It had been an hour since Solis and Pearl began traveling toward Riverside Hospital with the medicine. The path ahead was quiet, the air tense with the possibility of danger. Solis, however, grew bored of keeping his guard up for Roblins and decided to strike up a conversation with Pearl to pass the time.
"Hey Pearl, what do you think is needed to be a good Postknight?" Solis asks.
"If you ask me about my experience in the academia....," Pearl began, her tone matter-of-fact yet tinged with warmth, "I'd say you need to make yourself resourceful. Combat skills alone won't help you in the long run. There will be missions that demand navigation skills, or sometimes survival skills. Being versatile is the key."
Solis perked up, impressed. "Whoa! So there's a lot more to it than just fighting. Senior, how long does the course take, anyway?" he asked eagerly, his curiosity clear in his wide-eyed expression.
Pearl chuckled softly at his enthusiasm. "Well, it depends on you. The theory courses are wrapped up in six months, but combat training continues until you manage to pass the Rank D exam and officially become a Postknight," she explained, her voice steady but tinged with pride in her experience. "Plus, call me Pearl. Not senior. Please. It feels like I have become old or something."
"Okay, Pearl I got it." Solis furrowed his brow, pondering her words. "Wait. Aren't we trainees already part of the unit? Even though we're not rankers?" he asked, tilting his head as if trying to piece it all together.
"Yeah," Pearl replied with a small smile, "but not officially. We trainees are like... temporary members of the Postknight unit. We don't carry the full responsibilities until we pass the exam."
"Oh, I see," Solis said, nodding slowly. "So it'll still take some time to become a full-fledged Postknight, huh? Guess I'd better step up my game."
Their banter brought a lightheartedness to their otherwise tense journey, but the mood shifted abruptly when Pearl fell silent, her demeanor growing serious. Her eyes scanned their surroundings, her hand instinctively moving to the hilt of her dagger.
Solis noticed her sudden change but was oblivious to the cause. "What's wrong, Senior?" he asked, his voice low and cautious.
"We're surrounded," Pearl said grimly, her gaze darting to the shadows around them.
Before Solis could respond, a Roblin darted out from the underbrush with astonishing speed. Its movements were erratic yet precise as it snatched the Postknight Scroll from Pearl's hand and bolted into the forest.
"Oh no!" Pearl exclaimed, panic breaking through her usually composed tone. "That Roblin stole the scroll! We have to retrieve it at any cost—lives are depending on it." Her desperation was palpable as she gestured toward the fleeing creature.
"Aye aye, Senior!" Solis replied, his usual enthusiasm masking the growing tension in his chest. Without hesitation, they split up to cover more ground in pursuit of the scroll.
---
After some time, Pearl tracked the Roblin to a narrow clearing near a rift. Its jagged edges shimmered ominously in the fading light, adding to the tension. She approached cautiously, her eyes fixed on the creature clutching the scroll.
"Okay, buddy," she said, her voice sharp but steady, "enough games. Give me back my thing ba—"
Her words caught in her throat as a shiver ran down her spine. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, a primal warning of danger. Slowly, she turned around, only to find herself surrounded by a pack of Roblins, their yellow eyes glinting with malice. Unlike the usual timid and mischievous Roblins, these ones exuded a predatory menace.
"Wait, this doesn't feel right," Pearl thought, her heart pounding. "Roblins are usually skittish and avoid direct confrontation, but these... these are different. It's like they're hunting me."
Before she could process further, one of the Roblins lunged at her with a guttural screech. Pearl reacted instinctively, sidestepping the attack with a quick pivot and drawing her dagger in one fluid motion.
"It seems like fighting is my only option now," she muttered under her breath, tightening her grip on the blade. "Let's see how much I've improved."
The first Roblin charged again, but Pearl moved swiftly, dodging its crude attack and striking the back of its head with the hilt of her dagger. The creature crumpled to the ground with a low groan. Wasting no time, Pearl spun to face the others. She repeated the sequence, using her agility and precision to evade their attacks and exploit their vulnerability from behind. One by one, four Roblins fell.
However, the remaining Roblins grew smarter, watching her movements with unsettling focus. Two of them brandished makeshift bone weapons, their crude edges gleaming wickedly. They targeted her legs, attempting to unbalance her. Pearl darted between them, but the strain of constant movement began to wear her down. Her breaths came faster, her reactions slower.
Finally, one of the bone weapons struck her calf, sending her stumbling to the ground. She gritted her teeth against the sharp pain and scrambled to her feet, but another Roblin seized the opportunity, landing a heavy blow across her side with its weapon. The impact knocked the wind out of her, and she fell again, this time unable to recover as quickly.
The pack descended on her with brutal efficiency, their attacks relentless. Pearl raised her arms to shield herself, but each strike sapped her strength further. The world around her blurred, her body screaming in protest. As her vision dimmed, a single thought echoed in her mind: I can't black out. If I do, it's over.
Despite her determination, the overwhelming pain and exhaustion finally claimed her. Her body went limp, and the world faded to black.