Chapter 3: Abraham
Felix didn't understand the first two sentences, but with each word, he began to comprehend the unfamiliar creature's speech. The voice and timbre of this creature were human-like.
"Ra-a-ar!"
The beast, which was the unknown visitor that had suddenly decided to feast on Felix, roared in pain, and through the holes in the door, Felix saw blood. It seemed the unknown creature was in significant pain. With a loud roar, it suddenly broke free from its confinement and rushed toward its opponent, who was a human.
"Powers of ice, grant me great strength and give me the power to defeat my enemy. Ice Age!"
The human voice, presumably belonging to a man, shouted an incantation, followed by a blue flash. The air seemed to freeze, and the movements of the unknown creature became sluggish and constrained. Through the hole, Felix saw frost forming on its fur.
The man, too, seemed to notice this change, and after a moment of silence, he finally uttered another spell.
"Powers of fire, grant me great strength and give me the power to defeat my enemy. Fireball!"
After the chilling cold came a scorching heat, combining to create an intensified spectrum of pain sensations. A roar erupted from the monster's mouth, accompanied by a powerful explosion. The searing heat reached even Felix, forcing him to jump back from the door.
The sounds of battle continued, with each spell striking the creature's body and echoing through the forest. It wasn't until half an hour later that they ceased.
Felix, now at a distance from the door, leaned against the wall with a broken plank in hand. He watched the shattered door intently, where sparks of fire continued to burn on the wood and walls, causing him anxiety.
Footsteps echoed, and he tensed, squinting at the door. Soon, a man appeared in the doorway, a hatchet attached to his waist, his piercing eyes scanning the area.
"Hmm... darn, I thought this shack had been abandoned long ago. Hey, is anyone here?" he shouted, surveying the surroundings and narrowing his eyes until he finally spotted Felix in the darkness. "Oh, thank goodness you're okay!"
The unknown man ran towards him, and Felix tensed momentarily. However, it was needless as the stranger showed no aggression, instead inspecting Felix's body for wounds. Once he was assured Felix was unharmed, he let out a relieved sigh.
"Man, you lucked out big time. If I hadn't gone on patrol, you might have been agonizing in the belly of the Devil Bear by now!" the man informed Felix of the situation and laughed, patting him on the shoulder.
It took over ten minutes for the conversation to flow smoothly between Felix and the stranger, but eventually, Felix warmed up to him. The stranger's name was Abraham, a former adventurer turned woodsman. He had the appearance of a Caucasus man, with thick black eyebrows and short black hair, along with exceptionally bright blue eyes.
Abraham patrolled the forest daily with friends and neighbors to eliminate predators lurking near the village. However, tonight was an exception. Abraham had ventured into the forest to track the monster that had been roaming near the village, driven away by the overpowering scent of Irinas flowers.
"Irinas flowers have an extremely irritating scent for creatures with keen noses. Just a whiff of that flower's aroma and a predator will suffer from itchiness and allergies all over their body for a week or two," Abraham explained, pulling out his provisions and offering some to Felix. "Here, take it, buddy. You must be hungry, and due to the heightened predator activity, there's hardly any game left to hunt and eat around here. Though, if you know how to use magic, you could feast on predator meat. They say it enhances male strength, hahaha!"
"M-Male strength?" Felix chuckled in response, finally relaxing. Something inside him told him he could trust Abraham.
Taking the container from Abraham's hands, he opened the lid and found a satisfying meal – a steak of unknown meat that smelled somewhat like pork, along with fried potatoes and greens. There were three compartments: the largest held the steak and fried potatoes, the second contained fruits, and the third was filled with peas.
"My wife cooked this, hehe. She's such a great cook that sometimes I feel like she's a goddess descended from the heavens," Abraham said, laughing happily. His behavior showed his pride in his wife.
"Lucky you, sir," Felix replied, genuinely impressed, and looked at the container, hesitating. "But are you sure you want to give me your meal? She made it for you..."
He was interrupted by a light tap on the forehead. Turning to his right, Felix saw Abraham smiling at him. "Eat up. Don't be shy. She wouldn't leave me a dry spot if she found out I left a hungry young man here."
Though Felix felt a bit awkward, he thanked Abraham and began to eat, realizing how delicious the food was. His stomach rumbled happily, and he restrained himself from devouring it all at once. Even though the apples had temporarily satisfied his hunger, the stress and tension from the events half an hour ago had likely burnt a few extra calories. Thus, he savored every bite of the meal, not even sparing the vegetables he wasn't particularly fond of.
"There you go! Now at least one of my worries is resolved," Abraham said, seeing Felix's satisfied expression, and burst into laughter. He stood up, brushing off the dirt from his clothes. "It's deep into the night, and your home is in such a state. Frankly, I'd hate myself if I left you here."
"Um... no, it's alright. I can block the door with a cupboard and make it through the night. In the morning, I'll think of something..." Felix began to speak but was halted by a serious look from Abraham and his words.
"No, that won't do. Lately, there have been more monsters, and you're living in a dangerous place. I'm sure they'll accept a young guy like you in our village. Understand, boy, if I leave you here alone, I won't be able to live in peace," Abraham objected sharply, leaving no room for refusal.
While his behavior might have seemed insistent, Abraham himself believed that he couldn't continue living as a good and faithful person if he left a young and promising lad alone in the forest, where monsters dwelled. Even a former adventurer of Abraham's level couldn't handle them.
Felix was genuinely surprised by Abraham's kindness and determination to help a stranger. He didn't know what to say and found himself at a loss for words. If he were in this situation, he might have preferred not to get involved in someone else's problems.
***
The journey to the village was long, incredibly long. If you were to imagine the forest's size to be that of New York City, Felix's hut would be in Manhattan, while Abraham's village would be in Queens. The distance was long, and despite their fast pace, Felix grew extremely tired during the journey.
They had to overcome obstacles like cliffs and rocks and even climb trees. But after about an hour, they finally spotted fortified walls that stood fifty meters tall.
Loud shouts came from the watchtower as the gates swung open, and three warriors rushed out holding torches, approaching Felix and Abraham.
"Abraham, damn it! Where the hell did you go at this hour?" one of the three warriors suddenly yelled. He had chestnut hair and a scar on his cheek, and his brown eyes glared at Abraham with anger. "You idiot, you should've warned our guys! You know you can't go alone at this time!"
The other two men didn't say anything, but their expressions spoke for them. Seeing the concern on their faces, Abraham smiled and patted the yelling man's shoulder.
"Calm down, buddy, calm down! Victor, I came back in one piece, didn't I? Don't worry, this outing was productive, and I learned some things about the monsters. Besides..." He turned to Felix and put a hand on his shoulder, causing the three men to pay attention to him. "This is Felix. A modest, smart young man. I found him in the central part of the forest; the Devil Bear attacked his home. I couldn't just stand by and brought him to our village."
Victor, the scarred man, let out a loud sigh and waved his hand, signaling them to follow him. Turning around, he started walking ahead without looking back and said, "Next time, let us know. Viola and Lily were worried sick about you... and... so were we."
Hearing his words, Abraham froze for a few seconds, then smiled, whispering to Felix, "He might be grumpy, but he's a really good friend."
"Shut up, you idiot!"
"HAHAHAHA!" Laughter rang out, and the three men – Abraham, Eugene, and Ereichen – laughed loudly. Felix could only smile.
***
Despite Abraham's eagerness to get Felix to his home so the young lad could rest, Victor insisted on taking the boy to the village elder. He wanted Felix to go through all the procedures and discussions before officially staying in the village.
It took twenty minutes to wake up the village elder, who groggily entered the main hall of his house and saw the unfamiliar young man.
Felix's eyes focused on the man before him. Although he appeared to be an old man in his sixties, his piercing gaze could make even the most resolute warriors grimace.
"So, Abraham, who is this boy?"
To be continued...
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