Chapter 68: Tonothus
They left the ruined and burned Mensis Town and headed through the north forest path. They decided to go through a Monster Zone after a bit of debate. They didn’t want to waste any time, and the zone they were going through was the Colin Forest, which was familiar to Marie and Joseph.
Both of them went on a trip with their other classmates and professors, so they were familiar with the pathways.
In addition, they could always run away.
The forest tightened around them as they continued moving north. The forest was becoming more wild and uncontrollable. Reinhard felt branches snag at his cloak and heard the snap of twigs beneath his boots. The air grew thicker here, heavy with moisture and the scent of moss-covered bark.
Marie moved ahead with ease, her steps light despite the uneven ground. She ducked beneath low-hanging branches without stopping, occasionally glancing back to ensure they were keeping pace. Joseph brought up the rear while glancing around and slipping past the branches.
The forest above them grew denser, the sunlight leaking through turning into shifting patterns on the shadows around. Reinhard didn’t feel tired, but he could feel a slight pain in his legs as the path climbed upward, and some roots extended out on the path.
It looks like the hands are reaching out. Reinhard thought as they stepped over the roots and continued.
"Colin Forest," Joseph muttered behind him, leading Reinhard to glance around.
He saw that the trees here were older than the ones before, with their trunks wrapped in webbing. Reinhard instinctively tensed up when he spotted the multiple cocoons hanging from branches, but Marie simply waved him forward.
"They’re empty, you can see the cracks on them on the bottom." Marie says as she continues moving.
Reinhard did see small cracks and a green liquid leaking down. He didn’t need to ask to know what had happened before he continued walking. The ground leveled out gradually, and a cool breeze passed by them as the trees around began to thin out.
After a bit, Reinhard caught glimpses of open sky and heard the distant rush of water. He saw the vast field of grass swaying in waves from the wind and the wildflowers that dotted the landscape in clusters of yellow and white.
To their right was a river cut that was cutting through the terrain and was visible even from this distance as he headed to the left. On their left was still more forest with some hills covered with trees that obscured everything.
Reinhard tilted his head back, letting the sun warm his face, and asked. "What should we expect in this Monster Zone?"
Marie tapped her chin as she thought before saying. "The danger level is Class 2, so it isn’t very dangerous, but we need to be on guard. As the Phantasm Beasts are still strong E and D class level Beasts."
"So there are no higher ones?"
"For the area that we will need to walk past, no. But at the center of the zone does reside the C and B class Phantasm Beast." Marie says, leading Reinhard to slowly nod his head.
Joseph then says. "But in general, the Colin Forest is a Green Zone, so the Phantasm Beast won’t attack on sight. And those higher-tier Phantasm Beasts won’t be leaving the center."
Reinhard sighed and said. "Hopefully. Are there any dangerous traps or toxins we should worry about?"
Marie shakes her head. "There isn’t much to worry about, Rein! We do need to be careful of the occasional ambushes."
"That sounds like something we should be worried about."
"It’s fine!"
Reinhard’s lips twitched before he blinked as the light seemed to have gotten brighter. He brought a hand to shield his face while Marie stretched her arms above her head, her joints popping audibly.
Joseph unrolled the map, his finger tracing a deliberate path across the worn parchment. The lines and markers meant nothing to Reinhard from where he stood, but Joseph’s eyes moved with certainty. He tapped a spot, then dragged his finger northeast before rolling the map back up with practiced efficiency.
"We need to continue northeast," Joseph said, tucking the map away.
Reinhard nodded, his hand unconsciously drifting toward his side where his weapon would manifest if needed.
Marie’s eyes lit up, and she grinned before, without a word, she turned and started moving, her pace quick and eager.
Reinhard and Joseph’s eyes met with a look of understanding. Joseph’s shoulders dropped while Reinhard shook his head slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips, and they quickly followed after her.
As they continued, Reinhard’s boots landed on exposed roots and ground. The terrain shifted between solid ground and patches of moss that gave slightly beneath his weight. Marie moved ahead with a smile, her head swiveling left and right as she scanned the environment. Reinhard heard bird calls above, leading him to glance up to see a group of blue birds flying over.
Marie also heard, and her eyes lit up as she stared at them before saying. "Those should be Bluebells. They should be going to the pond area."
"Are the Phantasm Beasts around here not hostile to them?" Reinhard asked in surprise.
"Not really. Animals that small aren’t seen as prey, as the effort to hunt them doesn’t match the reward... Well, only the Wyvern Phantasm Beast would be interested in them, but in general, those small birds are left alone." Marie says lightly.
"That makes sense, but it’s still surprising. Do they make sounds like that, if there are Phantasm Beasts around?" Reinhard asked with a hum.
Marie blinks before slowly nodding and saying. "They do... Oh, I see now."
Then Marie stopped before raising a hand and pointing to the open path they were heading towards.
Reinhard and Joseph stopped as they saw that the path was blocked by dozens of figures slowly moving through the path.
"Those are Tonothus." Marie says lightly.
The Tonothus were enormous beasts that looked like bulls with gray hides that stretched across powerful frames. They had black plating covering their four limbs from joint to hoof, and a curved horn protruded from their heads. Their spiked tails swayed as they walked, with some of them dragging them occasionally across the ground with scraping sounds.
Marie’s eyes lit up with fascination as she rushed forward to a fallen tree that leaned against another at an angle. She ran up the trunk, using knots and broken branches as footings until she stood balanced near the top.
Reinhard followed behind until he reached where she was, and from the vantage point. He could see over the initial wall of creatures to the full scope of what blocked their path.
"That’s a lot..." Reinhard muttered in surprise.
"They seem to be migrating to the next part of the forest." Marie says loudly, her voice easily reaching Joseph. "I see males and females moving with their younglings."
Reinhard’s gaze shifts to the nearest Tonothus. The creatures paid them no attention and only focused entirely on walking ahead. Their hooves struck the ground with heavy thuds that slightly made the ground shake.
"How fast are they?" Reinhard asked as he squinted his eyes over the moving Tonothus.
Marie laughed as she looked at Reinhard with a grin. "Don’t even think about it. While we are faster than they, they can move for days before finally running out of energy. Besides, running through the forest is dangerous since the noise might lead to the higher Phantasm Beasts coming out from either annoyance or curiosity."
Reinhard watched the horde moving with a steady and relentless pace. He pictured the exhaustion of maintaining a sprint for hours, the vulnerability of being worn down and breathless when something else found them.
Reinhard then nodded, and Marie glanced back at the horde.
Joseph moved up beside him, arms crossed as he studied the blockage. "We can either wait for them or take the other area."
Marie jumped down from the tree. "Let’s take the other path." She brushed bark dust from her palms. "They don’t seem to be moving fast, so it might take all day."
Reinhard and Joseph both nodded as they jumped down two before they headed over to the right. The path towards the right had an uneven and rougher ground, leading them to be careful where they stepped.
After twenty seconds, they approached what appeared to be a natural corridor between two dense sections of forest.
But then a screech split the air.
The sound came from the left and right simultaneously, high-pitched and grating.