The Red Lands 2

by ForestRage

  It was because of her superior tracking skills that they never had to worry about hidden dangers like those in the village. The escapades of Lucy and Dyna had forced Clod to construct an independent large smokehouse near the barn.

  This structure was filled with birds, hares, and even a small spotted deer. A separated section contained inedible meats like the Jaga, foxes, and wildcats. These were not sold to be shipped to an alchemist. They were traded and mostly given to Dyna.

  One can only imagine the additional boost when instead of using ground wildcat bones, the more powerful Jaga bones was substituted. Like a little mad scientist, she experimented with using better ingredients.

  Chu knew those herbal baths and pills were well suited to creating a pack of monsters.

  Dyna and her wolf cubs stalked around the farm like a group of thugs. One minute they were bullying someone, the other they were fawning over another and yet later they were like beggars acting pitiful for some scraps.

  The only person they seemed to be wary of was Ming. They steered clear of him and passed him by like a neighbor who greeted with a nod. Maybe the pack remained traumatized from the shame dished out by the boy when they were cubs.

  Both the boss lady and her subordinates turned beet red for days and moved like shy maidens after the unforgettable ordeal. Even though they had grown into natural predators, animal instinct had them wary of the boy.

  Chu agreed with Mr. Thomas suggestion to make another venture into the forest after being fully healed.

  The hunting group consisted of Ming who was the vanguard, Chu who had the role of a support attacker and coordinator. Lucy acted as their long-range support and offered help by finding an opportunity to conduct an ambush.

  During the last hunt with the Jaga, she was responsible for protecting Chu and Ming from receiving life-threatening wounds. Through her quick thinking and unmatched speed, they only suffered some lacerations from the Jaga's claws.

  In that confrontation, if it was not for her and Mr. Thomas intervention then both boys would have long sustained fatal injuries. Mr. Thomas did not participate in their fights but acted more like a spectator. Only when necessary did he interfere in this training.

  On entering the forest Lucy led from the front. She moved a few feet from the party and began to use her tracking abilities. The rest followed at a distance where they could still spot her winding around the trees.

  Chu followed the training given by Mr. Thomas and cut arrow marks on the trees to create a path. These marks would be ineligible after a time on the living surface. According to Mr. Thomas, since they had a fixed base they should always remember not to lead unwanted danger to their home.

  They traveled for a few miles into the forest a journey only a few adventurers would attempt. Lucy soon came to a stop and beckoned them over with her hands.

  The group then congregated together at the base of a large tree.

  "Further in, is a wolf pack. The smell looks like they were here during the night and circled to the east. To the north is a Jaga that is not moving, maybe it's on a tree resting. South of us is a new smell, my instincts say it's not a full predator but something like a deer?"

  Chu could only sigh and be so jealous of Lucy's abilities. She had a plethora of skills found after special training. This came as a shock to Mr. Thomas because a normal Sersen only possessed one ability. The main purpose of the sorties into the forest revolved around testing her limits.

  Once she described her scent ability to Chu. At first, when it activated using those generic procedures written by the Tower Mages, it manifested as a simple increase in smell. Later she was good enough to be able to distinguish different scents.

  Now her description was different. On activation, different smells appeared like translucent, colored ribbons she could 'see' with her eyes. In the open forest, they spread out literally showing the paths to nearby inhabitants.

  "Let's try the scent in the south. See if you can find a trail. Maybe we can discover tracks to identify it. Ming keep your eyes out for any unexpected surprises. Let’s go."

  Chu whispered his instructions before they resumed the trek to the south. Soon Lucy found a few tracks. Unlike most hunters and trappers who had to criss-cross the forest to find animal trails, the party possessed a cheat-like feature.

  Chu was the first to speak.

  "I think it looks like some deer, but the deep prints indicate it’s heavy."

  "Oh I know, I know. I saw a hoof like this one. It's a wild boar. A hunter once brought one to the Trading Post."

  Ming answered softly not masking his excitement.

  Chu waited for a time before responding.

  "How big was it?"

  "Hmmm...not that big, slightly smaller than a wolf. It was as round as a barrel."

  The answer relieved him. Since he transferred over to this world, he stopped trying to compare the wildlife. All his encounters meant facing predators that acted more violent, much larger, and ridiculously stronger than on earth.

  Something informed him, however, that the tracks also indicated a problem but he could not put his finger on it at the time.

  "Okay, let's go then. It should not be a problem."

  Half an hour of walking later, Lucy stopped them.

  "It's not too far, just over this small hill."

  They crouched and crawled slowly and as silent as possible up to the hill around the trees. Behind a tree stump, they saw the creature feeding on the ground about eighty feet away in a small clearing.

  The first thought running across Chu’s mind pictured him strangling the teen crouching beside him.

  'How the hell was this smaller than a deer? Big, only like a barrel. Barrel my ass!'

  Chapter 12

  Knowledge from both worlds(2)

  In the clearing was a bona fide wild boar. However contrary to Ming's previous description the one in front exceeded all of Chu's expectations.

  'A Red Boar variant.'

  The living mass of muscle matched the size of a car with the front shoulders higher than Mr. Thomas's head. Its tusks swayed low, ripping the ground like a knife through butter.

  Very, very soft butter.

  The threatening, modified teeth extended with a girth and length shaming a grown man’s thighs.

  Anyone with a sane mind could understand why this creature had no qualms making a ruckus tilling the soil for roots. This boar had the authority to generate a racket, brazenly in the forest.

  ‘Crap!'

  It all came back to him. The reason why those tracks appeared bothersome. In a dry summer, only a heavy tank like the one before him could leave such a footprint behind.

  "Ah Hah!"

  Came the loud sound of a person who seemed to have created the first fire.

  "I remember now Chu, the guy said it was a female boar. Ah, I see, I see. This one here must be a male. No wonder he is so huge."

  It was then Ming realized he was the center of attention.

  Both to Chu and Lucy who were watching him with anger in their eyes while speedily climbing the trees at the side. Mr. Thomas pulled himself on a high branch with one hand aided by the rush of adrenaline while pitying himself for having this protégé.

  Hearing a loud snort Ming turned back to his most important spectator of them all.

  The huge wild boar squinting and facing in his direction while pawing its front legs.

  "Chu?"

  "Damn you, stupid idiot, run and climb a tree!"

  Ming naturally ran towards Chu.

  "Nooo! Get your own tree! I’ll kill you if you kill me!"

  Mr. Thomas gave the kid credit. Those couple of months of training really loosened him up and turned him supple. Ming could not run faster than the wild boar but he wove among the trees like a fish in the water.

  In open grasslands, he would have already decorated one of the massive tusks, but in the forest, he made use of the natural obstructions.

  They looked on as Ming hugged around the tre
es running and screaming while the boar chased behind him. Like a tank, it moved around slowly ambling behind. However, the trotting gait by the short but powerful legs deceived the onlooker.

  Chu finally observed how brutal those attacks were. The beast stopped and seem to charge its muscles. It then unleashed a bellow and rushed at a tremendous pace with its head down and tusk horizontal.

  Twice it struck some trees over a foot in diameter and snapped the trunks like dried twigs. It paused, maybe to regain its bearings and resumed chasing after the constant wails of the opponent.

  Ming possessed enough sense to run around in tight circles. He never ventured too far from the others. Lucy and Mr. Thomas used this opportunity to fire off some bolts at the creature.

  It soon became apparent that those attacks only served to aggravate the creature rather than do effective damage. Instead of getting tired and strolling away, the boar seemed hell-bent on inflicting damage on the noisy creature.

  Ming finally climbed a large tree after the boar momentarily stunned itself by crashing into another tree. The beast circled around the trunk, knocking it every now and again with its tusk.

  While Ming hastened to escape with his life, Chu had a literal bird's eye view of the scene. If not for the hopeless and terrifying scene, he might have laughed. He called to the girl sitting on the tree close by.

  "Lucy, if I distract that boar and get it to slam into this tree, can you use your ability to shoot a crossbolt into its ear?"

  Lucy raised her eyebrows in surprise since she figured Chu definitely would ask her to aim for the eyes. Instead, he pointed to his earlobe.

  "Yes I can, but it has to stop for a moment."

  Chu did not hesitate and jumped down. His legs wobbled a little until the fear-induced adrenaline pumped into effect. He trusted Lucy and trusted himself after the escapades in the forest.

  With a holler, he attracted the beast from butting at the trunk of the tree Ming climbed. Fixing himself while shaking off the jitters, he once more stared death in the face. For half a year, he had been risking his life in the dangerous forest.

  With another pest joining the game the boar sauntered towards him. When it covered half the distance it suddenly bellowed and stampeded forward while doubling in speed.

  If this had been the first time, a stout-hearted man would have remained rooted to the spot. Witnessing Ming escape by running and boosted by a fearless mind, Chu stared into the closed eyes of the galloping beast before lunging to the side.

  Chu dodged before the anticipated paralysis roar. His eyes remained locked on the stumpy front legs and white tusks. As expected, after the roar the tusk went up. At that time, he had already avoided the careening hulk of solid flesh and bones.

  He zigged to another tree without looking back.

  As expected the boar had a one track mind. In that frenzied mode, the roar was supposed to paralyze its foe. The attack was a non-stop frontal bash that took place with its eyes half closed and bracing for impact.

  If it was facing an encirclement or many slower foes it might have taken its time to lumber around and attack. This frontal bash was suitable for subduing quicker opponents.

  As a tank, it could walk away from a fight without any problems. Only those apex predators would be able to cause some concern, but even they would be wary of its attacks.

  The huge head smashed into the rough trunk, sending wooden splinters flying out from the raised dust. The impact rustled the tall tree while the creature wobbled to shake off the effects. During this brief moment, a small figure materialized in the air within touching distance from the dangerous tusks.

  The hulking beast received no opportunity to register the threat of this lithe, blur since a flick and a strumming sound followed instantaneously. The brain of the wild animal never found the time to register the whiz of the iron bolt before it left the raised crossbow held by the unbelievable, deadly small, steady hands.

  The sharp iron punctured into the earlobe of the massive boar while rampaging and churning into its brain. A resounding bellow shattered the stillness of the forest, silencing the chirping insects and warbling birds in the aftermath.

  The boar slammed the side of its wide head into the tree in a natural reflexive way to ease the fatal itch. The action only hasted the hands of death as the beast roared and whimpered into silence.

  A few minutes later, the victors clambered down the trees while making a cautious approach to the twitching beast sprawled on its side. Half expecting the boar to snort and resume the rampaging bout, the final snort and shake nearly dropped their hearts.

  Mr. Thomas looked at Chu strangely as Ming did his trademark living or dead test.

  "Why the ears and not the eyes?"

  "The eyes are weak, but for the boar, its weakness is its ears and space between its shoulders and ribs."

  Mr. Thomas was sure the children would wait for the beast to tire and leave them eventually. He never expected the boy to display such a level of daring and grit. Leaving the plan of landing a fatal strike aside, the level of trust and skill between them, gained his respect.

  The scars on the short red-haired hide of the beast flaunted its toughness. To penetrate the resilient skin, and then continue along with the thick layers of fat and muscle, it required a crossbow fired at close range. The bolts dangling and ready to fall from the broad back with a slight brush of his hand proved the ineffectiveness of shooting from the trees.

  Mr. Thomas was not a newbie to hunting boars, but a deadly shot was either under the shoulders or a sword in the eyes.

  These animals could only be caught in pit traps and killed by wearing them down with long spears or arrows. A wild red boar possessed a toughness second only to the demon boars of the north. Only a Snowbear might openly challenge such a creature in the forest.

  The loss of adrenaline caused Chu to sit and calm his wobbly legs. Controlling his rapid breathing and loud thumping in his chest, the previous reckless actions surprised him. On earth, he would assume the role of a spectator watching a brave man risk death to save a child from an oncoming truck.

  It required a change of worlds to show that he possessed a mind and body able for more than working in an office for promotion and money.

  This marked the beginning of a new experience, a new lease on life. If he planned to travel and explore this world, obviously he had to become stronger. The reason he submitted himself to the harsh training and hunting lay in achieving this goal.

  Shaking away the aftereffects, Chu had a feeling as if he broke free from the shackles of a rookie hunter in the forest. Facing vicious opponents, dodging fatal strikes, and holding no hesitation in delivering a critical blow with no regard for the blood and gore.

  Even though he relied on Lucy and her abilities to kill the beast, he did face a creature head-on without being scared. His fear of the animal kingdom slowly dissipated. The previous fear of snapping and snarling dogs on the street turned into a threat no more than a flock of hungry chickens.

  Chu understood the importance of the internet he ignored in the past life. The only reason he confronted the wild boar came from a post he had read and viewed while browsing. The document and video dealt with how farmers hunted the wild boars destroying their fields.

  The hunters in the documentary showed charts displaying the fatal points on the animals. It popped into his mind while Ming dodged the beast on the ground. Provided a little time, he placed this knowledge to use. Thinking logically instead of panicking.

  Chu felt pleased with this steady development.

  He was interrupted during this brief moment of self-satisfaction.

  "Hey guys, Amm...how are we going to carry this thing?"

  Ming looked at Chu.

  Chu looked at Mr. Thomas.

  Then they all turned to stare at Lucy.

  Chapter 13

  Attack on the Corn

  Deep in the unforgiving forest, a stocky teen and a pint-sized girl stood locked in a heated argument. />
  In normal circumstances, the boy held an overwhelming advantage over the little girl but nothing seemed further from the truth. The girl possessed a mean, prideful streak marinated into her bones from the constant interactions of the cronies surrounding her.

  It didn’t diminish her pride that her subordinates neared the build of a calf. Unanimously supported with such a peculiar backing she confronted the boy in a haughty manner.