Chapter 21: Alone

Nikola had long since healed himself, leaving a trail of yellow grass in his wake.

He took hold of his crucifix but found no solace in it.

Tangra called God the deaf one. There was no point in whispering a prayer when the one who you were whispering to was not going to listen.

Nikola still knelt before an oak. He didn't know why the tree called to him. Just that he had to speak his peace to something.

"I tried to be good," he began, as a single tear ran down his cheek. "I tried, even though I ended up a soul-eating monster. You know I tried!"

His last words echoed in the forest. So, as if they were mocking him.

He had tried? He had tried to be good, yes, but had still eaten more than one Selkie.

He had tried to be good, but he still enslaved goblins. He still did his best to gain even more power. Power for the sake of power, and not to help others.

He had still taken the money from the hospital.

His hypocrisy slapped him in the face.

Nikola looked at the old tree, then at the moon shining through the canopy.

"I need help," Nikola whispered. "Please. If there is anyone listening…!"

"You know, in a forest with this many magical creatures, the phrase "if someone is listening" can be dangerous."

Nikola had never been happier to hear Jack's voice in his entire life.

The brunette turned around, only to see that the man had bandages over his chest.

This was all him, Nikola thought to himself. All of his own fault, for he had taken Dimitri and run, rather than fighting alongside Jack from the start.

"Now, none of that," Jack offered him his hand. Nikola finally stood up. "The vampire broke out of your secret octopus's dimension. Come on, I can smell where he is."

Nikola nodded as if in a trance.

Jack was here.

Did that mean that his prayer had been heard and answered?

"Why didn't you tell me that you were working for a pagan god?" Jack asked, as he began to slowly lead Nikola deeper into the forest. "I wouldn't have left. Just… gotten used to it for the food, I guess."

"Dimitri will kill me," Nikola said. For the man had been stowed away to safety. Him, who had hunted a Wendigo by himself.

"I won't be so sure," Jack said, as he took a left turn. "He is walking towards us. You'll see, everything will be fine."

"I tried to pray," Nikola murmured. "But I don't think that anyone is listening to me anymore."

Jack sighed. He took hold of Nikola's hand and then tugged him out of the forest and towards the cabin.

It was exactly as Nikola remembered it. The table with the chairs was there. The plates were still on it.

He smiled.

A little piece of heaven before the storm.

"System, I would like a quest," Nikola didn't dare fall asleep. He knew that his sleep would be a playground for nightmares.

"Sure! Collect all the treasure your customers have left you! You have 30 minutes!"

"Your mother is an elderberry!" Nikola cursed under his nose, but he rushed towards the table. Ready to collect.

There were more black pearls. More of the strange golden masks the goblins left him.

He was certain that if he melted it all down, he would get a good price for it, but he didn't know who could help him with that.

Not only that, but he was also fairly certain that he would need to explain from where he got all the treasure.

When he was done, the system's alarm pinged.

There were a couple of thread necklaces, but those vanished in thin air.

"Really now?" Dimitri murmured from behind him. "You nearly died, and that is what is important for you?"

Nikola turned around slowly. Dimitri was just like he remembered him. The same blonde hair, the same red eyes.

A frown on his lips.

That one was new.

"I need to get stronger," Nikola countered. "But I have no idea how."

He pointed at the bow and the arrows, which were resting by his tree. It had the good grace to go back to its plot. Nikola was grateful for at least that much.

"And you think that a God-killing bow is going to help you much?"

"God-killing?" Nikola had never heard about it before. Dimitri went to the bow and picked it up. Soon, he was showing where the runes were going to be drenching the arrowheads with poison.

"This is made from titanium," which was an unconventional material to make a bow from, but Dimitri continued. "You don't pull it with your strength. You pull it with your mana. Come now, try it. You know how to shoot, don't you?"

Nikola nodded. Taking the bow, he looked across the lake. There was an old oak tree there.

He looked to the left, where the table was still standing with its many dirty dishes.

He aimed, took a deep breath, and then fired the arrow.

There was something black which spread over the table. Nikola didn't want to know what it was.

He took its mana and let it stain the grass. But even then, the grass turned yellow.

"I won't be using this," Nikola said.

 Dimitri clapped him on the back.

"You say you won't, but there is no telling if you really won't."

The forest was full of monsters. The cities were full of people who were more than willing to cleanse them of the sin of existence with fire if they needed to.

"I'll help you with the table," Dimitri said, as he took one end of the tablecloth and began to fold it together with the dishes. "And we need some new things. Would you like to come with me to town?"

Nikola nodded. The last thing he wanted was to use the plates now that they were covered in the black goo.