11:00 PM.
Filch, holding a dim oil lamp that illuminated his wrinkled face, looked for all the world like a Goblin taskmaster crawled out from underground.
"Follow me," he rasped. "I bet you'll think twice about breaking school rules again, won't you?"
Harry, Hermione, and Neville kept their heads down, silent. Malfoy, though looking reluctant, still maintained his haughty aristocratic air.
Only Rove was doing stretching exercises as if no one else was there.
"Wait!" A breathless voice called out suddenly.
Ron burst from the stairway, his hand—the one bitten by Norbert—still wrapped in thick white bandages.
"I'm going too." Ron rushed up to Filch. "This started because of me. If I hadn't been in the hospital, I would be here too."
"Oh, touching friendship." Filch leaned close to Ron's face. "But the list I was given only has these five names. Go back to bed, Weasley, unless you want to feed the werewolves in the forest too."
"Ron, go back," Harry said softly, a flash of emotion in his eyes. "Your hand needs rest."
"But..."
"Don't worry, we've got this," Hermione urged him as well, though she looked terrified herself.
Ron looked at them unhappily, finally turning his gaze to Rove. "Rove, watch out for them. Please."
Rove stopped his leg stretches and looked at the red-haired boy who, though reckless, never dropped the ball when it counted.
"Rest easy, Sam." Rove patted Ron on his good shoulder. "Leave Frodo to me."
Although Ron didn't understand what he was saying, he nodded vigorously and watched them being led away by Filch.
> [Mission Name: Into Mirkwood]
> [Mission Objective: Assist the Guardian of the Forest in investigating the source of darkness.]
> [Recommended Level: Lv.5 (Current Level: Lv.1)]
> [WARNING: Extremely Dangerous Area. Party Recommended.]
"Stop wiggling about, Baggins!" Filch glared at him viciously.
"Checking equipment, Mr. Taskmaster."
Filch sneered and pushed open the great oak doors.
Outside lay pitch darkness. In the distance, the edge of the Forbidden Forest stood like a black wall, blocking out all starlight.
Hagrid was already waiting there. He carried a massive crossbow on his back, a quiver full of arrows on his shoulder, and Fang was pressed tight against his leg.
In Rove's eyes, this scene looked completely different.
> [NPC: Beorn]
> [Race: Skin-Changer / Guardian of the Forest]
> [Status: Alert]
> [Weapon: Giant Dragon-Slaying Crossbow (Attack: 99-999)]
"Time's up, Filch," Hagrid said gruffly. "I'll take it from here."
"Good luck, Hagrid," Filch smiled sinisterly. "Hope I see them in one piece tomorrow morning."
With that, the old man turned and went back into the castle.
"Right then, listen up," Hagrid looked at the five young wizards seriously. "We're going into the Forbidden Forest tonight to do something dangerous. I don't want anyone getting hurt."
"Dangerous?" Malfoy's voice went shrill. "I'm not going! I'm a student! My father told me there are werewolves in there!"
"If only it were werewolves," Hagrid grunted. "The forest hasn't been peaceful these last few weeks. I've found some terrible things. Something is hunting unicorns."
"Unicorns?" Hermione covered her mouth in shock. "But unicorns run fast, and they're hard to catch."
"Exactly. That's why whatever's doing it is extremely dangerous, and strong." Hagrid raised his massive lantern, illuminating a path leading into the depths of the woods. "I found a dead one the day before yesterday, and today I found fresh blood. If we don't find the killer, every creature in this forest will suffer."
"So you're taking five first-years to find a monster that can kill unicorns?" Malfoy shouted incredulously. "Are you mad?"
"As long as you stick with me or Fang, nothing in the forest will hurt you," Hagrid said impatiently. "And unicorns trust children; maybe you'll spot the injured one easier. Right, enough talk."
"I... I'm not scared."
A trembling voice spoke up. Neville hugged his arms tight, fear written all over his round face, but his feet didn't retreat an inch.
"Gran says Longbottoms aren't deserters." Neville glanced at Harry and Hermione, his voice growing a little louder. "Since it's to help Hagrid, and to... make up for our mistake, I'll go."
Hagrid sniffed, moved, and patted Neville's shoulder with a hand the size of a dustbin lid, nearly driving the round-faced boy into the dirt. "Good lad, Neville! You'll go far! Right, let's move."
Hagrid led the way, and the group set off.
> [System Environment: Mirkwood.]
> [Environmental Debuff: Whispers of Darkness (Sanity slowly decreasing), Lost (Sense of Direction -50%).]
Rove took a deep breath; the air smelled of rotting leaves.
He pulled a pair of heavy leather gloves from his robes and put them on—the dragon hide gloves Susan had given him.
Next, he handed Harry a sharpened wooden stick.
"Take this," Rove whispered.
Harry paused. "I have my wand, Rove."
"In a hellhole like this, a wand isn't as good as a trusty spear." Rove stared vigilantly at the pitch-black woods. "If we meet giant spiders, stab their eyes. If it's Orcs, go for the gut."
Harry swallowed. Though he thought Rove was being crazy again, he subconsciously gripped the stick tight. For some reason, holding this stick did feel safer than holding his thin wand.
"We need to split up," Hagrid said. "There are signs of the injured unicorn everywhere. We need to find it and end its suffering."
"I want Fang!" Malfoy shouted immediately, eyeing Fang's long teeth.
"Fine, but I'm warning you, Fang's a coward," said Hagrid.
> [Creature Detected: Fang]
> [Race: Warg]
> [Status: Tamed / Cowardly]
> [Evaluation: A mount that's all bark and no bite.]
The final grouping was decided: Hagrid took Hermione and Neville, leaving the other three as a group.
"Rove, Harry, you go with Malfoy and take Fang," Hagrid instructed. "If there's danger, send up red sparks."
"Let's go." Rove lowered his voice, drawing his Blackthorn wand (shortsword) and holding it in a reverse grip.
Three people and a dog walked into the dark forest.
The trees were extremely dense, the path narrow enough for only one person.
Rove deliberately walked at the very back.
Malfoy walked in the middle, holding the lantern, his face pale. Harry walked in front, leading Fang.
"This is servant's work!" Malfoy couldn't help complaining after a few minutes. "I'm definitely telling my father..."
"Shut up, Malfoy," Rove cut him off coldly. "If you don't want to attract the spiders of Mirkwood, keep your mouth shut."
Malfoy glared back at him, but seeing Rove's eyes glinting coldly in the darkness, he swallowed the insult on the tip of his tongue.
This Hufflepuff lunatic would actually hit him. Malfoy had no doubt about that.
> [WARNING: Untrustworthy Temporary Ally Detected.]
> [Advice: Maintain distance, prevent backstabbing.]
Rove stared at Malfoy's back.
"Wait."
Rove stopped suddenly and crouched down.
At the base of an old oak tree ahead, a pool of silvery-white liquid was shining.
> [Item: Life Force of a Pure Spirit (Unicorn Blood)]
> [Attributes: Holy / Cursed]
> [Description: Only the most evil creature would slaughter such a pure being to prolong a cursed existence.]
"What's this?" Harry leaned in, his voice trembling.
"Unicorn blood." Rove extended a dragon-hide-gloved finger, stopping a centimeter from the blood.
"It's bleeding," Malfoy said with a trace of fear. "And badly."
"Not just bleeding," Rove stood up, looking deeper into the darkness of the forest. "It's a hunt. Something is hungering for life."
On the System interface, the pool of blood emitted a harsh red light, pointing deep into the woods.
"I want to go home," Malfoy said, sounding close to tears.
"You can go back," Rove turned his head, looking at him expressionlessly. "But if you go alone, I can't guarantee what you'll meet. Maybe werewolves, maybe something worse."
Malfoy shuddered and ran over to clutch Fang's collar tightly.
"Keep moving," Rove ordered. " maintain formation. Harry, raise your spear. Fang, track the scent."
They went deeper.
The surrounding trees became more twisted, like withered arms reaching for the sky. The moss on the ground grew thicker, squelching underfoot.
Rove felt his Sanity dropping point by point.
But he couldn't show it. He was the "Maia" of the group, the only adult soul (even if his body wasn't). If he panicked, Harry and Malfoy would definitely collapse.
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from ahead.
Like a long cloak dragging over dead leaves.
Harry stopped, his knuckles white on the wooden stick. Malfoy let out a strangled scream.
Fang gave a low growl, but the "Warg" was trying to hide behind Rove.
Rove narrowed his eyes.
In his System vision, ahead lay more than just darkness.
A gigantic red skull icon was slowly rising from the gloom.
> [WARNING! High-Risk Hostile Unit Detected!]
> [WARNING! Boss Battle Imminent!]
Rove took a deep breath, tightening his grip on his "shortsword," his other hand quietly reaching for the frying pan at his waist.
"Prepare for battle, Fellowship," he said in a voice so quiet it was almost inaudible. "Whatever that is... it's here."
...
> [System Settlement:]
> [Exploration Progress: Edge of Mirkwood (10%)]
> [Key Clue Found: Silver Blood]
> [Reward: Skill Book - Tracking (Lv1)]
> [Current Status: Rove [Skill: Tracking][Mental State: Suppressed].]