I stepped out of the village hall, sunlight spilling over me as I stretched my arms with a relieved sigh. The meeting with the village chief and Luce had dragged on, mostly because of the chief's fondness for reminiscing. Every visit, he'd dive into tales of his youth—heroic exploits, old friends, and lessons learned. It was charming, though. Endearing, even.
I smiled, weaving through the bustling village streets, exchanging waves and greetings with familiar faces. Despite being away for just a day, a warmth bloomed in my chest. I missed home.
"Amber!"
Lyle's voice cut through the noise, and before I could brace myself, my little brother barreled into me. I laughed, hugging him tightly.
"Missed me that much, huh?" I teased, ruffling his already messy hair.
"Obviously! It's boring when you're gone," he whined.
Dad's chuckle drifted from the kitchen. "Welcome back, Amber."
"Thanks, Dad. Good to be back."
Lyle's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "So? How was Sky's training in the woods? Did he finally learn that special move?"
Dad emerged from the kitchen, raising an eyebrow. "Training? What's this about training?"
I blinked, then forced a casual smile. "Oh, nothing much. Sky was just bothering Ingo about training him."
Dad chuckled. "If Sky wanted training, he could've just asked me."
"Yeah," I grinned. "But you know Sky... his pride's too big for that."
We all laughed, and for a moment, everything felt peaceful. Moments like these made everything worth it.
After a while, I said my goodbyes and headed out. As I walked towards the apothecary, memories of Chelsea filled my mind. Her lessons on magic, her patient smile, but then she suddenly disappearance. Even now, I could hear her voice guiding me. I missed her. One day, I'll find out why she left.
The apothecary smelled of herbs and potions. I browsed briefly, then stepped outside, only to notice a cloaked figure near the southern gate—the direction Luce had wanted to explore. Something about him felt... intriguing.
"Hello," I called, approaching him. "Are you lost? Do you need any help?"
He turned, and I caught a glimpse of dark brown hair and sharp red eyes. "I'm looking for the adventurers' guild," he replied, voice calm, measured.
"The guild, huh?" I grinned. "Lucky for you, I know the way. Follow me."
We walked in silence, but curiosity gnawed at me. "So... what brings you to our little village?"
His steps faltered briefly. "Just passing through."
"You came from the south, right? There's a village a couple days in that direction. Did you live there?"
"No." Short. Sweet. End of conversation.
Not much of a talker, huh?
The rest of the walk was quiet, but my thoughts weren't. My mind was still curious about this stranger, but the scent of honey cake drifting from a nearby bakery, pulled me from those thoughts and making my stomach grumble. I'll have to stop there after the guild.
After a short walk we finally, we reached the guild. "Here we are," I gestured. "This guild also has an inn and delicious food. Rachel at the desk can help you with whatever you need."
I turned to leave. "Nice meeting you, stranger. Just ask Rachel if you need anything!" I waved and hurried off.
A slice of honey cake later, I remembered Sky mentioning gathering adventurers for the beasts corpse's retrieval. Returning to the guild, I found the cloaked stranger deep in conversation with Ingo. Well it was more like Ingo talking at him.
I walked up to them with a smile. "Hello, Ingo."
Ingo glanced up from his conversation, grinning. "Amber! How's it going?"
"I'm doing great," I said, then shuddered. "Well… better now that the beast is gone." Just thinking about it sent a chill up my spine.
Shaking off the memory, I turned to the cloaked figure beside him. "Nice to see you again! I never got your name."
For a moment, he was silent. Then, in a quiet, measured tone, he said, "Krow."
Before I could respond, Ingo let out an exaggerated gasp. "Ohhh, so that's your name, huh?" He smirked and turned to me. "Would you believe it, Amber? This guy wouldn't tell me his name no matter how many times I asked. But the moment a pretty girl asks? Boom—instant answer."
Heat rushed to my face as I shot him a glare. "Hey! Don't say weird things like that!" I swatted at his arm, but he only laughed, dodging easily.
I glanced at Krow. His hood was still drawn low over his face, but I swore I caught the faintest hint of pink dusting his cheeks.
Still flustered, I looked away, hoping to shake off my embarrassment. That's when I spotted Sky heading toward us, two adventurers in tow.
One was a short, blonde fox beastman with sharp eyes and an easygoing smile. The other was a taller, brunette fox beastman who carried himself with quiet confidence.
"Hey, Amber. Ingo," Sky greeted before his gaze landed on Krow. He paused for a moment, his expression briefly unreadable, but then shook it off. "I found some people to help with the retrieval."
The blonde stepped forward with a friendly grin. "Hi, I'm Samantha," she said, then gestured to her companion. "And this one here is John."
I returned her smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Amber."
Ingo stepped forward, offering a handshake with his usual laid-back grin. "Ingo. Nice meeting ya. Lot of new faces today—don't think I've seen you two around before."
Samantha took his hand, shaking it firmly. "Yeah, we just got here yesterday. Came in from the town up north."
Her gaze shifted to Krow, and a playful smirk crossed her face. "And who's this? Tall, dark, and moody?"
Krow simply scoffed, crossing his arms but saying nothing.
I stepped forward, rubbing the back of my neck. "His name's Krow. He's not much of a talker. He just arrived today from the south."
Sky, who had been watching Krow with mild suspicion, let out a huff. "Figures. Guy looks like he's hiding something."
Krow turned slightly toward him, his red eyes barely visible beneath the hood. "Not hiding. Just don't feel like talking."
Sky narrowed his eyes but didn't push further.
Ingo clapped his hands together, breaking the tension with a chuckle. "Well, long as you can handle yourself, that's all that matters."
I crossed my arms, glancing at Sky. "Alright, Sky, have you already filled them in on the details of the request?" I asked, still wary of the tension lingering in his voice.
Sky let out a breath, shaking his head. "Not yet." He turned to the group. "Alright, so as you probably saw on the request board, this is a retrieval quest. Me, Amber, and someone else ran into a beast this morning—something we've never seen before. It was… different. Mutated or corrupted somehow." His jaw tightened for a moment before he continued. "We managed to take it down, so there's no need to worry about fighting it. We just need to bring the body back."
Ingo nodded, slipping his hands into his pockets. "We've already got a cart and the right tools to break it down if needed. A few of the gate guards are tagging along to help. If you need time to prepare, meet us at the northern gate in about half an hour."
Samantha and John nodded, looking eager. "Alright! We'll grab our gear and meet you at the gate!" Samantha chirped, practically bouncing on her feet before dashing off.
John gave a small bow before following after her, his pace much more reserved in contrast to his excitable partner.
I turned to Krow. "What about you, Krow? Do you need to prepare?"
He shook his head. "No. I already have everything I need."
A scoff came from Sky. I glanced at him but chose to ignore it. He was acting off—tense, almost irritated.
"Alright, then I guess we're good to go," Ingo said, before suddenly pausing. "Actually, give me a sec—I need to say goodbye to Rachel."
I laughed. "Just don't take too long."
He grinned and waved me off before heading in the opposite direction. With that, Sky, Krow, and I started making our way toward the northern gate.
The walk was… quiet. Uncomfortably so.
Sky didn't say a word the whole way, his usual energy nowhere to be found. And with Krow being Krow, it felt like I was walking alongside two stone walls.
I sighed. This was going to be a long trip.
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We finally reached the northern gate. It had only been a few minutes, but with the heavy silence hanging over us, it felt like forever. I kept hoping that once we got here, Sky would snap out of whatever mood he was in—but no luck.
With a sigh, I plopped down on a nearby bench. Krow hesitated for a moment before sitting beside me. He looked a little awkward, like he wasn't sure if he was supposed to be here, but somehow, that just made it kind of endearing.
I caught Sky glancing at him again. His ears twitched, and then—another scoff. He leaned against the gate, arms crossed, staring off into the distance like he had something better to do.
The guards finally arrived, the cart groaning under the weight of the equipment. Sky was the first to rush over, his energy returning now that there was work to be done. I caught the sound of laughter from where he stood with the guards, and I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Well, at least he's feeling better," I muttered, shaking my head. "He's usually a lot friendlier. I don't know why he's been so hostile toward you."
I felt Krow's sharp gaze on me, like he was about to say something—but before he could, a familiar voice rang out.
"Hey guys!!!"
Samantha came sprinting toward us, panting as she skidded to a stop, hands on her knees. "Did we make you wait??"
I smiled, shaking my head. "Not really. You're full of energy, huh?"
Samantha grinned. "I can't help it! I'm dying to see this beast you were talking about!"
Her excitement was infectious, momentarily making me forget the lingering unease in my chest. I chuckled despite myself.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Ingo approaching, chatting with John as he clapped him on the shoulder. After exchanging a few words, John nodded and made his way toward us, while Ingo veered off to join Sky and the guards.
I waved at him as he walked away, then turned my attention back to the group.
"We should head over to the cart," I said, glancing at the group. "Ingo will assign us roles before heading off."
They all nodded in agreement while we moved towards the cart, the crunch of dirt beneath our boots the only sound for a moment. I glanced between Sky and Krow, still feeling the weight of the tension between them. I sighed, shaking my head, before turning my attention to Ingo, who was already looking over the supplies.
"Alright," Ingo started, cracking his knuckles. "To make this go smoother, I'll assign roles. Samantha, John, Amber—you three will help break down the beast and load it onto the cart. Krow, Sky—help lift and secure the heavier parts. The two guards will keep watch. If anything feels off, they'll let us know immediately. I don't like the idea of standing around too long in a place where a beast like this was killed."
I nodded, noticing the way Sky scowled at the assignment. He clearly did'nt want to work with Krow, but he didn't argue.
With that settled, we set off toward the location of the slain beast. The journey was quiet at first, but Samantha, unable to hold back her excitement, finally broke the silence. "So, Amber, tell me about the fight! I wanna hear how you guys took it down."
I hesitated, fingers tightening around the strap of my bag. "Well... it wasn't simple." I exhaled, trying to push down the tightness in my chest. "When we first ran into it, it attacked immediately. Sky kept it distracted, dodging its attacks, but... nothing he did worked. His blades barely scratched it."
Sky clicked his tongue but didn't say anything.
I lowered my gaze. "And me? I just stood there. I—" My throat tightened. "I was supposed to help, but I was too afraid. I kept thinking, what if I messed up? What if I hurt someone instead? And while I hesitated, Sky was fighting alone." I swallowed hard. "If Luce hadn't shown up when he did... I don't know what would've happened."
Samantha's excitement dimmed slightly. "Jeez... that sounds terrifying."
I forced a small smile. "Yeah... it was."
Before anyone could say more, we finally arrived at the site of the battle. The air here felt thick, heavy, like something was pressing against my skin. The land bore the scars of Luce's lightning—blackened scorch marks stretched across the ground, but where the beast's blood had spilled, the grass had shriveled up, lifeless. The earth itself looked sick.
One of the guards sucked in a breath. "That looks... unnatural."
The other crouched near one of the withered patches, his face scrunching up. "Damn thing's blood did this? Whatever it was, I sure as hell hope there aren't more."
John let out a low whistle. "Damn... this thing must've been tough."
Krow stepped forward, his sharp eyes scanning the area. He crouched near one of the blood-stained patches of earth, hovering his fingers just above the surface but not touching it. His expression remained unreadable.
"We should hurry," he finally muttered.
Ingo clapped his hands together. "Alright, let's get to work!"
They all nodded in agreement while we moved towards the cart, the crunch of dirt beneath our boots the only sound for a moment. I glanced between Sky and Krow, still feeling the weight of the tension between them. I sighed, shaking my head, before turning my attention to Ingo, who was already looking over the supplies.
"Alright," Ingo started, cracking his knuckles. "To make this go smoother, I'll assign roles. Samantha, John, Amber—you three will help break down the beast and load it onto the cart. Krow, Sky—help lift and secure the heavier parts. The two guards will keep watch. If anything feels off, they'll let us know immediately. I don't like the idea of standing around too long in a place where a beast like this was killed."
I nodded, noticing the way Sky scowled at the assignment. He clearly didn't want to work with Krow, but he didn't argue.
With that settled, we set off toward the location of the slain beast. The journey was quiet at first, but Samantha, unable to hold back her excitement, finally broke the silence. "So, Amber, tell me about the fight! I wanna hear how you guys took it down."
I hesitated, fingers tightening around the strap of my bag. "Well... it wasn't simple." I exhaled, trying to push down the tightness in my chest. "When we first ran into it, it attacked immediately. Sky kept it distracted, dodging its attacks, but... nothing he did worked. His blades barely scratched it."
Sky clicked his tongue but didn't say anything.
I lowered my gaze. "And me? I just stood there. I—" My throat tightened. "I was supposed to help, but I was too afraid. I kept thinking, what if I messed up? What if I hurt someone instead? And while I hesitated, Sky was fighting alone." I swallowed hard. "If Luce hadn't shown up when he did... I don't know what would've happened."
Samantha's excitement dimmed slightly. "Jeez... that sounds terrifying."
I forced a small smile. "Yeah... it was."
Before anyone could say more, we finally arrived at the site of the battle. The air here felt thick, heavy, like something was pressing against my skin. The land bore the scars of Luce's lightning—blackened scorch marks stretched across the ground, but where the beast's blood had spilled, the grass had shriveled up, lifeless. The earth itself looked sick.
One of the guards sucked in a breath. "That looks... unnatural."
The other crouched near one of the withered patches, his face scrunching up. "Damn thing's blood caused the plants to wilt. Whatever it was, I sure as hell hope there aren't more."
John let out a low whistle. "Damn... this thing must've been tough."
Krow stepped forward, his sharp eyes scanning the area. He crouched near one of the blood-stained patches of earth, hovering his fingers just above the surface but not touching it. His expression remained unreadable.
"We should hurry," he finally muttered.
Ingo clapped his hands together. "Alright, let's get to work!"
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The work was exhausting but necessary. The beast was heavy, its hide tougher than anything I'd ever seen, but piece by piece, we managed to break it down and secure it onto the cart. By the time we finished, the sun had begun its slow descent, casting long shadows over the scorched battlefield.
"That should do it," Ingo said, dusting off his hands. "Let's head back."
As we started walking, I noticed Sky lagging behind, his usual energy dulled. The others were caught up in their own conversations, too busy discussing the battle or making plans for when we returned. Without a word, I slowed my pace until I was walking beside him.
He glanced at me but didn't say anything right away. His hands were shoved into his pockets, shoulders tense.
"I heard you earlier," he finally muttered. "Talking with Samantha."
I hesitated. "Oh."
Sky let out a breath, looking straight ahead. "You shouldn't think like that. About being useless, I mean. You were there. That counts for something."
I studied his face, noticing the way his brows were drawn together. He was trying to sound confident, but I could hear something else beneath his words—like he was trying to convince himself, too.
"Sky..." I trailed off, choosing my words carefully. "You did your best out there. It's not your fault that the beast was so strong."
He let out a dry chuckle. "Yeah, but my 'best' wasn't enough, was it? My attacks didn't even leave a mark. If Luce hadn't shown up, we would've been in serious trouble."
I frowned. "It's not that simple. you weren't prepared for something like that. Neither of us were."
He was quiet for a moment before sighing. "Yeah... I guess. It still doesn't feel great."
I didn't know what else to say to make him feel better, so I just walked beside him in silence. After a while, he spoke again, his voice lighter this time.
"That Krow guy. What do you think of him?"
I blinked, surprised at the change in topic. "Uh... I don't know yet. He's a little... different."
Sky scoffed. "That's one way to put it. He's kinda rude."
I gave him a small smile. "He's blunt, yeah. But I think there's more to him than that. He helped us, didn't he?"
Sky shrugged. "I guess. I still don't like him."
I didn't push the subject. We walked together in companionable silence, and for the first time since the fight, I felt like things between us were... back to normal.
As we walked in silence the village gates finally came into view. The guard we had encountered earlier in the day stood with his mouth agape, eyes wide in shock at the sheer size of the beast.
After a brief greeting, we continued through the gates, making our way through the village until we reached the center. There, we quickly informed one of the workers to notify the chief about the beast. They rushed off without hesitation.
Moments later, the ground seemed to tremble beneath thundering steps as the chief burst out of the building, his expression sharp with urgency. After awhile his expression shifted from shock to something more calculating as he took in the severed pieces, his brows furrowing.
Luce followed closely behind, his gaze sweeping over the carcass before flicking toward us. His golden eyes settled on me and Sky for a moment, but he said nothing, waiting for the chief's response.
The chief finally let out a long exhale, running a hand through his graying hair. "Heavens…" he muttered. "It's real." He shook his head in disbelief before glancing at Luce. "So this is what you meant."
Luce simply nodded.
The Chief stepped closer, inspecting the remains. He crouched down, mumbling, "Half of me thought you were exaggerating, pulling my leg..." He grabbed the beast's claws, turning them over in his hands, his brows furrowed in deep thought.
I swallowed, shifting uncomfortably as he stood and walked around the beast. His eyes lingered on the hardened, jagged carapace covering its back. Slowly, he reached out, his fingers brushing against the sharp edges. "When you retrieved the corpse, was there anything strange about it?"
Ingo folds his arms, nodding. "Yeah. The blood did something strange to the ground—wilted the grass. Normally, you'd expect blood to attract scavengers, but not even insects would go near it."
The Chief furrows his brow, running his fingers across the sharp hardened shell. "That ain't natural... I've fought Carabärs before, but this? This is something else."
Luce steps forward. "I've seen something like this before, but not exactly. It's possible that something influenced this creature, made it stronger, more violent." He hesitates before continuing, choosing his words carefully. "If something like this can appear so close to the village, then we should be cautious. There could be more."
I glanced at him, a feeling of unease settling in my chest. He wasn't outright saying what he meant, but I could tell he knew more than he was letting on. Sky, standing beside me, kept quiet, his brows drawn together.
The Chief looks at Luce sharply, as if also sensing there's more he's not saying. But he doesn't press the issue. Instead, he lets out a long sigh. "We can't just burn or bury this thing like any regular beast. We need to study it, figure out what happened to it. But we don't have the means to do that here."
"If we could preserve it, maybe it could be sent somewhere with the equipment," Samantha suggests.
"I can preserve it," Krow says, speaking up for the first time since we entered the village. His voice is calm, unbothered. "I know the magic for it."
The Chief raises a brow. "You do? If you can, Then we could send it to the capital, let their researchers take a look"
I turned to Krow, surprised. He barely spoke unless necessary, and the fact that he was offering this so easily made me wonder just how much he was holding back about himself. His face remained impassive, unreadable as always, but something about the way he stepped forward with such certainty made my stomach twist. Who was he really?
He turns back to the beast, his expression thoughtful. "If we send this to the capital, their scholars and researchers might be able to figure out what caused this mutation. This could be important—not just for us, but for everyone. But that means we'll need people to escort it."
Sky took a step forward without hesitation. "I'll go."
I blinked, my heart skipping a beat. "Sky—"
"You don't have to," he cut in, glancing at me. "But I want to see this through. If another monster like this shows up, I want to be ready next time."
I clenched my hands at my sides. A part of me wanted to argue, to tell him that he didn't have to put himself in danger again, but deep down, I understood. He didn't want to feel powerless again. Neither did I.
I took a shaky breath and forced myself to step forward. "Then... I'll go too."
Sky looked at me, eyes widening slightly. The Chief raised a brow, but he didn't question it.
Luce finally spoke, his voice steady. "I'll join as well. I wasn't planning on staying in the village for long anyways and plus the capital's researchers might need someone with experience beating this creature."
The Chief nodded, satisfied. "Then it's decided. We'll start preparations immediately."
I bit my lip. The thought of leaving the village, of traveling that far, made my stomach twist. But if Sky was going, then... I couldn't just stay behind.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. Whatever happened next, there was no turning back now.