BADAGUINBIR
"That is one creepy child," Bada commented, her voice steady as she chewed slowly on her jerky. The firelight cast flickering shadows across her face as her sharp eyes occasionally darted to the clearing beyond their makeshift shelter. Every now and then, she stood, scanning the field for any sign of movement. Participants and beasts posed equal threats in this tournament—both needed to be fought or avoided. The fog was heavy, strange.
"What makes you say that?" Jol asked, lounging by the fire as he adjusted his brown sleeveless shirt. His first piece of jerky had already been devoured, leaving him with idle hands and a questioning look. He eyed on another one but waited for Bada to finish.
"Did you see how fast he kept up with us?" Bada said, her tone carrying a faint note of disbelief. "How old is he—ten, eleven? We're fifteen, and we were running fast, even if not at full strength to test him. He still managed to keep up, and not just that—he was adjusting to our pace. Gaining on us." She took another bite of her jerky, chewing thoughtfully before adding, "Makes sense why Chief Julian sent him here. The kid's got potential." Bada noticed Jol eyeing another jerky and she gestured for him to take it. He's more of a child than El Ritch, she thought.
"Not only that," Jol added, leaning forward as if to share a great secret, "Chief Julian didn't teach him much beyond the absolute basics. You know what that means, right?" He paused dramatically, taking the jerky.
Bada arched an eyebrow. "Because he wants the boy to grow?"
Jol grinned and nodded, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Because he wants the boy to learn and grow during the tournament! What a fun idea!" He exclaimed, biting into the jerky.
His exclamation was loud enough to echo slightly in the quiet night, and Jol immediately glanced back at El Ritch, checking to see if the boy had stirred.
El Ritch remained sound asleep, his breathing slow and even.
"What fun—" Bada began, then froze mid-sentence as realization dawned on her. She sat upright, glaring at Jol. "Absolutely not!" she hissed, her voice low but firm. "This is the Tournament of Venus, Jol. I'm not babysitting a child."
"Come on, love," Jol said, his tone light and teasing.
"Don't call me 'love,'" Bada snapped, though her voice lacked the venom it usually carried.
Bada glared at him, her arms crossed, her stance resolute. She knew Jol's tactics, and she knew she wasn't going to let him sway her.
But somehow, he always did.
Her lips pursed as she studied him, watching that infuriating grin spread across his face. Jol might have the build of a grown man, but his childish, toothy smile made it impossible to take him seriously sometimes.
"You're serious," she muttered, exhaling sharply. Jol nodded enthusiastically.
"…Fine," Bada relented with a sigh, leaning back against the tree. "But only the basics. I am not dragging dead weight through this tournament."
Jol's grin widened. "You don't have to worry. I'll only teach him the fundamentals. The rest, he'll figure out himself—I'm sure of it."
Bada shook her head, disbelief tugging at her expression. "I still don't get why you're doing this."
Jol's playful demeanor softened for a moment. "Because it's fun, and…" His voice trailed off, his grin fading into a bittersweet smile.
Bada stiffened, recognizing the shift in his expression. Her lips twitched, as if she were about to interrupt him, to steer the conversation away, but she didn't.
"…He reminds me a little of my brother," Jol said quietly, his gaze distant.
Bada said nothing, her hand gripping the hilt of one of her blades tightly, as though grounding herself.
The air grew heavier with those words, and for a moment, even the crackling of the fire seemed subdued.
Bada turned away, her eyes fixed on the dark forest beyond the shed. "You're too soft, Jol," she murmured.
EL RITCH
Bada had already laid out the plan for the day. They would cross the river by afternoon and reach the cave by midnight, marking the first checkpoint.
El Ritch, sitting with his blade resting across his lap, couldn't help but ask, "How did we know there's a cave as a checkpoint?"
Bada paused, glancing at him as if the answer was obvious. "I have friends out there. Like Jol, they have beasts they're contracted with. They've been observing people moving in and out of the cave carrying yellow flags. There are five checkpoints in total, as far as we know. Yellow is the closest to us. After that, there's red, blue, brown, and finally white. Once we collect all the flags, we can locate the gilded treat we were instructed to retrieve."
The explanation only made El Ritch more nervous. If so many participants already had beasts contracted with them, how could someone like him—without any authority or a contract—hope to win? The odds felt stacked against him, and the doubt was evident on his face.
"Are you worried about people like me—the beast tamers?" Jol asked casually, his voice light as he continued doing push-ups to warm himself.
El Ritch hesitated but admitted, "…Yes."
Jol chuckled, but he made sure to reassure El Ritch. "Relax. I'm the only competent beast tamer here." He grinned, not missing the opportunity to boast. "Most of the others can't even use their beasts' authority. Instead, they're liabilities. You don't need to worry. And if trouble shows up…" He stood, flexing his muscles dramatically, "…I'll take care of it."
The exaggerated display earned Jol a sharp chop to the head from Bada.
"Enough jokes. Let's move," she ordered, her tone firm but not unkind.
The snow was thick underfoot, crunching softly with each step. The forest canopy above blocked out most of the light, and the overcast sky ensured no sun could pierce through. The journey was slow, the path ahead obscured by low-hanging fog.
"Is there a time limit?" El Ritch asked, his voice low as the oppressive silence of the wilderness wrapped around them.
"Three days," Bada replied without turning around. "If we don't collect all the flag and move on by then, we're disqualified. So we'd better hurry."
El Ritch tightened his grip on his blade and focused on keeping pace. He followed Jol, who in turn followed Bada, their silhouettes barely visible through the fog and gloom.
The forest was hauntingly still. The occasional rustle of snow falling from branches or the distant snap of a twig reminded him that they weren't alone—but whether those sounds belonged to participants or beasts, he didn't know.
The weight of the unknown pressed heavily on El Ritch's shoulders as they pressed forward. He could only hope he had the strength to keep up.
_____________
"This is… wrong," Bada muttered, her sharp eyes scanning their surroundings.
El Ritch paused, grateful for the brief respite to catch his breath. They had been walking for over an hour by now, but as Bada had previously determined, they should have reached the river by now. Yet, there was no sign of it.
They weren't lost; Bada had been meticulous, ensuring they didn't circle back on themselves. Broken branches and carvings on the bark of trees served as markers of their progress.
"Something is wrong," Jol agreed, his voice tinged with unease as he also looked around.
Bada's expression hardened. "Let's keep walking," she said after a moment, her determination unshaken.
Jol hesitated briefly, his gaze lingering on her before he nodded and followed. El Ritch, unsure of what else to do, trailed behind them silently.
Another hour passed, and still, they found no river.
The trees became unfamiliar, their trunks straighter and darker. The thicket grew denser, the air colder. It was clear they weren't walking in circles—but something had trapped them here, leading them astray.
Suddenly, the thicket moved.
El Ritch's heart jumped as shadows flitted between the trees. Two figures emerged, stepping into the open, their movements deliberate.
"Who are you?! Address yourselves!" one of them barked. A woman's voice, firm and commanding.
Bada and Jol exchanged a quick glance, the tension melting into faint smiles.
"We're here, Agun, Misti," Bada called out.
The silhouettes stepped closer, their features becoming clearer.
"Bada? Jol's with you too?" the male voice called back, more familiar and less hostile now.
As they drew closer, El Ritch could see them clearly: two young figures with strikingly similar features. Dark hair framed their chiseled faces, their skin a dark, rich tone that matched the resilience in their sharp gazes.
They wore leather armor layered over woolen clothes, with gloves protecting their hands from the cold. Woolen hats, tied from the forehead to the back of the head, with blue-and-white cloth, adorned their heads.
The one on the right, Misti, carried a bow made of solid burnt wood, slung over her shoulder. The other, Agun, was bristling with daggers strapped around his body. Each blade was simple, similar, with a circular hole in the center.
Twins, El Ritch realized. The similarities in their features and expressions—subtle but undeniable—were too strong to ignore.
"Glad to see you two," Jol greeted, his tone easy. "Looks like we're all a bit lost, huh?"
"Lost isn't the right word," Misti replied, her eyes narrowing slightly as she scanned the area. "This part of the forest isn't on any map we know."
Agun nodded, his hand resting on the hilt of one of his daggers. "Something's not right here."
El Ritch remained quiet.
Whatever was happening, he wasn't entirely alone.