NPC Code: Red Riding Hood

"We will be back to bring you the boars," I announced, and went towards the extensive part of the forest. The merchant girl we met waved her hands and saw us off to the mushy road, hoping for our bountiful return. "Please come back safely to our village! We will be waiting for you two!"

Although I wanted to leave Match in a safe place like this, I did not trust the trader and her village. That merchant might look innocent on the outside, but she might become a threat to us once we get to know her. I had seen countless people get stabbed in the back, and I was one of those few individuals. I killed the Mainland\'s King and La Finta with the same blade gripped in my hands.

And besides, this merchant differed from the dragonewt tradesperson I knew. The reptile man whom I met from before saved me from despair and gifted me with coins. He was the one who guided me here and for the rest of our journey. If it were not for him, Match and I would still succumb on the ground, unsure of what to do.

Match could conjure flames out from her hands, but it was not enough for her to use it in battle. She might still injure herself afterwards, since Match had yet to control the extent of her magical abilities. Even though Match showed her improvements from our previous mock battle, she was still a little girl that could burn her hands.

I also thought that there was something wrong with this town. The village clouded itself with secrets like an enigma, refusing to give us the answers. The merchant told us that there were still people living in this place, but nobody else greeted us but the girl. She also mentioned that the war affected them, with players and NPCs battling to their deaths with each other along the way. Hence, their insufficient resources for the town.

So after getting those boars and offer them to the village, I might sniff some information about this townlet before going to our destination.

And that was what Match and I did.

We went inside the woodland once again, preying for boars and rabbits that we could find. The two of us did not want to settle with only five boars. We wanted more than those numbers, considering we would need to pack some meals along the road.

No birds chirped in the distance. Not even the bats flocked above our heads that could welcome our presence. All we discerned was a trail of trees stretching ahead, almost devouring our eyes. The road went forever, but we still needed to pursue those mammals before midnight.

During our trip, Match and I spotted footprints on the ground. Those marks belonged to the boars and a herd of them heading around the village. I did not know what these animals were aiming for, but I knew those boars were here all along.

"I hope fighting against those boars won\'t happen like last time," Match expressed, as she clasped both of her hands.

The happenings from before went poorly. The boars almost killed us with their tusk and bodies ramming in our direction. But Match was still learning to use her abilities. So maybe now we would stand a chance against these feral monsters.

We just needed to find the boar\'s whereabouts and bring them to the town.

As we trek further in the forest, piercing sounds of growls and gurgles greet our ears. I pulled Match near the bushes and advised her to hide our bodies. With a sudden gulp, the two of us concealed ourselves using the plant life surrounding us.

"We need to wait for an opportunity to surprise and kill them," I told Match.

The little girl heard my instructions and gave me a nod. Match conjured an orange ember twirling in her hands. She planned on burning them down using her flames, but I had to put a stop to her shenanigans.

"If we used your fire, we might burn the surrounding trees with it," I explained.

Match heeded my warnings and exhausted the fire crisping her hands. She gazed on the ground and became silent after hearing my statement. But after a while, Match understood what I meant, and reverted to her usual self.

"I see. Sorry if I tried using my flames to fry them."

"It\'s okay, Match. We will use your flames next time," I said. A victorious roar echoed from Match\'s lips came afterwards.

There were seven boars in front of us, sleeping in the make-shift bed made of grass. They snuggled together and slumbered to their liking since the day had already ended.

Now that we found the animals, the only thing we needed to do was kill them by surprise. If one of them wakes up, all of them could attack us, leaving us to face seven of them with only the two of us.

"How are we going to, you know, kill them?" Match hesitantly asked. She was new to this killing stuff, especially when she refused to murder one from before.

But when push comes to shove, I would bet that Match would not hesitate to fan the flames of her powers and burn everything she sees. Match could do that alone. She was more powerful than me, even with my penitent\'s dagger.

"Those animals can\'t see clearly with this pitch-black environment," I said, and directed my finger over to the other side. "I need you to go to that branch and create some distraction. Something like a disturbing noise would do the trick."

"Do you want me to climb a tree and shake the boughs?" Match asked.

I nodded my head and continued. "Yes. Since your body is in shape, climbing up things is a piece of cake for you, am I right? I want you to hide your presence and never let yourself get caught by those boars. Do you understand, Match? If you were to get caught, I might not save you from this distance."

Match heaved out a sigh and retorted, "Then why couldn\'t I be here with you?! That would be less tiresome for the two of us, right?"

I shook my head and replied, "It could work, but that would allow the boars to see our figures brushing with the leaves. The more people staying with each other, the riskier our plan gets. If we fight against those hogs, we could lose that battle."

Match let out an exhale once more and moved towards the trees. The little girl was reluctant to follow my instructions, but she proceeded to the woods, anyway. I told Match that everything would be okay, as long as she doesn\'t make a sound. With a smile that represented a crying child, Match climbed up the bark of a tree.

Match was more like a monkey than a mage that could spit out fire. With the little girl\'s petite and stretching arms, Match had no troubles ascending from the bark. After a few seconds, Match arrived at the top branch. She could see everything from there.

Match waved her hands and greeted me from where she stood. I returned her wave and told Match to do her thing. With a wry beam, she pulled out a twig and threw it to the boar\'s head.

My plan had a simple process. Match would cause an uproar with the boars and wake them up. Those hogs would feel something different about their environment. Some of them might even patrol the area and check if the place was safe for them to sleep, while others would return to their nest. If they patrolled the site, that is the time I would pounce on that boar or two boars and kill them without making a sound. I would continue making those actions until we lessen their numbers.

That was the plan rolling inside my head. If one thing went astray, we would have no other choice but to face all the boars at once. And if worse comes to shove, I would request Match to unleash her fire spell and create a forest fire to drive the hogs into a corner.

I narrowed my eyes and prepared for combat to assassinate isolated boars that would wander in the forest. It was my best bet to take down all of them. We also planned on bringing back their meat as my prize for our journey and the village.

That animal that Match flicked a twig jolted awake. It let out a fume of jet-black smoke with a crazed face. The boar searched around, trying to find the anomaly that caused the mammal to make an uproar. However, no matter how hard the swine tried looking for the perpetrator, the animal could not find it in the forest.

The madness did not stop from there. Match plucked another branch with a pointed leaf stuck on the top and discharged it towards another hog. With a blaring scream, two hogs now ran in circles.. They desperately looked for Match hidden in the tree.