Chapter 9: Tier 1 Gate (3)
Lanz woke stiff, his back sore from the rock he’d been leaning against. His mouth felt dry, tongue stuck to the roof, and the muscles in his arms ached from yesterday’s fights. He rubbed at his eyes, stretched out his legs, and adjusted the strap of the satchel that had tried to strangle him in his sleep.
The forest didn’t look much different. Maybe a little brighter, maybe not. He kept moving, aiming for the stream. Water first, then more hunting. His EXP was sitting at thirty-nine. ’I just need a couple more.’
At the distance, he saw a pack of those boars he fought last night. "Yup! That area is theirs," he muttered with a look of concern.
As he stepped over a root and neared the bank, he slowed.
Two fangwolves were already there.
One crouched at the edge of the stream, head down as it drank. The other stood close by, not drinking, just watching. It hadn’t seen him yet, or if it had, it didn’t react.
He dropped into a crouch and moved slowly around the undergrowth until he found another spot along the stream a few meters down. He filled his flask without taking his eyes off them, then took a quick sip. The water was cool and tasted slightly metallic, but it settled the dryness in his throat.
For a second, he thought he’d get away with it.
Then one of the wolves let out a low growl.
By the time he stood up and turned, they were already on the move. One shifted left while the other crept right, both keeping distance but closing in.
"While drinking is crazy, you know," he said to the Fangwolves. But there were no response, well duh.
The one on the right darted forward, then back again, its eyes fixed on his legs. The left one crouched, then sprang forward. Lanz tried to step back, but not fast enough — teeth scraped along his shin, just deep enough to draw blood and knock him slightly off balance.