The food at the Academy might be delicious, but it tasted much worse coming back up. I spat, trying to clear the bite of bile from my mouth and wiping at my lips. That damn near made me gag again, and I did my best to ignore it, lying on the ground.

A now-headless corpse sat on my legs, pinning me to the ground under their weight. My ribs seared like flames, every breath I took sent stabs of pain tearing through me, and my ankle felt as if someone had driven a knife into it and twisted. If it was up to me, I might lay on the ground and feel sorry for myself for several more minutes, but a horrific scream reminded me that my mission remained unfinished.

If nothing else, rolling the buck's corpse off my legs was easier than expected, though it sent fresh agony rushing through my body. I stood, feeling my ankle protest but ignored the pain and turned.

The third deer, the one with a shattered leg, had made it several dozen feet away. Volaris shone brightly, and those lights combined with the moon overhead allowed me to see it well enough, though the more minute details escaped my eyes. I could see its heavy body and the dark train behind it that could only be blood.

There was a stab of something unpleasant in my chest, something that must be guilt or maybe regret. Neither emotion would make this easier to stomach, and I pushed both down before making my way closer. I made sure to keep some distance, keenly aware that the injured beast still was fully capable of tearing me open with those antlers.

My left arm rose, pulling at my ribs, and I gathered mana, reciting the incantation for the fourth time today. Briefly, I noticed that my channels looked strained but not severely enough to risk injury and, despite everything, could not help the trace of satisfaction that made itself known.

The poor creature's death was anti-climactic, at least compared to the buck's more spectacular end. A single green bolt to the back of the neck was a quick, merciful kill, and I tried to take solace in that if nothing else. It did little to help the lump in my throat or the stinging in my eyes.

Girem had spent years preparing me for this, but the reality was different than I had expected. Taking a life was not an easy thing, but was that a good thing? Sure, maintaining empathy and compassion sounded all well and good, but would it hold me back in the long run? These would be far from the last lives I claimed during my journey.

Rather than dwell on that, I turned and surveyed the battlefield again, such as it was. Some crops looked torn up, and darker patches littered the ground where blood had fallen. The first body still sat where it had slept, killed by my first attack. Further off, the second lay still, its neck ending abruptly where my spell had taken off-

I heaved again at the sight, my stomach clenching as I turned, squeezing my eyes shut. The spasms made my ribs worse, and I pushed down my disgust, trying to focus on the upside of the night.

The three beasts were dead, and the job finished, but that still left me with a glaring problem. Each of these corpses held valuable materials to sell, but they also weighed hundreds of pounds. How could I transport them?

"Stupid, short-sighted idiot. I should have thought of this before," I muttered under my breath, glancing at the city with a frown. Could I borrow a cart from this farm? I doubted they would love blood and other body parts ruining their tools, but maybe their gratitude would ease hurt feelings.

"Problem?" a voice asked, and I whirled, swearing under my breath at the sudden motion and feeling, to my eternal shame, a temptation to weep from pain.

Sig stood a short distance away, half-leaning against a nearby fence with an amused look on his face.

"I wonder if your bad language is my fault. Not that I blame you; Injured ribs hurt like hell."

"Sorry. I did not expect you here. Exactly how long have you been standing there?"

Sig tilted his head, glancing at the sky before replying, "About an hour or so. I got here while you were sitting on the ground, too focused on training and those beasts to pay attention to anything else. A bad habit to get into, by the way."

I blushed, asking, "Okay, but why are you here?"

"I had a feeling you'd be too stubborn to take my advice and take things slow. It didn't take much guessing to figure out what job you took, so I decided to keep an eye on you. You did well for the most part, though that dive of yours could use some work. That, and tackling a four hundred-pound animal isn't your best idea."

I wondered if I should be angry that he did not help but decided it was not worth it. I was too relieved about my survival to muster up that sort of anger. But that did not mean I would let this go without saying anything.

"For the future, feel free to step in and help at any time. I have some pride but would rather be alive and embarrassed than dead and proud." I remarked.

Sig shrugged and said, "I would've if you looked like you needed the help, but you had it for the most part. As I said, the ending could use some polishing, but still pretty well done."

"I panicked, froze up, nearly died, hurt myself, and vomited like a child at first sight of some blood." I surmised, frowning.

Heat rose in my chest, a simmering mixture of emotions. Part of it was anger, but mostly, it was a blend of fear and disappointment. If I had moved a second slower, the deer would have speared me through the chest, leaving me dying on the ground. Sig claims he would have helped, but was he fast enough to save my life.

It occurred me to that tonight could well have ended with my death. I would be a forgotten apprentice, too arrogant and headstrong to prepare appropriately. By the time that invasion came, no one would remember my name, and everything my future self had done would have been pointless.

Sig did not respond at first, staring at me with an unreadable expression. Finally, he walked closer, stopping a few feet away and asking, "Did I ever tell you about the first time I hunted a magical beast?"

Of course not. Sig had never told me much of anything besides his name, but saying as much was impolite. I settled on shaking my head and saying, "No, you have not."

"Figured as much. I was around your age and just finished up my first semester at the Academy. Julian, two friends, and I wanted to try out our skills and headed south during our winter break. We took up a bounty for this big tiger that had killed a few traders and burnt down this small town. The local lord, Earl Somus, wanted it dead. Or was it Samus? Salus?"

He paused, eyes squinting as he thought for a moment before shrugging.

"Either way, we tracked down the beast to this stretch of land. Tigers can range over miles, but it left a pretty easy trail to follow. It wasn't cautious, but unfortunately, neither were we. And worse, animals are never as arrogant as sixteen-year-old kids."

"What happened?" I asked, my pain temporarily forgotten.

"Magical beasts are clever, more than normal ones, and it had sensed our approach. It climbed up a tree and waited for us to wander close. When we walked below it, it pounced and knocked my friend to the ground. She was caught off-guard and didn't get a shield up in time. I had a moment to help her. If I moved fast, I could've knocked it off her or cut the beast down."

I saw something there, a hint of regret as he shook his head.

"You froze up," I guessed, making the logical leap.

"Would've made a great statue." he confirmed, shaking his head, "The truth is, training never prepares you for a life or death struggle. It can help, but you can't predict how you'll react. Some people cry. Others panic and run. And others still can't do anything but watch."

Sig reached out, placing a rough hand on my shoulder, and said, "Point is, battles rarely go as pretty as we'd like to think, and mistakes happen. The best thing to do is dust yourself off and do better next time. Not much else you can do."

His advice was direct, and maybe it should not have helped as much as it did, but somehow felt right. If nothing else, it gave me something to focus on instead of how close I came to death. I nodded and smiled at him, responding, "Thank you, sir."

"Sig, not sir. Now, we still have to finish up things here, don't we?" he said, gesturing to the bodies lying around us.

"Ahh, yes, well, about that..." I trailed off, and he rolled his eyes, gesturing to continue, "I do not exactly have a way to transport the remains." I finished, rubbing at the back of my neck and avoiding his eyes.

Sig paused for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Trained advisor, probably thinks of a dozen things at once but never considered how to transport the bodies. Yeah, that sounds about right. Alright, I'll make you a deal. I'll take them off your hands and make sure you get a good price. I know a few people that are in the market."

I debated arguing against it, wondering for a moment if Sig would cheat me out of a fair share of gold but decided it was my paranoia talking. He had done nothing to deserve that sort of reaction and had earned some trust today. True, he had not helped in the battle, but he had shared something personal, sensing my distress.

And, of course, I had no way of transporting the bodies myself, so what other option was there?. Some gold was better than none.

I smiled brightly, bowing my head and saying, "Thank you again, sir. I am in your debt."

I spotted the short eye roll, and he sighed but did not say anything about my formal tone. Instead, Sig moved from body to body, placing one hand on each as something flashed by his hips. Was he using a spatial pouch? They were expensive pieces of magic, but it was also the only explanation that made sense, considering that when the flash faded, the corpses had vanished.

Master Julian must own one as well, considering that vanishing wine bottle trick he used the last time we spoke. I felt a twinge of envy and wondered how feasible it would be to buy or create one for myself. Maybe as a ring or bracelet, though.

After finishing up, we stopped by the main building and informed the still-unpleasant older man that the deer would no longer be a problem. I had to assume his demeanor was unrelated, considering he looked unmoved and gave a terse "thank you" and assurances my payment was waiting at the Academy. I had no idea how that worked, but Sig was with me and seemed unconcerned, so I did not question it.

Our walk back was slow, thanks to my injuries, though Sig handed me a small bottle with orders to drink it. I drank it without question, too tired to wonder, and within a few minutes, most of my injures had numbed. Afterward, he withdrew a heavy black traveling cloak, throwing it around my shoulders.

"Your clothes have blood and bits of animal remains all over them. We can't clean them, so the cloak will have to do. We can explain easily enough, but I'd rather not deal with that right now. Already up later than I'd prefer." he explained with a shrug.

It was on that walk through Volaris' streets that something occurred to me. My curiosity got the better of me, and I knew I had to ask.

"What happened with that beast? You never finished the story."

He did not respond at first, staring ahead before saying, "Julian. He was fast and threw it clear before it carved open our friend. By the time the rest of us got moving, he'd already shredded it. We survived, but if he hadn't been there, we would've had to rely on good luck."

We fell back into silence, and I considered his words before asking, "Can you teach me how to fight? I mean, in addition to our regular training."

I could see his face better now, illuminated by glowing lights floating above our heads. The Upper District loved their showy bits of magic, after all. There was an amused grin on his face, and he said, "You got yourself hurt, lost your lunch, and the first thing you talk about doing is training more?"

"Yes, sir. As you said, training will help me improve. That, and I have never had much good luck." I responded, matching his smirk with one of my own.

He burst into laughter, shaking his head slowly and drawing the attention of passing citizens.

"Can't be hurt too bad, I guess. Alright, we can get started first thing in the morning," he said as I spotted the Academy in the distance.

I nodded, wondering what he had planned, considering my body still ached every time I moved too fast. That, and my time was rapidly running out. But then again, if things went as I hoped, and I gained a good chunk of gold from this endeavor, maybe that was less of a problem than it seemed.

"Oh, and one more thing," Sig said, turning to me with another grin as we entered the Academy, "When you retell the story, leave that 'getting sick' part out of it. Reality isn't pretty, but what stories are realistic?"