This is it. This is where I die. Part of him wanted to close his eyes, pretend it wasn’t about to happen. The other part of him desired to live, to keep fighting, to resist until the very end. Living won out.

Pushing his one functional leg out, he dug his heel into the ground and pushed himself back. Dread filled him as the bear’s head grew larger in his vision as it came closer. He swung his sword side to side, hoping to deter the beast. But it had passed that stage. The bear wouldn’t give him up for anything now. Kai realized how much trouble Hector must have had fighting the beast. Fire seemed to hurt it, but not to the point where it impeded the bear. Kai could only assume it had an innate fire resistance and a hardy body to back it up. Akane had done her best, but she was too weak and ineffective against the beast.

Unable to stand, he shifted around to kneel. Putting all the weight on his one good leg. Kai kept the sword close to his body, the beast nearly loomed him. Its eye was still trained on him.

From his left, flames lit up the forest once more, as a stream of fire smashed into the side of the bear’s face. Kai could feel the heat. Even though it didn’t touch him, he was uncomfortable. Growling the bear turned its head towards the fire. At that moment Kai knew it was his only chance. Pushing off his one leg, Kai shot next to the bear’s face, his sword low, he thrust up, heavy blow assisting as it pierced into the bear’s neck. He felt almost no resistance as it tore through. Only a small rasp could be heard before shifted and then collapsed. A ding told Kai what he already knew. The fire died out a moment later. Akane and Kai shared a look for a moment in the light of the burning forest before the fox lightly smiled and then collapsed.

“Akane!” Kai yelled. He hopped across to the fox with his one good leg. Even movement caused him agony. Kneeling next to her, he couldn’t tell if Akane was injured. The outside of her body lacked any injuries, but she had gotten batted aside so it’s possible the injuries were internal.

“Akane. Akane.” Kai shook the fox gently. In usual fashion, the only response he received was her stomach growling loudly.

Relieved, Kai smiled. He knew she would be ok now. Liquid dripped down his face. Wondering if maybe he was bleeding somewhere on his face, he patted it, but no blood came from his fingers. Tears? Was he crying because he had lived or because Akane was going to be safe? Either way, Kai felt relief. The absurd battle had been close. He knew in his current state he would have never beaten the bear without Akane.

Cracking open his last weak health potion he downed it quickly. Although it wouldn’t do anything for his broken bones, it would at least heal the puncture wounds from the bear in his leg.

Health: 243/1050

Stamina: 89/400

Mana: 73/800

‘You have slain [Spiked Earth Bear – Forging Level 41]

‘Vanguard has reached Foundation Level 80’

…

‘Vanguard has reached Foundation Level 90’

‘Gravity Pillar has advanced to [2/10]

‘Burden has advanced to [2/10]

He was ragged. Another fight and he would die with certainty. Lucky for him he saw the forest’s edge. Grabbing a stick, he propped himself up and left with Akane curled around his neck. He’d wait to put his new stats in unless he came across another monster.

Free of the dreadful forest, Kai limped his way across the grass. Around his neck, Akane slept, still unconscious from the fight. He wasn’t a healer so he just hoped she had passed out from hungry or some nonsense and not internal wounds he couldn’t see.

His left arm hung limply at his side, every step, every jolt caused him agony as pain traveled across it. Head hanging down, he took shallow breaths. While he wasn’t in immediate danger of dying, he was hurting. The minor health potion hadn’t done much for him. He barely had the energy to lift his head to see where he was walking as he trudged onwards. All he could think about was how he shouldn’t have won that fight. If Hector hadn’t injured that beast, then he might have lost and died. And without Akane, he certainly would have died.

He shuffled along the grass, nearly tripping a few times when his foot got caught on a rock or loose dirt. Both his body and mind were dead tired. The entire day had been a blur of excitement. He had done it all; running, sneaking, fighting. All he wanted to do now was rest. The first sun had long set, and because of the way the other sun rotated, it would be hidden behind Titan Prime for a few more weeks yet.

His eyes were half-closed. He walked on automatic without thinking or looking. He didn’t know if it had been minutes or hours since he started walking. The only thing that registered in his head was when he took a step and instead of grass or dirt, he had stepped onto smooth stone. Straining his neck, he saw the glorious sight of a road. Unfortunately, no one was in sight. To his left, the road continued on out of sight, with trees on each side. To his right, he saw the same, but behind the trees was the silhouette of mountains visible even in the darkness.

The capital was very close to where the Ashbourne Mountains began. He began his trek down the road towards the mountains, silently praying to the Nine that he was going the right way.

His eyes kept drooping as he walked. The only thing keeping him awake was the pain from his broken limbs that surged with every step. After an undetermined amount of time, he heard sounds coming from behind him.

Someone yelled “Stop the carriage,” but that was all he heard as his eyes closed with a small smile on his face.

The first thing he noticed was light shining into his eyes. He stretched his arms like he always did after waking up, but when no pain came to him, he blinked his blurry vision clear. Looking around, he had no idea where he was. He was laying in an unfamiliar bed with cream-colored sheets. His armor had been removed and he was wearing a cotton short-sleeved shirt. Looking outside the window where the primary light source was, he saw the same enchanted lights in the sky, alerting him that he was back in the capital. Below on the windowsill was his armor, laid out across, every piece accounted for. The pristine dull-white was now dirty as if he had been rolling around on the ground and tossed in mud. His sheathed sword was leaning against the wall nearby.

Encircling his bed, a white curtain was drawn around it, giving him privacy. Akane slept on her back with her tongue hanging out of her mouth. A bit of drool leaked off the tongue onto the bed. Kai breathed a sigh of relief. Tears welled up in his eyes. The trip through the forest had been the second-worst day of his life, right after being betrayed and dying. Even though it had only been one short day, he thought he was going to die quite a few times. But thankfully, he had come out alive and stronger in the process.

“Akane,” Kai whispered.

With a big yawn, the little fox’s eyes popped open. She locked eyes with Kai, letting out a happy yap. Turning over she jumped into Kai’s arm, before stretching up and licking his cheek. Her rough tongue tickled him. Moving her head away, Kai could see a string of saliva stretching from his cheek to her mouth. “Yuck.” He wiped away the wetness with his sleeve.

“I’m glad you’re alright,” he said warmly to his companion.

She barked back at him. Kai’s interpretation of it being, “I’m glad you’re ok too.” Or that’s what he would like to believe. She could have easily just been informing him she was hungry. Now that he gave it some thought, it was probably the more likely option...

Kai’s face changed to something more serious. “Akane, that was stupid and brave. You almost died. We both almost died,” he said that last part softly.

Recalling the events of what he assumed was last night, he realized he had been lucky. The general rule of thumb was not to fight monsters or sentient beings that were an entire realm above you without assistance. Of course, there were exceptions to this guideline but last night wasn’t one of them.

What had been most strange was that Akane had found him. She had found him in the middle of a dark forest, many kilometers outside the capital where he had left her. Just how did she find him? How did she get to the forest? There were layers of intrigue and mystery revolving around Akane. Including the fact that she possessed an uncanny intelligence that wasn’t often found in lower realm monsters.

Still holding Akane in his hands, he examined her, trying to see anything out of the ordinary. But the only thing out of the ordinary was the eye roll she gave him.

Seeing her reaction, Kai sighed. The only one with the answers he sought was probably his grandfather Roy, the chief of Kitsune Village, but it wasn’t as if he could go home until the end of the academic year. Maybe I am overthinking it, he thought as he watched Akane begin grooming one of her front legs. He swore she kept peeking back up at him ever so subtly, or maybe it was a play of the lights on her eyes. Whatever her uniqueness, she was family. Kai would trust her because she also had risked her life to save him. The only thing likely to come between them was food. On second thought, she might betray me if someone offered her a buffet, he jokingly thought.

The curtain was drawn back, revealing a robed man, with the signature health symbol on his chest. Oddly he wore eyeglasses, something Kai had not seen since he had died. “Good, you’re both awake,” the man spoke with a clear and pleasant tone.

He approached, quickly grabbing Kai’s wrist. Placing two fingers against the underside of Kai’s wrist, the man smiled. “Good, good. Back to full health. The swelling to your head has vanished too.”

“Excuse me, sir, what happened?”

“Hmm? If you’re asking what happened to you being brought here, then I have no clue. I was assigned to you as my patient upon your arrival. You had significant trauma to the head, arm, body, and leg. Took three sessions to fully heal you. The next step– yes?” he turned to someone beyond Kai’s vision. There was a little bit of whispering, Kai couldn’t pick it up. The healer nodded once before turning to back to Kai. “I have another patient that is in critical condition. Someone will be here to debrief you. Stay out of trouble!” Before Kai could get a word in, the man had vanished from sight.

“Huh…” Kai and Akane shared a look. “I guess we are waiting,” he shrugged. On cue, Akane’s stomach growled loudly. “Hopefully not too long,” he added.

During the wait, Kai checked his status.

Unspent Attributes Stats Available: 50

He placed his stats, giving more attention to dexterity and endurance. If possible, I should try and save my stats going forwards, until I see what I gain when I enter the Forging realm. Perhaps the new skills and abilities will give me more insight for my build.

Vitality: 110 (115)

Strength: 110

Dexterity: 60

Endurance: 50

Intelligence: 90

Wisdom: 90

About 10 minutes later a woman peeked around the curtain. “I was informed you were awake.” She gave him a once over and brought out a book and a writing instrument.

“I am Linda Fera, from the Ashbourne Academy’s Enforcement and Investigation Division. You are currently admitted to Ashbourne’s First Mercy Hospital. The people who brought you to this building told us you were walking on the road next to the Delmash Forest. Would you please state your name for the record?” Her tone was curt and demanding.

Enforcement division? Kai hadn’t been at the academy too long, but he had heard rumors that whenever the enforcement division got involved with something, it was bad news.

“Kaismo Cineris, first year at the Ashbourne Academy,” Kai stated.

She jotted it down in her book. “I’ve heard the details of what happened from others in your group, but I would like you to hear your explanation of everything that happened two days ago.”

“What?! Did you say two days ago?”

“Yes. The expedition began two days ago,” she repeated with a tone of annoyance. “I’ve made regular visits, but you kept sleeping.”

“Sorry,” Kai said annoyed himself. Not like I can control when I wake up after being beat to the edge of death.

He started explaining the events that had transpired from beginning to end, including the goblin and possibility of more goblins nearby. The enforcement agent perked up when he mentioned the goblin. He didn’t mention Akane’s strange appearance, just noting to the agent that they had fought the smaller Spiked Earth Bear and barely won.

She closed her book with a resounding snap. It vanished out of sight a moment later. “What you mentioned, matches a lot of what was found. We will investigate why the bears were in the forest and not in their own territory in the mountains,” she said. “We did find the body of your groupmate Hector, yesterday. His corpse was returned to his ward Franklin Cross. With you confirming your own identity, we now have an accounting of all of the persons lost or dead from the expedition. The forest purge can officially begin. Your hospital bill has been paid in full by the academy. You are free to leave and return to the academy at any time. Thank you.”

She began swiftly turning away as Kai called out, “Wait!”

“What is it?” She sighed loudly, not even hiding her impatience.

“Purged? What do you mean purged?”

“Thirteen students died, five of whom were from your own group, and two instructors, which again one was your group’s instructor. For such a catastrophe to occur, we must rectify the situation. Since they died inside the forest, all creatures inside will be purged. After all, many children belonging to the nobility died unnecessarily, their parents and families are up in arms, and we mustn’t have those on the frontlines becoming distracted after all. You need not worry about the other goblins in the forest. They will be found and slain in short order.”

Purged... Even those cute shadow foxes? Kai pulled Akane to his chest, hugging her tightly. While thinking, the lady had left without another word.

It was only when Akane’s stomach growled again, that he knew it was time to leave the hospital for a cafeteria or restaurant before she started munching on a patient’s toe thinking it was a chicken tender or stealing a patient’s food.

Kai stood and walked over to his stuff. Everything was there, including the pouch of Hector’s coin surprisingly. His black underclothes were shredded, with no possible way of repair in his opinion. He started strapping his armor to his body, figuring it would be better than awkwardly carrying it and left to return to the academy.