Damien knelt anxiously on the forest floor, clutching an ointment made from crushed herbs in the palm of his hand. The rancid smell was so overpowering that even the bugs avoided him. He could barely suppress the urge to vomit. In a desperate attempt to mask the stench, he shoved mint up his nose, but it did little to help.
With a heavy heart and teary eyes, he began applying the ointment all over his body. He gagged as the foul odor invaded his nostrils, and his stomach churned as warm bile surged in his throat.
"No, I can't! If I throw up here, I'm dead!"
In a panic, he covered his mouth and swallowed hard. A wave of relief washed over him; he couldn't afford to mess up now after coming this far. He reached for his bag—a makeshift creation crafted entirely from straw. Some of its contents spilled onto the ground.
Among the scattered items were blue flowers resembling lilies, but with thorns. Known as sky lilies, they were essential for his survival. Who would have thought that the days spent locked away studying various herbs with Victor would prove so useful? He hastily gathered the flowers and shoved them back into the straw bag.
Grabbing his walking stick, he set off. From a distance, he spotted a creature below him on a slope. It was a demi-human with long claws and a massive frame, bearing features reminiscent of a bear. What struck him most was the absence of eyes; the area where they should have been was completely melted away.
Just looking at the creature made Damien's wounds ache; it was the same being responsible for his injuries. He had noticed it a few days ago—he was being followed by the very demi-human that had torn off his hands and ruptured one of his eyes. The sight of the monstrosity filled him with rage.
"Why couldn't it just leave me alone?" he thought.
He knew he couldn't let it follow him. Sooner or later, it would catch up, and if that happened when he was unprepared, he wouldn't stand a chance. His best option was to ambush the demi-human and kill it.
Since he had used acid to blind the creature during their last encounter, the only way it could track him now was by scent. That's why he had taken precautions to mask his own. He had to be careful; even the smallest bodily fluid could give him away.
He needed to execute his plan with utmost precision; the tiniest mistake could lead to death. He was treading a thin line. The demi-human was sniffing the air, following the scent he had deliberately left behind.
The scent would lead it to the spot where he intended to set his trap. As the demi-human approached the designated area, he pulled out a flint steel. He had the steel on him, but the flint was made from quartzite he had found in the mountains. Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock formed from the metamorphism of sandstone.
He placed the steel on the ground and struck it with the flint, creating a spark. The sky lilies were designed to catch fire easily; they were extremely flammable. In fact, that was their primary purpose—when burned, sky lilies emitted a blue flame that spread rapidly, often causing wildfires due to their small traces of mana.
The bear demi-human held its nose in the air, following the scent he purposefully left behind. The demi-human had caught a lucky break; Damien's scent was directly upwind causing it to be stronger than ever.
'What a fool!' the demi-human thought.
'Leave it to a human to completely give away their scent.'
Saliva pooled in the creature's mouth as it envisioned its revenge.
"Filthy monkey, I'll make sure you die screaming."
His body shook like a wet puppy left out in the cold. He hadn't slept in days, and the area where his eyes should have been ached constantly, with no relief in sight. He blamed it all on Damien. The only thing that brought him comfort was the thought of ripping him to shreds.
This single desire drove him to madness. For this yearning, he had disobeyed Björn's orders to stay away from the humans. He knew that disobedience sealed his fate; only one thing awaited him—death. Yet, despite this knowledge, he couldn't let what had happened to him slide. The name of Sigurd would forever be tarnished as long as the human who scarred him lived.
Sigurd moved through the forest like a beast on steroids. With every thrust of his legs, he drew closer to his prey, the scent so strong he could almost taste it. Damien's scent was like a drug, calling out to him. He felt a buzz every time the smell entered his nostrils, reminiscent of a dying animal.
The stench of death that followed Damien was overpowering; he was no different from that of a corpse. His flesh had already begun to rot, and maggots had infested his arm.
But if you asked him, he would insist he was in perfect shape, with only a missing arm and eye.
Having lived so long, he couldn't even imagine himself dying; the possibility felt too far removed. His mind refused to acknowledge the signs. The only thing keeping him alive was his denial. The moment he accepted that he was dying would be the moment he truly died.
Eventually, Sigurd arrived at the source of the scent. He walked until he was standing right over it. Stooping down, he felt a cloth in his hands, then a small spherical object. Underestimating his strength, he grabbed the object, only to crush it in his grip.
The scent intensified, and he immediately realized what it was.
"Is this an eyeball?"
It didn't take him long to figure it out.
"It's a diversion!!"
Just as he grasped Damien's plan, a wildfire erupted out of nowhere, encircling him. The air became thick and heavy, forcing him to take deep gasps for breath. This was another deadly effect of the sky lily plant.
Not only did sky lilies, but all magical plants, when burned, released a near-lethal dose of carbon monoxide, far higher than that produced by regular plants.