Oliver began running between the dense trees while the gray creatures chased him at high speed.
Some of them wore human skulls on their heads, and others wore clothes made from the leather of autumn giants.
He almost tripped over a low branch, but he pulled himself together quickly and regained his balance before hitting the ground.
He shouted while panting,
"What do we do now?"
Tell answered from his shoulder while her wings fluttered violently,
"Keep running."
"What do you mean keep running? Those things are faster than us."
"You're a hybrid. Do you know how to fight?"
"And you're a noble spirit. Do you know how to fight?"
She didn't answer. Her eyes darted quickly, watching the large number of gray creatures behind them.
When Oliver felt that the gray creatures were about to catch him, he swerved toward a massive tree with a wide trunk and began climbing it fast.
His hands nearly slipped, but he hauled himself up with all the strength he had.
The gray creatures tried jumping and grabbing the exposed roots, but they stopped when the largest among them pointed at the carved marks on the trunk.
They backed away, then ran off.
Oliver lay down on the trunk while sitting on one of its thick branches.
"Looks like they can't climb."
Tell shook her head slowly as she stared at the trunk, then pointed toward large claw marks etched into the bark.
"No. That's not the reason."
Oliver looked at where she pointed.
"What's that?"
"Marks left by forest beasts. A warning that this is their territory."
"Is that good or bad?"
"If there's a beast strong enough to scare that many grays, then yes, it's very bad. Definitely not the friendly kind. We need to get down now."
Oliver looked down and saw the creatures still waiting, but farther from the trunk.
"Not a good option. They'll tear us apart the moment we touch the ground. And the beast of this territory might be nearby. This is hopeless."
"What do we do, hybrid?" she said while hugging herself nervously.
"We wait. And hope the beast doesn't like human or spirit meat. Unless you have a better plan."
She didn't answer, just floated in the air irritably.
Oliver climbed higher until he reached the top of the tree. He panted hard as he tried to see farther, but all he saw was endless, dense forest.
He asked while lifting his head toward Tell,
"Can you fly and get help?"
"You want me to fly alone in this forest? Filled with beasts that eat spirits? Are you serious?"
"Didn't you say you're a noble spirit and none of this scares you?"
"I don't remember saying that. Ever."
Oliver lowered himself slightly into the branches to shield himself from the cold air, then looked around at the massive plants surrounding them.
"This part of the forest is different from the area near the village. The trees are bigger, it doesn't even look like autumn reached here. Why?"
"Are all hybrids this clueless? The village is within the protection of the Great Autumn Spirit. This area is completely outside her protection."
"Then why did you even fly here?"
"I wasn't paying attention. I was flying fast. And honestly, this is your fault. If you didn't chase me, we wouldn't have ended up here."
…
Night fell over the forest, covering it in darkness. The only light came from the moon filtering through the high branches.
Oliver sat leaning against the trunk, his eyes red from staying awake. He had been watching the grays since morning until nightfall.
Their behavior was constant. They never moved from their spots. Some left and others replaced them. But finally, after hours of watching, they were gone.
He looked at Tell, who was sleeping deeply inside his coat, curled up tightly.
He poked her with his finger.
"Tell... Tell."
She pushed his finger away while shifting, so he poked harder.
She opened her eyes.
"Why did you wake me up, hybrid?"
"The grays are gone. We can go down now."
She floated up slightly, rubbing her eyes.
"Are you sure? Those creatures are extremely stubborn, they never leave easily. Unless…"
She didn't finish because the tree suddenly shook violently. Something huge had passed right beneath them.
They couldn't see its shape in the darkness, but they could tell it was massive.
Both of them froze. Tell clung tightly to Oliver's coat, and Oliver pressed against the trunk.
The beast stopped at the base of the tree, then raised its claws and began scratching the bark hard. With every strike, the tree tilted more, and Oliver almost lost his balance several times, while Tell held onto his coat with all her strength.
The beast didn't stop shaking the tree. It knew prey was waiting above.
Then, from the depth of the darkness, a man stepped out. His steps were calm, as if he were walking in a garden rather than a monster filled forest.
He wore a black hat covering half his red hair, streaked with many white strands.
He wore a long black coat. One of his eyes was covered with an eyepatch, while the other stared directly at the beast. Even half his face was covered with a black cloth.
The moment he appeared, the beast turned toward him and tried to attack.
He pulled a small glowing golden vial from his leather bag.
The faint light exposed just enough of his features for Oliver to recognize him. It was the same strange man he saw at the tavern.
The man drew his gun. The beast leaped at him the same moment he pulled it, but the man threw the glowing vial straight at its face.
When the vial hit and shattered on its back, a massive flash of light exploded, illuminating half the forest as if daylight had returned.
Oliver shut his eyes from the blinding brightness, while Tell stared wide eyed, stunned by what she saw.
The man fired several shots rapidly and precisely at the beast, and it collapsed instantly.
He walked toward the corpse, took out another small vial, and filled it with the beast's blood. He did all this without the slightest hint of fear, as if he were collecting from a deer, not a massive monster.
When the light faded completely, Oliver could see the corpse clearly. He couldn't stop himself from shouting,
"What just happened here?!"
The man looked up, spotted them, then leaped toward them immediately.
He reached their high branch with a single jump, shocking Oliver even more than the monster itself. Tell hid completely inside his coat.
Oliver waved weakly.
"Hello."