[center][h2]The Journey Begins[/h2][/center]

[center][h3]~ Forest Near Liven ~[/h3][/center]

[center][i]Interacted with:[/i] [@Rune_Alchemist][/center]

The jets of flame Nick spat out were more pitiful than he thought. He was no pro at this, he admitted, but that was just bad. The undead hounds didn't even caught fire, just singed from what Nick witnessed. He'd bet they didn't even feel it. Oh, he was so dead.

Or so he thought, the sudden bursts of fire from Nick seemed to have put the dogs on edge. They had stopped their attack, now wary of their seemingly-firebreathing prey. The belligerents kept their eyes on each other for a short while. Nick still held his torch and flask firmly, his mouth and lips burning from the slight backdraft, expecting the fight to resume any moment. But to Nick's surprise, it never did. The undead canines turned their heads towards the village and went off, deciding that Nick wasn't worth it.

As soon as they were out of his sight, Nick dropped to his knees. He quickly jabbed his torch standing in the frost and put away his oil flask and began scooping up snow from the ground and stuffing them into his mouth before spitting them out. He soon scooped smaller amounts and let them melt in his mouth before spitting out, trying his best to wash off the residue oil. He repeated this crude procedure several times until his mouth could no longer stand the cold and he was forced to stop. He would need to wash properly later.

Inspecting the ache on his ankle, Nick found that the hound's bite had torn through his denim pants but fortunately, the wound was not at all deep. Still, the pain stung and he had to sit on the snow to cool off, maybe literally, from the fight. Placing his face unto his hands, Nick suppressed sobs and stopped tears from forming. How long was he going to stay here? How long would he last? Will he even make it back home? Did he ever stand a chance? His heart was still beating fast from the encounter, exacerbating his despair. Oh, how Nick wanted to scream and how angry he was for knowing it would probably invite more danger.

Wiping his watery eyes from the self-pity, Nick forced himself to stand up. He still had a job to do, a job he didn't even know how to accomplish. Taking his torch, Nick saw the trail the hooded figure left that lead into another part of the forest. It was good a lead as any so Nick decided to follow.