The wolf, the hunter, and Little Red Riding Hood

Shen Yu dropped the last strip of wood and looked at the two of them.

"Don't worry. I know your situation. I just need a wolfskin for a rug. As for payment, give me whatever you can."

"Oh, you are such a generous gentleman!" The Old Lady pressed a hand to her chest and bowed to Shen Yu.

"That wolf is terribly cunning. It has already eaten so many people, but the hunter still hasn't caught it. We couldn't ask for anything better than your help.

"By the way, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Why not make do with a meal here?"

"Please wait a moment. I have two companions with me." Shen Yu nodded and went outside.

"Tch, one wasn't enough?" Little Red Riding Hood muttered, though her eyes remained fixed on the Meat Cleaver and Flintlock at his waist.

Shen Yu found Quirrel and Little Knight, spoke with them briefly, then brought them to the door.

"They sure look strange." Little Red Riding Hood folded her arms and studied Quirrel and Little Knight.

Just strange-looking? That's a temporary fairy-tale world for you, Shen Yu thought wryly.

"Please come in," the Old Lady said with a soft chuckle. "The food is ready."

(Kuoluosi) "Hello, madam. I'm Quirrel, currently a traveler."

"What a polite gentleman you are. Eat plenty, so you'll have the strength to hunt the wolf," the Old Lady said with a chuckle.

"Can you understand him? Doesn't his accent sound a little strange?" Shen Yu turned to Little Red Riding Hood, who was poking Little Knight.

"Sure I can," Little Red Riding Hood said, turning toward him. "Your accent is pretty strange too."

All right. Looks like Bug Language allows seamless communication after extraction. Must be part of the Abnormality's setup.

Shen Yu reflected on this and looked at the bark and roots boiling in the pot nearby.

Little Red Riding Hood had already fished out a few pieces. She handed some to her grandmother first, then divided the rest among Shen Yu and his companions.

Since Shen Yu wasn't hungry and Little Knight couldn't eat at all, they both gave their food to Little Red Riding Hood.

But after accepting it, she turned around and put it back in the pot, eating only her original portion.

Quirrel, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy his meal. After finishing, he offered a few words of thanks, then turned to Shen Yu.

(Kawiluo) "What is a wolf, and what has it done?"

"A wolf is..."

"Wolves are born evil," the Old Lady suddenly interrupted. Staring straight ahead, she continued:

"There are many stories in this world, but none are as sickening as the stories about wolves. The wolf is a villain, a huge, hairy, ferocious monster."

(Luosite) "Sounds like a frightening fellow. When do we leave?"

"Evening would be best. That's when the hunter returns with his game. You can ask him for information."

"Let's take a look now," Shen Yu said, rising. "We've got nothing else to do anyway."

As Shen Yu and the others left the house, he noticed Little Red Riding Hood following them with an axe.

"What are you coming along for?"

"Ever since I nearly got digested by the wolf, I've decided I'm going to kill a wolf, just like the hunter."

Is it already starting to take root? Shen Yu briefly looked her over. Suddenly, a question occurred to him: what would happen if he struck an Abnormality with the Dream Nail inside its world?

Once they were out of sight of any inhabitants, Shen Yu abruptly had everyone stop. He asked Little Knight to strike Little Red Riding Hood behind them with the Dream Nail.

Little Knight hunched over, drew the radiant Dream Nail, and slashed at her.

Strangely, Little Red Riding Hood merely stared at Little Knight in confusion, making no attempt to dodge.

With a chime, the Dream Nail passed through her body. A sentence suddenly appeared in Shen Yu's mind:

I have to prove I'm not a burden.

Just like in Hollow Knight, Shen Yu marveled. The Dream Nail could not only cut through the veil between reality and dreams, but also read the thoughts of living beings and the dead.

But his idea of directly unleashing Little Red Riding Hood's later Abnormality form, the Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary, apparently wouldn't work.

Little Red Riding Hood frowned at Little Knight.

"Why are you standing in front of me waving your hand?"

Shen Yu considered this, then answered on Little Knight's behalf.

"Little Red Riding Hood, did you see what Little Knight was holding just now?"

"Huh? What was in his hand? Did those two tailors weave him a pair of gloves too?"

"What about you, Quirrel? Did you see what Little Knight was holding?"

Quirrel scratched his head in confusion.

(Karas) "Did our little friend take something out just now?"

Just as I thought. Shen Yu understood at once.

No wonder almost none of the characters in the game noticed when Little Knight swung the Dream Nail. It was only visible to Little Knight and the player.

Only beings highly sensitive to souls and dreams, such as the moth Seer, Bardoon, and the snail tribe with their innate mastery of soul, could perceive it.

So, from Viper's perspective earlier, Little Knight had simply waved a hand, and Shen Yu had turned into light. That made sense. If Viper could have seen the Dream Nail, he would have spoken up to stop Little Knight before the strike.

When they returned to the village, the people were still sitting there, staring longingly toward the mountain forest.

"That family's child was eaten by the wolf. The first one to die, too," Little Red Riding Hood said, pointing to a house on the right.

Shen Yu approached the house. Through the broken window frame, he saw a couple sitting at an old table, their vacant eyes fixed on the ceiling as their cracked lips murmured.

Two small wooden beds stood in the corner, with a few toys still resting on them beneath a thick layer of dust.

"And the two brothers from that house." Little Red Riding Hood pointed at an empty, dilapidated house. "They went out to find food for their mother. A few days later, another group brought back their bones and clothes. After that, Aunt Sally stopped eating and died."

Just then, a child in ragged clothes passed by, dragging a yellow linen sack along the ground. A creaking sound came from inside it.

"That's Hank. His parents died young, and his older brother raised him... I think they were attacked while his brother was taking him out into the wild. To save him, his brother stayed behind to hold off the wolf alone," Little Red Riding Hood explained.

"The next day, people brought back the bones from that spot. They'd been chewed to pieces."

"What does that wolf look like?"

"Gray fur, white paws, thick black eyebrows. All wolves look like that." Little Red Riding Hood spread her hands and answered casually.

"I see. Where's he going, then?" Shen Yu asked Little Red Riding Hood as he watched Hank drag the sack.

"To bury them in the cemetery, obviously. If you want to know more, you'll have to ask the hunter." With that, Little Red Riding Hood went straight into an empty house.

(Kuolasi) "The sun is far too strong." Quirrel glanced up at the blazing sun, then turned to Shen Yu. "Where do we investigate now?"

"We wait for the hunter." Shen Yu sighed, found an empty house, and leaned against it with a hand on the Flintlock at his waist. He waited.

When the sun went down, everyone rose together and hurried to the road as if on a pilgrimage, staring expectantly toward the forest ahead. Shen Yu came out as well, watching from behind them.

When several figures appeared there, the crowd suddenly stirred, murmuring in low, hoarse voices.

At their head was a man whose face was covered in wrinkles and stubble. A rusty hunting rifle hung on his back, but his game bag held only a few small bulges.

The few people following him wore ragged clothes and carried flat, empty sacks.

"I'm sorry," the hunter said, stopping amid the crowd. "We didn't catch the wolf."

"Then... what about the game?" a villager asked timidly, head lowered.

"Just this." The hunter sighed and pulled a few wild pigeons and several pieces of red meat from his bag.

Just then, a woman rushed into the crowd and flung herself down before the hunter.

"Did you hunt down that bastard? My... my child was..."

But when she saw his empty bag, her gaze fell.

A villager spoke up. "Mia, I told you long ago not to forget to lock your door. And why did you have to live so far away?"

"No, no, I locked it. I locked it."

"You locked it? Then how did the wolf eat your child? You must have forgotten. I remember you even forgot to bring home the firewood you gathered last time."

"No, I didn't, I wouldn't..." The woman clutched her head and knelt on the ground, her eyes trembling.

The hunter glanced at her, then noticed Shen Yu and his companions standing at the back. He frowned.

"Who are you?"

"I'm just a mercenary. I heard you had a wolf here, so I came." Shen Yu walked up to the hunter, with Little Knight close behind.

"We don't have money to hire you. We'll deal with the wolf ourselves. If you know what's good for you, leave now. Who knows what you outsiders might do?"

"No, no, I just want a wolfskin rug." Shen Yu stepped closer and draped an arm around the hunter's shoulders. "I heard you've got a wolfskin at home too. How about selling it to me?"

"It's not for sale. Don't act like we're friends." The hunter swept Shen Yu's arm away.

At that very moment, Little Knight had already swung the Dream Nail at him and read his thoughts.

Shen Yu then backed away with an awkward smile and asked Little Red Riding Hood:

"Where's your cemetery?"