More helpers

Early that morning, in the woods near the Church of Elleh, a Godrick Soldier stalked about menacingly, a torch in one hand and a Straight Sword clenched in the other, searching for something.

Of course, the person he was looking for was actually hiding in the bushes right beside him.

"Skill-Storm Stomp!" A sudden gale erupted beneath my feet, throwing the Godrick Soldier off balance.

Good, the skill was clearly effective!

Then I swung my club and struck him on the temple.

"Urgh..."

Huh? Still standing? Have another!

Once the Godrick Soldier was down for good, Boc's voice immediately came from behind me. "Lord Zero."

"Oh, Boc, nice job luring him over." I gave Boc a thumbs-up.

Boc replied modestly, "Your plan was far cleverer, Lord Zero. On my own, all I could have done was run away."

Kale, who had agreed to accompany us for just one day, also walked over. Pointing at the unconscious Godrick Soldier, he asked, "Are you sure it's all right to leave him like that?"

"You're right, there's still something missing." I quickly stripped the Godrick Soldier naked, then used his clothes as ropes to tie him up and left him beneath a tree.

Kale was rather speechless. "Uh, that wasn't really what I meant."

"I know." I dusted off my hands. "He can revive through the power of grace, but unless I have no other choice, I'd still like to keep the killing to a minimum."

Though I had no idea how long I could cling to my stubborn principles as someone from a modern, law-abiding society, I had no intention of mindlessly staining my hands with blood. Call it my softheartedness.

Kale sighed as well. "You really are a strange Tarnished."

"It's not like you only met me today," I countered with a smile. Still, looking at the Godrick Soldier, I grew a little suspicious. "But aren't there more soldiers stationed in these woods now?"

Kale had no answers. "Are there? I haven't noticed."

"Never mind, it probably won't be a problem." I looked up Limgrave's map and my own coordinates in my mind. "Follow me."

After passing through the woods, we easily found Groveside Cave.

There was quite a bit of Godrick Soldier armor and weaponry near the Site of Grace at the entrance. Had something happened inside?

I couldn't help quickening my pace, eager to investigate.

"Awooo-"

But the instant Kale lit his torch, a dark shape suddenly shot out of the pitch-black cave and lunged at Boc.

"Storm Stomp!" I gathered my magic and stamped my foot.

The force of the gale sent the gray wolf flying into the cave's rocky wall.

Kale cried out in alarm, "Is this the surprise you were talking about? Don't tell me you want me to help you fight the monster at the back!"

"I don't remember ever saying I had a surprise for you." I drew my Straight Sword.

In mere moments, wild wolves had gathered from deeper within the cave.

Boc was already huddled on his knees, mumbling rapidly and indistinctly, "I-I'm truly sorry! Please, please be merciful and spare me!"

Uh... was that the third phrase I taught him?

Just as the confrontation reached a knife's edge, another resounding howl rang out from within the cave.

All the wild wolves stopped, then obediently parted to leave a path.

A larger white wolf strolled out.

I asked tentatively, "White Wolf King, do you remember me?"

The white wolf approached me in silence, frightening Boc into retreating again and again until he clung to the leg of Kale, who was just as eager to leave.

But instead of attacking, the wolf affectionately rubbed against my thigh, its tail gently sweeping the ground.

Had it been a dog, its tail would probably have been wagging madly as it jumped up and licked me all over.

Wolves were a little more aloof.

I let out a quiet breath of relief, then told Kale, "Old Kale, could you please have your little mule bring all the game inside?"

Perhaps stunned by the sight of human and wolf getting along, Kale responded slowly, "Y-yes, all right."

Boc also edged closer cautiously. "L-Lord Zero, wh-what is this?"

The wolf king shot him a look, frightening Boc so badly that his legs gave way and he landed on his backside.

"Wolf king, he's my friend. Please don't give Boc a hard time." I smiled and stroked the wolf king.

The wolf king promptly rubbed its head against Boc as well.

Was it putting its scent on Boc so the other wild wolves would recognize him as a companion too? How interesting.

At that point, Kale led his little mule into the cave, still looking uneasy. I went over with the wolf king, unloaded the animals I had bought the previous night and hunted that morning, and tossed them onto the ground. "You must be hungry. Help yourselves."

Understanding what I meant, the wolf king howled.

The other wild wolves soon swarmed forward, pouncing on the boar to feed.

The wolf king itself picked up two wild rabbits in its jaws and headed deeper into the cave.

Boc, Kale, and I exchanged glances, then followed it inside.

The smell of blood in the air seemed stronger than on my last visit, and there were quite a few more blade marks on the cave walls.

"Were more Godrick Soldiers sent into the woods because they discovered this cave?" I speculated. "No, I should look at it another way-the Godrick Soldiers in the woods have coveted this cave as a base for a long time. It's close to the First Step, after all, which means plenty of Tarnished pass through these woods. Once they realized the Dragon Beastman guarding it was gone, they attacked even more aggressively."

Sure enough, my guess wasn't far off.

In the cavern farther inside, the wolf king set the rabbits down before several injured wild wolves.

One or two more mangled Godrick Soldier corpses lay nearby.

Kale watched for a long while before finally saying, "This is incredible. You actually managed to befriend wolves."

"Well, I owe that to a few companions of mine. They helped me become friends with them. And these wolves are the most important helpers I came looking for today." I summoned the Lone Wolves. After all, I didn't speak wolf.

But as companions in battle, the Lone Wolves and I could understand each other's intentions.

All I could say was that this world's magic was truly incredible.

I told one of the Lone Wolves, "Good buddy, sorry for the trouble, but could you ask the wolf king whether it's willing to fight alongside me? If things go well, it and its pack might get a new place to live."

The spirit wolf approached the White Wolf King and delivered a string of howls.

That should more or less cover the translation, right?

The wolf king looked at me, its deep green eyes faintly glowing in the darkness.

"Well, this place isn't safe anymore. Besides, you know how strong I am, right? I'm even stronger than I was back then." Smiling, I raised my arm and patted my biceps.

Of course, that was partly a lie.

After all, I was still a weak little level-one Tarnished. Sob.

Damn Patches. If he hadn't swindled me out of that money... I'd have to find a chance to settle the score with him next time!

Fortunately, the wolf king trusted me. It raised its head and let out a howl that rang throughout the cave.

At once, the other wild wolves, even the injured ones, stopped eating, rose to their feet, and answered their king.

With that, I had a wild wolf army of my own.

It was time to set out for Coastal Cave in earnest!