Chapter 35: The Night Song Forest's Attack
Chapter 35: The Night Song Forest's Attack
Somewhere in the Night Song Forest.
Man Claw's blood-red eyes swept around, surveying the cowering werewolf minions, not one daring to meet his gaze. Yet, he knew it was time to leave.
Standing over two meters and twenty centimeters tall and weighing three hundred and fifty pounds, Man Claw was a towering figure among the average werewolves, who stood at one meter and ninety centimeters tall and weighed around two hundred pounds. He had been the leader of this pack of lowland werewolves, living a life of comfort.
But during the recent duel, he had lost to another equally ferocious werewolf.
His opponent, a more powerful werewolf from the depths of the Night Song Forest, stood taller than two meters and forty centimeters, possessing immense strength.
However, despite Man Claw's defeat, he would not die.
Not out of mercy from his opponent, but due to his own formidable abilities.
When Man Claw unleashed his full power, a faint green aura would surround him, neutralizing any resistance from the air.
This not only granted Man Claw extraordinary speed but also provided excellent concealment, making him confident in his ability to survive alone.
With a heavy humph, Man Claw left the werewolf camp and headed east into the forest.
Without his minions to command, he would now have to hunt for himself.
Currently, he roamed the woods near a human town, hoping for a different kind of prey. He had grown tired of the forest's game and craved something more delectable.
The taste of human flesh, especially that of human females, was far superior to any beast's meat. Their tender, juicy meat was a delight, and with a single bite, the red flesh would explode with flavor.
Man Claw had only tasted human flesh three times, and although it had been a while, the memory was deeply etched in his mind, leaving him longing for more.
This was why he headed east, towards the forest's edge.
He knew of a human town nearby, the closest to his location, called Glintstone Town.
As dusk settled, Man Claw, having evaded several humans clad in leather armor and armed with bows and swords, found himself at the edge of a large, fenced-off yet spacious area.
Here, he detected a dense scent of young, tender human flesh—the scent of "Beastlings."
The taste of Beastlings was usually exquisite, and Man Claw's thick throat twitched in anticipation. He hadn't eaten all day, so he decided this would be his hunting ground.
Observing the area, he noticed that every so often, a patrol squad of well-equipped guards, clad in chainmail and armed with iron-bound oak shields and swords, would pass by.
These were likely the town's patrol guards, similar to the ones in the werewolf camp.
Man Claw wasn't afraid of these "weak" humans, but he knew that if he attacked them, it would alert the other guards, and he wouldn't get to taste the delicious Beastling meat.
While humans were generally weak, these guards would call for help, and he didn't want to attract the attention of the "Ironclads," whose strength rivaled his own.
Man Claw was a patient hunter, and in the past, before becoming a leader, he had hunted on his own.
He would wait a little longer for the chance to feast on tender, mouth-watering meat!
Meanwhile, in the outer courtyard's servant dormitory, the large room was filled with the snoring of young pages who had spent the day training in archery, their arms aching from the exertion.
Only Browbeard remained restless, his mind preoccupied with a secret. He felt he had heard a loud "bang" in his half-asleep state.
"Who's making all that noise?" he muttered.
But soon, he realized something was amiss; he heard a peculiar chewing sound.
"Crunch, crunch!"
The noise seemed to be coming from the direction of the dormitory door.
In the middle of the night, someone was eating?
That's not right!
Apart from myself and Freckles, who else among the pages could afford such a luxury in this large dormitory? Was the spot by the door where Rain used to sleep?
Who's sleeping there now? He couldn't remember, but just thinking about Rain made Browbeard's temper flare up, and his thoughts suddenly became clearer.
So, he grunted and propped himself up, still half-asleep, and looked towards the door.
Just as Browbeard was about to curse loudly, a strong smell of blood wafted over, causing him to shiver and his skin to break out in goosebumps, instantly sobering him up.
He saw a dark figure crouching by the door, holding something and devouring it with big bites.
At first sight, Browbeard realized that none of the pages had such a massive build; he was the biggest among them, but still far smaller than this person.
The dark figure crouched by the door like a small mountain! This made Browbeard think of something eerie, and beads of sweat instantly formed on his forehead.
His heart began to pound fiercely.
He immediately lay back down, but his trembling hands betrayed his inner turmoil.
"I'm separated from the bed by the door by seven... no, six people. That monster should leave once it's full, right?"
"Mama! Protect me, I don't want to die!"
"Papa! Tell me, what should I do?"
Browbeard's mind was on the verge of collapse, and he seemed to have no idea what to do.
Right, there were guards!
Every so often, a small patrol squad would pass by the pages' dormitory.
He used to find them annoying!
Browbeard seemed to have found a lifeline, and he immediately focused on listening for the rhythmic footsteps outside.
Unfortunately, it seemed the estate patrol squad had just passed by or hadn't arrived yet, and as Browbeard listened intently, the eerie chewing sound, "crunch, crunch," became even clearer.
At this moment, he had never been so eager for the guards to arrive!
One minute...
Two minutes...
Each second felt like an eternity.
Finally, he heard the slightly heavy, rhythmic footsteps, and Browbeard shouted with all his might, "Help! There's a monster! Save me!"
"Browbeard, have you gone mad? Why are you shouting like that?" Browbeard's loud cry woke up Freckles, who was sleeping next to him.
"Yeah, Browbeard, what are you doing?" The tanner's son rubbed his eyes.
The pages, startled by Browbeard's loud shout, woke up one after another, and while they initially grumbled at him, they soon fell silent, their eyes wide as they stared at the towering figure by the door.
In the faint moonlight, the pages could barely make out a human-like figure wearing tattered leather shoulder guards and chainmail. The figure's head protruded forward, and the exposed areas were covered in thick fur, but it was clearly not a human head; it was a massive jackal head! The face was hideous and ugly. At that moment, the creature was holding a long human leg and gnawing on it, with blood and flesh dripping from its bloodthirsty jaws.
Brutal Claw was unhappy. It had planned to secretly finish off two "beastlings" and then take two more to eat the next day, but it had been discovered.
Looking at the half-eaten "beastling" on the ground, Brutal Claw knew it had to leave. The human guards were approaching, and it seemed it couldn't take two, but one should be manageable.
So, Brutal Claw grabbed a page who was sleeping by the door, already scared stiff, and charged through the wooden door, rushing outside.
The estate patrol guards, upon hearing Browbeard's shout, immediately headed towards the pages' dormitory. As they reached the door, they were about to break in.
But to their surprise, the wooden door suddenly exploded, shattering into pieces that flew towards them like arrows!
The next moment, a ferocious monster over two meters tall burst out, knocking two guards aside and sending them flying seven or eight meters away before calmly leaving.
Soon, the entire Habsburg Manor was brightly lit!
(End of Chapter)
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