Mikaela gaped. Blood from a bandit’s leg ran down the side of my mouth. Dare I say that it was an acquired taste? Definitely not out in the open, but it was much more palatable as I grew used to it, or perhaps as my conscience was blurring into the lines of indifference. They were all shocked, but underneath that shock was a perverted and undiluted repugnance. Mayhap it was better to call it a reality check. According to Lila, I really was a “monster”.

“Mm,” I swallowed, “by definition, yes, I’m a monster. But in my heart, I’m just someone trying to survive. If I didn’t do this, I wouldn’t be alive today.”

Doran sighed when he realized the party refused to reply to me. He walked off and preoccupied himself with collecting valuables that the bandits had on them. Better him than me; he didn’t have to deal with the awkward stares.

By the looks I got from the warriors and knight, and even Lila to a point, I knew the very reason they didn’t try to kill me at the point was due to my victory over the chimera. They knew their place on the totem pole of magic and skill. “I told you. Bad idea. I like Mikaela but who knows? I might eat her.”

“Watch your fucking mouth, fugitive,” Lila warned. “Come on Mikaela, let’s go.”

“I’m trusting you all to keep my secrets safe, okay?” I shouted over yonder but there was no reply. Mikaela had a look of confusion smitten over her. Well, it was her or Tina, and I choose Tina.

I managed to eat thirty-two bandits before my hour was up. Clean removed the blood from me and Doran practiced Mana Shield; he was much better at defensive spells so he took ages before he could use Electrostrike. At times, I’d ponder if I did the right thing by staying with him, but I often found it strange that he could survive that long without me. He drew circles in the sand in an attempt to willfully distract himself from training – that way, he could keep it on like it was second nature.

“When did you get marked?” I asked.

He paused, dropped the twig he was playing with and folded his legs in like a monk in meditation. “Six, seven. Eight maybe. You’re awfully talkative today.”

I shrugged and nodded my head. “Yeah, I guess so. Do you ever wish you could go back?”

“To my family? Never.” He stood up and took a breather. “I thought you hated talking about the past? I sure do. We should get moving.” He picked up his equipment.

Sometimes, I’d really worry about him; he was a nice kid at heart but had trouble opening up. I probably couldn’t open up easily if my entire family and village exiled me into the wilderness with nothing but the clothes on my back. Trust was a luxury he couldn’t afford in a country like Skaljorn. We had our brushes with death even in the little time we were together, but helped each other out. I couldn’t fathom how he lived in the years before. Well, he’s getting confident enough to be sassy with me. When I first met him in the chimera’s valley, he was cowardice incarnate.

I exhaled. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Our next destination was disgusting swamplands. There was mud in places the sun didn’t shine. The noisy birds irritated me to no end. The goddamn mosquitoes were relentless. Every now and then, whiptail caimans would attack in groups, but they were fairly weak monsters so Shadowspear made easy pickings of them. We traversed through the dirty waters that sometimes reached our chests and would avert our attention upwards every time the stupid monkeys passed by and broke the beams of light boring through the trees’ crevices.

For the umpteenth time, my foot got caught in the complex root systems of the trees in the swamp. How I missed Dreadhoof. Luckily, we made it to dry land at sundown. Doran immediately hugged the ground like a lover he hadn’t seen in years. He rolled about in ecstasy. “Oh goodness gracious, sweet, sweet land!”

“You want to take a break?” I asked.

“Yeah, but,” he stood up and dusted himself off, “there’s a nice spot not too far away. We can setup camp there.” He sighed tiringly. “I still think we could’ve snuck in Crimfang and get proper supplies.”

“And what happens if someone notices me?” I bonked him.

He grunted like he heard that line a million times. “Yes, father, it’s dangerous. You need to lighten up, sometimes. I’ve done it before. And besides, all you need to do is dye your hair another color.”

Those words made my ears perk up. “I, forgot that’s a thing.” Maybe I really should…

I thought it was a great suggestion, but a drake camouflaging in the green of the dark forests didn’t care about hair color. Doran froze the moment he saw it and applied Mana Shield and Conceal to himself. The drake, large enough to devour me, towered over me even on all-fours. It appeared curious at first, so it didn’t attack right off the bat.

I had a couple whiptail caimans tied with string that were slung across my shoulders. Interesting. I cut the string and held one out to it. The monster sniffed around, hesitated enough to the point where I almost gave up, then finally gave the caiman a poke with its nose, then a lick, then it eventually grabbed it with its lengthy jaws and swallowed it whole. Its eyes focused on the other caiman around my neck.

“No!” Doran protested. “What the fuck, Andre?! That’s my dinner! Don’t just give it away!” He hid behind a rock as he voiced his concerns. Suddenly, he screamed, quite a high-pitched one.

The drake in front of me hissed and some of its scales raised as a warning. Behind us was an even bigger drake.