Chapter 142 - A trip for the Deadly Ghost Tree(3)

Guard Commander Chan turned around, only to see trouble in front of him, standing 6 feet tall. As if The freezing cold and the pavement ants weren't enough. Now he has to deal with this... new trouble. Hairy trouble.

In Front of him, was another Wildboar. But this one was, different. His growl was so thick and gravely, the ground felt like it was shaking. Even scared away even the mother Wildboar with her piglets away. This large Wildboar, can't technically even be considered of the same breed anymore. Because it was rather, different.

His tusks stretched out around a bit above a foot long, a rare sight no doubt(especially with most Wild Boars having tusks around 1/10 of a meter long). But that, wasn't the most eye catching part of the WildBoar's figure. The most eye catching one, would be considered the fact that this one was even taller than Guard Commander Chan himself. This Wildboar, broke over 6 feet tall in shoulder length, and judging from the size, it reached around 500 Kilograms. What sort of prodigic monster is this?

Obviously not even daring to try and attack this, creature. He didn't even think twice about jumping from that 10 feet drop, at least it would give him time to run. The drop wasn't too high to cause him any strong damage either even though he accidentally backflipped(in mid air), because his foot slipped on snow when he jumped. Losing balance before he even became airborne. 

As soon as he hit the ground, he started running towards a more dense part of the woods. Where trees were rather close to each other. Although clearly unintentional(he simply went through any direction he saw), it would be the smartest choice. This creature would have it hard to go through an area dense with trees obviously because of his size. I mean yes it could break down one tree or two. But it can't go on forever. If he tried, he could even be stuck. But yet again, 500 Kilograms aren't easy to contain with branches and trees.

Chan didn't even look back, he knew that if he wasted any second, he would meet death, a death no one would ever want to experience (or maybe there are rare gems who would? Hey i don't judge). Although wild boars eating people was never heard off, here it could be a different case. This wild boar looks like it eats wolves. After all they are omnivores with canine teeth ;). Their diet usually includes leaves, flowers, roots etc etc. But they are known to eat insects and fish in less common cases. So what else could big ones like these eat?

"Dear source."

"Dear mother."

"Dear god."

"I don't want to die."

"I hate you Xakro."

"Dear god."

Guard Commander Chan whispered countless words, begging, and or cursings under his breath. But his panic was uncalled for. He was already far away from danger(from the WildBoar at least) the moment he chose to run through these dense trees. Falling down several times when he tripped on branches was a small sacrifice.

Noticing that there is no more growling or quick foot taps behind him, he found the courage to look back. And it was fair to say, the Wild Boar wasn't in sight. In fact Guard Commander Chan lost him around 50 yards ago.

Seeing no danger behind, Chan started slowly slowing down, trying to observe the situation behind him. His heart though, is beating way too fast. He feels mortified. He had to take several deep breaths for his lungs to catch up with the rest of him. He isn't exactly the most physically fit. Finally taking a deep long breath and letting it out, it felt like his fear came out with it. And 1/3 of the pain in his lungs was cut. The relief he started feeling felt like heaven.

Looking back carefully after he switched places several times, he was able to notice that the Wild Boar was trying to pull himself away from a thick dark oak tree, which was bend 40% from its natural position. It seems like his tusks were stuck in it. Looks like he tried to bite off more than he can chew(if this Wild Boar eats trees as well).

The Wild Boar managed to break a few arm thick trees down before it met this large dark oak tree, but even though the Wild Boar is a meter wide, he can't bring down a 3 meter wide dark oak tree with roots as wide as Guard Commander Chan himself. Well this was at least good news for Chan, he can simply walk away from danger now, and this monster of a Wild Boar would take forever to catch up, even if he pulls himself out of the Dark Oak tree, which wouldn't probably take too long. 

"Chan. here, drink this."

"Thank you."

The moment after he grabbed the leather pouch and drank a mouthful of cleaner water, it felt like his heart sunk down and went to his sock when he realized what was happening. He was petrified, he didn't want to turn around and see who handed him the Water pouch. Who could possibly give it in this dense forest, in the middle of this brutal winter. Most importantly, who would know his name here?

He didn't have anything to drink ever since he woke up in the morning, he just ate Snow a few times and put the lack of food as his main priority. But that doesn't mean that he doesn't want to drink clear water. He ate snow, so he is technically hydrated. So cross hallucination off the list. He can't just simply be hearing voices.

Finally able to make a volition to talk to whoever handed him the leather pouch who apparently even knows his name, he asked without turning around to face this, source of the voice. "Who are you?" This male voice rung a bell, but he couldn't remember its owner. At first he hope that it isn't Mogranius, it is not a surprise for a big time forest explorer  to be found here. But he is all the way to the other end of Occidentis Ignis. While Guard Commander Chan just passed the border a day ago, he is in Septemtrionis Ignis. They are around 800-900 kilometers apart from each other. So cross enemies off the list.

"Don't you recognize me Son?" Afterwards the source of the voice was heard, giggling. It didn't sound fatherly though. And it had no aims of comforting. It sounded, ill.

Hearing the word "Son". Chan swallowed his fear and turned his head around in the blink of an eye.

When he turned around, what he saw both scared him and made him tear up in joy. He saw, his father! His father who died several years ago. "He is supposed to be dead. So what the hell is going on?" Chan thought, it scared him quite a lot. But he was still happy to see the almost accurate figure of his father again.

"But h-how..." Being at a loss for words, Chan didn't know what to say, or what to do with himself. He even thought that he died from the Wild Boar attack. Part of the memory from the WildBoar already disappeared in his mind. Like the part how he made his way to this dense part of the woods? Since he didn't remember that part, he started touching himself to make sure he is still alive.

"I'm alive Chan. I'm here for you." Replied, his father? But yet again a devilish laugh was heard from him. Chan completely ignored it though, seeing his father again was his main focus.

Reaching out to touch his father, to assure himself that he is real. His hand reached a solid but yet plump chest. It felt indeed real, which made Chan feel even more sure that this is his father, at least how he remembered him. He remembered his rather half a foot long roundish green beard as the main facial characteristic, and his short green vines on his head as the secondary characteristic. 

Feeling sure with himself, Chan leaned in for a hug, with his arms open, tear after tear kept dropping out of joy. Tears, he waited to let out for years. But when he got a closer look at his face, he noticed that something was wrong. His father's eyes weren't boiling red. They seemed, Ignite like, brown.

"Father, what's wrong with your ey..." His sentence was cut short when he glanced down, witnessing his father's legs. His left leg from the knee down, was abnormally hairy and clothless. Above from all of that, it appeared like his foot is missing. What sorcery is this? Does his father have a goat leg?

As Guard Commander Chan was giving an intense stare at his father's left leg. He felt something heavy hitting the back of his head. And his father just disappeared in mid air. The same "fatherly" voice was heard after, shouting while laughing. "Fool. Fool. Hahahahahahaha!"

"It was a good damn Ghost!" Chan murmured as he rubbed the back of his head, the pain on it was nothing to the pain in his heart at the moment, he wasn't even scared. Just emotionally hurt. He wiped off the last of his tears, stood up and said. "Well, at least i know i'm close." As he glared upon the setting sun.