wolf charged.
Immediately.
Apparently it had standards.
The clearing exploded into motion.
Rowan intercepted first.
Steel flashed.
The wolf twisted sideways.
Fast.
Much faster than normal wolves.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Kael moved next.
Cutting off another angle.
Daren drove his spear forward.
Forcing the second creature backward.
Meanwhile—
The third wolf ignored everyone.
And lunged directly at Seraphina.
A terrible decision.
An absolutely terrible decision.
Because the bear appeared.
Violently.
One moment it wasn’t there.
The next moment several hundred kilograms of angry bear had entered the conversation.
The collision launched the wolf sideways.
The creature hit a tree.
The tree lost.
Wood cracked loudly.
The wolf immediately reconsidered several life choices.
The young man on the boulder stared.
Then pointed dramatically.
"THAT BEAR JUST SAVED YOU!"
Seraphina nodded.
"He’s very talented."
The bear looked proud.
A dangerous amount of pride.
The battle continued.
But now something felt wrong.
Not the monsters.
The monsters made sense.
The behavior didn’t.
Kael noticed it first.
They weren’t hunting.
They weren’t defending territory.
They weren’t even trying to win.
They kept looking behind them.
Past the clearing.
Toward something deeper in the forest.
As if they were afraid.
A realization struck him.
And he hated it immediately.
Because predators weren’t supposed to be scared.
One wolf suddenly broke away.
Then another.
Then the third.
The pack turned.
And ran.
Not defeated.
Not injured enough to flee.
Terrified.
The entire clearing fell silent.
Nobody moved.
Nobody chased.
Because all three monsters had just sprinted away from something.
And whatever could frighten them—
Was probably much worse.
The clearing remained silent.
For approximately three seconds.
Then Seraphina climbed onto the bear.
Nobody was surprised anymore.
The bear lowered itself automatically.
Like this happened regularly.
Which somehow made it worse.
Several seconds later, Seraphina sat comfortably on top of several hundred kilograms of living fur.
A queen returning to her throne.
The young man on the boulder stared.
"You can do that?"
"Obviously."
The bear looked pleased.
The young man looked offended.
"I’ve been stuck on this rock for two hours."
"Skill issue."
Kael closed his eyes briefly.
The forest ahead remained quiet.
Too quiet.
The feeling from earlier hadn’t disappeared.
It had grown.
Something watched.
Not in the creepy estate way.
Not in the mysterious conspiracy way.
More primal.
More immediate.
The kind of feeling prey experienced.
Unfortunately, nobody here was prey.
Which meant something very large was nearby.
The young man finally climbed down from the rock.
Once his feet touched the ground, he immediately pointed at the forest.
"We should leave."
A reasonable suggestion.
Unfortunately—
Nobody moved.
Because the bear had suddenly become rigid.
Its ears flattened.
Its body tensed.
The playful personality vanished instantly.
That got Kael’s attention.
Fast.
The bear wasn’t scared.
The bear was preparing.
Big difference.
Rowan noticed it too.
His sword lowered slightly.
Not because he relaxed.
Because he adjusted.
Preparing for something unknown.
Daren swallowed.
"I suddenly have a bad feeling."
Seraphina looked down at him from bear-height.
"Only now?"
A branch snapped.
Deep in the forest.
Then another.
Then another.
Not random.
Rhythmic.
Heavy.
Something was walking toward them.
The ground vibrated faintly.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The young man immediately turned pale.
"I knew it." freēwebnovel.com
Nobody asked.
He answered anyway.
"I knew we should’ve left."
Still nobody asked.
The vibrations grew stronger.
Closer.
Closer.
Then—
A massive shape emerged between the trees.
And the entire clearing froze.
Not because it was ugly.
Not because it was terrifying.
Because it was enormous.
A boar.
At least that’s what it resembled.
If normal boars were fed mountains for breakfast.
Its shoulders stood taller than a horse.
Dark armor-like plates covered parts of its body.
Its tusks looked capable of demolishing wagons.
Fresh claw marks scarred its sides.
Evidence of countless fights.
The creature stepped into the clearing.
Slowly.
Confidently.
Like it knew nothing here could challenge it.
Then it looked at them.
The young man immediately hid behind Rowan.
A strategic decision.
Rowan looked offended.
The boar snorted.
The sound alone shook leaves from nearby branches.
Daren tightened his grip.
"That’s not in the request."
"No."
Kael agreed.
"It isn’t."
The creature pawed the ground.
Preparing.
Testing.
Evaluating.
And right beside them—
Seraphina began singing again.
Kael didn’t even react.
He was used to this now.
"Oh mighty pig, so large and round—"
The boar blinked.
"You shake the trees, you shake the ground—"
Daren immediately started laughing.
The timing was absurd.
The situation was absurd.
Everything was absurd.
The song continued.
"But sadly for your grand debut—"
Seraphina pointed toward Kael.
"That poor guy is stronger than you."
The boar charged.
Instantly.
Apparently it also had standards.
The clearing exploded.
Dirt flew.
Trees shook.
The monster accelerated with horrifying speed.
A living avalanche.
The young man screamed.
Daren moved.
Rowan moved.
The bear roared.
And Seraphina?
She remained sitting comfortably on top of the bear.
Like an audience member at a theater.
Because she already knew what would happen.
Kael stepped forward.
One step.
Only one.
And for the first time since entering the forest—
He smiled.
Not a happy smile.
Not a playful smile.
The smile of someone who had just found a problem he could solve.
Very violently.
"Finally."
The boar crashed toward him.
And Kael disappeared.
Not backwards.
Forward.
The collision that followed sounded like thunder.
The collision sounded like a building collapsing.
Dust exploded outward.
The ground cracked beneath Kael’s feet.
The young man immediately covered his head.
Daren took three steps backward.
Several birds fled from nearby trees.
And in the middle of all that chaos—
Seraphina sat comfortably on the bear.
Watching.
Like she had purchased front-row tickets.
The dust slowly settled.
Then everyone saw the result.
The giant boar had stopped.
Completely.
Not because it wanted to.
Because Kael had caught one of its tusks.
With one hand.
Silence.
The young man blinked.
Then blinked again.
Then pointed.
"WHAT."
A reasonable reaction.
The boar looked equally offended.
Kael looked mildly annoyed.
The giant monster pushed forward.
Muscles bulged.
Dirt scattered.
The ground split beneath its hooves.
Nothing happened.
Kael didn’t move.
Not an inch.
Not a single inch.
Seraphina immediately started singing.
"Oh no, oh no, what a shame—"
Kael sighed.
She continued anyway.
"The giant pig forgot his lane—"
The boar snorted violently.
Daren almost fell over laughing.
Rowan looked away.
Not because it wasn’t funny.
Because he refused to encourage this behavior.
The boar suddenly twisted.
Trying to throw Kael aside.
Kael responded by spinning.
The monster left the ground.
For one glorious moment—
Several thousand kilograms of angry boar became airborne.
The young man screamed.
Not from danger.
From confusion.
The boar crashed through three bushes.
Two small trees.
One very unlucky rock.
And finally stopped.
Nobody spoke.
The silence lasted several seconds.
Then Seraphina slowly clapped.
"Chat."
Nobody knew what that meant.
"That was kinda fire."
Kael stared.
Daren stared.
Rowan stared.
The young man looked deeply concerned.
The boar stood again.
Which honestly impressed everyone.
Including Kael.
Most creatures would’ve stayed down.
This one clearly had an ego problem.
Unfortunately—
So did Seraphina.
The monster lowered its head.
Preparing another charge.
Seraphina immediately pointed.
"Bro got folded."
The boar charged again.
"Bro did NOT learn his lesson."
Faster this time.
Angrier.
More desperate.
The monster smashed through a tree.
The tree ceased existing.
Then another.
And another.
The clearing transformed into chaos.
Kael moved.
Rowan moved.
Daren repositioned.
The bear growled.
The boar reached Kael.
And once again—
The result disappointed the boar greatly.
A sharp strike landed against its shoulder.
The monster staggered sideways.
Another hit followed.
Then another.
Then another.
Not flashy.
Not dramatic.
Efficient.
Every movement precise.
Every attack calculated.
Every step controlled.
The young man watched with growing disbelief.
Because Kael wasn’t struggling.
At all.
The fight looked less like survival.
And more like a teacher grading a disappointing student.
Meanwhile—
Seraphina had somehow found snacks.
Nobody knew where.
Nobody asked.
Some mysteries weren’t worth solving.
The bear looked upward hopefully.
She handed it half.
The bear accepted.
A partnership forged through snacks.
A noble tradition.
The giant boar finally realized reality hated it.
Badly.
Very badly.
It attempted retreat.
Kael immediately stepped aside.
Allowing it to leave.
The creature froze.
Confused.
It clearly expected pursuit.
Instead—
Kael lowered his weapon.
The boar looked left.
Looked right.
Then immediately fled.
No dignity.
No pride.
No final roar.
Just pure survival instincts.
Branches snapped in the distance.
Then silence returned.
The battle was over.
The young man sat down.
Hard.
"I think my soul just witnessed something illegal."
"Same."
Daren agreed.
Rowan quietly sheathed his sword.
Kael rolled his shoulders.
The bear yawned.
And Seraphina stretched lazily.
As if she’d just completed a difficult task.
"You literally did nothing."
Kael pointed out.
She looked offended.
"I provided emotional support."
"You insulted the monster."
"Exactly."
"That is not support."
"It supported me."
Daren laughed again.
The atmosphere finally relaxed.
The tension from the village.
The estate.
The survivor.
Everything eased slightly.
For a little while.
Then the young man suddenly spoke.
"Oh."
Nobody liked that "oh."
Not after recent events.
Seraphina narrowed her eyes.
"What."
The young man pointed deeper into the forest.
"The boar wasn’t the thing I was running from."
Silence.
Everyone stared.
The young man swallowed.
Then pointed again.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Toward a distant cliff partially hidden by trees.
A cliff none of them had noticed before.
Because they had been focused on the monster.
At the top of that cliff—
Something glittered.
Gold.
Not naturally.
Not sunlight.
Gold.
Metal.
A structure.
Half-hidden beneath vines.
Ancient.
Large.
And definitely man-made.
The young man scratched his head.
"I forgot to mention that."
Daren stared.
"You forgot."
"Yeah."
"You forgot."
"Yeah."
"You were running for your life and forgot an entire building."
"Listen."
The young man pointed dramatically.
"I’ve had a stressful day."
Nobody could argue with that.
Unfortunately—
Seraphina had already stood up on top of the bear.
A terrible sign.
A truly terrible sign.
Because for the first time since leaving the village—
Her eyes sparkled.
Not from mystery.
Not from danger.
Not from adventure.
From opportunity.
The same look she got when discussing fashion.
The same look she got when discussing money.
The same look she got before creating problems.
Kael immediately recognized it.
And immediately hated it. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Because whatever sat on that cliff—
Seraphina had already decided it was worth investigating.
And that was usually where normal days went to die.
