“Ehhhh?!” I exclaim before immediately shooting my gaze towards the half-ogre, wondering if my outburst has drawn its attention. To my relief, it appears still unawares, sluggishly milling about the meadows. I turn back to Gin, whispering this time, “What do you mean, ‘Fight it? That thing’s like bigger than Shaq! I can’t fight it! It’ll pop me like a balloon!”

“Again, your analogies escape me.”

“What I mean is, if that thing is strong enough to throw boulders, then we don’t stand a chance in a fight. We should run, now, before it notices our presence. Do you know the way back to the road?” When I see Gin nod, I start to edge away from the bushes, crouching as I move. A moment later, however, I find that the man is not following, holding his position. I turn back, whispering, “What are you doing? Come on!”

“You need to fight it,” Gin insists, pointing a finger towards the monster.

“You’re still going on about that-?”

“Look, if we don’t defeat that monster now, what do you think will happen when the next traveler comes by?” he asks with a shrug.

Gin’s words give me pause, as it hits me the point he’s trying to make. “They… would be attacked just like we were,” I say solemnly.

“Exactly, and I know you don’t want that to happen. I know, because I saw you hesitating before. You were thinking of coming back for me, right? It’s because you have a caring heart, lad.”

Though I can sense the blatant emotional manipulation, I grow embarrassed nonetheless, turning my gaze away. I don’t quite understand Gin’s motives for insisting I fight the monster, but he is right about one thing- I can’t just let the monster rampage around; someone could get hurt, and I didn’t want that on my conscience. “But… how am I supposed to fight that thing?” I mumble.

“With your magic, of course,” Gin replies.

I look up, confusion on my face. “Magic? Oh yeah, sure, let me just fireball it or something,” I say, and though I mean it as a sarcastic remark, I find Gin’s emerald eyes suddenly narrowing in response.

“You know Fireball?”

The hint of suspicion in his voice catches me by surprise. “W-What? No. I was joking. Wait, are you saying that I can cast fireball? Is there like magic or something in this-?” I quickly clamp up, catching myself just before I reveal too much, and I look over to Gin, wondering if he’s noticed. I let out a silent sigh of relief when I see the man smiling instead.

“Ah, a joke. Good, it’s good that you can find humor in times like these, yes. Hahaha!”

“Right…” I laugh nervously before returning to the matter at hand, “So this half-ogre? How do I defeat it with magic? Do you have a plan or something?”

Gin nods, pointing into the clearing. “See how it’s already injured?” I follow where the man is indicating, at the creature’s hip, and taking a second look, I notice something I missed the first time in my initial stupor. There is a long gash there, from which amber colored blood is oozing out. “Its speed and attack patterns are fairly limited with that injury. You just need to avoid them, then counterattack with your magic.”

“Right, and this ‘counterattack with your magic’ part, how do I do that exactly?”

Gin nods, then leans over, whispering into my ear. First, he instructs me on how to move, then on the words and gestures I’ll need to set up the spell, repeating them several times until I have them memorized. Pulling away, he adds at the end, “And lastly, you just aim at your target, call out Magical Arrows and voila!”

I stare back, doubt clearly on my face, the plan seemingly a bit too simplistic. “That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

My brows furrow for a moment before another thought hits me. I whisper, my tone harsh, “Wait, if you already know exactly how to defeat it, what do you even need me for? Why don’t you just defeat it yourself?”

Gin lets out a hearty chuckle. “Isn’t it more interesting this way?”

“What is that supposed to mean-?”

“Now, now, don’t mind the details. And no need to worry, I’ll be right here, in case anything happens.”

“W-wait, what do you mean? In case what happens?” I ask, concern growing in my voice as I start to think that all this isn’t such a good idea after all. “On second thought, maybe we should reconsider-” A hand on my back causes me to pause, and suddenly, my fears seem to vanish. Confused, I turn to Gin, finding that he has a mischievous expression across his face. Then before I can say another word, I feel his hand pushing me forward, his strength causing me to careen through the bushes. I stumble out into the open, hopping and skipping, arms extended as I try not to fall. And while sounds were apparently not enough, my sudden movement certainly draws the monster’s attention. Its black gaze trains onto me, and it lets out a low gurgling grunt as it begins to slog in my direction. I swerve my head back, noting Gin standing, giving me a thumbs up. He gestures something incomprehensible, an encouragement, I think, then indicates I should turn around.

Talk about being thrown into a pool head first. Swim, or drown learning. Have I ever mentioned I hated that philosophy?

The half-ogre approaches.