Author's Note:  Sorry about taking so long to release a new chapter.  I'm going to be working on another chapter after posting this one, though it may take a little time.  Watching Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works on Netflix didn't help my productivity.  

I was happy to see the number of comments on the previous chapter.  This chapter was only slightly longer, but felt right.  

Thanks to those who marked "follow" on this story.  

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‘What am I going to do about this?’ Kendrolgo thought to himself.  He was currently hiding between clusters of large rocks.  Getting out of that situation was beyond lucky, and he was completely drained of energy.  ‘I just want to lie down, and read a nice book.’ Trying to catch his breath, he thought to himself.  Wondering what happened to Malera and the girl was wracking his mind.  “Hopefully, I was able to enough of them away from those two?” Kendrolgo said out loud, the silence becoming deafening aside from the noises of the forest.  He was used to having the other villagers around him, making noise, except when he went to the forest to escape it.  Hearing the other villagers, even the boys who bullied him, would be a joy.

“I need to think about a plan on getting back to Telenka, to where those two are.” He spoke, though in the back of his mind he was wondering what the point was.  His village, everyone he knew, was killed in that attack.  Even if he were able to meet back with them, where would they go? 

“This is complete insanity!” He shouted, but quickly covered his mouth and looked around to see if anything heard his sudden outburst.  ‘Great job there, genius!’ Kendrolgo berated himself.  If his current situation was bad and he had no idea about what to do next, then calling back a large pack of Daemonises would definitely help.  Slowly, the sounds of birds and animals started to come back after a couple of minutes after his shout. 

Whatever happened to the two Ladies of Grace?  The last time he had seen them was right before he chased after Malera, into the forest.  Even though he barely knew them, he hoped that they were safe though he was confident that they could take better care of themselves than he could.

Getting out of the cluster of rocks, confident that he was no longer in danger at the moment, Kendrolgo checked himself to make sure he was okay.  He looked pretty beaten up after confronting all of them in the clearing.  Being as exhausted as he, Kendrolgo was only able to kill a couple of more before he had to retreat.  On the third Daemonis he killed, his long-sword was stuck into the Daemonis’s body as it turned to stone. 

~Several of hours ago~

Kendrolgo stood in the clearing in the middle of the clearing, watching as the pack rushed towards him.  The remaining Daemonises must have regrouped as they were chasing after him, keeping him in their sight while they got back into a better hunting formation. 

Growing up, Kendrolgo had experience dealing with wolves and other predators, so he knew how they were able to stalk a pretty but this situation was completely different.  The creatures seemed to behave closer to men that were properly trained, the way they were able to anticipate the way their prey moved.  It was very disconcerting being chased after by such intelligent animals.  He wondered if soldiers in the Great War, long ago, felt this way.  

He prepared to accept the creatures, and kill as many as he could.  With how his body was feeling, he hoped that the creatures wouldn’t kill him easily.  “COME AND GET ME, YOU FILTHY BEASTS!!” Kendrolgo roared out at the oncoming pack.

The first one reached him, in a matter of seconds.  Out of the corner of his eyes, Kendrolgo could see the other trying to get behind him.  “Trying to flank me, huh…” he muttered to himself. 

Instead of going after the one in front of him, Kendrolgo unsheathed his long-sword from his back and decapitated the Daemonis behind him.  The weapon was heavy enough where the weight of the blade propelled it in a wide arch.  ‘One down, and nearly a dozen more to go…’ He thought, a little frustrated.  The next one was not as easy since he had to see where to place blade.  Stabbing the second one in the chest he nearly missed the line that appeared on its body from his ability, he was starting to see double.  Shaking his head to regain focus, he rushed toward another Daemonis with the point of the blade close to the ground.  He swung the blade up, the blade cutting into the side of the beast, just under the armpit of the monster.  It coughed up blood, some of it dripping from its mouth.  Unfortunately, whether due to his body starting to quit on him or his brain lagging in thought, he didn’t pull the blade out fast enough before the Daemonis’s body petrified. 

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If he hadn’t though ahead and taken more weapons than just the long-sword, Kendrolgo would have been overwhelmed.  Even with the two short swords it didn’t make much of a difference, considering how his endurance was running on fumes.  Making a quick judgement call, he decided to make a run for it into the woods while using his skill to mask his presence.  The ability really came in handy though he was unable to use it earlier since he was trying to lead them away from his friends.  This time was different with how his body was in pain, while the skill was being used.  He wondered if it was because he was so exhausted.  Enduring the pain was necessary, though, so that he could make his escape.  It would be futile trying to kill the whole pack of them.  He’s not so full of himself to think he would make it out of this situation alive, fighting by himself with no support. 

‘I’m just a kid from a no-name village that was thrust into this situation.’ He thought feeling frustrated, with everything that was happening.  For the umpteenth time, he thought why everything had happened to him.  “What did I do to deserve this life?” He whispered to himself, as he continued to run through the darkening forest. 

~The Present~

With the sun nearly set, Kendrolgo wondered whether or not he should attempt to head in the direction of the town.  It would be easier to see in the dark with his eyes.  The forest still looked pretty dark, though it was mixed with blue and purple colors.  Everything that had happened to him made him understand how fortunate he was, compared to the average person.  His abilities definitely helped him to survive everything.  If he wasn’t born the way he was, Kendrolgo would definitely have died shortly after that first night, when the village was burning.

Carefully not trying to make additional noise, Kendrolgo attempted to retrace his steps back to where he was.  Getting back to where he was, it’ll likely take the whole night.  His body wasn’t responding the way it needed to.  “Sleep sounds amazing, right now…” He sighed, rubbing his right shoulder trying to get the blood flowing.  Scattered throughout his body were bruises, from the fighting and running into the occasional tree. 

“I don’t remember coming across a stream.” He pondered, as his walking through the forest directed him to an unknown area.  Kendrolgo thought that he must have become disoriented while he was escaping, which was probably likely considering how frightened he was.  “This is going to cause an issue…” Rubbing his palm on his forehead, he complained to himself. 

The main road is extremely long, so he should, hopefully, encounter it.  Since the town sits on top of the main road, then he’ll be able to see which direction he should go.  It may take longer, but either he’ll go away or towards the town.  Being on the road, Kendrolgo figured he would run into someone who could tell him which direction he needed to go. 

Walking on the side of the stream, going upstream, he tried to enjoy the feeling of the woods.  Being inside the woods helped to calm his heart, the feelings of fear and anxiety slowly diminished.  The woods always had a calming effect on him.  Looking at the stream, Kendrolgo thought about how beautiful it looked the way all the colors mixed and intertwined with one another.  Getting on his knees, he leaned forward and reached out to the water.  Kendrolgo cupped his hand and brought it to his lip, and drank some of the water.  The water felt refreshing, as it travelled down his throat. 

Energy seemed to flow into him.  Gasping and feeling warmth coursed throughout his body, Kendrolgo looked at his hands felt strength in them.  He never felt this kind of power before.  What was happening to him…